OSCARS 2017!

I love that this year the Oscar Nominations for Best Picture are so diverse and all unique.  There is something for everyone to enjoy.  And lucky for you, most of them are either already on DVD, or soon will be!  I have written about a few of these on Facebook already, but thought I would compile some thoughts and opinions on the Best Picture Nominations.  I have tried to keep it concise so people will actually read it.

Lion, what a story!  And a TRUE story.  It is well directed, well acted and heart-wrenching.  It is a tear jerker, but worth every tear.  Nicole Kidman is fantastic.  She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this role.

Hidden Figures is another true story that needed to be told.  It is a great movie for the whole family.  I don't think it will win anything, but I am glad it was nominated.

I really liked Hell or High Water.  It is rough (language and violence), but really good if you can handle that stuff. A gritty cat and mouse story about modern day desperate bank robbers who are brothers, one with a good heart and one with a heart of stone, being chased by two Texas rangers who are very different themselves.  It was written by Taylor Sheridan (who wrote Sicario), so it is a little dark, but moving and has some humor.  And it has Chris Pine in it, so I may not be the only woman on earth who enjoys it (wink, wink).

Moonlight is a moving film about a lonely boy desperate to be loved.  It is full of fantastic actors. The three boys that play the main character at different ages look nothing like each other, yet they truly feel like the same person because they are that good.

Hackshaw Ridge starts out pretty corny, and then suddenly at war is over-the-top violent (think opening scene of Saving Private Ryan times 3), so that feels a little odd, but I am a sucker for true stories, and that Desmond Doss is a pretty likable and admirable guy.  A kind hearted Christian who loves the Lord and goes to war to save lives instead of take them.  I am a little surprised this was nominated for Best Picture, but not too surprised Andrew Garfield was nominated for Best Actor.  It is an inspiring movie, and worth sifting through the cheese and flying body parts for his performance.

Manchester by the Sea is one of those movies that will haunt you for days.  It was raw and real. Casey Affleck did an incredible job playing a very complex and gut-wrenching role.  Lucas Hedges plays his nephew and he was so great, he could make you cry and laugh at the same time.

I love Denzel and I love Viola and I wanted to love Fences, but when it was over I just felt empty.  I found their story incredibly depressing, and though the acting was great, it felt like watching a play. Yes, I know it is a play, but this is a movie.  You know how stage actors over-act, since you can't always see their faces and catch subtleties?  Well, this is a play made into a movie, that still felt like a play.  I know it got a lot of praise, and many people loved it, but I didn't.  I think there is a good chance they will win Best Actor/Best Supporting Actress awards for these roles, and they deserve best actor awards because they are great actors, but in this movie the acting just felt overdone to me.

Arrival was a clever story, but I am just not that into Science Fiction.  It will probably win for Production Design or something, because it was impressive, but I would probably not have watched it if it weren't for the Best Picture Nomination.

La La Land is my favorite.  I loved every minute of it.  I thought it was basically perfect and I wouldn't change one thing about it.  I believe it will win in multiple categories, including Best Picture.  (Yes, musicals are allowed to win Best Picture.)  And if you know me, this prediction doesn't surprise you one little bit.

Enjoy the show!