The nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards are out … and movie season is on.
Do you know where you will be February 24th?
My first review of the season is complete – Silver Linings Playbook. Great stories have great relationships and this one has them aplenty. Let’s dance.
Oscars in Black and White 
I agree that the film was very solidly constructed and acted. The film also did a fairly good job of depicting the kind of violent chaos that surrounds individuals with mental illness. However, I also found the whole vibe of the film distinctly unsettling. The insertion of “kooky” elements (a dance contest??) in order to make the film a rom-com really bothered me. I have considerable direct experience with friends and family members with a variety of mental illnesses ranging from bipolar disorder to full blown schizophrenia. Pairing two individuals with these problems doesn’t cure them – in reality they amplify each other into a kind of whirlwind of destruction. The film was way too simplistic in presenting these illnesses as a result of trauma that could be cured through love – a very old-fashioned viewpoint, akin to slapping them and telling them to snap out of it. While I agree it had some moments, the whole experience left me with a distinct sense of unease.