The Golden Globes are coming up on Sunday, January 18. There are two categories for Best Picture: Drama and Musical/Comedy. The drama category represents a wide range of the best dramatic films that have been released in the last year.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: This film, released on Christmas Day, is a visually stunning tale of a man who ages backward. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button, who is born an old man and goes through his life growing younger, instead of older. The special effects are outstanding, but the relationship between Button and the love of his life, Daisy, is what makes the film an interesting fable. Daisy, played to perfection by Cate Blanchett, keeps Button from despair and makes for a fascinating love story.
Frost/Nixon: Based on the real tapes of the time period, the film brings a realistic nonfiction tone to an interesting part of history. However, the movie would be lacking in spark without the tour de force performance of Frank Langella as Nixon. He is also nominated for Best Actor in a Drama for this role.
The Reader: Based on the best-selling novel by Bernard Schlink, the movie follows the story of a young boy who has an affair with an older woman. He later finds out that she was a Nazi guard before he knew her. The film is told from the perspective of the boy as a grown man, played by Ralph Fiennes, looking back on his relationship with the woman. His lover is played by the impressive Kate Winslet, who is nominated both in the Supporting Actress category for this film, and also as Best Actress for “Revolutionary Road.”
Revolutionary Road: Finally the “Titanic” star-crossed lovers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are reunited again. The duo plays a suburban couple that realizes they are trapped in their humdrum lives. The couple becomes angry and begins acting out, and this film is a remarkable representation of the characters’ passion. Both of the lead actors are nominated for their roles, which is not surprising since their acting far outshines the script.
Slumdog Millionaire: By far the best film of the bunch, this film is a cohesive and beautifully shot production. The story follows a young man who has lived a difficult life in the slums of India. He gets the opportunity to be on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” He begins winning a lot of money, and the show suspects him of cheating. However, the audience learns through flashbacks that each of the questions he knows is because he has learned the answer sometime in his life. The story is well told and is a nice change of pace from the other more dark nominees.
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