Reviews

"Foxcatcher" (2014) by Bennett Miller staring Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, and Mark Ruffalo in the true story of the relationship between two Olympic Wrestling Champions of the 1984 Olympics and million dollar mogul, John DuPont is at the top of my list of Best Films of 2014. I saw this at the 2014 AFI Fest Premiere in Los Angeles. Although I will admit that the venue and event I saw this at added to the film's spectacle and my anticipation, the film was truly beautiful. The aesthetics and overall mood of the film grabbed me. If Bennett Miller thought to himself to "I want to make this film a dark, creepy, and suspenseful." then he truly succeeded. Foxcatcher embodies darkness yet the cinematography and lighting of the DuPont estate being a mansion surrounded by nature and later the light of the snow completely contradict your emotions of darkness and suspense. Although the rave is around Steve Carell for his depiction of John DuPont, Channing Tatum, I feel, doesn't steal the show but he is the show. His performance is what we follow the whole film and It is hard to see anyone else in this part. The acting done by the cast being Carell, Tatum, and Ruffalo are superb and it is hard to see anyone else in their parts. The story is dark with humor which you aren't sure is more creepy than funny. 8/10 Silver Rating.

Los Olvidados- Mexico 1950 This is the 17th movie on the list.

Los Olvidados. The young and the damned. At first I couldn't tell, is this "The Young. The Damned" or the young are also damned.

I feel the story tells both. In this movie, it's not the production or big director that can be commented on, its the story. The young are damned in this movie of depression era Mexico. Even the Spanish in the movie is pretty bad. The story is of young people who are run-aways and have no place to live or food to eat. It centers on one boy's struggle. That's all I'll say.

The young. The Damned. The story centers around a young boy who is trying is hardest to be a young boy. He doesn't know where he fits. He is the young. Everyone else in the story is the damned. Even the boy's mother sins in the most obvious of ways. Everyone here commits a sin, other than small eyes. It's terrible, but the story does live up to the young and the damned.

Also the story just ends. It's very abrupt so don't expect much.

SilverRating

Let the Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In)- Sweden 2008

Let the Right One In is #14 on the list. This movie is complicatedly long.

OK before I start, just know I liked it. The movie was alright. But the story was so good, or at least the idea. Was So goooodd.

The story could've gone in so many directions. Any where really. But instead they (being the directory and the producers) took the easy, Foreign-Indie way out. Trying to capture pretty shots of a 12 year old blonde Caucasian and another who is a brunette vampire is not very good for this type of movie. So please stop.

The best parts of the movie involved the girl's father. I have not much to say but the fact that this movie is slow, doesn't grab the viewer and has a subtle climax.... or it has multiple climaxes, so ambiguous and the same you can't tell.

Now that I think of it, just by writing this and thinking of the movie I get mad at all of the wrong things done. or all of the... the normal things done with such a big idea.

SilverRating: was 6. Now 4/10

Swades "Swades: We, the People" (स्वदेश)- India 2004

Swades. Still wondering what that is. I don't recall any references in the film. But I loved it. I have never been into a Bollywood movie (or tried), nor have I ever really watched a full length (3hr+) Indian film but this one made me happy. This is one of the greats, where I come in, not knowing a thing about the movie. Not reading the Synopsis and I am blown away.

At first the subtitles were annoying, because I could hear the characters talking, speaking English, and the subtitles said the wrong thing. It was funny and silly at first but then just unprofessional of Netflix. At first I thought (knowing nothing of the movie, even the year it came out) "Ohh now, what have I gotten myself into." because the main character is sitting on a couch telling his best friend about why he is sad. And from the camera angle, and the score, and the background music, it can be conceived/predicted="Ohh no, he is going to tell us a flashback" and then once that thought spawned in my head I was bracing for impact, waiting for the movie to change to childhood flashbacks. Then, to my surprise, the next seen. We have our main character and a friend singing. Dancing in the most Cliché Indian way. Making me so happy I turned the movie on. I don't know the director nor the actor but I do know that they stroke...striked?...struck gold with this movie. I have never lived in poverty-ridden-India and I doubt I ever will, but I feel as though I have experienced the culture of this to Charanpur. Not only that, but the characters were so... simply complex that I felt as thought these characters really do live in this village, also, I know everything to know in the movie about these characters.

Their struggles as a town with the cast system and working into diplomacy and how our main character affects them really, made me laugh at the progress of these people.

Also, the epic dance numbers. Usually when I say epic, I would mean multiple people all doing the dances, but no. With this, one person was dancing and singing, but the story being told through song, or the moral that the main character has learned and now we have learned displayed through the song, filled me with joy. Just as our main character falls deep in love with this Indian village, we do as well. Thank you India, for long-ass movies; surprisingly good:

SilverRating: 8/10

Red Beard (赤ひげ, )- Japan 1965

This is the 11th movie on the list. This movie, signified yet lasted.

The film signifies the beauty and amazing collaborator attempts and successes of director Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Being their last collaboration, and a strong one at that. I also believe this movie took an unusual turn as Mifune was not the lead but a big supporting role. Don't get me wrong though, he was great anyway. Akira, why can't I make films just like you. Breathe-takingly relatable, characters so real you can touch them and story telling at it's finest. This movie, once finished made me think "I should learn to speak Japanese, and make black & white movies, and hell, while I'm at it, they will be samurai movies." My list of favorite directors is actually a long list, but this movie cements Akira's place. The movie, I said "Signified yet lasted." Meaning although it was great, the main character learned a life changing lesson, and we all enjoyed watching as well as learned a lesson also. This movie also lasted a long time. Like a long time. I thought it could've definitely been shorter. The movie lasted very long.

It was alright SilverRating: 6/10

Children of Heaven (Bacheha-Ye aseman)- Iran 1997

This is a miscellaneous movie on the list.

Children of Heaven. This movie is an hour and twenty-nine minutes long. At first I thought "Boy is this movie slow." For the short time the movie is on, it is insanely slow. At first the conflict is apparent, there is a conflict there, but it is...not even a conflict. The resolution is so close, it doesn't even feel like there is something happening in the movie. There is no antagonist which makes me question my earlier statement about the conflict. If there is no protagonist nor antagonist then is there any conflict? not even in this story, but any story. Woah, this movie just raised a life-changing question to my mind.

The two young actors are fantastic. Kinda, from a guy looking at a child actor they were good.

The story isn't sad but the ending is so happy. I am giving this film a 7, slightly reluctantly. No, never mind, I am giving it a 6. This movie gets a 6 mostly because of it's good cinematography and for the last 15 minutes of the story.

SilverRating: 6/10

10. High and Low (天国と地獄, )- Japan 1963

This is movie number 10 on the list.

High and low, Or heaven and hell as Kurosawa intended. This movie... I came in thinking "Ok, so a modern 60's movie, by the king of the Samurai actors and the director that invented and purified the samurai genre. This movie going to suck."

Boy was I wrong. This film is easy to give spoilers on. But there is just so much that happens, and so rapidly, its beautiful to watch although the pacing is pretty fast. The film is 2 hours and 23 minutes, so although I say the pacing is fast, it really isn't. You can really see Mifune's height in the movie. In the samurai films he towers but with this, he is a normal 5'9 guy. Trying to make the right decision, whether to save his family from blackmail, or save a little boy's life. Half of the movie is him trying to make his decision, with input from his wife, the investigators and many other characters. The other half of the movie is a film-japan-noir, (idea) trying to find the antagonist in a hay stack. The ride is beautiful, not much more to say. WATCH THIS MOVIE. I am falling in love with Kurosawa, like a fat kid loves a cake factory.

SilverRating: 8/10

Tri (Three)- Yugoslavia 1965

This is a miscellaneous movie in the list.

Tri. Three. Which may even be a play, because this was voted number 4 by Serbian's as the 4th best Yugoslavian movie.

At first the movie raised many questions. I tried watching this movie without knowing any of the plot. Not even reading the IMDb synopsis. So my main question was "Is this movie three scenes?" No, it is actually the films theme, through three depictions/perspectives.

The film can be hard to follow for modern generation film watchers because of the combination of silence and black and white on film. But this only amplifies the film experience for those who can stay awake. The film in Serbian has very brief sentences that are hard to read subtitles. But soon it adds to the film experience. The movie theme is death and it is hard to understand whether we should sympathize, empathize, or really, what emotion we should think of when the deaths of the movie occur.

SilverRating: 7/10

Sanjuro (椿三十郎)- Japan 1961

This is number 9 on the list.

Sanjuro. The Samurai. Sanjûrô Tsubaki. 三十郎椿. I don't know if those are the correct Japanese characters but, I don't speak Japanese. Having said that, this movie is so great. I love, absolutely 100% adore the director-actor partnership of Kurosawa and Mifune. So many places they have proved time and time again that they only make movie magic. This film is fantastic. There is nothing I could see that is wrong or incorrect. The movie is just, Woah. The cinematography is pure, PURE Kurosawa, no one could do this story, no one could capture the words of the actors or even the slightest 'scratch-of-the-neck' of Sanjuro like Kurosawa does. I would usually say "I applaud" but for this certain movie, I bow to you Akira Kurosawa.

The story lacks nothing. I have always wondered why people say so much of Akira Kurosawa's influence can be seen in Spaghetti Westerns and other westerns. This movie showed me. Long and intricate shots of only the faces of those worrying, or the final standoff fight scene. slow paced action but fast paced wit made this movie awesome.

Mifune won a place in my heart with this movie. Sanjuro has unbreakable wit and clever thoughts though he may not seem to be the pure 'samurai' that is implied.

I am ending this review saying that usually people may think that the use of subtitles us harsh and they don't like it. Or that subtitles take away from the jokes that the characters make. But the subtitles of Kurosawa's movies add to the movie for me. Not knowing Japanese, having to read the subtitles as they pass makes me pay even closer attention to the film. While with a movie in English, I could be folding laundry and just listening to the story as it happens. With any Kurosawa film, I claim that would be impossible.

SilverRating: (and the highest yet) 8/10.

8. La Dolce Vita- Italy 1960

This is the 8th movie on the list.

Maybe, I know I keep saying it, but maybe I am just that really Americanized boy who can't appreciate the beauty of this movie. And trust me, I do see beauty in the movie. First with the extremely unusual story. Well maybe not that "extreme" but the story. I just saw no plots. I see that there is something like 7 or 8 subplots and little stories that take place in the life of out main character Marcello, but I can't appreciate it. Nothing... interesting happens. This guy lives, I wanted to see this movie so badly because so many people were raving about the new foreign film "The Great Beauty" and how Italy was reaching back to it's older roots with this film. I didn't like "The Great Beauty" very much, I liked it, but not too much. And I can only say the same about La Dolce Vita. I wanted so badly to like this movie, knowing it is an all-time favorite of Steven Spielberg and that so many modern directors take influence from Fellini, but the story just didn't work for me. I don't understand how one would write a "Spoiler" Review for this movie because there is nothing to spoil other than that this movie just follows the life of an aging journalist. Hell, the synopsis on IMDb is an extreme spoiler. I can't name the scenes and what happens, but I will say that the ending scene and the scenes with the actresses Anita Ekberg and Anouk Aimee and the young girl who plays Paulo are interesting. But this film is just, plain. I appreciate that the movie is the story of the life of an Italian journalist, and maybe it is a metaphor stating that no matter how interesting your title is (like Marcello) you really are boring.

La Dolce Vita is a beautiful movie, the costumes are beautiful, well deserved Oscar there. And I can surely see the directing influence of Fellini in Spielberg. But other than the BEAUTIFUL Mercedes driven by Anouk Aimee and Marcello, I have nothing to say. It's good. I guess.

SilverRating: 6/10

Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル)-Japan 2000

Battle Royale... Is this where Suzanne Collins got the idea of Hunger Games?

This movie, is just, great but abrupt. This movie could've been so much longer than it is. I usually say "Movies progress to slowly," but this movie, could've been made so much longer. It's just so short! The story is great. But just how it progresses abruptly, it starts abruptly.

The film is great due to it's lack of character development. That stood out to me like a soar thumb, you don't even make any connections with the characters. You look at all of these people, the 40-something kids of Class B and you are told nothing about them, then the plot begins. The only subtle hints you get at the story are those that are stated by the characters. Adding to that, the beauty of the lack of character development in the beginning is all of these kids, each has a different story, but we aren't told ANY of their stories till just before the plot begins. These kids could be anyone, just like the ingredients in your kitchen, they are completely 100% themselves. But these kids are like ingredients, thrown into a cauldron and stirred. Blank ingredients, with no name. Just as the kids have are anonymous at first (to us,... I mean they have names but we know nothing of them). We begin getting to know the characters, as they are killers or victims, not the normal Asian kids they are.

This movie is one, one great trademark of Asian teenage-ism. I presume just as "The Hunger Games" is an attraction for teen movie goers, this movie Battle Royale is an attraction for the Japanese teenage movie goers. And I can tell why. The production is sub-par, fantastically cliché and just great. The production efforts were alright, some plot holes, but other than that, the bad production and such only amplify the great great GREAT cliché-ness of the movie. Especially the ending, which I can't comment on, because I am not a spoiler. But these are some great teen movie angles. The movie takes some well needed twists and turn but when it comes back on track everything makes sense. I am actually beginning to hate IMDb's online pictures of this movie because just the pictures give away the plot. Love it, or at least the concept, but not a favorite. I really want to give it more than a 7/10 but, nope. SilverRating: 7/10 but 4.5 stars and Two Thumbs Up for ultra cool idea and originality.

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)- Germany 1987

This is #5 on the list.

Wings of Desire. It's great, I have to open this with the amazing versatility of Bruno Ganz. I may start to check his movies out more, he is a great foreign actor. He and Max von Sydow have become some of my favorite foreign actors. I understand that this movie is filled with sub-plots and branches, which usually would leave some plot holes for me and my purely-tunnel-vision-American-mind. The sub-plots only made this film easier to understand and better comprehensible. The plot; great. I would've changed a few things, most likely being the ending, but the film was still great. At first I thought this movie was legitimately from the era of black and white due to the great coloring of off-tempo sepia and the Fritz-Lang-esque camera angles. It wasn't until half way through the movie, when I researched that this movie was made in '87. The film asks every question that should be asked, and answers very few. But the answers are beautiful. Also the reoccurring little phrase throughout the movie only adds to the great narration.

The beauty; is amazing due to the fact that nearly 80% or more of the dialogue, is narrated, and the emotion of the character on screen has to match the narration. This is amplified, the story telling through narration; being the fact that the narration is matched by dull and blank faces. It's beautiful. Also, I am a true sucker for movies that are 'reborn' or a movie in which the main character has a revelation to the wondrous world. And the humor only adds to the greatness, contrasting color, and change in tone of dialogue. I don't know why Nick Cage had to go and remake this.

Lastly, the hardest decision, rating this movie. It isn't at all a 7/10, it is so much better than that. But I can't say it is an 8/10

But; just for Bruno Ganz's happy revelation, I will just give this a-

SilverRating: 8/10

Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) -Japan 1989

Boy, how I wish I could take playful animations more seriously.

Although I admire Hayao Miyazaki and his beautiful BEAUTIFUL animation technique and his resilience and his ability to continue spitting out these great animation and fresh stories, this one was just another alright cartoon. Kiki and Jiji are a cool duo. They can be funny, and I could sense the jokes when they were told, but they weren't funny, so I didn't laugh. They were cute and fun to watch, I enjoyed Kiki's personality more than I did that of Chihiro of "Spirited Away". Kiki develops, but there is no reason to it. She just... changes, and I don't see why. Her character makes new decisions or tries something different but I saw no reasoning behind it. Maybe (again) I am that close-minded-American and I couldn't see the cute and cuddly kiddy decision on why she was making these decision. And I would understand if she made these decision out of pure fun or "because she was a kid" but she kind of just, did.

1989, this is a great, this is a great achievement for 1989 technology in animation. But... I'm not insulting Mr. Miyazaki, I am pointing out a talent yet also a fault. But this movie has so many production similarities to "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo" that all I can see is... the same, no improvements. I didn't see improvements or progress, it's the same faces and same animation as his other films, just with a different story or plot.

I don't really know what else to say about this movie, it was alright.

SilverRating: 6/10

Au Revoir Les Enfants- France 1987

This is #4 on the list.

This movie, is heartbreakingly true. It's sad, and the whole spectrum is sad.

Saying that, and knowing I have empathy towards all those affected by the holocaust and how tragic it was. But this movie was not at all what I thought it would be. Coming in expecting a heart-tear-wrenching movie that would make me sad, happy, and emotional. But besides the idea of this being a true story, no, It did nothing for me.

The directing was cliché for this type of movie, but I was expecting that. But I had no idea that the film would be so, so, out of the ordinary in character development as well as plot movement. The characters don't do much "developing" till half way till the movie is over. Hell, the two main characters who are supposed to be friend, don't even become apprentices till late in the movie.

There is not much to say about the movie and the production efforts because they were predictable. But the story, could've been told so much better. Maybe I am just that really awful and cruel guy who can't appreciate the movie for what it is because I thought the story should've been more dramatized but hey, I'm a child of the 21st century. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it, but I can't say I relatively "Liked" it.

SilverRating: 5/10

Hero (Ying Xiong)- China 2002

This is #3 on the list.

This movie, is, is unpredictable yet also extremely predictable. And it isn't bad acting or bad directing that gives away the plot, it's just the story and how it progresses. After all, this movie is a 6/10

The acting in the movie is alright, I understand that they are acting the customs of how their characters were at the time (generation) of the Qing dynasty, but it leaves the acting dead and bland. Fight scenes were magnificent, but, differing from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Hero feels choreographed. Well besides the first fight in the rain, the rest feels like a choreographed dance. I loved it, as I tend to love these type of fight movies, but it just felt choreographed. Not silly, just you could tell that the movements were planned.

The camera angle, not involving Jet Li or the Qin Emperor, but of the others, were really cheesy. Maybe it is the fact that I love Akira Kurosawa to death, this movie disappointed, because I was already given high expectation of these types of movies.

SilverRating: 6/10

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo Hu Cang Long)- Taiwan 2000 Review

This is film #2 on the film list. This movie was awesome. I hate referencing and comparing movies but this movie was what I thought of as a Matrix meets Western in Asia. The film is stunningly visual with the concepts as well as amazingly realist with the fights. If you didn't pay attention, you might have thought this be a true story of a magic sword, the story telling is that good. But once you saw people fly off rooftops or fight on a thin bamboo tree you might think differently.

This movie, from a Directing standpoint was amazing. I can only applaud Ang Lee, how does he do it. This had his fingerprints all over it too. The fight scenes had the most dramatic and beautifully capturing and captivating camera angles, but then when the movie slowed and came to a emotional or less serious scene, it was stunning his way of capturing emotion. His directing in this type of movie=second to none.

Much of the story and concept confused me until clarification. As this is the only film that is live action that I am watching with English Dub instead of subtitles. The movie had some plot holes but it was well made up for by the beautiful and emotional fight scenes.

SilverRating: 7/10

A Prophete (Un Prophète), France's official 2010 Academy Awards.

Directed by Jacques Audiard. And staring Tahar Rahim as a kid, petty criminal who goes to jail for one reason or another. At first he is trying to take it easy and just make it through his six years smooth (and not be raped). But soon, he is "forced" into organized mafia crime in the prison system. He works his way up in the ranks. This movie was great because it felt like a foreign revelation of "Foreign Shawshank Redemption" and how it is really less of a "innocent serene life" in prison and more of a "Do anything to get by" attitude. Our antihero protagonist, Malik, earns his movie title name "Prophet" in this weird sequence of events. That was the only confusing part of the movie. Besides that, the movie was a fantastic ride through the hierarchy of and French-Arab through the prison system. Audiard wrote this screenplay with 3 other people I believe. The film was great although it follows the "Play-it-Safe" Criteria of camera angles, steady-cam movements, and 1st person narrative film perception.

I loved the story, the way the characters progress and the film ends, how the characters increase in tension and digress in trust. The watch-ability is high. around 8.75/10. The SilverRating is: 7/10.

Django Unchained. Quentin Tarantino. He is a drop out at a highschool near my home. If he dropped out to write screenplays and direct great films then i would say that he dropped out for the sake of film. Lets start with Leonardo DiCarpio. I don't see why he didn't at least get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But the Academy is what it is, major respect. Jamie Foxx i feel was lucky to get this role. I thought after his "Ray" Oscar that he would never get another chance but thank god for bounty hunters of early Amurica. Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz made the perfect duo. Leo being the antagonist in the film was a great twist. I think Quentin could've tried harder. Lets face it. This film could've been much better than it was and it was already great. Cinematography was not as good as it could've been, the story took some unexpected and unneeded plot twists. But it is good for what it is now. I would like to read the screenplay so Quentin. If you read this i live near Narbonne, Chris Silver, and i would love to read the screenplay.

Silver Linings Playbook. At first i thought this was a reference to something that Pat, Bradley Cooper's character owned. "Silver Lining's Playbook." I was proved wrong once i watched it but that is what i thought at first. Pat is mentally disabled and diagnosed mentally ill. We pick up on his life when he is released out of a mental institute. His father, Pat Sr. (De Niro) is also diagnosed mentally disabled. His mother is normal. He is taken home, his parents house, to try to restart his life. He aims to get his old teaching job back and his love life back on track. He meet Tiffany (Lawrence) and the story takes off. While watching this movie i thought it was great, cute but i didn't think it deserved a Best Picture award. It was a great story and great ending but i felt it was a little bit too much of a "chick-flick." The cinematography and and camera angles were very cliché. Although i don't think the film deserved the nomination i do think that it was great, it was the best possible way to tell the story. I couldn't imagine the story being told any other way. If anyone was to try then it might be horrible. The production was satisfactory. In my eyes they didn't exactly hit it out of the par. The acting was able to hold up where the production dropped. Robert De Niro played his character so well. So did Cooper with his character and i see a Leading Actor Oscar in his future. There isn't very much to say about the movie other than that if you liked it that is cool, if you didn't that is also coo. This film wasn't mean to be loved is what i think. I feel like this film was meant to show the versatility of the actors and actresses in it. So if you haven't seen it go ahead and watch.

Well. I just wrote a magnificent and long review of this film and then my computer refreshed itself. But i started it like this. I don't know where to start. The great new Leading Actor, this magnificent achievement in Directing, or this phenomenal use of CGI and computer animation. Piscine "Pissing" Molitor Patel's life is amazing. I love this movie, flat out. I can only imagine how long and descriptive the book is. Suraj Sharma (Pi) is a fantastic new Leading Actor in this movie. Especially since his supporting actor is the one and only Richard Parker. No, Richard Parker isn't a great actor you haven't heard of, Richard Parker is the name of the tiger seen on the boat with Pi. It is very hard to talk about this movie without giving away any of the plot. But i can say that this young man and his acting incorporated with the visionary computer animations was fantastic. The CGI and Computer animation in this film is in one compound word. Ground-breaking. Even better than Avatar. When you and I are in our elderly years, you being the reader, we will show this to our grandchildren as "The movie that changed how the world looked at CGI." I know that CGI has been around for a while as it is a newer thing but i truly think this is the first great usage of Computer Animation in a motion picture. I hope that Ang Lee is proud of himself and his crew. No other person could tell this story the way he/they did. The Achievement in Directing Oscar he was awarded was well deserved. The cast and crew captured this story the best way possible. I loved it. That is all i have to say. I recommend this movie to any and all.

Daniel Day-Lewis. Do these actors get any more phenomenal then he? If you were to think of an amazing character actor, who absorbs the script and the background of his character but also adds his own twist and personality to the character. I know i use this word in lots of my reviews but 'Emphatic' he was. What can't he do. Same as the great person he portrays. Abraham Lincoln, an iconic founding-father who would be extremely hard to play for any one to play. I think it was hard for even Day-Lewis to do. But he was spectacular. Sally Fields is the Leading actress but i don't feel that she leads very much. Marry Todd Lincoln supported Abe to the best of his abilities and i feel that Sally Fields did that same thing with Daniel. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a good surprise as Lincoln's son Robert but the best part other than Day-Lewis was the heartfelt performance by Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens. He was great. But back to the film. I always found it hard to take Steven Spielberg's Directing hard. But he did a fine job with this. Fine like a nice Italian woman who is walking down the street, like that Fiat-500 commercial. Not the fine like "Oh that was satisfactory, that was fine." I'm not calling Steven Spielberg a fine Italian woman, but his directing here was great. I can't imagine having all of those actors portraying congressmen in one room and the camera stands and cranes and all of the crew on one set and having to manage all that. I know he had assistant directors and such but i salute him for even taking the task. The cinematography nomination was well deserved as it was one of the best of the year. Although the film was phenomenal even the smallest acting role was played to perfection. It was neither the crew nor their microphones and cameras that submerge you in the story. It was the acting.

Les Misérables. Such an incredible story overall. The book is long and complex and all of that but this certain adaptation was just okay. The main reason being that I don't think that this ensemble cast could tell the story the way they did without singing. The Musical aspect made the film. Without the singing i think the film would be horrid. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway were phenomenal as well as the young girl Amanda Seyfried, boy can she sing. Also I didn't like the young man they chose for Marius, Eddie Redmayne, could have easily found a better choice. Although lots of the movie was hard to focus on, such as the Directing. I don't know Tom Hooper very well but i do respect him for this movie and The King's Speech. I did especially love the cinematography, it fit perfectly with the story. When i read the story this year in school i was able to subtly imagine the words in my head. I feel as though this movie is how most if not everyone sees the words when read. The adapted screenplay seemed easy to adapt into a film, since it was a play even before the film. And though I have read the book, this ending still nearly made me cry. Of course they took some parts out of the book but the minimal amount of. It was a good okay film but i expected more. I understand that it is a sad story of sorrow and new love. But in the end i feel like the main grasped conflict was sadness. I would've loved to see more internal conflict shown through production and acting. I consider this movie at par.

I see where the hype comes from, Affleck is becoming a significant force in directing films. But i still don't see why this movie won so much. The movie does have a good plot and a great ending but i felt like i was watching another Lionsgate low-budget action movie with the camera angles and cinematography. No offense to Lionsgate i understand your methods but come on Warner Bros., you have to sometimes grasp onto your productions. This movie had a phenomenal cast with a great performance by Ben Affleck in the leading role and great support with Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and the underrated Tate Donovan. But no significant parts for a big name actress, i thought this could've improved the movie big time. Also the camera angles and cinematography were great for an adaptation. I feel like they played it safe (Affleck and his production crew). They could have easily made this the best film of the year, with a controversial plot already why treat it like an action-suspense-thriller-crime-stereotype? Simple camera angles that capture the story and the great actors. Nope. In my eyes this was not achieved. The cinematography was over par, the acting was just what i expected, nothing better nothing worse, the movie was mediocre. If you disagree then that's fine it's all based on opinion. If you are reading this because you haven't yet seen the movie then i suggest you watch it while cooking or while doing the laundry. This is the movie with the type plot where you don't have to give 100% attention to know what is going on. Also you can pause the movie and leave the house to get groceries or such then come back two hours later and still remember and pick up where you left off. It's just not that submerging or hooking. Sorry Lionsgate if i offended you by comparing your movies that go straight to Redbox with this movie... Which now rests in piece inside of a Redbox.

Zero Dark Thirty, thank you for introducing me to Jessica Chastain. She is not only a great actress but in the movie she is perfect for the part. Emphatic and grasping. She is also beautiful. Most of the other movies on the list you could buy the DVD, with this one I was unable to take my eyes off of the screen. I had to urinate so badly after the film ended. Not because of my excessive water drinking but because the movie took hold me of so well I couldn't stop it, couldn't take a break. The assassination of Osama Bin Laden wasn't the best part of the movie although it was a fantastic edition. The raid on the house was a great scene to finish the movie with. Afterward toward the ending moments of the movie you can feel the emotion running through your veins, the same emotion that Jessica Chastain displays. The beginning of the movie is a little bit slow as the first scene lasts for what seems 20-30 minutes. But it is only slow because you are not introduced to the characters or the setting, you are thrown into the plot automatically. Although I didn't take much of a liking to it at first I do feel that Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal aimed to do this. Telling you that the movie is unconventional and (slightly loosely) based on the true story. Though i didn't like the beginning of the film at first, thinking of it now i don't think that i or anyone else could think of a better way to start it. Kathryn Bigelow is creating a better name for herself then her ex- husband. First "The Hurt Locker" and it's Oscar achievements, then "Zero Dark Thirty" which could've easily won multiple Oscars any other year. Just watch it.