On the productive side, I worked on two of my New Year's resolutions: to dress up and use my feet for transportation. I didn't get any pictures of my cute outfits, because it's dark and winter-y outside, and using my feet involved taking the bus, but overall, we're making progress!
The lazy side was much more enjoyable: I drank coffee and watched movies.
Allow me to elaborate.
(I also took a great picture in Alterra, but also managed to delete it.)
On Friday night, some girlfriends and I went to "The Artist", and on Saturday, Jordan and I went to a matinee of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". I'm getting all brushed up for the Oscars - two years ago, my mom and I predicted all but one of the winners! I want to go for 100% this year!
"The Artist" was very good. I wasn't as blown away as others have seemed to be, but I've also watched a fair amount of silent films, so I know when it's done right. Hazanavicius' film (you better believe I had to look up the spelling of his name!) was a solid homage to a great period of film. I especially enjoyed Jean Dujardin's performance - he took his character on a journey. You got to see the nuances of his character - he's vain and prideful, yet scared the world is changing without him - without a shred of dialogue. I appreciated some of the director's choices, such as the times when he did include sound. It made those scenes more powerful. The film dragged in the middle, and the ending got a little muddled, but I liked it. And holy cow, if the soundtrack doesn't win the Oscar, I will be very surprised. The music made the film.
I wish I had a similarly good review for "Tinker, Tailor". I was really looking forward to this one - Gary Oldman! Tom Hardy! Colin Firth! Benedict Cumberbatch! Be still my beating heart! - but it did not live up to the previews. It took a reeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy long time to set up; it left you with probably 45 minutes of "Wait, is this a flashback? Isn't that guy suppose to be dead? Wait, now is it a flashback?" Once Tom Hardy's character came in, it picked up speed, but eventually slowed down and petered out in the end. The fact that Gary Oldman's character is nominated for a Best Actor Oscar is laughable. I generally like Oldman - I feel like he can totally disappear into a character - but this character was so boring. I compared him to a turtle - slow, silent, and dull. Overall, David Edwards of the Daily Mirror said it best: "Unfortunately, the plot is every bit as bewildering with an overload of spy-speak, a few too many characters to keep track of and a final act that ends with a whimper, rather than a bang."
Have you seen any Oscar contenders?
Any recommendations for me?
I haven't even looked to see what films are nominated this year! I can't wait to see "The Artist" though. The story sounds very similar to what happened to my Great Grandfather, though he was Greek, not french.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that "Midnight In Paris" was nominated, and I saw that, and it was brilliant! If you haven't seen it, you totally should!
I envy the fact that you're getting to see the Oscar contenders this year. I'm not sure I've seen any! Talk about a bummer.
ReplyDeleteWait, just read Christianna's comment and I DID see Midnight in Paris and just as she said, "it was brilliant!" Oh, and we saw The Descendants on Christmas. It's some quality film making that HIGHLY recommend.
The Artist is on my list and will eventually be seen but you aren't the first person I've heard bash Tinker. I may end up skipping that one.