This past Sunday, the choices were picked and the decision was made by The Academy that the movie “12 Years a Slave” would be best picture for the year 2013. However, while this movie won one of the most prestigious awards any film could win, the other eight nominations for best picture certainly deserve attention, thought, and praise as well.
One of the first nominees for best picture was “her”, an interesting love story directed by Spike Jones in which a man falls in love with an Operating System (O.S.) in the not so distant future. Spike Jones’s new take on the romance genre changed the way audiences view love stories and romance movies altogether.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” is another interesting nominee. Directed by Martin Scorsese, this film follows the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Decaprio), a stockbroker who illegally stole people’s money though stock fraud and outright lies back in 1980’s and 1990’s. The film follows Jordan’s rise to power and fame, then follows him back down the ladder again in which he ends up in jail.
“Dallas Buyers Club” is a movie that audiences absolutely loved. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the film tells the true story of Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) and his fight with the deadly HIV virus. As an imperfect man, Ron must come to terms with the disease when the doctors tell him he only has thirty days to live. His story of love, hate, and overcoming challenges through life stayed with viewers long after they left their seats at the movie theater.
Two other fantastic films nominated include “Captain Phillips” directed by Paul Greengrass, and “Gravity” directed by Alfonso Cuaron. The former tells the true tale of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and his horrifying experience with Somali pirates after being taken captive at sea. The latter is sometimes regarded as the best and/or worst film of this year. Many people loved, and many people hated “Gravity”, staring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Audience were either bored, confused, or astounded with Bullock and Clooney’s terrifyingly realistic adventure through space after their shuttle is destroyed, leaving them hovering about the Earth alone and forgotten.
The most relaxing of the nine nominated films were “Philomena” directed by Stephen Frears, and “Nebraska” directed by Alexander Payne. “Philomena” tells the heart touching tale of an old mother (Judi Dench) and a middle age reporter (Steve Coogan) on their journey to find the mothers long lost son whom she had to give up for adoption several years ago. By the end of the film, the audience was in tears by the surprising and heart touching twists regarding the fate of major characters. “Nebraska” on the other hand had audiences laughing and pondering life as they watched a simple old man (Bruce Dern) cross several states to claim his million dollars, which he supposedly won in the mail. The film left moviegoers happy and sad by the films end.
One of the most successful films of the year, “American Hustle” directed by David O’ Russell captivated the lifestyle and fun of the 1970’s all while telling the true story of several con-artists (Christian Bale, Amy Adams) attempting to rid themselves of the police and government officials. The film had audiences laughing, crying, and hoping for the characters as they experienced different situations throughout the film. While American Hustle didn’t win best picture, it certainly brought many people into its story.
Finally, “12 Years a Slave” directed by Steve McQueen, had everything moviegoers loved to see in film. Humor, fear, violence, hope, happiness, and relief are just some of the emotions many people felt as a result of this film. The true tale of Soloman Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofer) will live in the hearts and minds of anyone who has seen this film for a very long time.
With award season now over, and the best of the best films heading home with praise and mass attentions, it’s only a matter of time before next year’s Oscars and new films begin to stun the world with their awe-inspiring creativity and ability to drag the world into their tales.
