I caught two more Oscar hopefuls recently,
Danny Boyle's highly acclaimed
Slumdog Millionaire and
John Patrick Shanley's highly acclaimed stage play turned Oscar bait
Doubt.
I went in to Slumdog with high expectations, after hearing the buzz from Sundance and seeing it listed on many critic's top 10. It's basically a modern day fairy tale of young love set apart by the slums of Mumbai (how timely), "How to become a Millionaire" , Bollywood and a touch of torture porn (how else could you explain the first 10 minutes??) I definitely appreciated Boyle's direction and the scenery (many beautifully framed shots), but I didn't leave with the "OMG" sense of watching a great film. Perhaps it was the unoriginal storyline and rather uncharismatic (adult) actors? The kids are entirely winning and cuter than heck. It's still a likely Best Picture nominee, combining the indie roots and feel good ending of past nominee, Little Miss Sunshine.
Doubt has Oscar written all over it, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and a Tony award winning script from writer/director JP Shanley. I wasn't familiar with the play and read plenty of criticism that said it didn't translate well to screen. Well, I disagree. It flowed well, and I guess I wasn't hindered by impressions from the stage production. Plus, watching Meryl and PSH chew their considerable dialogue is more than worth the price of admission. Amy Adams proves once again why she is leaping ahead of the pack of young actresses, one of the few that can do both comedy and drama (hello Anne Hathaway!) Viola Davis gives a shattering performance in one big scene that may be enough to get a nomination.
