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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Selma


SELMA (2014)
directed by Ava DuVernay
[director filmography: only big film to date]

written by Paul Webb
[writing debut]

starring David Oyelowo [Interstellar (2014), Jack Reacher (2012), Last King of Scotland (2006)], Carmen Ejogo [The Purge: Anarchy (2014), Away We Go (2009)], Oprah Winfrey [Lee Daniel's The Butler (2013), The Color Purple (1985)], Tom Wilkinson [Michael Clayton (2007), Batman Begins (2005), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)]

ENJOYMENT: ***1/2 (out of 5)
"Decent but not the movie it should've been"

I saw this movie later than I would've liked to. I saw it after it racked up a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, after it was nominated for a bunch of Golden Globes, after it got snubbed for many predicted Academy Award nominations and after the filmmakers and the black community called foul because it was overlooked. I was intrigued, of course, and was surprised when I ended up not liking this movie very much. I mean, it was okay, but the film about MLK's life and the march on Selma should've been one of the greatest movies ever. To me, however, this movie was a big disappointment. Sure, there were points that David Oyelowo's MLK was convincing, that Tom Wilkinson's LBJ made my jaw drop, when the artistic talent of DuVernay shined through and when the depiction of this time in the nation's history made me embarrassed beyond belief. However, this was not anywhere near the perfect film it should've been. It felt like the work from a novice filmmaker. Many of the points that should've packed the most punch felt cheap. Oyelowo's MLK was a good imitation but I never really believed that he was MLK except for in a couple of well-rehearsed monologues. I could go on and on talking about what wasn't quite right with this movie, but I'll spare the details. All in all, I'm not surprised or outraged that this movie was overlooked by the Academy. The Academy is not racist. I'm not sure why it was so highly rated on RT to begin with, and it is understandable that I'd be an outlier from time to time, but I think this movie was lucky to even get a Best Picture nomination.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS: Selma nominated for Best Picture. Because it was overlooked for Best Actor, Director and Screenplay, I think the chances of it winning Best Picture are slim.

Other ratings: IMDB (7.7/10), Rotten Tomatoes (98%)

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