“Racism is not dead. It’s not. And that’s why this film is so important. To understand American society today, it starts with these kinds of stories, and the fact that they haven’t been dealt with yet. There’s work to be done."
- Lupita Nyong'o
I watched 12 Years a Slave yesterday. I was going to write a post about it yesterday, but I couldn't bring myself to do it so I wrote about Dallas Buyers Club instead. I couldn't do it because I just feel like it's such a hard thing to write about. Instead I've kind of put together some words from other people along with my own.
The movie is based on the 1853 memoir of the freeman Solomon Northup (who is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying, depressing but it is also "visceral, truthful and electrifyingly 'real'" (here). When I say that this movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying and depressing, what I mean is, that it's exactly what director Steve McQueen wants you to feel. His shots are "intended to induce claustrophobia, physical and existential" and all his images have "considerable power" (here).
Everyone in this movie is perfect. The whole cast is so exceptional, with performances from Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Sarah Paulson. Everyone deserves the praise they are receiving for this movie. I wish I could write more about it but really, there isn't much more I need to say other that I believe everyone should watch this movie. Not only because it a cinematic masterpiece but also because it is important for people to see the issue of slavery and racism being tackled on screen.
This will win Best Picture, I'm sure it will, and I hope it does too. It will also hopefully win Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o, and hopefully an Oscar for Chiwetel Ejiofor too (if McConaughey doesn't edge him out).
Hei hei lovely people,
I can't believe that July is already over. I'm back at uni this week and it's crazy to think that I spent my holiday break in Europe and Melbourne. August means getting back into the swing of things: back to uni, back to work and back on the diet. However, it also means a lot of new films are coming out which I have no doubt will make it into my August favourites. This post however, is about what I was loving during the month of July.
1. Game of Thrones
This season was really great for me because I was reading A Feast for Crows at the same time and just absolutely loving it. One thing about this season that I've found really good is that it has been giving a lot of characters a bit more of a back story, and sort of fleshing out their story line. It's been quite interesting to see. I can't believe it's all over and we have to wait another year! The other thing that really scared me today was thinking that I've waited "another year" for the next season of this show twice already - I've been watching this show for nearly three years! That is such a long time considering how much I still love this show (possibly even more than I did at first) and that it is still such a fresh, different program from anything else on the small screen. Love. Love. Love.
2. David Fincher
As some of you might know I've been trying to get through IMDB's Top 250 films by the end of the year. David Fincher is a director with quite a few of his works in the list. I am a huge admirer of his work, I especially love Fight Club and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Fight Club is currently #10 on IMDB's list, and while I don't agree with a lot of the placing on the list, this movie definitely deserves to be top 10. Lately I've been trying to catch up because I feel like I'm running out of time a little, and trying to focus on specific directors or actors. David Fincher is one of these directors. I watched Se7en at the beginning of the month (#22 on the list) and fell in love with it. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey - what a cast! I did find it a quite predictable, and the way they actually find the murderer is a little shaky but I loved the gruesome crime scenes and murders, and it has a good ending. It's hard to find a good murder mystery film, and I think this is definitely one of my favourites ever.
3. Leo
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| Leo & Kate Winslet |
Just thinking about Leonardo DiCaprio makes my eyes well with tears. I can't. I just can't explain to people how much I admire him. I just love people who pick their work projects properly and take so much pride in what they do and what they produce, and Leo is one of these rare people (Ben Whishaw and Cate Blanchett are some others). Leo is on this list because a) I (finally) watched Shutter Island and was struck yet again by his incredible talent and b) I have had the trailer for The Wolves of Wall Street on repeat for the whole month. I think it's one of the best trailers I've seen. Plus, I have good feelings about this movie, and feel that this could just be the one where Leo finally gets his Oscar (fingers crossed people!)
As usual, please let me know what you've been loving, I'll need some new television to watch because all my favourites are ending or have ended for the season now.
