Poring over the movie listings this week, I couldnât find anything worth seeing that I havenât already written about. Accordingly, I am offering you a look back at some great films you may have missed the first time around, perfect for Netflix or On Demand viewing.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012, Rated R)
Jessica Chastain plays a CIA operative sent to Pakistan shortly after 9/11, to join in the hunt for Bin Laden. The movie is devoted to that search which took eight years. Her bulldog determination, tenacity, intestinal fortitude and hard work, provides the spark that eventually leads to the discovery of Bin Ladenâs âsafeâ house, and you know the rest. The story is based on true events, and the moment the Navy Seals take off for Bin Ladenâs hideout, a factual âreplayâ of the raid kicks in. Knowing the outcome does not diminish the adrenalin flow or tensionassociated with this mission; it is an amazing scene, remarkably filmed and will keep you glued to your seat.
This film garnered 156 nominations from various organizations around the world and won 84 of them. Included were an Oscar for Sound Editing, and Oscar nominations for Best Movie, Best Actress, Best Writing and Film Editing.
War Horse (2013, Rated PG-13)
This is another great movie from Steven Spielberg. The story begins as the horse, Joey, enters the world and we follow his travels and travails for a period of years. When World War I breaks out in 1914, over one million horses in England alone are conscripted for the war effort. While mechanized warfare has emerged, horses are still used to pull everything from weapons to ambulance wagons, and there is still a âLight Calvaryâ in the English Army. Joey ends up as one of those horses, thus begins the adventure of a lifetime. Joeyâs fortunes, during the war, turn one way and another as battle after battle is fought. He is one of the great survivors of modern literature, courageous to a fault, to say nothing of the many soldiers we follow.
War Horse received 73 nominations and won 16 awards. Included were six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Cinematography, Original Music Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Art Direction.
The Blind Side (2009, Rated PG-13)
This is the story of a well to do white family who âintegratesâ a rather large, mentally slow, and uncommunicative black teenager into their family. The details of how that happened arenât important;the fact that it took place in the Deep South a few years back and is a true story does matter. Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for her outstanding performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real life heroine who changed the young manâs life. Michael Oher enters the Tuohy household as a lost soul; a ward of the State of Tennessee found wandering around with no place to sleep. The âone night standâ evolves into a permanent relationship and the story is about his integration into the family and into life as we know it. Sandra Bullock becomes âMommaâ to Michael and her determination and ultimately her love leads him down the path. That he ultimately emerges as a decent student and an in-dominatable force on the football field is no surprise.
The Blind Side earned 28 nominations from various sources and won the Oscar for Best Actress and was nominated for Best Movie.
