Are you a film critic?!

Since 5 December I have been to the cinema nearly every weekend. It's my reward, as part of my life insurance policy, for the walking that I do each week. It's also free!

As I have seen so many films over the last 9 weeks or so, I am thinking that I may be slowly turning into a bit of a film critic!? It has been suggested to me that I could blog my thoughts on the films that I have seen. You know who you are . . . so, thanks, and here goes!

So, here is the list of films that I have seen;

• The Hunger Games; Mockingjay Part 2
• Spectre
• Bridge of Spies
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• The Danish Girl
• The Revenant
• Creed
• The Big Short
• Spotlight
• Concussion
• Triple 9

There are some BIG films here and I have my thoughts on several of them with the Oscars coming up next weekend. So here are a couple of the categories and the films nominated;

Best Picture

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight

Best Director

• The Big Short
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight

Actor in a Leading Role

• Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
• Matt Damon,  The Martian
• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
• Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
• Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett, Carol
• Brie Larson, Room
• Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
• Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
• Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christian Bale, The Big Short
• Tom Hardy,  The Revenant
• Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
• Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
• Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Jennifer Jason Leigh,  The Hateful Eight
• Rooney Mara,  Carol
• Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
• Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
• Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

So, I have seen 5 out of the 8 films nominated for Best Picture. 3 out of the 5 films nominated for Best Director. 3 out of 5 for Actor in a Leading Role. I'm afraid to say that I have seen none of the films that the Actress in a Leading Role have been nominated in. I have seen all 5 of the Actor in a Supporting Role and 2 out of 5 of the Actress in a Supporting Role films.

If I was to have a vote on where the awards would go this is where my votes would go;

• Best Picture: The Revenant
• Best Director: The Revenant
• Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
• Actress in a Leading Role: I can't say!
• Actor in a Supporting Role: Sylvester Stallone, Creed 
• Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Now, having done this I find my responses very interesting! I enjoyed The Revenant as a film, some of the cinematography was amazing but I felt like I had wasted two and a half hours of my life. Why then have I picked it for Best Picture and Best Director? The simple answer is that The Danish Girl is not up for Best Picture. If it was then it would get my vote.  The Danish Girl is probably the best of all the films that I have seen. I can honestly say that I was completely moved by this film; the acting was phenomenal. Totally believable, which is how I believe that acting should be. You should be immersed in the film and believe the characters. This I did not feel watching The Revenant which is why Leonardo DiCaprio does not get my vote.

Sylvester Stallone gets my vote for Actor in a Supporting Role. I am a Rocky baby; well not quite but my dad loved the Rocky films (well 1, 2 and 3!). I learnt how to play the Eye of the Tiger on my trumpet! Sylvester Stallone has done a lot of action films which have dumbed him down as an actor but in Creed he truly acts. There were so many references to Rocky and yet it wasn't a Rocky film.

Am I enjoying going to the cinema every weekend? Yes, I am! I am sure that as this year goes on there may be a weekend that I don't go as there will be nothing worthy of watching but at the moment that is not the case.