On Saturday, Ajay and I attended the Best Picture Showcase at AMC Northpark, which showed all five Best Picture nominees in one day. This was made possible by the kind people at AMC who let me take along someone with me.
All in all, it was a fairly enjoyable day; and outside of the fact that AMC let me go for free, I would’ve gladly paid to go see this. (You can’t beat $30 for an all day pass for five movies plus free snacks.)
In the interest of time and saving your Google Readers and whatnot, below here are my thoughts on each of the Best Pic nominees:
The Reader: Easily the most disappointing film of the day. Scott has a great post here on it and I can’t disagree with much he says. For a movie about German guilt post-Holocaust, there’s really not much guilt. Hannah Schmitz, the character accused of war crimes, is remorseful for very little. “The dead are still dead,” she tells Ralph Fiennes’ character. And Ralph Fiennes doesn’t do a lot of wallowing in guilt. He mainly feels sorry for himself and sorry for Hannah. Not much time is spent reflecting on the actual atrocities that happened which Hannah’s been convicted for. Michael’s own sense of personal shame at boinking a Nazi prevents him from doing the right thing and admitting a key piece of evidence during a trial.
It’s two hours of a combination of self-pity and stubborn refusal to own up to any sense of personal responsibility. When Michael’s finally taken to task at the end of the movie for being pretty much a self-centered jerk, it’s nothing the audience hasn’t been thinking for the previous two hours. I can see what the filmmakers intended for the message to be, but they missed the mark.
Frost/Nixon: Good, but not great. I do have to say that I’m personally really burned out on Nixon movies, myself, and this does little to offer up anything new to the Richard Nixon Cinematic Mythos. I liked Frank Langella and the rest of the cast, it’s just that the subject matter is really, really tired. And it was just kind of a decent film – not something I’d give an Oscar.
Slumdog Millionaire: I was so relieved that Piper over at Lazy Eye Theatre didn’t seem to think that Slumdog was the film equivalent of sunshine, rainbows and puppy dogs. Honestly, I thought I was the only one. To be frank, I liked the way the story was outlined and I liked the performances from all involved. What I felt was middling was the direction from Danny Boyle – fanboys, set your phasers to ‘stun’, I guess – which is just the same old bag of tricks from him. I would see certain shots and realize, “Oh, yeah, I’m watching a DANNY BOYLE film, that’s for sure”. He’s not a bad director, it’s just that this definitely isn’t the best Danny boy’s done, and I don’t think it was a Best Picture winner, for sure. Also – I really didn’t get the whole ‘feel-good’ aspect of it that other people seemed to get from the movie. A kiss at the end does not balance the two hours of brutality and poverty I witnessed before.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – More like “Give me an intermission for a bathroom break”. In serious need of editing, that’s for sure. Also, the film runs awkwardly; the beginning all the way up until about 1955 felt stilted at times and definitely slow as molasses. Once you hit the ’50’s, it hits a good stride and you don’t notice it anymore. Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson were amazing. Brad Pitt – I hate to say it – was kind of cardboard-y.
Milk – easily the best film we saw that day. Everything ran smoothly and nothing felt slow. Sean Penn was an absolute knockout and I say that as someone who loathes Sean Penn. And talk about a talented group of supporting actors. Franco and the lot were really, really good. It was just a great movie all the way around and one that I personally felt was better than Slumdog, but that’s just me.
Did anyone else see any Best Picture nominees this year?
Also, I’ll have a couple of pictures up from the screening later on, if you’re interested.
Ha ha ha. The only movies I saw in theatre last year were Indy 4, Dark Knight, Mamma Mia, Quantum of Solace, and a completely puke-worthy one (which shall remain nameless – ok, Nick & Nora) that I accidentally went to see with a friend.
I missed/would be interested in seeing Ironman and Rachel Getting Married.
As far as the Best Picture nominees go, I might end up watching Slumdog and Benjamin Button. We’ll see.
Yay @ at you not loving Slumdog! I can still come here then. ;)
My ranking (since I’ve seen them all! *nerd*):
1. Milk (best picture of the year. <3)
2. The Reader (totally up my alley, plus Daldry + Kate. and I like hot naked German boys so that worked for me as well)
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (such hopeless romanticism – I couldn’t not love it)
4. Slumdog Millionaire (I’m so over it)
5. Frost/Nixon (blerg)
Sigh.
Oh. I also saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Made of Honor, Get Smart, and Deception once they came out on video. Out of that stunningly long list of 2008 movies, Deception and Nick & Nora were the only ones I disliked.
Erin: Iron Man is so worth it to see. Have no idea about Rachel Getting Married, though.
I saw Indy IV, Twilight, The Dark Knight, Wall-E…no others are coming to mind. I liked them all (well, I liked Twilight in a snarky way).
As far as the Best Picture nominees go, I might end up watching Slumdog and Benjamin Button. We’ll see.
You can’t go wrong with those two!
Yay @ at you not loving Slumdog! I can still come here then. ;)
Aww, J.D., I have missed you! And yay for a fellow Slumdog not-lover.
Re: Your rankings – I’d go with
1. Milk
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Benjamin Button (tie really between Frost & Benjamin)
4. Slumdog
5. The Reader
Out of that stunningly long list of 2008 movies, Deception and Nick & Nora were the only ones I disliked.
I figured Deception would be awful but I heard that Nick and Norah was annoyingly twee…is that the case? Michael Cera seems to be in a lot of cutesy, twee stuff these days.
Nick & Norah’s is awesome. Loved it so, so, so, so much. But I’m a youth.
(And RGM is very great with an absolutely outstanding ensemble, yo. And it’s on DVD in two weeks!)
Ooh, JD! Look at you, all in the know and whatnot.
But I’m a youth.
Don’t worry. One day your heart will become hardened by cynicism and you can be just like the rest of us. ;)
I heard that Nick and Norah was annoyingly twee…is that the case?
I found the characters pretentious and fairly one-dimensional. I couldn’t empathise with anyone. There seemed to be no plot whatsoever. Their thoughts on “love” were definitely twee. The main female character’s friend spends the whole movie drinking, vomiting, and fishing her chewing gum out of public toilets. The main female character gets a hand job from the main male character in her dad’s recording studio, and it’s beautiful because, *tear*, she’s never had an orgasm before.
I found the whole thing trite, verging on disgusting – but then, I was never into that “scene.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for misbehaving and sex in movies. But this seemed so . . . manufactured? Insincere? Like movie execs spent a week at random teen house parties, then thought they could speak to “the younger generation.”
It really wasn’t my thing, but, whatever. There’s been a generation gap between me and the people my age since I was thirteen, so I sure as heck don’t understand kids today =P
There’s been a generation gap between me and the people my age since I was thirteen, so I sure as heck don’t understand kids today =P
I hear ya. When ‘Murder, She Wrote’ is your idea of a good time, you can feel woefully out of touch at times.
Yeah, I didn’t get the appeal personally behind Nick and Norah – and just from the trailers it appeared to be, as you said, insincere, but I didn’t know if I was just a codgery old lady or not.
Like movie execs spent a week at random teen house parties, then thought they could speak to “the younger generation.”
Haha! Now I get a mental picture of guys in Italian suits doing keg stands with teenagers. Jeez.
I wish one of my local theaters would have had a deal like that! How awesome.
I have yet to see Milk. It never really came to a theater near us. Disappointed my wife since Franco is always yummy.
I haven’t seen The Reader or Frost/Nixon. The latter is one I’ll get around to, probably one lazy night circa 2011.
I’m afraid to admit that I enjoyed Slumdog and Button. Although a couple weeks after seeing Button I forgot a lot of the story but it doesn’t make me feel I need to see it again – ever.
I enjoyed Nick & Norah but I’m a sucker for Cera and Dennings. I avoided Deception like the plague. Sounds like I made the right call.
Reel Whore: AMC actually runs these all over the country, so you should have a theater near you showing this next year.
Re: Slumdog and Button, I actually liked them both; I just think Button needed some serious paring and Slumdog, while good, wasn’t “great” to me. But I enjoyed them both.
Sounds like I made the right call.
Sigh…and to think there was so much potential there! (I’m thinking of the right movie, right? The one with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman?)
Can you believe this: there are no AMC theaters in my area. The closest are in Charlotte, a two & half hour drive! Luckily I have in-laws there so maybe next year we’ll plan a day in Charlay for Oscar viewing.
You’re right on Deception. Both their yummy goodness and acting along with Michelle Williams. It’s buried in my NFQ but doubt it’ll surface anytime soon.
The closest are in Charlotte, a two & half hour drive!
Good LORD, that is a long way off! Well, hopefully y’all can plan it out next year where the in-laws get properly graced with your presence at a time convenient to your movie viewing schedule. :D
It’s buried in my NFQ but doubt it’ll surface anytime soon.
There are a lot of movies like that in my queue….
I have AMCs all over my area, but (don’t tell them) I prefer local chain Harkins over them by a wide margin and can count the number of times I’ve been to an AMC in 2 decades here on one hand. Still, it’s a great deal that they put on and I commend them for it.
Glad you took advantage, Caitlin – hoping to see pics here (and on the LAMB) soon…
I prefer local chain Harkins over them by a wide margin and can count the number of times I’ve been to an AMC in 2 decades here on one hand.
For us it’s usually Cinemark or AMC. I am not a fan of Cinemark, so AMC it is.
Glad you took advantage, Caitlin – hoping to see pics here (and on the LAMB) soon…
There will be a couple up soon. Not many, because my camera hated the low-lighting, but you know.
This is the year that was. Great potential. That’s it in a nutshell. I left every movie I saw Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Slumdog, The Reader thinking that it should have been fantastic, but it wasn’t.
Slumdog was a fine movie. A movie that if it didn’t win everything under the sun I might have gunned for more people to see it. But the fact that it won everything under the sun makes me hate it. Because like I said in my piece, it won for all the reasons that don’t go in to making a really good film.
I somewhat disagree with you a bit on The Reader. Obviously there’s guilt attached to what Hannah did, only she doesn’t feel it because she is a worker. A classic German of the time. She has a role and she does it. Perfectly. Without question. We feel the guilt through the boy. What I liked about this film is that Hannah didn’t understand what she did that was wrong. Of course what that means is that this film is completely void of drumming up any emotion. A woman sitting next to me was openly weeping. And I guess I felt guilty because I wasn’t tearing up. But the movie just didn’t do anything for me.
But aside from all this, what AMC did is a pretty great thing. I’m glad you took advantage of it. Even if you got it free.
Piper, geez, I’m sorry I’m late.
But the fact that it won everything under the sun makes me hate it.
I don’t hate it; I think I hate the hype more than anything, or the fact that it could be viewed as a “standard” or “classic” for years. But I can see how you would hate it.
And I guess I felt guilty because I wasn’t tearing up. But the movie just didn’t do anything for me.
It really didn’t do anything for me either. I can see that interpretation of the film, but the initial sense I got is that Daniel’s more ashamed of his association with her and can has a deep inability to reconcile Hannah the lady with Hannah the camp guard in his mind, creating a sense of embarrassment and shame that stays with him.
But aside from all this, what AMC did is a pretty great thing. I’m glad you took advantage of it. Even if you got it free.
Well, hopefully they’ll do it again next year, too. If you haven’t seen the Best Picture nominees next year, it’s worth your time as long as you can sit in a theater from 9:30 am to midnight and be cool with that. :D
I always wanted to do this, but don’t feel like spending the day before the Oscars in a theatre. I usually just try to see most of the nominees a week or two before the show at the latest.
Agree with you on Slumdog. I’ve seen that film three times and think it’s way over-rated. Also, agree with you on Milk. It would have been my vote for Best Pic. Oh well…
don’t feel like spending the day before the Oscars in a theatre
Yeah, that’s the only drawback to it, I think. You really have to have a constitution that will allow you to sit like that all day. You’d think it wouldn’t be tiring, but it is – partially because I think you’re cramming so much stuff into your head.
It would have been my vote for Best Pic. Oh well…
Well, what can you do, I suppose. Scott over at He Shot Cyrus did make me feel better because he posted a big list of movies that have won Best Pic but are now considered not deserving of that accolade…
Yes, definitely, Milk is the most-deserved most-accomplish of the BP nominees. And Gus was the most-deserved of the Director Oscar too. If they weren’t going to pick The Dark Knight, they should have notice Rachel Getting Married or The Wrestler instead.
Caitlin,
Hate is a strong word. I agree with you that I hate the hype and the fact that it might be viewed as a classic – which I don’t think will be the case. More and more the Oscars are of the moment, rather than timeless in their picks.
Jayclops,
Rachel Getting Married is probably the best film I saw this year.
More and more the Oscars are of the moment, rather than timeless in their picks.
Concurred, which is kind of sad.
they should have notice Rachel Getting Married or The Wrestler instead.
Sadly, I didn’t see either one. I thought it was a miracle I made it out to see all the BP nominees, but clearly I’ll have to Netflix these two…
I love your site!
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