I forgot that I wanted to say something about these movies after watching them.
"Selma"
I thought it was really good and I wanted to point out what I thought was the best performance.
Henry G. Sanders
He played Cager Lee (Can we talk about how cool the name Cager is???????????) and when Dr. King went to see him after his grandson was killed? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaan...he broke me down to my brake pads!!!!! He was so good and his face said it all and yet...he was being respectful of Dr. King in his moment of absolute heartbreak. He was so DIGNIFIED. That's like...the best word to describe him. Dignified. I felt like if any actor from the film deserved an award...he most certainly did absolutely. During two of his scenes, I felt like I was in the room with him transported back into time and experiencing it all firsthand. Not listening to a first person narrative...but actually for real there. I can't even begin to really put into words how brilliant he was every.single.time he was on the screen. Absolutely OUT.STAND.ING!
STANDING OVATION.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAPPEDY CLAP.
The next performance that I thought was outstanding was the actress who played Ms. Coretta. Yall...didn't she look uncannily like her? So beautiful and regal! Let me add that it was PERFECT casting! I mean...just...WOW! Didn't the resemblance blow you away?
The second best acted scene in the film was when she asked Dr. King if he loved her and then...if he loved the others.
BLEW.
ME.
AWAY.
The fear, uncertainty, love, hope and humiliation he felt in her steadfast questioning ran across his face so powerfully. I FELT that! I looked at Robby and he was holding his breath wondering what he was going to say. So good. So very, very good!
When I returned home after watching it? I watched Malcolm X. SPIKE LEE AND DENZEL WASHINGTON WERE ROBBED YALL!
(Random: While looking for pictures to include I ran into this blog and I liked it: WHAT IMPRESSED ME THIS WEEK (Selma…the Movie…and the Flap) )
"American Sniper"
I was worried about this movie after reading all of the articles about how folks wanted to go "kill Arabs" after watching it. I couldn't imagine that Clint Eastwood would make an irresponsible war movie. I'd read his take on it and it was so different than the take some of the fans seemed to have. Well...turns out the fans who felt that way felt that way long before they watched the movie because that's not what I got. What I got was a frank look at on the ground warfare and it was terrifying. I wanted no parts of that. I don't EVER want another soldier to have to go war after watching the movie. Yes, there is some controversy surrounding if it really went down like that but I'm going to just speak on what I saw on the screen. It was a good movie and there were times when I was truly on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would all play out. Clint Eastwood knows how to build a hero and Chris Kyle might just be his best one yet. The movie didn't make me want to march for death to all Muslims. The movie made me want to hug a war vet. HARD.
The final war scene was shot with pretty much zero visibility and it blew me away. I was holding my breath begging for relief. BEGGING. And the scenes where he called his wife during that last battle and when she called him the first time after that. Whew man...rapid blinkage occurred.
Here is the great thing about it. After the first few scenes I stopped looking at him as Bradley Cooper with some weight on him. Bradley Cooper BECAME Chris Kyle. Good acting. GREAT acting.
I thoroughly enjoyed that experience too even though I wish his wife's character would have been portrayed in a better light. It just seemed to me there the way she was shot didn't really leave much room for empathizing with her. She came across as...I don't know...selfish and not willing to understand what her husband was going through and I feel like wives of deployed soldiers know what they are getting into but even though they know this...they are human and simply wish their husband was home to do all the things husbands and fathers do. They didn't do that for her in the movie in my opinion.
Did you see these movies? Thoughts?
