AMC Veteran’s Hosts Best Picture Event

Tonight’s best picture award goes to? Good question.

All five of the films nominated had great storylines, special effects and great actors.

I couldn’t make up my mind which one should win best picture, so I went to the AMC Theater’s Best Picture Showcase on Saturday to see why the academy picked the five films for Best Picture.

I sat through over 13 hours of film with free re-fills on popcorn and soda to help me make it through the day.

First up was Gus Van Sant’s Milk. Sean Penn’s portrayal of gay-rights icon Harvey Milk was phenomenal. He is definitely one of the best actors of our generation.

The Reader was the second film of the day. It opened in post-WWII Germany. A 15- year-old is seduced by an illiterate Kate Winslet. She gives the boy sex in exchange for him reading the classics to her. The acting in the film was good, but it moved along very slowly. I thought Winslet performed better in Revolutionary Road and should have been nominated for that film and not The Reader.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was next. The special effects to make Brad Pitt look old and frail were absolutely amazing. The movie had a great love story that could stand the test of time and various historical events. I don’t think Brad Pitt will win for Best Actor as he performed well, but I think what made his performance was the special effects. Take that away and there’s only a passable performance left that would not have been oscar worthy.

Slumdog Millionaire was the fourth film. From the bathroom poll I took after the film was over, the consensus was that it’s this year’s dark horse for win. The journey that the main character, Jamal, goes on from the slums of India to winning 20 million rupees is astounding. If it does not take home the big one, Danny Boyle should without a doubt win for Best Director for this film; he fit the pieces of the puzzle together magically.

The last film of the day was Frost/Nixon. This film took a very long time to become appealing. The best part of the film was in the end when the interview between Frost and Nixon takes place. Frank Langella’s Richard Nixon was wonderful, however I don’t think it was enough to trump Penn’s performance for Best Actor.

So what will win best picture? Probably Slumdog, but don’t be surprised if Milk’s stellar performances shine through enough to take it’s place.
- Libby Hopkins