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THE BUZZ | MOVIE
Oscar-worthy or Not?
Let’s accept it, the Academy Awards maybe the most coveted title when it comes to movies but its verdicts in the recent years has shocked us (Slumdog Millionaire, anyone?). WAVE gives an honest assessment of the movies nominated for this year’s Oscars.
Avatar The most hyped thing since viagra, and rightfully so, Avatar keeps storytelling and script in the backseat for its sheer visual brilliance. A few dialogues and sequences make you cringe but Avatar does delivers as an overall experience. How it ended up in the Best Picture category is a mystery as deep as the Na-vi's. A Serious Man The Coen brothers work up their finest film to date with A Serious Man, a subtle comedy about a man caught up between moral and spiritual dilemma. Black humour galore, this original work from the Coen Brothers is as unconventional as their previous movies. The Hurt Locker The most real dramatisation of the Iraq War, The Hurt Locker uses ingenious storytelling and suspense to grip the viewers. Without making any political statement, The Hurt Locker scores for its subtlety and sensitive treatment of the subject matter. Inglourious Basterds Tarantino cooks up a deliciously zany dramatisation about the World War II in Inglourious Basterds, a movie which is his finest to date. Throw in a few hundred odd characters, throw in equally bizzare subplots, a crazy gorfest and an instant classic. This is what the movies were made for! District 9 A sci-fi movie has seldom been nominated for Oscar's big title, but District 9 deserves every bit of recognition it got. A daring project to say at least, District 9 is about an extraterrestrial race seeking refuge in the already chaotic South Africa. Without making CGI and special effects the headline, the movie delivers an engaging and realistic viewing. An Education Set in London, in the 1960's, An Education is a coming-of-age tale of a young girl and how her life changes after the arrival of a manipulative man. A simple story, told on more simpler terms, this movie won't win many Nepali audience, but is worth a watch for the subtlety and honesty in storytelling. Precious A powerhouse of a movie, Precious is depressing, distressing, painful and powerful all packed into one. A story about an obese teenage girl in 1987 Harlem, who struggles with a savage, volatile mother, a sexually abusive father who gives her two unwanted pregnancies, the movie is about how she uplifts her situation by learning to read and write. The Blind Side Based on the true-life story of Leigh Anne Toughy, a well-off white American woman, who adopts a black teen off the streets and nurtures into a star athlete, its impossible not to be charmed by this inspirational story of love, acceptance, growth and humanity. In many ways, the movie can be viewed as a positive parallel to Precious. Up Pixar has been giving life to animated characters for years now and Up, its latest offering, is nothing short of a silent poetry for most of its parts. After Ratatouille, this movie deserves an Oscar for its sheer honesty and immersive quality. Up in the Air After directing the razor-mouthed Ellen Page in 2008's Oscar-nominated Juno, Jason Reitman directs Up in the Air, a comedy about, as the tagline says, 'a man ready to make a connection.' With strong likable characters, a solid script and believable performances from George Clooney and Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air is one of the best movies of 2009.
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