Then there were those ...

I have been asked about some Oscar buzz movies, which have not featured in my blog – plain & simple truth is that despite all the hype & critical acclaim that some of ‘em got, they left me uninspired:

Changeling – made a changeling outta me. Went armed with handkerchiefs for a sob festival, hoping for a Clint Eastwood-Angelina Jolie double whammy tear-jerker.

Came out dry-eyed & unimpressed, thanx to Clint Eastwood’s direction (mistake mat karo – am a big fan – remember ‘bridges of Madison County’ & ‘Letters to Ivo Jima’?) which is suffering - a case of biting more than he can chew, in terms of quantity over quality.

But according to me, the weak link was Angelina Jolie – I mean her character in the movie should have made the hardest of hearts melt – her son goes missing, she is forced to accept an impostor as her own, deal with a ruthless police force, is incarcerated …

... but surprisingly this mother of so many was not able to emote like one – she came across as cold & if you were looking for heart & soul behind those magnificent pouting lips, ‘dhoondtey reh jaaogey!

Then there was Mr. Jolie, Brad Pitt, in ‘the curious case of Benjamin Button’ – once you got over the novelty factor about the reverse cycle of life, it just became the life and times of an ordinary guy who is every woman’s nightmare – her worst fears come true – a man who gets younger everyday, while she ages!

Milk: What an odd name for a movie! Yeah, it is the name of a person on whom the movie is based, but why would anyone be christened “Milk”???

Of course, that’s my personal issue, which has nothing to do with the movie. It must be such a responsibility to play a character that actually existed.

Sean Penn is flawless, no doubt & I appreciate the story of this extraordinary man’s fight for gay rights.

Just that I found the movie slightly tedious & documentary like!

I felt the Oscar fever in girl power movies like the magnificent Kate Winglet in “The Reader” & the simply awesome Merlyn Strep in “Doubt”! These gals rocked!