My pick for best picture is "The King's Speech." But before I get to my thoughts on the Oscar nominations, did anyone else find it depressing that Mr. Darcy is nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in "The King's Speech," whereas Lizzy played Geoffrey Rush's wife? Tomorrow I will write a starring vehicle for Jennifer Ehle. After I do my Italian homework.
Putting that aside, here are my brief reactions to this year's Best Picture nominees, for what they're worth, if anything.
- Black Swan
Can I judge a movie if I fainted and missed the last 10 minutes and had to rely on Dubliner to act it out? (Honorary Oscar goes to Dubliner, whose performance as Nina more closely resembled Jim Carrey's than Natalie Portman's.) - The Fighter
Surprisingly good -- more about family dynamics than boxing; made me want to hug my whole family. - Inception
I didn't expect we'd get through more than one hour of this long movie when we popped the DVD in last weekend, but it was captivating --though I expected another twist at the end (is it crazy to complain this movie wasn't confusing enough?). - The Kids Are All Right
Overrated. - The King's Speech
Superbly written, acted, and shot, though there wasn't really much to the story. If it were a book, it would be a novella rather than a novel. - 127 Hours
I'd rather cut my own arm off with a dull knife than see this movie; see note above re fainting in the ballet movie. - The Social Network
Well written and acted, but when it was over I thought "so what?" - Toy Story 3
Didn't see it. Kids' movie. - True Grit
I dragged my feet about seeing this (another western?), but it turned out to be excellent. - Winter's Bone
If you haven't seen this movie, keep in mind that Lent is coming up. Definitely held our interest, but made "Frozen River" look like "Caddyshack." Unremittingly bleak.
One other thought, about "Animal Kingdom," which I just watched last night. Wow. Really disturbing crime movie set in Australia. Pervasive feeling of menace. I would not want to run into Uncle Pope alone in a dark alley. I would not want to run into Uncle Pope if I were flanked by a dozen body guards. And the mother of these miscreants (played by Jacki Weaver, who's nominated for best supporting actress) made the mother in "The Fighter" (played by the also nominated Melissa Leo) look like Clair Huxtable. By the way, has anyone ever seen a movie set in Australia that made life look anything but grimy and bleak? I am on the lookout for a cheery Australian movie.
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