John's Film Awards! - The Nominees

Now that the awards season is over I've decided to do my own awards. Yeah I know you're probably bored of this stuff but I thought, 'Why the hell not? I'll do my own!'

Just a few things:
1. I still haven't seen every single movie of 2014.
2. The maximum amount of nominees per category is 7, the minimum is 3.
3. I'll be announcing the winners within the next few weeks. I'll have my picks and an audience selection. (See below for details)
4. This is just for fun. So please no one freak out if you're pick favorite film was nominated for anything.

I'd also like to involve you - the audience. Down below are the nominees and I'd like you pick your favorite of each category and then message me on my Facebook page with your selections. I'll tally the picks and announce the winners when I announce my picks.

Picture:
Birdman
Boyhood
The Drop
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Selma
Whiplash

Director:
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
J.C. Chandor - A Most Violent Year
Damien Chazelle - Whiplash
Ava DuVernay - Selma
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Michael R. Roskam - The Drop

Actor:
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Tom Hardy - The Drop
Michael Keaton - Birdman
James McAvoy - Filth
David Oyelowo - Selma
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

Actress:
Amy Adams - Big Eyes
Emily Blunt - Edge of Tomorrow
Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
Julianne Moore - Still Alice
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon - Wild
Shailene Woodley - The Fault in Our Stars

Supporting Actor:
Jon Bernthal - Fury
Robert Duvall - The Judge
Zach Galifinakis - Birdman
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Edward Norton - Birdman
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons - Whiplash

Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Jessica Chastain - A Most Violent Year
Karen Gillan - Guardians of the Galaxy
Maika Monroe - The Guest
Emma Stone - Birdman
Tilda Swinton - Snowpiercer
Naomi Watts - Birdman

Screenplay:
Birdman 
Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A Most Violent Year
Nightcrawler
Whiplash

Animated Film:
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

The MEL BLANC Award - Voice Actor:
Scott Adsit - Big Hero 6
Gerard Butler - How to Train Your Dragon 2
Bradley Cooper - Guardians of the Galaxy
Vin Diesel - Guardians of the Galaxy
Craig Ferguson - How to Train Your Dragon 2
Ben Kingsley - The Boxtrolls
Liam Neeson - The Lego Movie

Action Choreography and Stunts:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Fury
John Wick
The Raid 2

Cinematography:
Birdman 
The Guest
The Grand Budapest Hotel
John Wick
The Judge
A Walk Among the Tombstones
Whiplash

Costume:
Fury
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
A Most Violent Year
Snowpiercer

Film Editing:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Drop
Fury
The Guest
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snowpiercer
Whiplash

Makeup:
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Into the Woods
Snowpiercer

Production Design:
Big Eyes
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guest
Into the Woods
John Wick
Snowpiercer

Score:
Birdman 
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Homesman
The Imitation Game
The Judge
The Monuments Men
The Theory of Everything

Song:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - "The Hanging Tree"
Joe - "For Anyone's Sake"
The Lego Movie - "Everything is Awesome"
Muppets Most Wanted - "I'm Number One"
Muppets Most Wanted - "We're Doing a Sequel"
Selma - "Glory"

Sound:
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Fury
Guardians of the Galaxy
Nightcrawler
Whiplash

Special Effects:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Rest in Peace Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

On February 27, 2015, the world lost another legend of entertainment and the geek world lost one of its icons - Leonard Nimoy. He was a charismatic man of many talents; he was not only an actor but also a director, writer, photographer, poet and singer. For me this passing is another sad case of me not fully appreciating an entertainer fully until his passing.

There is one role we all know Leonard Nimoy for, and that's his role of the science officer Spock on the legendary TV series Star Trek. Now I'm only a casual fan when it comes to Star Trek related material. I've only seen a handful of the episodes but I've seen only a few of the movies, but never the less - I can see what makes the show and movies legendary and stand out. I can especially see how influential and important the character was to geek culture. There is no doubt that Mr. Spock will live long and prosper for years to come.

I know this is probably cliche to say but my favorite Trek film is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, dir. Nicholas Meyer). Even I as a casual fan can appreciate how good this movie is. It deals with themes of revenge and leadership, makes allusions to classic literature and it featured a truly great villain portray from Richardo Montalban as the titular Khan.

Whether you're a fan of Star Trek or not there's no doubt that Nimoy had the most powerful scene in the whole movie. I would give a spoiler warning but chances are you already know of this scene.

Nimoy was more than perfect in the scene, along with every other scene in the film. 

But obviously if you know the franchise you know that Spock was not gone for good because in the next film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock - which he also directed, the character was brought back. 

But that wasn't his only time in the director's chair. Nope, he also directed the very funny fourth installment of the Star Trek franchise - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). He was also responsible for the funniest moment in the movie as well. 

But he also directed the comedy Three Me and a Baby (1987) - I didn't know that, anybody else know that? He also directed some comedies that I'm sure he doesn't want to be part of his legacy. He also adapted, directed and starred in a 1981 made-for-TV movie called Vincent, based on the Phillip Stevens play. In it heportrays Theo Van Gogh, the younger brother of the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh. I want to find a copy of this and check it out. 

But his acting career is so much more than his iconic role as Mr. Spock. He was in the, rather trippy but memorable, remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, dir. Philip Kaufman). But another memorable no-Star Trek role was in the Louis L'Amour adapted western Catlow (1971, dir. Sam Wanamaker) where he played the vicious gunslinger Orville Miller and he is more amazing. Apparently he had mentioned in one of his autobiographies that making the movie was one of the happiest moments of his life, and it could have been because it gave him a chance to do something that was Star Trek.

Although it's obvious that, at least during the later half of his life, Leonard Nimoy didn't hold a grudge or scorn against his status as a Science Fiction icon. I mean he starred in almost EVERY Star Trek film. 

One final role I want to note him for is his role as King Nedakh in the underrated Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001, dir. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise). Not much to say except he was just perfect for the role. 

But as stated earlier he much more than an actor and director. He was a photographer and singer who did some fairly decent covers of country songs including Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town and I Walk the Line. And did a song about The Hobbit... which is um... unique I'll say. He was also a poet who at the very least had an appreciation for the written word.

The final thing I want to highlight is that Mr. Nimoy had without a doubt one of the best guest appearances on The Simpsons.

 

To conclude: He has left his mark on pop culture and an impact on us. He shall never be forgotten.

Mr. Nimoy, I promise you that whether it's for your performance as Mr. Spock or you countless other creative endeavors you'll always be remembered. Rest in Peace, Sir.

Jupiter Ascending (2015) Review

Jupiter Ascending (2015)
D: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
W: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
S: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth

I said was going to review a 2015 film and here's a doozy to start with.

The Wachowski Siblings, the team behind the notable and influential Matrix films (at the first one meets those qualities) now bring their latest sci-fi epic to the big screen with Jupiter Ascending.

The story of Jupiter (Mila Kunis) who is your average, everyday girl who spends most of her time as a house cleaner until one day when she finds out she is the reincarnation of the matriarch of intergalactic royal family and is the rightfully ruler of Earth. She must battle against the three children of the family along with the help two ex-soldiers (Channing Tatum and Sean Bean, respectively).

Now there's no doubt that the Wachowski Siblings have been very influential with their films but they've always been a mixed bag for me. The Matrix is without a doubt their most influential film, can't say I 'love' it but I do have like a lot of qualities in the film - the sequels on the other hand were just silly and got surprisingly dull. Cloud Atlas (2012) was an... interesting movie with some choices that one would say are not the most tasteful.

To see an excellent review of Cloud Atlas (the movie and the book) check out the two part review by Kyle Kallgren of Brows Held High. Part 1 - Part 2.

But what about this film? Well this is a case of the Wachowski Sibs trying really, really hard and just coming out with a goofy mess. For one thing: Channing Tatum and Sean Bean's character (and others) are gene spliced with various animals which leads to some strange and oddly funny stuff. Tatum for example is spliced with dog DNA which makes it a bit creepy when he outright says to Jupiter "I have more in common with a dog than I do with a human," and Jupiter says, "I love dogs!" If you're eyebrows raised in a 'WTF' kind of reaction then don't worry because you aren't alone.

Bean's character is part bee and is named Stinger... you read that correctly, folks. Oh but wait, I ain't done with the bees just yet. When Tatum and Kunis arrive at Stinger's place he of course has a lot of bees and the bees start to swarm around Kunis. But they aren't swarming her in a threatening manner but in a mystical way. The reason for this is because it turns out that Kunis's character is Royality. How do they come to that conclusion? Well, it's because she's never been stung by a bee and bees never sting royalty.

So remember kids: If you've never been stung by a bee then you're royalty from another planet.

That's not the dumbest thing ever uttered in cinema but man oh man is that just plain goofy. But it gets better there's one moment in which a bunch of bounty hunters attack Bean's house and one of the bounty hunters is attacked by the bees. You can guess what movie quote I was shouting in my head.

But the film gets stranger. It turns out that Kunis is the reincarnation of the Queen of Earth essentially who has three children: Kalique (Tuppence Middleton), Titus (Douglas Booth) and Balem (Eddie Redmaye). Oh my, I will talk about Balem soon enough.

Kalique is just sort of there, she doesn't really leave that big of an impact. Titus actually wants to marry Kunis which is creepy and disturbing. I mean I know this is science fiction but there is no way this could NOT be creepy, "Hey you look like my dead mother. Will you marry me?"

And then there's Balem... oh my giddy aunt do I love Eddie Redmayne now more than ever. This guy is going to 11 in the hammy villain department. This is almost John Travolta in Battlefield Earth (2000, dir. Roger Christian) and it is just as enjoyable. 

As I said earlier the biggest problem with this movie is that it's a mess. It's trying to be so many things that it just comes out jumbled a confusing. I did find myself asking, "What in God's holy name are you blathering about?"

Also, Mila Kunis is given a really flat character who could have been interesting but she just ends up as another damsel in distress who gets rescued at least three different times in the movie. 

It's trying to be a space opera like Star Wars with elements of Soylent Green (1973, dir. Richard Fleischer) and even stuff that reminded me of 90s extreme sports movies. I also get the feeling that it wants to be Guardians of the Galaxy (2014, dir. James Gunn).  But then there's the Space DMV! Yeah this scene took up a good chunk of the middle act and the only reason I can think of this being in here is a tribute to Brazil (1985, dir. Terry Gilliam), speaking of which keep a look out for Gilliam in the film. 

The Wachowskis, in my book, bit off more than they could chew. 

If this is something you've been wanting to check out then by all means go and see it. For me, it just comes off as trying too hard. But I can't deny that I had fun while watching this film. Mainly because I was poking fun at the movie in a Rifftrax/MST3K way.

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Thanks for reading.

Final Oscar Predictions!

The Oscars are this weekend! Here are my final predictions. There maybe one or two changes just before the ceremony but this is how it is. These are my predictions in order of who/what I think is most likely to win.

Best Picture:

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Selma
5. Whiplash
6. The Imitation Game
7. The Theory of Eveything
8. American Sniper


Director:

1. Richard Linklater - Boyhood
2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman
3. Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Morten Tyldum - The Imitation Game
5. Bennett Miller - Foxcatcher

Actor:

1. Michael Keaton - Birdman
2. Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
3. Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
4. Steve Carell - Foxcatcher
5. Bradley Cooper - American Sniper


Actress:

1. Julianne Moore - Still Alice
2. Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
3. Reese Witherspoon - Wild
4. Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
5. Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night

Supporting Actor:

1. J.K. Simmons - Whiplash
2. Edward Norton - Birdman
3. Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
4. Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
5. Robert Duvall - The Judge

Supporting Actress:

1. Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
2. Emma Stone - Birdman
3. Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
4. Meryl Streep - Into the Woods
5. Laura Dern - Wild


Original Screenplay:
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Boyhood
3. Nightcrawler
4. Birdman
5. Foxcatcher

Adapted Screenplay:
1. The Imitation Game
2. Whiplash
3. The Theory of Everything
4. American Sniper
5. Inherent Vice

Animated Film:
1. How to Train Your Dragon 2
2. Big Hero 6
3. The Boxtrolls
4. Song of the Sea
5. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Foreign Language Film:
1. Ida
2. Leviathan
3. Tangerines
4. Wild Tales
5. Timbuktu

Documentary Film:
1. Citizenfour
2. Virunga
3. Finding Vivian Maier
4. Last Days of Vietnam
5. The Salt of the Earth

Original Score:
1. The Theory of Everything
2. Interstellar
3. The Imitation Game
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Mr. Turner

Original Song:
1. Selma - "Glory"
2. The Lego Movie - "Everything is Awesome"
3. Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me - "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"
4. Begin Again - "Lost Stars"
5. Beyond the Light - "Grateful"

Sound Editing:
1. Birdman
2. American Sniper
3. Interstellar
4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
5. Unbroken

Sound Mixing:
1. Whiplash
2. Birdman
3. American Sniper
4. Interstellar
5. Unbroken

Production Design:
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. The Imitation Game
3. Interstellar
4. Mr. Turner
5. Into the Woods

Cinematography:
1. Birdman
2. Mr. Turner
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Ida
5. Unbroken

Makeup and Hairstyling:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Foxcatcher

Costume Design:
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Mr. Turner
3. Into the Woods
4. Maleficent
5. Inherent Vice

Film Editing:
1. Whiplash
2. Boyhood
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. The Imitation Game
5. American Sniper

Visual Effects:
1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2. Interstellar
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

A Most Violent Year (2014)

A Most Violent Year (2014)
D: J.C. Chandor
W: J.C. Chandor
S: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Albert Brooks, Catalina Sandino Moreno

Yep, I'm still doing reviews of 2014 films. I promise I'll do a review of a 2015 movie sometime in the near future but right now let's take a look at this film.

A Most Violent Year is the latest film from director J.C. Chandor who brought us that marvelous 2013 film All is Lost. A film about a man (Robert Redford) trying to survive out a sea by any means necessary. In this film we see an immigrant man (Oscar Isaac) trying to keep his oil business up and running and protect his family by any means necessary during, apparently, New York City's most violent year statistically (1981). He'll do whatever it takes to do this but he doesn't want to fall into the pit of violence that surrounded him.

Warning: mild spoilers ahead.

I really wish this film got a wider release sooner because if it did this movie would have certainly made my Best of 2014 list. It features a great cast of characters, all of which are supplied with great performances, a moody and creepy atmosphere, and has a smart script that keeps the audience guessing.

One thing about this film that I like is that it doesn't fall into the typical tropes of a usual gangster/crime film. While the topic of a reluctant mobster has been in films, the biggest example being The Godfather (1972, dir. Francis Ford Coppola), the big difference between Abel Morales and Michael Corleone is that Morales manages to keep himself above the line and doesn't go down the road of crime where as Corleone eventually gets involved due to family and his limits being pushed too far.

And before anyone starts: No, this isn't me trashing The Godfather. Okay?

Now this was no easy task for Abel. As the film displays through radio transmissions and news reports that violent crimes are rampant and consistent in this major city.

The film opens up with an example of a violent crime that leads to a whole series of events. A driver of Morales, Julian (Elyes Gabel) gets hijacked and beaten by robbers who take the cargo for their own.

Julian's story line is essentially the opposite of Abel's in the film's plot. After Julian's brutal mugging he has become more afraid and thus arms himself and takes several shots at robbers who attempt to steal from him again. But that makes things much more worse thus sending his life towards a more tragic route.

Now Abel on the other hands, as mentioned before, wants to avoid violence by any means necessary. He knows that the oil industry at this time is kept a close eye on and that any moment of violence could spark an investigation. One that's even bigger than the current one going on.

Abel does try to help Julian throughout the film by any means mainly because I think Abel sees a bit of himself in Julian. But as one would suspect things don't go to plan.

Through those aspects it is apparent that the film has an anti-violence theme and a theme of survival, the latter of which was also a theme of Chandor's previous film All Is Lost.

Another aspect I really like about the film is because while this is a story that is self contained it does give an idea that there's more to this and that this the story will continue with no defining results. In other words while it does give a "happy" ending, there is a sense of things are far from over.

Speaking of the ending I love the fact the film did not try to pull any dramatic twists. There's nothing like, "Oh man! It was *insert character name here* who was stealing the oil!" What a twist!

The performances in the film are amazing to say the least. Each of the major performances adds life to the character and make them even more intriguing. Especially for Abel's wife Anna portrayed splendidly by Jessica Chastain.

The script hints about her past, in that her father was a notorious mobster, but it never fully exposes what it was he did. It's through her performance we gets hints about her past and how she works herself. I'm still baffled how she wasn't nominated for an Oscar.

There's also a lot of great technical aspects as well. There's a great almost film noir like feel to it, the costumes a nicely detailed, wonderful cinematography, and a great score by Alex Ebert

While I'm sure some people will find the film slow I'm also certain that people out there will be able to appreciate the atmosphere it creates and the awesome performances involved.

I can't recommend it enough.

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American Sniper (2014) Review

American Sniper (2014)
D: Clint Eastwood 
W: Jason Hall
S: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Well, this movie certainly has been popping up a lot in the news recently and probably not for the reasons it wants.

American Sniper is based upon the military career of the famous, if not infamous, Navy SEALs sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) who is known as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. The movie follows his enlistment, his training, his family life and the four tours of duty he had.  All of which shows the emotional and psychological baggage that weighed on him during his time in the service.

Let me get a few things out of the way:

1.) The fake baby is fake. Yes, there's no getting around it. The fake baby is one of the fakest things ever put on the silver screen. Especially in recent years. Clint and company probably should have worked around it and not have the main characters hold it during extensive shots.

2.) I am fully aware of the controversy surrounding this film. Many of which revolve around the content in Kyle's autobiography and various racist and bigoted social media posts made by people who saw the film. While I will be addressing some of it I'll be reviewing the movie as it is. Just like with any biopic, based on, inspired by of whatever kind of movie similar to it. 

Now onto the actual review.

This was a film I was looking forward to seeing mainly because of the trailer. I mean that first trailer was truly spectacular. It creates a tense feel and makes you want it to be released as soon as possible. The thing a trailer should do.

 

After finally seeing the film I can say that I did enjoy it. And before anyone jumps to their keyboards my reasoning for liking this movie is not what you think it is. I don't like this because I saw it as a "'Murica, f**k ya!" movie. Or a movie that endorsed the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

No.

I saw this as movie that shows what war does to a person. It shows how the man's multiple tours of duty had a toll on his humanity and his family life. 

At the beginning of the film we see Kyle as a wild, fun loving, if not full of himself Texan. We see how he meets his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and the stuff he wants to do outside of his military service. But after every tour of duty he has he becomes more secluded and isolates himself from his family.  

His gung ho attitude on his service is clearly not healthy for him. One of the best scenes is after his fouth (and final) tour when he's having a drink in a bar and he receives a call from his wife. She heard that he was coming home soon and he says that he is. She wonders as to why he didn't just come home and gives his response while trying to hold back his tears. The fact that he didn't immediately go home and only at this point decided to let his emotions out more and include his wife in on what's going on. 

I've seen a lot of posts claiming that the film is nothing but war propaganda. To which I have to ask: How? 

At what point did the film give some sort of investment and say (figuratively or literally) that we should sign up for the military and that anyone non-American was bad? 

I honestly can't think of a single moment in the film like that. And given Clint Eastwood's previous track record I have a hard time buying that he wanted to make a pro-war/anti-Muslim movie. I would highly recommd his movies Flags of Our Fathers a film that looks at the men of the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima and how them being used as a mascot for war bonds combined with survivor's guilt destroyed them, especially Ira Hayes (Adam Beach). For an added bonus check out the companion film Letters from Iwo Jima, a movie that looks at the Japanese side. 

Or how about his 1992 Best Picture wining movie Unforgiven. The movie that has the line, "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." A movie that shows his character's return to his violent ways is bad. 

This movie is in the same light. It shows that taking someone's life weighs a heavy load on someone and how this can have an affect on them off the front lines. Maya Kyle (in the movie) summarizes it best, "This isn't about them. It's about us."

Okay I apologize if that came off as a tirade. Let me talk about other parts of the film. First off, Bradley Cooper. Given his performances in this and in Silver Linings Playbook (2012, dir. David O. Russell) and American Hustle (2013, dir. David O. Russell) I can say that he is becoming one of my favorites. The mannerisms, the accent, his emoting, he's just amazing in the film. Though, sadly he still could not make the aforementioned fake baby look real. And while it is a great performance I probably would've nominated David Oyelowo for Selma or Jake Gyellenhaal for Nightcrawler for Best Actor instead. 

Even though I like the film it isn't the strongest film out there. Probably wouldn't have nominated it for Best Picture.The previously mentioned Eastwood films are much better. 

The movie does seem to stay too long in the war scenes instead of the family scenes but maybe that's the point. And, again, fake baby. 

Also using the footage from Kyle's actual footage was bit schmaltzy in my book. I mean the movie ended perfectly there's was nothing else needed. I'm dead serious I thought it was great ending.

And it needed to pull back on the violence in some parts. The part with "The Butcher" killing a kid with a drill was a too much. You could have gotten the point across without lingering on the drill penetrating the kid's head. I know war is cruel and horrifying but there are limits. 

So while this isn't quiet up there with Eastwood's other work, or other war films, it is still a strong film in its own way and at the very least it's a film worth discussing. 

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Selma (2014) Movie Review

Selma (2014)
D: Ava DuVernay
W: Ava DuVernay, Paul Webb
S: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Andre Holland, Tessa Thompson, Giovanni Ribisi, Lorraine Toussaint, Stephan James, Wendell James, Common, Alessandro Nivola, Keith Stanfield, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dylan Baker, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey


The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. finally gets a feature film dedicated to him in Selma. The film tells of King’s famous civil rights march from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital Montgomery to oppose the unfair and dated policies that kept African-Americans from voting. But it also tells of all the politics and drama surrounding the event and the lead up.

Almost out of the gate this film was getting universe praise from critics, even now it stands at a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. I won’t lie there was a part of me that thought the film was mainly getting praise due to the subject matter and how one or two elements have parallels to recent events. Also it could have easily fallen into what I call, ‘m’kay’ movies. They’re films that deal with big issues but don’t do much outside of just saying they’re important issues without going any deeper. Basically the films are like, “racism is bad, m’kay?” or “addiction is bad, m’kay?” That doesn't make them bad by any means for me I just feel like they could have done more with the topic.

Thankfully this film does not fall into that category. While yes this film does deal with issues that are sadly topical, it is a film that shows what happened outside of the more infamous moments, and shows the lead up to the march. It displays a wonderful and complex portray of one of the most important men of the last century and an important event in his life.

A film I kept thinking of while watching the film was Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012). Mainly because both films are biopics of notable men and dealt with a very important, if not defining, moment in their life. Both also played it smart and portrayed the lead men as humans.

Many biopics portray their subject as a Saint among men, who was flawless and so on. But with this film Ava DuVernay, the director, wisely shows that Dr. King was a man who had moments when he doubted himself. He was also a man had his own troubles outside of events related to the movements.

We see him and his wife Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo) discuss the meaning of the march and of Martin's activism. We see that even though this was a couple who deeply loved each other, they still argued and the events pushed each of them towards their limits. It's a great portrayal.

Speaking of the portrays, David Oyelowo is absolutely flawless in his portray as King. And yes I do feel like he was robbed of an Oscar nomination. He manages to convey both the dynamic leader who would speak loudly and passionately about his movement and the people he stood for, but he also gives him many great quiet moments. It's a spectacular performance.

And the film was robbed of several other nominations. But at least it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song.

Now like a lot of biopics, it has been the subject of controversy, mainly in the portrayal of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson). The movie portrays him as somewhat reluctant to take immediate action of the civil right issues in the south when many actually say he was very involved and worked a lot with Dr. King.

As for me I thought it was a fair portrayal. The movie doesn’t make you hate him or view as the bad guy, you get an understanding that he isn’t ignoring the issue it’s just that he’s the man who is currently in charge of a nation who has a lot of issues going on. It was the 60's the guy had a ton of stuff on his plate.

The only people that are vilified are the ones who should be, and by that I mean the people who were rather racist, such as then-Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth), Sheriff Jim Clark (Stan Houston) and others like them.

It’s a wonderful film that handles its subject matter well and has a group of actors giving spectacular performances.

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