Oscar Nominations!

Well, this year's Oscar nominations didn't hold too many surprises, which was almost a surprise in and of itself. There was plenty of room for an unconventional movie or two to sneak in and steal some thunder, but it didn't really happen - the Best Picture and Best Director nominees were even in total alignement. Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was this year's "Oscar nominations leader" - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with 13 nominations. Only two films have ever been nominated for more awards: All About Eve and Titanic, both of which had 14. They both won top honors in their years, but I don't see that happening for Benjamin Button. When a film earns 13 nominations, you would expect it to be the odds on-favorite, not this time; that title belongs to Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, history could be made if Benjamin Button doesn't win a single award. Realistically, I expect it to at least win "Best Makeup," but I don't think it will even rack up the most wins.

I was hoping that either WALL•E or The Dark Knight would snag a "Best Picture" nod, but both films were thoroughly honored with six and eight nominations, respectively. In fact, WALL•E is now tied with Disney's Beauty and the Beast for the record of most Oscar nominations for an animated feature. I'm so thrilled for Pixar! As far as I'm concerned, they made the best film of 2008.

From the films that I've seen so far, I'm rooting heavily for Slumdog. I'll be catching some more of the nominees this weekend, though, so check back soon for some fresh reviews!

Click here to see the full list of nominations.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is an overwhelming tour de force, featuring more emotional ups and downs than most of 2008’s movies combined. It’s also better than most of 2008’s movies, and 2008 was hardly a weak year. I went into Slumdog Millionaire completely cold, having no knowledge of its cast, crew, or premise (something I rarely do), and was completely swept away on the wave of its narrative power. Combining the rawness of City of God (2002) with the exuberance of Bollywood, Slumdog Millionaire is a complete triumph.

Eighteen year-old Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is one question away from winning 20 million rupees on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?.” When the show breaks for the night, the police arrest Jamal on suspicion of cheating; how could a nobody from the slums of Mumbai possibly know so much? As the Police Inspector (Irrfan Khan) interrogates Jamal, we see through flashbacks how the tragedies of his life equipped him with the knowledge necessary to succeed. We follow Jamal across his life-long journey of running from his enemies, struggling with his gangster brother, and searching for his lost love, Latika (Freida Pinto).

The film’s final half hour contains the highest highs, and the first half hour contains the lowest lows. Many scenes of Jamal’s life in the slums are hard to watch, but far too compelling to turn away from. Brace yourself for a rough beginning (scenes of children in peril are especially hard), but know that every moment has purpose. I recognize that real life for most people in Mumbai rarely becomes as tragic or as ecstatic as Jamal’s life, but this is hardly a documentary of life in India; it’s a dark fantasy about the power of love and hope. While the two movies have little else in common, The Shawshank Redemption has a similar mix of light and dark, where both parts are equally necessary to the overall experience.

The cast is comprised mostly of unknowns, and child actors carry the portions with the most emotional weight. The performances are so good, especially from the children, that it’s easy to lose the “Don’t worry, it’s just a movie” effect, making the whole experience all the more exhausting. The emotion comes not just from the events themselves, but in the characters’ understated reactions. The performances aren’t especially energetic or raw, so much as genuine. The characters’ eyes project the fatigued poker faces of people who have experienced far too much, far too soon.

Watching Jamal sit in the Millionaire “hot seat” answering questions, I wondered when the last time was that I so badly wanted a movie character to succeed. Along with everyone else in the theater (judging from the unanimous gasps and bated breath), I needed him to succeed. Danny Boyle’s film taps into that inspirational, essentially human vein; you know the one I mean. I have a feeling you’ll drive home from Slumdog Millionaire using the same lifeline I did: “Phone a Friend.”


Click here to view the trailer

For the Parents:

MPAA Rating: Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

Slumdog Millionaire is a movie for adults. Don’t be misled by the overwhelmingly positive feedback about how inspirational it is - this film contains very raw, very upsetting depictions of life in the slums. Preteens should stay away, and everyone else should be prepared for a heavy, albeit powerful, experience.

Nashville and More

Hello again! We went to Nashville last week for Lacy and Justin's wedding and had a fabulous time catching up with family and friends. The warm weather was a nice change of pace (as I'm writing this, it's -9°F in Yarmouth, ME), and we didn't have any trouble with our travels. The week surrounding Lacy's wedding was a lot of fun for both of us, but especially for Lauren, who was constantly doing things with the bridesmaids. We spent time with as many friends as possible within such a short time period, and the fun culminated at Lacy's wedding reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame, which turned out to be a really great party! Lacy and Justin are so obviously perfect for each other, and we look forward to spending more time with them in the future.

In other news, we saw Slumdog Millionaire two weeks ago, but I (Dee) haven't posted my review yet. I'll go ahead and say that I was completely overwhelmed by it - easily one of the year's best films. I've told everyone how great it is, but people seem to be skeptical of it because of the title. I told people not to be surprised if it snuck up and won the top honors at the Golden Globe Awards, and now that it has, I feel vindicated. Be prepared for a heavy experience, but drop what you're doing and go see it; you'll be glad you did.

Check back soon for the full review, as well as other updates.

Doubt

“What do you do when you’re not sure?” That’s one of the opening lines in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, and definitely serves as the story’s driving question. Of the film’s three principal characters, one embraces uncertainty, one fears it, and the third denies it. Where we as viewers should stand on the matter is left up to us, but I walked away from the theater with no doubt that I had seen several of the year’s best performances in one of its strongest films.

Doubt follows its Pulitzer Prize-winning stage-script closely, as the playwright also wrote and directed the film. Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the new Pastor at Saint Nicholas Church and School, in New York City, 1964. Through humor and friendliness, he constantly attempts to offset Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), an incredibly strict and uniformly-feared nun. When the fairly young, innocent Sister James (Amy Adams) fears that Father Flynn may have entered into an inappropriate relationship with one of her male students, she tells Sister Aloysius, who demands that Father Flynn confess the truth. No matter how many times he proclaims his innocence, Sister Aloysius remains convinced of his guilt. “You haven’t the slightest proof of anything,” says Flynn, to which Aloysius responds, “But I have my certainty.”

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep give overwhelming performances. You needn’t worry if you go to see Doubt during a storm; Hoffman and Streep’s shared scenes have enough electricity to power the film projector in the event of an outage. Their dramatic energy culminates in their final scene together, where Sister Aloysius holds the cross at the end of her rosary like a weapon. “I will do what needs to be done, though I’m damned to hell! You should understand that, or you will mistake me.” Amy Adams brings a believable balance of innocence and awareness to Sister James, and Viola Davis makes an award-worthy cameo as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the child who may or may not be a victim.

Mrs. Miller and her son are African-American. The Civil Rights Act was just passed earlier in the year, and her son feels understandably out of place at Saint Nicholas School. When Sister Aloysius meets with Mrs. Miller to discuss the potential situation between Father Flynn and her son, Mrs. Miller explains that she wants her son to be looked out for, no matter what that entails. “My boy came to your school ‘cause they were going to kill him in the public school ... I’ll be standing with my son and those who are good with my son.” In a film of power-house performances, Viola Davis holds her own.

Doubt’s visual metaphors walk the line between being strong and being too obvious. Running motifs include light bulbs burning out, windows being left open, and stormy weather outside the church walls. I embraced the overt metaphors because so much else in the story remains open to interpretation. I’ve heard some viewers criticize the film’s lack of a message, but I found plenty of meaning; it just wasn’t handed over on a platter. Like jurors in a court case, we are shown all of the evidence and then encouraged to make up our own minds. “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty,” says Father Flynn. “When you are lost, you are not alone.” Your conclusions will be your own, and may not be the same as mine or anyone else’s; in a film entitled Doubt, that’s appropriate.


Click here to view the trailer

For the Parents:

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic material.

There isn’t any objectionable content, but there’s nothing in the film that young kids would enjoy. Children under 13 would probably be confused or bored. Young adult viewers will enjoy it if they’re open to thought-provoking films, but you should be prepared for a discussion afterwards.

New Year's Update

Hello there! Lauren and I had a happy Holiday Season, and we hope you did as well. We're preparing to go back to Nashville, TN, for a few days, so we'll be posting more about that soon. As for the New Year, everyone seems to be talking about change. Change isn't always good, I feel compelled to remind everyone, though we all have hopes for a better tomorrow. Lauren and I have made some very positive changes over the last year, and we hope to make even more in 2009. We wish you the happiest of years as we prepare for another adventure together.