February 24, 2013 - 6:42pm
Reviews of the Best Picture nominees
BY DAILY STAFF
Check out the Daily's reviews of the nominees for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Cinematic and emotional authenticity bloom in 'Amour'
Oscar has fallen hard for “Amour” — which was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture — the tragic yet inspiring depiction of the beauty and agony of loving another.
Political 'Argo' captivates audience
When better to release a film reeking of political animosity than three weeks prior to the U.S. presidential election? Or perhaps, an eerie echo of a recent terrorist attack might facilitate a bigger bump in ticket sales? “Argo” does both, and two hooks are better than one.
Tarantino strikes gold with fearless 'Django'
If you’ve seen Tarantino’s latest masterpiece “Django Unchained,” you’ll know there’s just something inexpressibly special about watching a woman fly 10 feet in the wrong direction after taking a single bullet from an old-fashioned six-shooter.
Hyped-up 'Miserables' can't deliver promised originality and zest
“Les Miserables” is reminiscent of an ostentatiously wrapped and intricately decorated present that holds almost nothing of value, beauty or substance inside. It falls flat and dimensionless upon its grand pedestal — a pedestal that director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”) builds so formidably that it’s hard to believe everything on top of it is so spectacularly ordinary.
'Life of Pi' is a first-rate feast for the eyes
Good films can be typified into one of two categories: tenderloin or rib-eye. A tenderloin film doesn’t flirt with superfluous subplots and flows efficiently from start to finish. A rib-eye feeds on visual spectacles and emotive revelations. “Life of Pi” falls into the latter, as eye-candy CGI and evocative narrations paint a stunning picture. Alas, like with any rib-eye, one must circumvent the fat.
Spielberg's 'Lincoln' flawlessly captures humanity in politics
More often than not, ruining the end of a film will ruin the reason to watch it. But in “Lincoln,” the surprise is certainly not in the ending — it's in everything that takes place before it. There's much more to the life of the sixteenth President of the United States than what’s written in American history textbooks. It’s time to get “honest” about Abe.
Shining performances from Cooper and Lawrence make 'Playbook' a touching tale
The storyline is fairly simple, straightforward and even a bit slow at times, but the cast of characters couldn't be more complicated, conflicted and captivating, setting this film apart from typical dramedies.
Kathryn Bigelow provokes with complex 'Zero Dark Thirty'
People are talking about “Zero Dark Thirty.” They’ve been talking about the Kathryn Bigelow-directed, Mark Boal-penned spy thriller centered on the intelligence hunt for Osama bin Laden since before its release, stirring up enough controversy to cause two release date changes. The right decries it as a pro-Obama liberal propaganda piece; the left interprets it as a torture apologia and patriotic attempt to defend the War on Terror.
