by MacKenzie Sackett |

The Help:

I saw The Help back in August when it first came out into theatres. My mom dragged me along to see it when I really did not want to. The movie was surprisingly not a total bore as I thought it was going to be. It was very entertaining and heart-warming but to me was not a memorable movie. I have absolutely no interest in seeing it again. I was really surprised when I found out that it was nominated for Best Picture because to me, I just did not think it was such an outstanding movie like others have been thinking. I really hope it does not win Best Picture.

The Descendants:

Words cannot describe how much I loved this movie. The film had me laughing at one point and crying the next. It was a movie that I feel like anyone can relate to because the issues dealt with in the film are emotions that everyone faces at some point in their life. George Clooney does an absolutely outstanding job playing a husband and father, especially considering he is not married and has no children. Shailene Woodley who plays Alex, George Clooney’s daughter in the film, holds her own next to George Clooney and gave such an unforgettable performance of a hurt and confused teenager dealing with losing her mother and growing up. Hands down, best movie of 2011.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close:

I was beyond excited to see Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and had just been dying to see it for months. I was really surprised by this movie, but unfortunately, not a good surprised. The movie was out of place and there were certain parts about Thomas’s death that you only find out throughout the movie. I personally thought the little boy in the movie was annoying and was not at all impressed by this movie like I thought I would be. I was also disappointed that Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock were barely in the movie at all! Maybe it was my fault for having too high of expectations for the movie, but I have no desire to ever see it again.

Moneyball:

I was so skeptical about seeing Moneyball because I am not a Brad Pitt fan. However, I tried going into the movie being unbiased. The movie was quite entertaining, but being a girl who knew almost nothing about sports, it was confusing as well. Like with The Help, I was also surprised by this film being up for Best Picture. To me there were so many more filmsthat to me should be up for Best Picture instead.

War Horse:

I do not even want to talk about War Horse. This was the movie out of all the Best Picture nominees that I was absolutely dreading to see. I have never been a big fan of war movies. It is just not my cup of tea. It was just so long and every single scene just dragged on and on. People, who have a true interest and love for war movies, will probably really enjoy War Horse. But for me, it was the worst movie out of all of the nominees.

Midnight In Paris:

I had been wanting so see Midnight in Paris for such a long time since Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses, but the movie was a limited release movie and never came to any of the theatres I go to. The movie was interesting but I would have liked it better if another actor played Gil. Owen Wilson just needs to stick to comedies. I cannot take him seriously. It is not a movie really worth seeing again.

The Artist:

I had heard about all of the buzz about The Artist since it has been winning a lot of other awards recently. I was quite excited to see it because I have actually never seen a silent film before. I went in thinking it was really cool that it is 2012 and they are releasing a silent film. The movie was really funny and entertaining especially since I had never seen a silent film before. I would recommend it to anyone who has never seen a silent film. It is worth seeing.

Hugo:

I remember seeing posters for it at my work, but had no idea what the plot was about. The movie really surprised me. The opening was a little slow at first and I thought to myself, “This movie will be the death of me.” But it picked up and had such a cool and different story line. I would recommend this movie for anyone looking for a fun, heartwarming movie. Even though it is not my first pick, I will still be happy if it wins.

The Tree Of Life:

I had never heard of the movie The Tree of Life so I was very surprised to hear the it was up for Best Picture. The movie was only okay in my opinion. It was the typical fluffy, weird Oscar nominee kind of movie that did not make much sense at times and left you wondering at the end, “Why was this necessary to be into a movie?” I highly doubt that this will win Best Picture but if it does, I will be very disappointed in the Academy’s decision.