2014: Week 11: 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

Genre: Drama, Biography

Main Players: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Brat Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch

General Gist: Set in pre-civil war America, a free black man is tricked into traveling south into DC and then abducted and sold as a slave.  Based on a true story. 

Tiff's Take:
This was a slow week for movies so we decided to see this one since we didn't get to see it last year.  And I always like to see Oscar ones I missed.

Let me say, this was so well acted and done.  I can definitely see why it won Oscars.  However, that being said, it was so difficult to watch.  How can people continue to move forward when their situation is so bad?  It's really hard seeing people literally and figuratively beaten down over and over.    Obviously not a high point in our country's history.  But this man's story is horrific and amazing all at the same time.  And Lupita Nyong'o who played Patsey definitely earned her Oscar.

If you haven't seen this yet it is definitely worth seeing but it's not an easy one to sit through.  It won't be one that you can watch over and over.  One time is enough for me.

Tiff's Rate: Opening Night

Deb's Take:
If you want a movie that will evoke emotions from deep in the pit of your stomach this is the one to see.  Like Tiff said, its horrific and amazing. Worth every award it received.  I can't even imagine living through what these people endured.  There is something to be said for the ability for a human being to carry on. 

This movie was best because I didn't know many of the actors.  I like when movies don't pull in the known people, a sense of authenticity is created when the actors seem more like people than stars.  Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o were beyond amazing.  I think if I had to live those parts, in any way, shape or form, I would vomit daily.  That's what this movie made me feel like, it was so sickening to see what these people had to endure I wanted to throw up. Piggybacking on my "history lesson" post of The Monuments Men, I will say this kind of history lesson hurts the heart. 

This movie was all emotion, intensity and passion.  The movie will break your soul, cause you to question humankind and possibly fill you with hatred... but it will also make you passionate about life, hunger for compassion and burst with love.  Now that folks, is a good movie!

Deb's Rate: Opening Night

Preview: Divergent of course.   

2014: Week 5: August: Osage County

August: Osage County

Genre: Drama

Main Players: Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Benedict Cumberbatch (Basically a lot of well known actors and a few others thrown in.)

General Gist: A slightly estranged and dysfunctional family comes together after a crisis.   

Deb's Take:  
I am a relationship junkie.  I people watch, get encapsulated by interactions and connections and get sucked into movies that dive into relationships.  This movie was that kind of movie.  To say this family was dysfunctional is an understatement.  With an alcoholic father, a drug addicted mother and a past of craziness how could they not be?  I will say though,this movie will not be a movie for everyone.  When I really think about, this movie didn't really have a point.  The message I got from it was, you live life, you fall into your place in life,you try to change it, and eventually you come home and see nothing has changed at all.  Sort of depressing.  Here was the kicker for me though...I love watching good actors put on good performances and become real people.  So, I got sucked in big time.  I felt like I was a fly on the wall in a home of discourse and disarray. I was able to just sit back and analyze and ponder and watch.  Therefore, I loved it!

Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts outdid themselves in this over the top melodramatic movie.  Really, there wasn't one actor that didn't impress me.  The characters had to work to match each other in this one, and they all did quite well. I love when laughing can happen in the mist of chaos.  Pretty much every soap opera moment you can think of death, divorce, stealing, incest, mystery...everything in one 2 hour package.  Again, that doesn't mean there really was a point to the movie.  Sure, I found some good life lessons thrown in, but really I felt like the movie was just a snapshot of a family and their coping, or lack of, mechanisms.  I am sure the original screen play was written with deeper meanings and intents, there were plenty, but all in all the movie was just one big mash up of dysfunctional relationships.  I really did enjoy it...I have a feeling that I may be one of the few...

Deb's Rate: Friday Night

Tiff's Take:
Ugh.  I had practically my whole review typed out earlier today.  I came back tonight to finish it up and there was only one sentence down.  "This movie was intense."  Apparently two people can't update a post at the same time.  One person will end up with nothing.  That person was me.  I'm not sure I have it in me to do it all again.  However, my "This movie was intense" does wrap it up nicely.

To save myself the pain of rehashing what I already wrote, I'm going to defer to Deb's review for the details.  There was a lot of crazy, dysfunction going on in this movie.  With Deb loving the relationship aspect, it was just too much for me.  Everyone was mean (mostly) and hopeless.  There was nothing happy about this movie.  And forget about closure in any way.  This movie did not leave you feeling good about any part of any character.

However, it wasn't a complete loss.  The acting was superb which was to be expected and the movie itself was really well done.  So, I can see why there are Oscar nominations for this one.  But, even though I usually like movies that are a little off the beaten path, this one was just more than I could handle.  

Tiff's Rate: Friday Night for the acting, Rent It for entertainment purposes so I go with Matinee overall.

Preview: Not sure what we'll see next week.  Any ideas?