By Dave Montalbano
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
With Black History month wrapping up and the Academy Awards looming, 12 Years a Slave is the film to see. With 9 Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe winner for Best Picture in Drama, this film is a wellcrafted motion picture that stands side by side with previous Best Picture Oscar winners like Gandhi, Schindler’s List and All Quiet on the Western Front. Like the previous mentioned winners, 12 Years a Slave will not invite repeat viewings — one viewing is enough to make this film memorable.
The title speaks for itself. It is based on the autobiography written and published by Solomon Northup before the Civil War. Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a black musician from New England who is kidnapped and sold into slavery on a Southern Plantation. In his 12 years as a slave, Northup is sold by conniving rat (Paul Giamatti), brutalized by an entitled rich kid (Paul Dano) and performs brutal acts under the orders of an alcoholic overseer (Michael Fassbender). Yet Northup is given moments of beautiful grace from a fellow slave (Lupita Nyong’o), while learning Christian values from Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) and practical carpentry from Bass (Brad Pitt).
Director Steve McQueen (no relation to the actor who died 34 years ago) has created a human motion picture with brilliant artistic and technical detail. McQueen takes his time to let the story unfold. He fills scenes with shot composition inspired by Old World Master Painter Francisco Goya, scenes that are brutal and beautiful at the same time. The Hans Zimmer musical score is not intrusive, yet will lead people to an appreciation for acoustic music, especially bluegrass, blues and gospel.
Win or lose the Oscar race, 12 Years a Slave is one of the best pictures of 2013.
Based on a stage play by Neal Bell, In Secret opens tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The cast is an intriguing matchup between young and experienced talent. Elizabeth Olsen portrays Therese, a sexually-repressed young woman under the thumb of her husband (Tom Felton, Harry Potter’s nemesis “Draco Malfoy”) and domineering aunt (Jessica Lange, on break from American Horror Story). Set in Paris, circa 1860, Therese is besotted by Laurent (Oscar Isaac), a friend of her husband. With this kind of setup, you can guess what happens in In Secret.
On a lighter note, the UltraCon of South Florida commences this weekend at the Ft. Lauderdale Sheraton Suites at Cypress Creek. The brainchild of local comic book entrepreneur Irving Santiago, this con has invited actors from The Walking Dead, Star Trek as well as UFC Fighter Mike “the Wolverine” Rio. The demented clown duo from Orlando, Giggles & Thug, also plan to terrorize Cypress Creek this weekend.