Something I wanted to do was review all the Best Pictures nominees before the Oscars, as well as giving them reviews. I was not able to see Bridge of Spies, Room, The Revenant, or Spotlight, so those will not be reviewed, but the other four that I saw will be below. Reviewed in the order I saw them. NOTE: I usually prefer a 2 Thumbs Up/Down system, but since all these movies would get a 2 Thumbs Up, I'm going to be more specific with a _/10 rating.
Mad Max: Fury Road - Some of the best action of the year (before Star Wars: The Force Awakens), the best I can say for this movie is that it is dripping with testosterone. A captivating and interesting world with even more captivating and interesting characters. The biggest complaint I've seen is that the narrative has too many questions. Things pop up without explanation. While this helps with world building, as I tend to believe that a world seems more natural when the inhabitants of that world aren't constantly questioning it (the work around is putting a "fish out of water" character like Luke Skywalker to ask the questions for the audience). But there are character motivations that aren't resolved. Max gets flashbacks of several characters asking him why he didn't save them. They are not the characters from Mel Gibson's Mad Max, so I assume that's what the sequel is for. Great set design and pratical action is what really propels this movies to great heights. The best way to sum up the mood of this film is to mention there is a guy riding a huge car, surrounded by amplifiers, continuously playing a double neck electric guitar that shoots fire. A great movie, but I was really surprised to see it on the list. Out of the movies I've seen, I'd list this as the most fun, but not the best. 8/10
The Martian - The idea alone was really compelling, and I enjoyed the clips I saw in commercials. But I figured I would know what would happen by the end of it all. I was not prepared for how intense, tricky, and hardcore the story was going to be. The twists and turns Matt Damon's fate takes throughout the film really makes you sit on the edge of your seat. The film does have a dead spot in the middle, where the tension drops a bit, but the overall concept keeps the story flowing. I can't go into too much more without ruining the tension that the movie builds, but just know that it's not just Matt Damon struggling with decisions and survival. The Martian is a great drama, with high tension. 9/10
Brooklyn - The first time I heard of this movie was through the nomination, and after reading the premise, I figured I knew what to expect. Acts 1 and 2 went exactly as I thought (following an immigrant woman away from her family) and told myself that this was a solid 7/10. But Act 3 was so unexpected and incredible, that if it was like this for the whole running time, I might've said it was even more intense and hardcore than The Martian. Bookend it all with a fantastic performance by Saoirse Ronan, and the movie well surpassed my expectations. What sold it was the crowd I saw it with, as all of us made very audible reactions throughout the climax of the movie. A great and triumphant story that is incredibly human, since I figure that you didn't see it (not really a big release, did decently well in theaters), I HIGHLY recommend seeing this movie. 9/10
The Big Short - The best way to describe this movie is to imagine Tyler Durden from Fight Club and inserting himself into a documentary about the build up to the Housing Market crash (which works out great since both movies star Brad Pitt in an anti-establishment role). The first thing that caught my eye for this movie was the cast. Sticking Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale and Steve Carell in the same movie is a great way to sell tickets. While only two of the named actors share the same scene (Carell and Gosling), all of them bring a great performance. Special mention to the actors accompanying the lead characters, specifically the two college-aged students that work with Brad Pitt, for being able to support, and even shine behind the 4 big stars. While the financial jargon is a bit daunting (the movie even pokes fun at the overly complicated words during one of it's many 4th wall breaks), me and my Finance 1000 and Intro to Micro and Macro Economic knowledge got me through with few if any questions (mostly from the Finance 1000 class). The tension the movie builds is great, and seeing the 3 main groups interacting with the impending doom is particularly riveting. The scene that stands out the most is seeing Steve Carell's character talking to a man from Merrill Lynch about Synthetic CDO's (the movie does explain it well). If I did have a major complaint, it'd be the tone. The first half of the movie has a distinct style to it, the editing, the frequent 4th wall breaking, and the speed of it. While the 4th wall never really comes back, as Ryan Gosling's character does narrate the "epilogue" to the movie, that motif doesn't really come back that much, and the editing does get toned down quite a bit (or maybe I got used to it, I'm not sure). Regardless, this is a movie sort of making fun of the kind of people that The Wolf of Wall Street was about (Wall Street "bros" that make money and use it to live extravagant lives full of hookers and blow), and is wickedly entertaining, along with suspenseful. 8/10
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