So third on the list is Half Nelson. I really didn't think I'd like this movie, I was just curious to watch it after all the reviews it got when it was out in theaters. But I was surprised and really liked it! In fact, I would go buy this movie. While there's a lot of people that didn't like Lost In Translation, I did, and this movie left me with the same feeling I had with Lost In Translation. This kind of uneasy feeling, but it felt right. This movie also reminded me of it with the way they really used music and the setup of the shots to convey the feeling of the movie. There wasn't a lot of dialogue in the scenes where there was a lot of emotion going on. I really like when that can be pulled off well. Some films try to do that, but it just doesn't work out. But it really did in this movie.

I liked the characters were played in this film too. None of the characters were over the top. They all seemed to be normal people, just living their lives and doing questionable things. But they handled it in a normal way. They all seemed to struggle with the choices they made - but only when someone seemed to "catch" them. If that makes any sense. Which is how I think a lot of people act in real life. Oh and I take back the none of the characters being over the top part. Cause I felt like his parents were a bit over the top. Sure, I know there are people like that in real life, but I don't know. See and I say that, but then I think, well maybe that's why Dan is the way he is. Maybe that's a small part of what made him how he is today. So maybe it's not over the top.

I do think that Ryan Gosling deserved the Oscar nomination for this role, he did really well. I don't know that he should have won for it, I haven't seen The Last King of Scotland (although it is on my list to watch this year), but he definitely deserved the nomination for this. I think everyone in this movie played their characters perfectly. It often felt like I was peering into someone else's life. One that could be really going on somewhere.

Tags: drama