If it were up to me, the following movies/people would win tonight at the Oscars. Unfortunately, the Academy doesn’t even have an inkling about who I am much less listen to me. So I had to temper my picks based on what I think the Academy will actually pick.
Queen M’s Picks
Best Picture: Room
Room made me feel all the feels and I empathized with the characters throughout the whole movie. Jacob Tremblay made the film with his excellent acting. In fact, I think Jacob should have been nominated for best actor, but that’s beside the point. Room should win.
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Leo in The Revenant…or Matt Damon in The Martian
I want Matt Damon to win because I thought he was fantastic, but in reality I think Leo will win. He was great but I’m worried that he’s going to get it simply because it’ll be a huge snub if he doesn’t.
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson in Room
I want her to win AND I think the Academy will pick her. ‘Nuff said.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale in The Big Short
I don’t have any particular allegiance to any actor in this section, but I thought Christian played his role very well. I didn’t like his character, but he played it well!
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl
The movie wasn’t good, but Alicia was excellent. I almost cried during the scene where she’s asking to talk to her husband. Fantastic.
Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
This movie made me laugh, cry, and say “awww!” Seriously, this was so good I wish it was nominated for best picture. Plus it has Mindy Kaling, my favorite comedian/role model, as the voice of Disgust.
Cinematography: The Revenant
I’m no expert on cinematography, but damn it was good enough in this movie for me to notice it.
Directing: Spotlight
The other categories I don’t know enough about to make an informed opinion so I won’t even try. Now that you know what I want to win, I’d love to hear what you think!
Between the story line, superb acting, and the the fact that it’s a true story, Spotlight is prime Oscar material. The only real competition for Spotlight, in my opinion, is The Revenant, which may give the former a run for its money. While the Revenant had great cinematography, directing, acting, costumes, etc…, Spotlight will win the Oscar for being greater than the sum of its parts.
This prediction has nothing to do with the fact that Leo is the love of my life. Honestly. Leonardo DiCaprio just killed his role in The Revenant. And compared to Eddie Redmayne, Bryan Cranston, and Michael Fassbender, this role is almost his for the taking. The close runner-up, however, will definitely be Matt Damon in The Martian. We’ll have to see whether the Academy wants a more intense or a more relatable performance.
Admittedly, this is more of a strong, strong wish than a prediction. Brie Larson’s portrayal of Joy Newsome in Room was one of the most breathtaking, powerful, and forget-its-a-movie performances I’ve ever seen. I don’t even feel there is a suitable runner-up for this category. I still think about her performance and get chills.
Alejandro G. Inarritu won last year for Birdman, and looks to be a favorite of the Academy this year for his directing in The Revenant. To throw in my two cents, I think Lenny Abrahamson deserves the Oscar for Room. He managed to create a world entirely through a child’s eyes, while still allowing the audience to understand the horror of the situation.
This category is a bit of a crowded field. Every character excelled at their parts, but nobody made a strong enough impression to declare a unanimous winner. Mark Rylance’s character in Bridge of Spies is a Russian prisoner of war, trying to leave America and go home. I’ve only ever seen Mark Rylance in House of Cards, and this character was such a foil, I forgot it was the same actor. But, the Oscar is still anybody’s game at this point.
A favorite of almost all film critics’, Alicia Vikander’s role in The Danish Girl was an unusual part, and she played the emotional parts very well. I personally don’t have any allegiance to any of these actresses performances, but I think the Academy will choose Vikander over the others.
These two authors of Spotlight have received numerous awards throughout the season and managed to capture the urgency and truth of the Boston Globe investigation.
This adaptation of The Martian was really well done and has received universal acclaim. This is Goddard’s first Academy nomination, and I think he has it in the bag.
So we were just going to do Oscars dinner, but then we realized this is more of an all day affair for the Queens, so we had to add in brunch as well. The brunch isn’t as fabulously made from scratch as our dinner menu, but it was definitely delicious and something everyone should try. It was definitely worth using some pre-made foods to lessen the workload (especially since we worked so hard to make dinner!). Also, we didn’t want to have to spend too much time away from our TV, of course. Here’s what we did:
Pancakes (made from a Jiffy’s box mix)
Strawberries, blueberries and bananas (simply washed and presented in a bowl)
Cinnamon Rolls (Picked up from the fabulous Ann Sather)
Turkey Sausage (Applegate from Whole Foods)
Hash Brown Patties (Trader Joe’s)
Mimosas (Champagne and OJ, measured perfectly by Queen M)
Here are some pics from the great event!
The buffet laid out for our friends to pick and choose what they want. Complete with extra icing for the delicious cinnamon rolls.
Doesn’t our table look so colorful? What a great way to spend Oscars morning with our best friends.
Just one of the amazing plates. So tasty. I’m still dreaming about it.
Alright, now I don’t claim to be any superstar movie critic or anything, but I watched *most* of the Oscar nominated films this year so I feel that I have a pretty good handle on the movies. Here’s a rundown of who I think will/want to win the Oscars this year. Maybe this will help you win at your Oscars pool this year. Also, find a list of the nominees here.
Now while I want it to be Roombecause never have I ever thought continuously about a movie for over a month, I don’t think Room will win. I feel that movies like Room almost never win best picture, they usually win the top acting awards though. So, for my prediction, which I also want to win because I thought it was an excellent movie is Spotlight. Plus, I think they could give a really cool acceptance speech, which I always love to hear.
Hands-down if Leo doesn’t win it will be the biggest middle finger from the Academy in all the land in Oscars history (and they have given some pretty big ones in the past…cough, cough Ben Affleck for Argo). Leo deserves this win and he has won every major award this awards season so I really hope he wins the big one. Although, this does mean Internet memers will have to come up with some new Leo memes.
Again, no question, it should be Brie Larson. How could it be anyone else? Her portrayal of the truly unimaginable in Room was such a fabulous and gut wrenching performance that she deserves this honor. Also, I’m sorry, but if they give this award to Jennifer Lawrence I will personally be upset because she was just not very good in Joy (#SorryI’mNotSorry).
I really loved his character in Spotlight, plus I really just love him so I definitely think he should take it home. I think it’s kind of an outside shot, but why not root for the underdog?
While I would love for Rachel McAdams to take home this award I think that is too outside of a chance to even happen (sadly). But I really do love her and I thought she did a fabulous, Oscar worthy performance either way. Although Vikander’s role in The Danish Girl was weird and I didn’t particularly care for that movie, I did think she did a great job and I can easily see her walking away with the golden statue.
Okay, one this was a fantastic film, and two it’s Pixar, so I mean does anyone else really even have a chance? No. And, honestly, in my opinion, they shouldn’t. The minds behind this movie are genius because this movie made me think and question things that I had never even considered. I mean they gave our feelings, feelings. WHAT. MIND BLOWN. I’ll never forget during the movie when Joy had her big realization that ‘oh wait, it’s okay to feel sadness because that will bring us happiness eventually.’ I mean WHAT. At that moment I just thought to myself ‘dang it Disney, you’ve done it again.’ What a great movie for all age groups to see.
Now, while I do think it would be super cool if Cinderella won, and I would say they would be deserving of it, I still think it’s going to The Danish Girl. Those costumes were done so beautifully and although I didn’t like the movie, I did LOVE the costumes, as I wrote about in my post. I felt the costumes kept very well with the time period and I thought they were crafted to perfection. Read this cool article about the costume designs here.
Now, while I admit I don’t know much (anything) about directing, I do think it’s going to the director of The Revenant. If anything, I would think the sub-zero conditions in the wilderness that this guy shot in would be enough to get him the “W.”
Documentary (Feature): ?
Documentary (Short Subject): ?
Unfortunately, I was a little pressed for time this year and did not have time to see these movies. Hopefully I’ll have more time next year! (Although honestly documentaries are not my absolute favorites so watching all of these would probably be a struggle even if I had all the time in the world).
I am not even sure how to judge this one. I guess I need to brush up on my film editing knowledge. I’m going with The Revenant because I imagine that editing this film was no easy task. Although, I can really see any of these films walking away with this one.
The makeup in this movie was done really well and I imagine that there was a lot of it to do. I could also see The Revenant walking away with this one, too.
I can’t wait to see how these predictions actually play out tonight. Hopefully there will be some surprises because I mean is it really any fun without?
Well, what can I even begin to say about Mad Max? – Tbh, not much.
This film was universally acknowledged to be a bit of an Academy outlier by the Queens. The nomination of an action film is unusual, and we approached this viewing with high expectations.
Mad Max starts with a promising exposition: the world is set in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, water is an elitist luxury, and people are barely maintaining their humanity. Except Max, of course, played by Tom Hardy. We learn barely anything about Max from a voice over at the beginning, detailing his past as a cop and a road warrior (all aspects explained by the first film) and the fact that he is now in captivity as a blood donor for this dsytopia’s tyrannical ruler.
After a bit of hustle and bustle, which I still don’t fully understand, Max finds himself aiding Furiosa (Charlize Theron) in a high speed chase from the warlord in what seems to be the two hour climax of the entire film. Furiosa, desperately searching for her childhood home, travels with five of the former brides of the aforementioned warlord. As a side note, this plot line has been met with both acclaim and disgust for its feminist implications.
As Max and Furiosa sort of find a bond and sort of come to accept their realities, the audience ultimately feels unsatisfied by the roll of credits. Max is still mad, from what I can tell, water is still one step from nonexistent and though Furiosa and her gang of bad ass brides now lead the post-apocalyptic nightmare, the conclusion seems far from ideal. I’m all for a sad ending, but after sitting through 120 minutes of dessert scenery and bad music, I would have liked to have felt that the plot moved somewhat.
To give credit where its due, I have to say, the plethora of nominations received by this film were more than well-deserved. The makeup was amazing, turning each character into their own reflection of horror, the visual effects seemed unreal in the most believable way, and the cinematography blows some of the other films out of the water. Many loved Mad Max, and this is just one Queens opinion, but this film deserves the Oscar for Best Picture about as much as the first one did.
That is my 100% honest and complete reaction to this film. This director, the cast, the writers, every component of this film satisfied the extremely tall order of delivering the true story of the sex abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese.
Reminiscent of All the President’s Men, Spotlight follows the year-long investigation into the Catholic Church and the protection of almost a hundred priests. The film offers an objective view of the investigators, the victims, and even of those who tried for so long to protect the Church. The report by the Boston Globe opened up further investigations across the world and started a tidal wave of suspicion within and against established religion.
Heavy stuff, right? But, Spotlight doesn’t play out like a documentary. On the contrary, I found myself gripping the edge of my seat, desperate for the next twist of the story. The flawless acting of Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, and Mark Ruffalo often made me forget that I was actually sitting in my small apartment watching on a forty-inch screen, not in the room exposing scandals with the rest of the team.
This was a universally loved film by the Queens and the nomination was well-deserved. Queen B would not be the least bit shocked or disappointed if Spotlight takes home the Oscar for Best Picture.
You can’t have an awards show without fashion, and you really can’t have an awards show without critiquing the fashion. Some people show up dressed to the 9’s, while other people look so awful I wonder how they made it through the door? (I mean, I think we all know who I’m talking about here, cough cough Jennifer Lawrence and the curtain dress). How did this dress come from the minds of Dior?
Luckily J-Law does not have many of these blunders so I can forgive her and I choose to remember some of her better fashion moments, such as her outfit at this year’s Golden Globe Awards:
I really loved this Dior gown because I thought it defined her shape really well. She looked slender and tall, the color looked really nice against her skin, and the cutouts were definitely done right on this gown. I also appreciate that this outfit wasn’t over styled. She had a major statement piece necklace (which I thought was amazing) and her makeup was simple (she definitely doesn’t need a lot of makeup). The look came together really nicely and she shined on the red carpet, which is why I’m able to forgive her from her oversight the year before.
So let’s continue breaking down the BEST dressed of the Golden Globes 2016:
Larson looks absolutely fabulous in this shimmery gown. It fits her very well and the cutouts are also not too much (or awkwardly placed). I like the minimalist styling with just a touch of jewelry and her hair very simply pulled back.
I have two favorite looks from the Golden Globes and this is without a doubt one of them. The color, the jewels, the hair, need I go on? This dress is exquisite and it looks like it was made just for Bosworth. This gown hugs her in all the right places and is just the perfectly classy look for an award show like the Golden Globes. She may not have won a golden status, but she definitely takes home top prize in the fashion category.
Lady Gaga has got that old Hollywood glamour down pat with this look. From the dress to the hair she could not have looked more stunning than she did in this gown. She even knows how to pose old Hollywood. Love it.
Now normally I would call a look like this nothing more than exactly what I saw 50 other girls wearing at my high school prom. However, the cape in the back makes such a statement that I absolutely love it. The whole look ties together and gives Ronan an almost angelic look. I also love that the stylist gave her no necklace and really let the deep V neckline be the star.
I normally wouldn’t like the red on red but I think it works here (or maybe I’m blinded by my love for her? Either way, I like it.) This dress compliments Adams body extremely well and fits her like a glove. I love the high neckline and the slender fit. It doesn’t hurt that she clearly knows how to pose with this gown.
I said I had two favorite dresses and this is definitely my second favorite. Not only is Jenna Dewan Tatum absolutely drop dead gorgeous, but she is for sure a fashionista. She knows how to wear clothes that make her look good. I love the color of this gown and all of the detail that went into the shimmery aspects. I also think how the designer left the shoulder straps thick was a really great idea and it definitely completes the look. Keeping her hair pulled back and up was a great decision because I definitely wouldn’t want anything distracting me from this dress.
You can never go wrong with a simple black dress and subdued jewelry and Sophia Bush reminded us all of that with this look. Also, it should be noted that Sophia Bush is one of Queen M’s queens.
Talking fashion wouldn’t be fun unless we also included the train wrecks (okay not all of these are train wrecks per say, but they aren’t great). Let’s take a moment and talk about the WORST dressed at the 2016 Golden Globes:
Oh Cate. Cate, Cate, Cate. I really want to love everything you wear because I usually find your fashion so effortless and your looks usually come together so well. While I liked the color of this Givenchy gown, I found that every time I saw this dress I couldn’t help think of really outdated furniture that I might find in my grandmother’s house (sorry Grandma). The fringe (but really let’s just call them tassels because I mean come on, did you see them?) just dated this look and it wasn’t your best work. I hope that you really up your game at the Oscars because I would love to see your great fashion come back! Please know that I still love you.
I really want to like this look but I just can’t. I feel like McCarthy is hiding her fabulous shape by draping loads of fabric over herself, making it look as if she threw a curtain on instead. I love the color of this dress, but seriously what is this material? I really hope she can shine a little more at the Oscars (I’ll definitely be looking out to see what she wears). I will say I loved her shoes so hopefully she can get the dress to match the chicness of the shoes!
While I think Vikander looks stunning (excellent make up and hair) I really just can’t get on board with this dress. The ruffles and weird stripe pattern on this dress make it look way too casual. It almost looks like an apron and the red carpet is no place for that. I also think the dress would have been much better without the cutouts on the side.
I’m sorry but this dress straight up looks like it has been through a shredder. The gown looks extremely messy and thrown together and does not give her the definition she needs. Also, the pale color of this gown nearly blends in with her skin and looks awful. Tip: Never choose a gown the same color as your skin because then you obviously look naked (not good).
(looked like it had been thoruhg a shredder and the color did not go with her already pale skin)
There is nothing particularly wrong with this dress, but that’s the problem. There is absolutely nothing special about this dress. It looks like something you wear to the prom, not to a classy awards show. Also, I am not particularly keen with the cutout in the middle of the dress and the off the shoulder thing happening.
This is just another boring gown with nothing special about it. It tries to special with the cape and the cutout and maybe it could be, but I am too distracted by her terribly styled hair and makeup. I wish they had done something else with her hair (anything really). Maybe they could have braided it up or pulled it back somehow. Really, anything but these messy waves and middle part would have been better.
Help! I can’t decide whether to love or hate these looks! You be the judge:
Now I’m sure many of you will disagree with my fashion opinions, so please feel free to share. Can’t wait for the Oscars fashions. Hopefully the stars will pull out all the stops.
To be honest, I thought this movie was a James Bond film. I don’t know why I thought that. Sometimes I make up things and then think someone told me it when in reality it was all in my head. But this movie is definitely NOT a 007-esque film.
Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Tom Hanks as a lawyer fighting for the freedom of two US citizens during the Cold War. In exchange for the life of the Soviet spy the US has captured (played by Mark Rylance), Hanks barters for the Americans. The only problem is that this is a completely off the books, unofficial trade between three hostile parties.
Considering I thought this movie was going to be a lame knockoff of the Bond series, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a historical film that stimulated my brain rather than dulling it with impossible stunt scenes. Hanks did a wonderful job of portraying the moral struggle an American goes through when asked to defend a man who committed an act against the US. On the other hand, Mark Rylance played his role as a loyal Soviet to a T while making the viewer sympathize with him. Even me, the Queen who thinks Chris Kyle from American Sniper is a hero and all the haters who say he was a murderer can fall in a hole, felt a tug of emotion when Hanks leaves him on the bridge.
On a less serious note, I would like to point out the good looking men cast in this film. Like what did they do, only hire models? Seriously, it’s distracting and wonderful and downright ridiculous how attractive they are. I will let you judge for yourself, but you’ll have to admit at least empirically that these men are on higher than normal level in the looks department. Here’s a taste of what you have to look forward to:
Austin Stowell
Billy Magnussen
Sadly, there aren’t a lot of women in this movie, but this gorgeous gal makes a small appearance for our readers who appreciate the fairer sex:
Eve Hewson
And now that I’ve been a sufficiently superficial person and judged all these actors based on their looks, let me remind you that this movie is good not because of these people’s attractiveness but because of Tom Hanks’ and Mark Rylance’s performances and the excellent portrayal of a touchy subject matter. That doesn’t mean we can’t all enjoy a pretty face, though!
The Danish Girl revolves mainly around two characters, Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander). The two begin the movie as husband and wife in what seems to be the most picture perfect 1920s European relationship. They are both artists and really help support each other through their art. Einar has to go to another art show that he really doesn’t want to attend, but Gerda makes a suggestion so that it will hopefully be more fun: for him to go as a completely new character, a woman named Lili. Einar is delighted to try out this idea and ends up really getting into the character. Many of the men at the show are attracted to him and he even ends up locking lips with one of his admirers. Gerda sees this and they leave at once. This is just the beginning of Einar’s full transition into becoming Lili.
Once Einar feels that he can no longer be Einar, he makes the full transition into being Lili. While they are no longer in a physical relationship together, Lili and Gerda are still great friends and even still live together. They are very supportive of each other and their art. Gerda starts to paint pictures of Lili and these paintings are actually what propel her to fame. She opens a show in Paris and asks Lili to accompany her. Now, of course, even though Gerda was super cool with her husband no longer being her husband, the rest of 1920s Europe wasn’t so cool with the transition. Every time they went to see a doctor they wanted to have Einar/Lili arrested. All of this changes once they meet an experimental doctor, who is willing to do the first ever male to female transition. Lili is more than excited even though this is highly risky, with those risks including death. She doesn’t care because she is so desperate to leave her male body. Gerda goes with Lili to receive the first operation and much to everyone’s surprise it is successful. Lili is so excited and wants the second operation to come as quickly as possible, even though Gerda believes there hasn’t been enough time. The pair then go back for the second risky operation and shockingly (it wasn’t shocking) Lili is not able to make it through the operation and dies out while laying in the sun a few days after the operation. Even though Lili dies at the end of the movie, it felt almost difficult to feel sad for the character because it was so predictable and I was upset with Lili for doing the second operation too quickly. I also felt disinterested through most of the movie, which made it hard to develop a relationship with any of the characters in the movie. The relationship between Gerda and Lili felt unrealistic for the time period or in any time period considering that her husband cheated on her. I think most people, in any time period, would be pretty upset if that happened to them. I still love Eddie Redmayne, but I don’t think he deserved the Oscar for this one. Sorry Eddie.
Now, while this wasn’t my favorite movie, I did still love a few aspects. Hans (MAJOR SHOUTOUT TO HANS), played by Matthias Schoenaerts, was a fabulous addition to the cast and much needed in my opinion. The entire time, the Queens were rooting for him and Gerda to get together. It is kind of implied that they do in the end. He was her rock during such a difficult and confusing time in her life when most people likely would’ve turned their shoulder the other way. Also, he was pretty nice to look at.
I also thought the costumes were just beautiful. Paco Delgado did an excellent job in keeping with the time period and the lifestyle that these characters lived. He picked clothes that fit each part perfectly and also made the actors look good.
So, I clearly didn’t love this movie, but maybe you did. Leave a comment and let me know what you think! (Or leave a comment and talk about how great and beautiful you think Eddie is, too.)
Have you ever noticed that comedies aren’t ever nominated for an Oscar? Or if they are it’s a very rare occurrence (think Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids). I mean sure, a movie can have funny parts, even Room, a horribly depressing movie, had its lighter moments. This begs the question: How much better does a comedy or an actor/actress in a comedy have to be to get the Academy to notice it? Could it be that the Academy thinks that comedies do not produce the same caliber of acting as dramas do? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) has a category for comedies (although their definition for comedies is a little loose-think The Martian), but why not the Oscars? My theory is that the Oscars don’t believe that a comedy can live up to what a drama does for an audience. Comedies make you feel laughter, while dramas tend to make the audience feel deep and raw emotions. Now, while that may be true, my question remains: does that mean the acting is any worse? Okay, yes, sure, in some cases this is definitely true, and I could probably name off a few of them (A Madea Christmas, Legally Blondes, Bride Wars–sorry Anne Hathaway). On the other hand there have been some extremely talented performances in comedy. For this I bring you to Reese Witherspoon‘s girl power performance in Legally Blonde. Witherspoon, an Academy award winning actress, showcased her talent in this movie just as she did in Walk the Line as June Carter. I would argue that her performance in these movies were equal in skill. Obviously she was portraying completely different characters, but that shouldn’t matter, I mean it is acting after all. If anything, an actor or actress’ ability to play two totally different characters both so well just showcases their talent even more and reveals their versatile skills. Comedy actresses and actors should start getting the recognition they deserve, at least in this Queen’s opinion.
So, here is my final plea to The Academy, please start taking comedies seriously. Comedies are great and the actors, producers, directors, and all other people that have such important roles in making movies happen deserve to be recognized just as any other people in those roles.
Please comment and let me know if this has ever crossed your mind because I have thought about it a lot over the past few Oscar seasons. I would be curious to hear other opinions.
The Big Short was…well…not my favorite, or any of the other Queens. As three people who recently studied business in college, the Financial Crisis of 2008 isn’t exactly news. In fact, we heard about it in almost every single business class we took, which was a lot…so we actually found it kind of boring. We did think that this movie was a good way for people who really don’t know much about the Crisis (sadly most of America) to learn about it through some familiar faces such as Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell. However, having Margot Robbie (in a bathtub) and Selena Gomez (at a bar or club) explain financial terms to people…well I’m not sure how I feel about that. But, I guess if it helps people learn about something so important then maybe I can get on board.
The Queens felt that this was a more Hollywood (and thus, less informative) version of Inside Job. It did a good job of explaining most of the concepts, but many of them were only touched upon one time so we felt that it would be confusing for people to understand if this was the first time they were hearing of some terms, such as mortgage backed securities (not exactly lingo that gets thrown around at the bars). This was an overall entertaining movie, and it was interesting to see how a few individuals were able to short the market (at the expense of basically everyone else in America) but I don’t think it should win the Oscar. There are simply more deserving films.
Christian Bale did do an excellent job portraying Michael Burry, with his quirky mechanisms and overall odd characteristics. I could see him walking away with the Oscar. He is definitely a very talented performer and has been able to take on so many different characteristics throughout the years.
Was anyone else a little bored with this one? Let us know!
I’ve always been neutral about Leonardo DiCaprio, not really caring whether he got an Oscar or not (unlike Queen B who loves him). He did an exceptional job in The Revenant, though I’m not sure if that’s because of the role or because he is a good actor…
The Revenant , directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, tells the story of Hugh Glass, (Leonardo DiCaprio) a frontiersman left to die after being mauled by a bear. His journey back to civilization is wrought with danger after danger including wreaking revenge on the man who murdered his son and left him for dead.
During this entire movie, I sat with my shoulders tensed and my hands half covering my eyes. I kept expecting something horrible to happen because horrible things KEPT HAPPENING. But it was wonderful. Intense, awful, nerve-wracking, wonderful. It felt so real…you were right there with Hugh, shivering in the cold and eating a hunk of raw meat (which was disgusting and made me gag). And when he slept inside the hide of his dead horse, NAKED, I couldn’t believe how invested I was in his survival. So much so that I couldn’t judge him for doing something so repulsive.
I’m no professional film critic, but I can recognize great cinematography when I see it. The Revenant fits that criteria. The scene that really hit me hard was the one from John Fitzgerald’s (Tom Hardy) sniper’s point of view into a valley where Hugh’s superior’s corpse is held upright atop a horse. Fitzgerald shoots the body, thinking it’s Hugh’s, which gives Hugh a chance for a surprise attack. The placement of the camera makes the scene more profound.
The Queens highly recommend The Revenant, though it’s not for the faint of heart. I recommend watching this at your own home so you don’t have to show everyone how much the sight of bloody animal intestines disgusts you.
The movie Room stars two fantastic actors,Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. They both portray the unimaginable: being held captive in a single room with no access to the outside world, but a small TV. Brie Larson’s character, “Ma,” was kidnapped by Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) at the age of 17. Her parents searched for her, but were never able to find her due to the disgustingly savvy ways of her kidnapper. 2 years after her kidnapping, she gave birth to her son, Jack, played by Tremblay. Even though she knew they were in a terrible situation together, she did not want the innocence of her son to be tainted and wanted to give him the best childhood she could under these circumstances. The entire first half of the movie takes places in Room and the audience is given a look into their lives in this confined space. As awful as their situation is, the two still manage to have fun together. They bake, play games, do crafts and other activities that any other child would do. Once Ma has finally reached her breaking point after she is abused again by Old Nick, she figures out an escape plan. They both pretend that Jack has died and Ma rolls him up in a rug so Old Nick will take out the dead body. While in the back of Old Nick’s pickup truck, Jack jumps out onto the sidewalk. Old Nick tries to catch him, but becomes too afraid once a bystander questions the situation. Jack is obviously startled, but is able to give the police just enough information to lead them back to Room so Ma can be saved too.
Now, as if the first half of the movie wasn’t riddled with emotions, the second half will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Ma has been in this Room for 7 years and her only access to the outside world was through the TV. Jack, on the other hand, has never experienced the outside world for himself. He is struggling understanding that he is in the “real world” and that the world is a massive place. We see them and the rest of their family adjust to having them back. The relationships are not easy as there is a lot of resentment between Ma and her own mother, and Ma’s father and Old Nick. Ma’s father is unable to even look at Jack, knowing that he is a product of his daughter’s kidnapping. The second half of the movie really shows the struggles the mother and son have of adjusting to life in the “real world.” After enduring one of the most depressing movies of the Oscar season, the end finally delivers a heartwarming moment. Jack has made some friends, after having no contact with any other children his entire life, and Ma looks out on him and his friends enjoying their childhood together. The audience finally gets the feeling that she is starting to heal and take control of her own life again.
Nomination Breakdown
Brie Larson 100% deserves to win the Oscar this year. The way she portrayed such a horrific event really showcased her talent as an actress. I can’t wait to see what other movies she will be cast in in the future. (Also, momentary shoutout to her role in Sleepover as Liz, the best friend to the mean girl.) While The Academy did an excellent job in nominating Larson for the golden statue, they unfortunately made a massive blunder in their oversight of nominating Jacob Tremblay. I’m not really sure why they didn’t nominate him, maybe because they thought he was just a child and it’s “easy” for children to act because they just act like themselves, but I strongly disagree with this oversight. Here are the reasons he should have been nominated:
I would argue he was the main character. He was in every single scene, while there were scenes where Larson’s character was not involved.
The raw emotion that he was able to deliver is definitely not something that he could have just pulled from his own childhood…unless of course he happened to be stuck in a room for the first five years of his life with no access to the outside world…which we know is not true.
He held his character for the entire movie. His acting never swayed and he did an excellent job the entire time.
He really let the audience into the feelings and emotions of the innocence of a child in his situation.
He is the most adorable child on the planet, HOW COULD THEY SNUB HIM?
Full Disclosure: The Queens are a bit divided on our reception of Brooklyn. In the interest of Oscar-induced Harmony, let’s take an objective look at this 1950s immigrant-tale starring the ever-so-perfect Saoirse Ronan (nominated for Best Actress in this role).
Brooklyn opens up on a young woman, Eilis Lacey, working in rural Ireland, living a boring life without opportunity. The movie picks up once she decides to immigrate to the United States, with a comedically accurate portrayal of life on an Ellis Island bound ship (I had to cover my eyes during a few choice bathroom scenes).
Once in America, she meets a gorgeous Italian-American and begins her life as a young, hip, American (all in FLAWLESS period costumes) until she must return to Ireland for the summer. Once there, she meets (an admittedly less gorgeous) Irish man, and the film takes off.
What loved about Brooklyn was the subtlety of it. On the surface, the film involves a less than original love triangle and some historical humour. But, at its heart, Brooklyn is the story about leaving behind your old self and choosing adventure over familiarity.
Final Evaluation: Queen B loved Brooklyn, Queens M and K, not so much. The love story was a bit distracting to its overall message, but the writing was phenomenal (who doesn’t love Nick Hornby?) and the acting was top-shelf.
Oscar Recommendations: Nick Hornby is definitely a strong contender for Best Adapted Screenplay and Saoirse Ronan’s portrayal of Eilis Lacey made me cry more than once.
Definitely worth a watch, but maybe not worthy of the Oscar!
Now I’m not a fan of space movies. Ask anyone, and you’ll learn that I didn’t like Interstellar, or Gravity, and I usually won’t even see a movie if I know it’s about space. There’s just something about it that makes me cringe. That and the idea of floating away into nothing freaks me out. Who wouldn’t be scared of that?
BUT. The Martian completely surprised me and changed my view of space movies. It was funny, thought provoking, and intense. Add in Matt Damon and you’ve got a helluva movie.
The Martian is a science fiction film based on the novel The Martian by Andy Weir. It is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a presumed-dead astronaut left on Mars after his crew escapes a deadly sand storm. The movie depicts Mark’s struggles to survive and NASA’s attempts to rescue him. Other notable actors/actresses are: Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, and Sean Bean.
I think this was one of Matt Damon’s best performances. He managed to make me sympathize with him, love him, and laugh with him. I was rooting for him the whole movie, from his attempts to grow potatoes using his own shit to when he’s blasting off with only a tarp covering his ship. His communications with Earth (when he finally hacks into the space rover) are hilarious, and I still want to know what he said that NASA’s director had to apologize to the President for!
All in all, I and the rest of the Red Carpet Queens HIGHLY recommend The Martian. And the best way to watch it is with a beer and a good friend, like I did. It’ll make you laugh, bring you close to tears (like when Mark asks his crew to tell his parents thanks for being great parents), and you’ll be left feeling proud of Matt Damon and NASA.
Will this be my choice for the Oscar? I’m not sure. But it’s definitely in the running!
Austin Stowell
Billy Magnussen
Eve Hewson
Red Carpet Queens 