Last movie you watched......

Agreed on Gilbert Grape. The snub reminds me of Edward Norton's for "Primal Fear."

 

Yeah, I'm not sure I can argue against that one. Foxx was amazing in that movie.

 

Drive was stylish, tense and loaded with some excellent acting. It reminded me of a Michael Mann movie in terms of it's pacing, sound and lighting.

But for a movie called "Drive," it really could have used more, um, driving.

 

'Moneyball' (Some spoilers within.)

It was so well-directed, well-written and well-acted that at times it felt almost a waste to have these people doing a movie about baseball. Although, I was struck by how philosophical it was, capturing the spirit and essence of the book without feeling the need to be beholden to it. Also, the attention to detail in the baseball scenes was commendable.

Most of all, Beane's personal journey was encapsulated brilliantly, brought into focus by Pitt's pitch-perfect portrayal, whip-smart writing. Driven at first by money and fame, Beane trusted his instincts when it told him to go the other way and bring in Peter Brand. Beane grew closer to the players, he grew closer to Brand. Slowly, through his struggles, we see that life isn't as much about the end game (winning games, winning titles) as it is about the journey.

Late in the film, his daughter -- the tremendous Kerris Dorsey, whose Casey Beane is really the emotional linchpin of the film -- makes for him a recording of her singing. As the song winds down and the film has faded to black, we hear her, in the song, jokingly plead with her dad that we're all scared to fail -- so stop being an idiot and enjoy life's ride.

 

Drive was fantastic. Didn't know it'd be so violent.

 

We've been trying to isolate some things we both want to watch on our "movie night." Our movie tastes are pretty different - I put "Inglorious Basterds" into Netflix and she has some romcom mess. We probably confuse the shit out of the Netflix algorithm.

I hadn't seen "Ed Wood" in years, knew she would enjoy it.

She's also a big "Time Bandits" fan but hasn't seen many of Terry Gilliam's later movies. We'll work through most of those eventually.

 

Heaven help us if they nominate a steaming pile like "The Help"

 

Hard to explain, but the rest of the movie is so understated that the graphic violence has a really big impact...

 

Very good point. The movie is so muted and almost serene, that when the violence breaks out, it's quite jarring.

I guess with 10 nominees now, I could see this getting a Best Picture nod, but I don't think it'll end up among the two or three serious contenders.

Same goes for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was the best movie of the summer. Neither seem like movies the Academy would seriously favor.

 

Can't you see it, though? Kind of like this year's "Blind Side." If you want to get nominated for the Academy Award, make a pseudo-sensitive story about race relations where the good white people are nice to the struggling Negros.

 

I think "Drive" will get some Academy love. It's the best movie I've seen this year.

"J. Edgar," "A Dangerous Method," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and maybe "The Rum Diary" are all films that have Academy potential.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a limited release but has been getting some love from the indie community and at the film festivals.

I look forward to "50/50" despite Seth Rogen's presense. I like JGL that much.

 

10 nominees is no longer a given. It's the maximum, but the final number will be determined by how many films got a minimum of 5 percent of the votes.