Four for the Price of One: Oscar Movies Reivews

If you're like me, and you failed to watch all of the Oscar-worthy films before the big night, I have a cheat sheet here for you to determine if the Best Pic noms are worth binge-watching. Here are four of the eight best picture nominations and whether they are still worthy watching even after the buzz has died down.

"The Theory of Everything"

Nominations: Best Picture, Actor (Eddie Redmayne), Actress (Felicity Jones), Adapted Screenplay (Anthony McCarten), Original Score (Johann Johannsson)
Wins: Actor (Eddie Redmayne)
Deserved: None of the Above
Worth Watching?: Yes, but not to own. It's a great look into a very important figure in modern science and medicine. He has had huge obstacles to face and he has done it with dignity and still given more to the world than people who aren't in science will never understand.
It's an enjoyable watch for a thoughtful night.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: All of the Above

"Whiplash"

Nominations: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Adapted Screenplay (Damien Chazelle), Editing, Sound Mixing
Wins: Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Editing, Sound Mixing
Deserved: Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), a Nom for Actor (Miles Teller)
Worth Watching?: J.K. Simmons is the Farmers Insurance guy and you would never guess that he makes commercials in his spare time. Never. He rocks his part of the violent, abusive teacher of Miles Teller who also puts out a moving performance. If you love music, specifically jazz, this is a must-see for you. If you had one of those teachers who pushed you in all the wrong ways, this is the movie for you. If you like either of these actors, this is the movie for you. It was very stressful to watch (I freaked out for the poor kid the whole time), but it's a thinker. What would you do?
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: DVD and On Demand

"Birdman"

Nominations: Best Picture, Actor (Michael Keaton), Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Supporting Actress (Emma Stone), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Director (Alejandro Inarritu), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing
Wins: Best Picture, Cinematography, Director (Alejandro Innarritu), Original Screenplay
Deserved: Cinematography!! and Michael Keaton for Best Actor
Worth Watching?: This is a strange one because it is very much an art film. It has great character development and character exploration but the main reason people watch it is for its critically acclaimed cinematography. I have never seen Michael Keaton like this before-- so open, vulnerable, and yet utterly crazy. If you're up for something completely different, give this a try. But remember to go with the flow and don't think too much about the logistics of it all. It's just supposed to be fun to look at.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: All of the Above

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Nominations: Best Picture, Cinematography, Costume Design, Director (Wes Anderson), Film Editing, Makeup & Hair, Original Score, Production Design, Original Screenplay
Wins: Costume Design, Makeup & Hair, Original Score, Production Design
Deserved: Production Design, Director (Wes Anderson)- Someone give this man an Oscar! How does he not have one yet?!
Worth Watching?: Just like all of Wes Anderson's other films ("Royal Tenenbaums", "Moonrise Kingdom") this is a buffet for the eyes. With pastels and sarcasm everywhere, you can't help but giggle in all the right places.
Theaters/DVD/On Demand: Few theaters, DVD, On Demand

I already did a full review of "American Sniper" that you can check out here.

There you go! Now you have reviews for 5 of the 8. That's more than half. 

In Review: "American Sniper" (2014)

This movie has got everyone talking. It deals with aspects of American life that your every day person doesn't see and doesn't understand. I'm talking about war. Before the Vietnam War, the American public never saw the effects of war (Vietnam was the first televised war) and therefore, when they did see the danger and the horror of war, they wanted to stop it all. But what about the guys on the other side of the line? The men and women who risk their lives every day in order to "serve their country"? What does that mean? What does a day in their life really look like? Specifically, the life of someone whose job it is to kill.

The Plot

Based on a book that's based on a true story about a regular American man who joins the Navy SEALS and becomes one of the top snipers in American history with over 100 confirmed kills. What his job does to this man and his family is heartbreaking, hard to watch, and in the end makes you realize that you don't know anything about war. Chris Kyle kills women, children, and anyone else he thinks could be a threat to the American soldiers.

The Stars

Bradley Cooper takes on another serious role. And the hardest part about his role is that he has to pretend like he has it all together when he is at home and away from the war. He has to seem like nothing is wrong when really on the inside, it is like he never left the war. Cooper has a hard time accomplishing this, but I don't think it is because of his acting. I think it's because of the opportunities missed by Clint Eastwood. There is only one time that Kyle gets upset and shows what is going through his head. There is only one time we see the effect war can have on the human soul. The rest of the movie we just see Kyle doing his job. We feel the pain it takes to make those kills but we never truly get inside of Kyle's head.

The Message

One of the things that Kyle said in interviews seems to be shadowed in this film. He said that this was his job and he will stand before God and take ownership of every shot he made. Because he was always protecting his guys. There is a single moment near the middle of the film where Kyle runs into a man whose life he saved. Kyle seems too distracted to pay attention as the man is thanking him. He seems distant from that life at home. He seems to never come back. And then at the end of the film, he is killed by a man who also suffers from the demons left behind from fighting. So I think the message is this combination of how hard it is to be in the war and how hard it is to come home and his job is not to kill but to protect. A lot of the backlash about this movie is people saying that it glorifies snipers and therefore glorifies killers. But it really shows the audience that they kill with purpose and the purpose is to save.

Overall

(This is the actual Chris Kyle, who the movie is based on)

Like every other war movie out there, this is not one I would want to watch again, but I feel like I almost have to. War is a concept I don't understand. I can't wrap my head around why it has to exist and why people willingly enter into them. Of course, this is all coming from a girl who studied to be a journalist and always, always, always question question authority.

I think this movie falls short in a few ways. 1. You never are able to get inside of Kyle's head. It's a complicated thing, his job, and you never really get to understand what it does to him until the very end. 2. The ending. Why end it with Kyle's death? Yes, in real life, he did die. That's where his story ends. But it isn't really. It doesn't end because all of those people that he saved continued living.

I feel like that was the message this movie was trying to say, but it never really got there. There were glimpses of a message but never a clear one. It feels like an opportunity missed.

2 out of 4 Sniper targets