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2012, action, american, awards, best picture, blog, cinema, civil war, daniel day-lewis, drama, emancipation, film, lincoln, meme, movie, nomination, oscars, president, review, sally field, salvery, smurfin the web, spielberg
Well, let’s get on with reviewing the nominations for best film. There have been quite a few this year and I think one of the big contenders for the Best Picture Oscar is the Steven Spielberg epic, Lincoln.
Synopsis: Following Abraham Lincoln’s administration during the American Civil War, so this would be his second term as President, the movie gives us a very detailed account of the political goings on both in the House of Representatives and also behind the scenes. It also focuses mainly on the issue of slavery which became the pivotal reason for the war, although it never started out that way. Slavery would be the key to unlocking the end of the war and debate over the subject was heated. It would eventually cost Lincoln his life.
Main Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Lee Pace, Tommy Lee Jones, Jared Harris, James Spader, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook.
The Hype: Since its announcement, this film has been tipped for Oscar success, especially with the Daniel Day-Lewis/Spielberg partnership. Lewis has a knack for picking big movies that are instantly hyped up for Best Picture status and if opening box office numbers are anything to go by then the $132M it has taken in the US alone is a good indicator. It has also been included in numerous awards nominations so far including the Golden Globes.
What I Thought: I liked this movie, although I did expect a little more on the war/action side of things. It is very well written by Tony Kushner and the performances are brilliant. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a stunning showing as Lincoln, but for me the highlight was Tommy Lee Jones as the as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee who threw everything behind Lincoln’s 13th amendment to the constitution and he really gave a top draw portrayal of the character. The story is engaging, important and one of history’s biggest moments. On the downside, I did hope for more from the frontline of the Civil War itself and found some of the monologues drawn out and tiresome after a while. There is however a great exchange between Lincoln and his wife Molly who comes across as a real hard woman and Sally Field gives a possible Supporting Actress performance.
Conclusions: Perhaps a tad too long and wordy, but very well written and performed and that alone gives it a huge shot at the title this year, although personally I think there are better options. I think Americans will like this movie much more than anyone else because of the subject matter, us Brits are indifferent to American politics it seems. That said, it still gets a good mark from me and it based on how many it has been nominated for, it will certainly pick up an Oscar or two on the night.
Smurfin’ The Web Rating: 
Trailer:
Smurfin' The Web 