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My wife and i have always been movie fans but never went to the movies with any great regularity, maybe once or twice a month at our peek.
when they announced the nominees for best picture we had only saw two of them (Boyhood and the Grand Budapest, both were terrific BTW)
I was surprised to learn that 5 of the remaining 6 were still playing in our area, we decided right then to have a quest to see the remaining 6 movies before the award show.
because we were concerned that some of the movies might not remain in the theaters we went about our quest with great haste. we saw 5 movies in 9 days in 3 different movie theaters and had a blast doing it
so much so that I suspect we'll be back out there again next January
as for ranking our favorites, our lists are quite different but I can tell you we both thought they were all excellent films and well worth the watch.
my list
I have a 3 way dead heat between "Selma", "Boyhood" and the "theory of everything"
I would score each a 9.5
all very different movies but all 3 had me riveted to the screen,
gun to my head "theory of everything"
the rest
4- the Grand Budapest Hotel
5- American Sniper
6- the Imitation Game
7- Birdman
I really enjoyed each of these movies as well but they're just a tick below the top tier as I would rank them all between 8.5 - 9.0
8- Whiplash
I enjoyed Whiplash as well but it wasn't at the same level as the others 7.5
Jean's list
1- the Imitation Game
2- theory of everything
3- the Grand Budapest Hotel
4- Birdman
5- American Sniper
6- Selma
7- Boyhood
8- Whiplash
I have a 3 way dead heat between "Selma", "Boyhood" and the "theory of everything"
I would score each a 9.5
all very different movies but all 3 had me riveted to the screen,
gun to my head "theory of everything"
the rest
4- the Grand Budapest Hotel
5- American Sniper
6- the Imitation Game
7- Birdman
I've only seen 3 of the films so far: The Theory of Everything, American Sniper, and Birdman. Of those 3, I only liked Theory. It was an interesting story with an astonishing performance by Eddie Redmayne. I did not like Sniper or Birdman, and I do not understand the hype over the latter. I will be seeing The Imitation Game and Boyhood this week. And next week Whiplash and Grand Budapest, but I've no interest in seeing Selma. I'm not in a hurry to see the films, as the Oscars are still 25 days away. Boyhood and Budapest are no longer in theaters anyway, so I'll probably leave those for last.
I've now seen seven of the eight. I still have to see Selma, and will try to catch it tomorrow before the Oscars. But let's be honest ... it's not going to win, so if I don't catch that one, I won't be broken hearted.
Here's my ranking of the seven I've seen:
Birdman - I don't know why, but I was prepared to dislike this one. Wow, it surprised me. I really enjoyed the performances and the seamless quality of the camera work. The solo camera helped keep the pacing even for the most part and moved into frenetic when needed. I've never been a huge fan of Michael Keaton, but he was really strong in the lead. This is one of the few in the field that I felt the movie itself was strong, regardless of the performances.
Imitation Game - It took me a little while to get into this one, but his story was so heartbreaking. Cumberbatch's performance carried this one.
Whiplash - I knew nothing about this one going into it, but I really enjoyed it. The music was amazing (of course ... there would have been no movie without the music!) But again, the movie was carried by JK Simmons portrayal. He's my pick for Best Supporting Actor.
Grand Budapest Hotel - Not typically my kind of movie, but I can see why the whimsy of it appeals to many. It was fun, quirky, fast-moving, and Fiennes was fun to watch. Probably the most unique of the bunch.
Theory of Everything - The movie itself didn't do much for me. Standard yawner biopic. But Eddie Redmayne was OUTSTANDING. He's my pick for Best Actor.
American Sniper - If it weren't for the polarizing political subject matter and Cooper packing on the pounds, this movie wouldn't have been on anyone's radar. It was a Lifetime movie with violence.
Boyhood - I flat-out hated this movie. It was 2 hours and 45 minutes of searching for a plot. Unique concept, but fell flatter than flat. I don't get the love of this movie at all. And I have no idea how Patricia Arquette is winning awards. She didn't do a bad job, but there was nothing outstanding about it.
I'm guessing if I do get to see Selma, it'll probably end up somewhere in the middle of the pack.
I too have now seen 7 of the 8. Don't care to see Selma, so I rank the 7 like this:
1. The Imitation Game - the most complete of the nominees. loved everything about it, especially the acting.
2. Boyhood
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel - unique and visually striking.
4. Whiplash
5. The Theory of Everything
6. Birdman
7. American Sniper
I thought The Imitation Game was extraordinary and that Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing in it - but then he's great in everything.
I intensely disliked The Theory of Everything and threw it out after buying the Blu-ray. I expected the movie to be wonderful, after seeing the trailers, and so DH and I bought it sight unseen. What a disappointment. I refuse to root for a movie that teaches our kids that God does not exist. We wonder what's happening to our youth today and debate about the causes of the disintegration of the family. Movies like this one are precisely what we don't need! Y'don't give our prizes for idiocy!
I liked a few of the others but doubt they'll win. Guess we'll know in a few hours. We don't have TV here (we just watch movies on ours), so we can't watch the Oscars live. We'll catch them on You Tube in a few days, I expect.
Mahrie.
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