Beasts of the Southern Wild

I talked to a few people about this film, and we all agreed we kinda had to wait for this movie to be over. It was very well done. It's poetic, day in the life gold. But you are just kind of waiting for something to happen -- for someone to die, for someone to leave, for something, something. And it just doesn't ever really come.

It serves as a really beautiful portrait, though.

And that little girl and her father... their acting was just prime. Glorious. Beauty.

Argo

I thought I wouldn't see a film I enjoyed as much as Silver Linings Playbook, but this sure came close. I was on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time. And while I could take or leave Ben Affleck's acting, his directing was superb. The movie was just so real, so intriguing.

I love when movies can take you into a real time in history and make you feel the same fear, anxiety, and love that people must have felt back then. The Iranian Hostage Crisis is an event I may have learned in history class, briefly, but I never knew it like I did while I was watching this film. I really feel like it gave  me a really deep perspective into the minds of Americans at the time.

The fact that this movie plot actually really happened is incredible, and makes for a great subject for a movie. The acting was all around solid, and this probably scores a close second out of the movies I've seen this year.

Silver Linings Playbook

This is quite possibly the most entertaining, enjoyable film I've seen all year. I'm not really sure why it was nominated for Best Picture, considering it was just a really great romantic comedy and not much more. I've had this discussion with a few people, and the only reason I can agree with the nomination is the fact that the story feels so real and doesn't shy away from the behavior of normal everyday people. It doesn't really poke fun at mental illness, nor does it minimize the difficulties.

Jennifer Lawrence was absolutely spectacular, really nailing the nuances of a girl who isn't afraid to say and do what she wants. It wasn't a caricature, but a beautiful portrayal. I can nearly say the same for Bradley Cooper. I've never seen him quite like this, and it was refreshing. I laughed, I cried, and tried not to blink. This was an absolute gem.

Lincoln

I also saw this movie quite some time ago. I slept through the first 20 minutes or so and had to chew gum the rest of the time to try to stay awake. Granted, I went to the movie with my parents after drinking and watching the OSU-Michigan game at a bar for a few hours, so that might have been the problem.

Although it got off to a slow start, I really enjoyed this film, and thought the acting by Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was pretty much perfection.

The Master

This begins my series of journaling the 2013 Oscar nominees that I've watched.

I saw The Master months ago. I remember it being extreme, tense, riveting, disgusting, emotional, and I remember walking out of the theater feeling depressed and strange. I think I did grow on me, but I would never want to watch this again. Well done, but whew, a doozy.