On Thursday this year's Oscar nominations were announced, and as I spend the rest of my year watching films featuring Zombies, Spaceships, or Unicorns, I tend to spend January and February watching a number of critically acclaimed Dramas.
This year, having already watched Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, and the delightful Brooklyn, I've only got five musts, The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight. Afterwards, I tend to work my from most to least nominations, in terms of films I plan to see.
I'll do my best to review the films as I see them, and hope to see at least the eight films nominated for awards that I haven't already seen.
Thanks to the lovely folk at MongrelMedia, my wife and I were able to attend an advanced screening of the film Brooklyn yesterday, and honestly, it kind of knocked my socks off.
As a fellow who lists his favourite genres as Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction, John Crowley's Brooklyn didn't seem to have too much to offer at face value. The story focuses on a young woman named Eilis (played by Saoirse Ronan), who immigrates from Ireland to America in 1950, and follows her life over her first year there.
Based on the 2009 novel by Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn simply won me over with its great humanity. I've seen a lot of films in my life focusing on the immigrant experience, but I can't think of another that focuses specifically on a young woman taking that trip on her own. Saoirse Ronan simply shines as Eilis from beginning to end and the world created in this story was one of understated beauty and hope.
Simply a wonderful film, I can't recommend it enough.
