On the Aisle
Well, another year has passed, March is here and so are the Academy Awards. I have always enjoyed the excitement of this show, wondering who is going to win an award and what film will be named Best Picture of the Year. This year is particularly interesting because only one film nominated for Best Picture is from Hollywood studios. Yes, Jerry Maguire was the only Hollywood film nominated. I think the reason for this is that the people in Hollywood put all of their money into special effects action flicks. Examples would be Independence Day, Eraser, Star Trek, etc. Of course, these films would never amount to Best Picture.
The films nominated for Best Picture this year all seem to be good quality films in their own special way. I made it my goal to see these five films and predict the winner. Unfortunately I did see only three of them: Fargo, The English Patient, and Shine. I will probably see Jerry Maguire and Secrets and Lies after I finish this review, However, I also saw three noteworthy films, not nominated, but equally good. They were Hamlet, Evita, and Everyone Says I Love You.
Fargo is a most unusual film. It is a good story that takes place in Minnesota. The characters adopt a strange manner of speaking by saying phrases like, "All right. You Betcha" in a stereotypical rural Minnesota accent I know because it was filmed in Brainerd, twenty miles from my family's summer cabin. They do exaggerate the accent slightly. The film is funny in a way, yet strangely dramatic and tragic. It is very possible that it will win. I must also add that this film is not for the squeamish.
Another film nominated was Shine. Now, it is very possible that Shine could win and I know many people liked it, but something about Shine didn't appeal to me. It wasn't glamorous like other films such as Hamlet, Evita or The English Patient, yet the story had such deepness that I wouldn't be surprised if it did win. Take in mind, now, that this review is being written before the awards and you will be reading it after them, so these are just my predictions.
The next film, in my opinion, is the very best film of the year. The English Patient starts up with such a fire, and it continuously burns throughout the movie. The English Patient is sure to win and if it doesn't, there better be a good reason. I am exaggerating a bit, but I just want to get the point across about how wonderful a film this is and that you should see it Also, like Fargo, it is a bit intense, but this keeps the story alive and burning throughout the film.
The three other great movies I saw were not up for many awards, but should have been.
Evita is a glamorous film. It is all music and no talking, which makes it a musical. The hauntingly dramatic music was written by Andrew Lloyd Weber whose other musicals, such as The Phantom of the Opera and Cats are very popular right now. In Evita I noticed most the change in Madonna's character. As we all know, most of Madonna's previous films have her starring as a kind of lowlife street walker, but in Evita, her character, Eva Peton, starts like that and ends up as the glamorous, popular leader of Argentina. This movie represents Madonna's own career, because like Evita, Madonna herself starts out low and rises to a much higher level. Madonna sang beautifully in this movie and I am a little surprised she didn't get a nomination for best actress, but that's how it goes.
Everyone Says I Love You is probably the most unusual film of the bunch. Now, this doesn't make it bad; in fact, it is excellent. It is a musical but not like Evita. Everyone Says I Love You was directed by Woody Allen and he told the actors that they would be singing, after they signed their contracts. Whether they could sing or not, they were stuck with their singing roles, This musical is kind of corny, but was meant to be, which makes it one hilarious film. It won't be around for long, so if you are in the mood to see a "feel good" movie, see it.
Last, but definitely not least, is William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This movie is a triumph! Kenneth Branagh adapted the play, directed and starred in this excellent version of Hamlet. The film is set in the nineteenth century, which is dilferent from the normal Elizabethan setting, but I like it almost better. Also, the film is 100% faithful to the complete text written by Shakespeare, unlike Mel Gibson's 1990 Hamlet, which leaves a lot of good scenes out but is still a good movie. If you have about four-and-a-half spare hours, see this film.
This concludes my Academy Awards movie review. Till next time.