Being moderately short of inspiration (and sick) at the moment, I thought I would give you a quick update of my progress in attempting to watch all the major Oscar-nominated films before the awards. In the week or so since the last post on this subject, I have worked through Hotel Rwanda, Maria Full of Grace and Sideways – three *very different films.

Hotel Rwanda was very moving – but how could it not be, with such powerful and real-life subject matter. Nonetheless, it did a good job of telling the story, and I think the best actor nomination for Don Cheadle is certainly well deserved. Maria Full of Grace isn’t one that I was expecting much from. A slightly obscure Colombian film, and something of a surprise in the nominations, it has received a nomination for best actress for Catalina Sandino Moreno. It is a story of a girl trying to escape poverty and look for something more extraordinary. Catalina Sandino Moreno does an excellent job – I don’t know how old she is, but convincingly plays 17 in the film, and gives a phenomenal performance. If you get a chance, go and see it. Drugs in Colombia may not seem like an inspiring subject, but I promise you, it is an uplifting and often very funny film.
Sideways, as expected, was excellent. Yes, it is the only comedy nominated for best film, and it is very funny, but it is also more than that; it’s a sensitive comedy, with real depth to the characters rather than just a series of farcical situations and pratfalls. A genuinely enjoyable movie on every dimension, and I wish it would win best film, although, as it is a comedy, it inevitably won’t.

Should be able to get in Ray and the Aviator this week, and maybe catch up on some of the others when I get to the UK in the week before Oscars.

The Aviator
Before Sunset
Being Julia
Closer
Collateral
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
The Incredibles
Kinsey
Maria Full of Grace
Million Dollar Baby
The Motorcycle Diaries
Ray
Sideways
Vera Drake