Captain Phillips

The trailer for this movie makes the film look really intense, so I was a little skeptical in how suspenseful this movie could be before watching it the other day. This film is based on a true story that happened in 2009, but I did not recall much of the details from when it actually happened, so I didn't really have an idea of how it would end going into it.

This movie did a really good job of creating and keeping tension throughout. I found myself getting really nervous and tense for certain scenes, not knowing what would be the outcome. By the time the movie ended, I let out a sigh of relief, not because the movie was bad, but because I had tensed up so much because of what went on during the movie that I was finally able to relax. Tom Hanks does a really good job of portraying a person who is trying to stay strong while experiencing a dangerous situation. Barkhad Abdi (who plays the leader of the Somali pirates who hijack the ship) does a great job of creating a character who can be threatening but also adds a layer of desperation and sympathy to his character as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It did a good job of being very suspenseful yet grounded and realistic. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a movie that is based on current events and is looking for a good and suspenseful movie to watch.

Oscar nominee: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Barkhad Abdi), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp6jpeDeQmE

12 Years A Slave

This film is based on the memoir by Solomon Northup of the same title. I had to read sections of it for my Tarantino course in order to understand a real description of slavery in comparison to Django Unchained. Reading Solomon's actual account made me want to see this film more than I had already wanted to.

This movie was really good. It was incredibly compelling and saddening to see the true story of Solomon Northup play out onscreen. Each character is portrayed extremely well, especially the characters of Solomon (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Edwin Epps (played by Michael Fassbender). Epps is the cruel slave owner that buys Solomon, and Fassbender does a good job of making you hate him.

While the movie is long, it never feels long because the plot keeps you interested with all of the events and incidents that happen to Solomon. There are moments where it gets really intense, whether there is violence involved or not. Where violence is involved, those scenes can be tough to get through. The film doesn't hold anything back, and it really shows you the brutality that slaves faced during the time in which slavery was legal in America. This film also tugs at your emotions, you really feel the pain Solomon suffers throughout this movie. The theater I was in was not too crowded, but by the time the film ended, everyone, including me, was crying.

I highly recommend seeing this film. Everything about this movie was well-acted, well-plotted, and well thought out. While it can be tough to get through, it was really worth seeing. If you do have the opportunity to read the book beforehand or just in general, it's very interesting, thrilling, and easy to get through. I recommend this movie for anyone interested in seeing a good movie, anyone who enjoyed the book, and anyone who likes historical/period films.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiw1cYXQw4g

Lincoln

After finishing this movie, I can officially say that I have watched every single Best Picture nominee of 2013. Lincoln was a really well-acted movie, every nominated actor and actress in this movie thoroughly deserved it. It was so interesting to see all the hard work that went into establishing the 13th Amendment, and the intense debate that went on. My only negative on this movie is that it is very much a dialogue-based movie, so there is much action as there is talking. It was hard to motivate myself to sit down and watch it because it was so wordy and 2 and a half hours of talking is sometimes hard to stay awake through. I would recommend this movie if you're into historical movies.

Oscar Nominee: Best Picture 2013
Oscar Winner: Best Actor 2013 for Daniel Day-Lewis

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSAbAuLhqs

War Horse

My parents and I just watched this last night and we all seemed to enjoy it. It's a pretty sad movie, but it was also a very interwoven tale that was intriguing to see. It was also interesting that the majority of the story was told from the horse and what the horse experience rather than people, which made the story so interesting to make this story told with little dialogue (since the horse doesn't speak). I found this movie pretty compelling and interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys war movies.

Oscar Nominee: Best Picture 2012

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRf3SfeMRD4