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Movies with Buzz
Anyone who knows me knows I am a total movie buff. What better way to spend a weekend then snuggled up in the movie theater with a Diet Coke and a large popcorn? As the countdown begins towards next year's Oscars, I am getting a head start, checking out what are sure to be some heavy contenders. Check out my list of movies you should be seeing… |
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 Goodnight and Goodluck
In 1953, the CBS newsroom is alive with soon-to-be broadcasting legends. Making headlines with controversial news reports, their team leader, Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) is soon accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy (the infamous Wisconsin Senator who went on a relentless crusade to clear the communists from America). The accusations inspire further investigations that will leave you on the edge of your seats, and running to check out your history books after the movie.
Jarhead
Adapted from Marin Anthony Swofford's memoirs of the Gulf War, the film (the title is actually the self-imposed Marines moniker) follows Swoff (Jake Gyllenhall) from his shocking boot camp training through his time in active duty in the Middle East. Co-starring Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard (from one of my other favorites, Kinsey), the true story, laced with as much humor as drama, is a poignant film that you can bet will be a hit come Oscar season.
Prime
Don't dismiss this romantic comedy as an Ashton-and-Demi inspired knockoff. One Tree Hill star Bryan Greenberg stars as David, Uma Thurman's boyfriend and (Uma's therapist) Meryl Streep's son. Looking at the complexities of trying to live a life of love in modern circumstances, Prime is a touching look at life and love, and the sacrifices one must be willing to make to hold on to it.
North Country
I don't get it. How did this movie not break BIG at the box office? Set in Minnesota, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) is forced to work in the iron mines to support her family after a failed marriage. In an industry dominated by men, Josey works through the ranks as one of the only female miners, forced to deal with the harsh hazing of her male coworkers. When she attempts to speak out about the atrocities being committed, the community turns a deaf ear, unwilling to face the truth and shake the status quo. Based on a true story, the persecution and scrutiny under which Josey is placed just for standing up for what she believes, will shock you as you learn about the nation's first-ever sexual harassment class action lawsuit.
Capote
On November 15, 1959, the brutal murder of a family in a Kansas town shocks the nation, and sends Truman Capote (played superbly
by Philip Seymour Hoffman) on an investigation that will eventually lead to the penning of his celebrated book "In Cold Blood." With a complex plot that has a spine-tingling twist at every turn, Bennett Miller's film practically screams Oscar buzz.
The Squid & The Whale
Sundance already awarded Noah Baumback the Best Dramatic Directing and the Wildo Salt Screenwriting Award for this divorce comedy (an oxymoron in itself). You will see why when you watch Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney light up the screen, playing two restless partners allowing their marriage and family structure to collapse, to the dismay of those around them. Complex and touching; watching the family structure crumble onscreen will leave you walking out of the theater pondering your own situation.
Paradise Now
There is a good reason the Berlin Film Festival awarded this film the 2005 Amnesty International Film Prize. Focusing on the last days of Palestinian childhood friends Said and Khaled, two boys who have been recruited to go to Tel Aviv for a suicide, their lives undergo a twist of fate when they are intercepted at the Israeli border, and have the opportunity to reconsider their actions and decide whether or not to live or die. Intense and inspiring, Paradise Now becomes a call for peace in the most unexpected of places.
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| All right, that should be enough to occupy a weekend or so. For more suggestions, be sure to check out my Oscar blog: http://buzztina.blogspot.com/
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Peace, Love, and Shopping!
Tina |
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