On Sunday, one cast and crew will walk away with the golden Oscar statuette for Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards. Here are our nominations and reviews for the hopeful contenders.
“Argo” — Movie most likely to make you have a panic attack
Ben Affleck is back and better than ever in the new action-thriller “Argo.” Based on a true story, “Argo” takes you back to the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis when the CIA teamed up with the film industry to rescue six American hostages. While the master plan is for the hostages to pose as the film crew of a sci-fi film titled “Argo,” things go terribly awry as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point.
Just as your nerves begin to settle and the plan is set into motion, there is a serious complication with the operation when the hostages reach the airport. This movie had me on the edge of my seat for its entirety because the tension is just that high. I felt like the whole theater had just suffered a minor stroke together after hearing the gasps and sighs from all corners of the theater, but I think that’s just a testament to how crazy good this film is. So sit back, pop a Xanax, and enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year.
-Taylor Ellis
“Les Misérables” — Movie most likely to make you bawl your eyes out and give up on life
For the unsophisticated folk, like myself, who have never read Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” or seen the play on Broadway, I feel it is my duty to let you know that this is an operetta, not your run-of-the-mill musical. And yes, there is a difference.
While you might like the occasional song and dance dynamic duo mixed in with lots of juicy dialogue, this film is literally two hours and 37 minutes of singing. Most will be able to get past this minor detail. But for those of you who aren’t ready to hear the actors sing every little thought coming out of their French (yet surprisingly cockney-ed accented) mouths, to you I say good luck.
The story unfolds as Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released from a 19th century French prison for stealing bread for his sister’s starving family. After his release, he tries to pick up the pieces of his life, but finds himself on the run from French officer Javert (Russell Crowe) after violating the terms of his parole. As he flees from Javert’s violent pursuit, he meets prostitute Fantine (Anne Hathaway) and becomes responsible for her young daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), who ends up falling in love with French revolutionary Marius (Eddie Redmayne).
Throw in an uprising, bloody battle scenes and incredible ensemble performances and “Les Misérables” delivers a pace that makes three hours seem completely worth your time.
-Taylor Ellis
“Zero Dark Thirty” — Movie most likely to make you shout ‘’Murica’ in a public place
“Zero Dark Thirty” doesn’t waste any time re-creating the horrific atmosphere of 9/11. It drops the viewer into the center of Ground Zero with haunting audio recordings of phone calls made from within the World Trade Center. As the audience, it makes you mad. It makes you boil with passion. It puts you in the mood for vengeance.
The majority of the film follows the life of Maya (Jessica Chastain), who is a CIA agent at the center of the 10-year Osama bin Laden manhunt. Maya discovers a key piece of information regarding America’s most wanted criminal in a horrific torture scene. That scene sets the tone of Maya’s character for the entirety of the movie.
Every complication and death that occurs during the operation is displayed with vivid details, creating tension and frustration amongst the audience as they watch every possible lead hopelessly fail. Even though the audience already knows how the movie will end, director Kathryn Bigelow re-created the Navy SEAL team’s assassination of bin Laden with such suspense and precision, that I felt like I was somehow with the soldiers, involved in the raid myself.
“Silver Linings Playbook” — Movie most likely to make your trivial life problems seem like a catalyst for an emotional/mental breakdown
“Silver Linings Playbook” at its core is a rom-com. It has the down-and-out, emotionally vulnerable male lead, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), and the bad news female lead Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). It’s the classic recipe for a happy ending, except with a dash of crazy.
I have to say, both Cooper and Lawrence managed to pull off the mentally distressed and emotionally broken angle pretty well. The thing I really appreciated about the movie was director David O. Russell’s ability to keep the movie grounded with dark, complex interpersonal relationships between the characters, when it could have turned into a fluff piece. Then he keeps the film from getting too dark by throwing comedic insights on medication, vices and the age-old truth that, hey, we all have problems.
The only thing I disliked about the movie was the happy ending. I expected as much, but I guess I was hoping that since it was nominated for Best Picture it would have a “Black Swan”-esque ending. But that’s just my morbidity showing.
I kept waiting to hear, “I volunteer as tribute!” throughout the movie, even though Lawrence’s performance managed to make you forget about her CGI flaming dress.
-Jessica Pettengill
“Django Unchained” — Movie most likely to make you cringe from gore ... or racial guilt
There’s a question you have to ask yourself before seeing “Django” — “Am I confident enough to say that I enjoyed one of the most racially tense films in current memory?” “Django,” at its core, is a love story. But it is not a movie you should take someone on a date to see, unless of course your date is someone equally as demented as you are.
I am no novice to blood and gore. I live for disturbing TV shows like “The Walking Dead” and “American Horror Story,” and I have a sick curiosity for things like watching spiders eat flies. But there were two scenes where even I had to look away from the screen. I am going to warn you now, if you hate violence, or are easily offended by curse words, don’t go see this movie.
But personally, I loved it. It was unflinching in its message, entertaining in its composition and still was able to tell a classic hero’s tale. And for the ladies, there’s a whole three minutes where you get to see Jamie Foxx naked.
Don’t get me wrong, the ending turns out happy, or as happy as Quentin Tarantino can make an ending. But you’re not going to have the warm fuzzies when you leave the theater.
-Jessica Pettengill
“Life of Pi” — Movie most likely to make you want to own a Bengal tiger (and make you feel like you’re tripping acid)
“Life of Pi” is a classic story about a boy living on a boat for 227 days with a Bengal tiger (and a hyena, zebra and orangutan that the tiger eats) after being ship wrecked. OK, obviously it is not a classic story. It’s a fantastical story that would never be able to happen in real life. One of the two would definitely have been killed.
But the magic of the movie (and the book) is definitely the end. If you haven’t watched the movie or read the book, stop reading now, because the ending definitely makes the story.
The brilliance of Life of Pi is when the main character Pi Patel begins to “lie” when reporters think his story is too crazy to believe. He begins to tell everyone a more realistic version where he is on the boat not with zoo animals, but actually his mother, a sailor and a cook. He asks one of the more inquisitive reporters, which is the better story. And after you leave the theater, you will be asking yourself, which story do I want to believe more?
-Jessica Pettengill
“Amour” — Movie most likely to make you develop gerascophobia and clinophobia?
The story of Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), as told by Michael Haneke’s “Amour,” is a heart-wrenching tale of life, death and the tenacity of love. Most striking of this movie was the stripped-down production style, from the cinematography to the set design, minimalism and loneliness saturated the tone of the film. When compared to its peers in the best picture nominees, this style is refreshingly different.
Diving deeper beneath this aesthetic is the theme of faded outer beauty. Georges and Anne are depicted as very plain, yet live in flat in Paris, which accentuates their tiny interactions with each other. These insights into their love build a sense of trust between the two that even the audience feels vested in, and by the time Georges learns of his wife’s devastating condition, there’s no doubt the two will remain together.
The very first scene of the film brings this imagery full circle, yet it isn’t apparent at first. As Anne lay with her wilted flowers on her deathbed, the vestiges of love and beauty have faded, leaving only their memories as the firemen come walking in. This is reinforced throughout the film, which maintains the focus on the inner beauty of their relationship.
Although these themes are tragic, seeing past the depression of old age and death reveals the inspiring ideas of timeless and selfless love.
-Dan Edwards
“Lincoln” — Most likely to add another notch to Spielberg’s belt
“Lincoln” is a movie that tracks the weeks leading up to the passing of the 13th Amendment; the amendment that wrote Lincoln’s legacy. Throughout the film you are able to see the amount of pressure that was put on the president due to the fact that he had a choice to either go forth with the passing of the amendment or end the Civil War. And director Steven Spielberg does a great job of reminding you that this monumental historical figure was — surprise — just human. Lincoln simultaneously deals with the weight of the country on his shoulders and his emotionally disturbed wife Mary.
This star-studded cast delivers a performance for the record books, highlighted by Daniel Day-Lewis. His performance was truly inspiring and if it does not give you chills at some point, then you may not be human. Accompanied with a fantastic and motivating musical score by John Williams, “Lincoln” may very well be one of Spielberg’s finest movies yet.
-Ryan Bonnell
