The Impossible (2012)
Nom: Best Actress (Naomi Watts)
Why I watched it:
1) Didn't have a DVD of my own when I went to donate blood, but the blood clinic had it from Netflix
2) I was more in the mood for a disaster movie than the other options I was looking at
Not an easy movie to watch. Not because it's made poorly, but because it portrays the horrific aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia so vividly. The absolute devastation wrought by the tsunami and the ensuing efforts to recover are at the heart of the movie. The tsunami happens suddenly and quickly, without much screentime being devoted to it, which makes sense because, as I understand it, that is precisely why tsunamis are so destructive. The effects were really impressive, made even more so because they were largely created without using computers.
More than the disaster, the movie really does tell a compelling story of a family working through impossible odds to reunite. Amazing, but true.
Naomi Watts is a fabulous actress and I've loved her work in a great number of movies, 21 Grams comes immediately to mind. That said, I don't get why she got a lead actress nom for this movie. For starters, she didn't really have that much screentime, and a lot of what was there consisted of her in a sick bed. Acting sick, while a definite feat of acting, has never done anything for me. So much of what sells the illness is makeup and production design, not the craft of the actor. Her performance was great as a part of the film, but in terms of Oscar-worthiness, it did nothing for me. I have similar feelings about Emmanuelle Riva in Amour - don't hate me.
"da fuh?" - Naomi Watts coughing up what looked like a plant was incredibly gross. It's one thing to watch something shocking like that in the comfort of one's own home, but it is a whole new experience to watch that while not being able to move. I had to just restrain my visceral response and watch, though after it was over, I did that I had sunk into myself as much as possible. I also caught a glimpse of my reflection in the television and my expression of horror.
Did I cry?: Yep. SPOILERS - when Ewan McGregor is reunited with his boys, the tears began to fall.
(got a tad behind in my updates - working on getting caught up)
More than the disaster, the movie really does tell a compelling story of a family working through impossible odds to reunite. Amazing, but true.
Naomi Watts is a fabulous actress and I've loved her work in a great number of movies, 21 Grams comes immediately to mind. That said, I don't get why she got a lead actress nom for this movie. For starters, she didn't really have that much screentime, and a lot of what was there consisted of her in a sick bed. Acting sick, while a definite feat of acting, has never done anything for me. So much of what sells the illness is makeup and production design, not the craft of the actor. Her performance was great as a part of the film, but in terms of Oscar-worthiness, it did nothing for me. I have similar feelings about Emmanuelle Riva in Amour - don't hate me.
"da fuh?" - Naomi Watts coughing up what looked like a plant was incredibly gross. It's one thing to watch something shocking like that in the comfort of one's own home, but it is a whole new experience to watch that while not being able to move. I had to just restrain my visceral response and watch, though after it was over, I did that I had sunk into myself as much as possible. I also caught a glimpse of my reflection in the television and my expression of horror.
Did I cry?: Yep. SPOILERS - when Ewan McGregor is reunited with his boys, the tears began to fall.
(got a tad behind in my updates - working on getting caught up)
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