So with the Oscars approaching later this month, there is a lot of buzz about the nominated movies.  Some of these movies are more commercial but others we may not have even heard of until the nominations came out.  I love to watch movies but there is only so much time and money to spend on them.  Therefore I don’t get to them all.  I try my best to wait for the ones that get good reviews, star actors I like or have an interesting story line.  If I’m lucky, I get them all.

One of the nominated movies that I really enjoyed was “Moneyball“.  It stars Brad Pitt (also the producer) and is based on a true story.  Brad brilliantly plays the role of Billy Beane who is the general manager of the Oakland A’s.  He has the tough task of managing a team that is struggling without the resources of the richer teams and he’s desperate to make a change.  He finds an unlikely partner in Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), an Ivy League grad who believes in a new way of scouting.  Together they go against the system with this revolutionary approach of picking underrated, bargain players who have the ability to get on base and score runs.  They get a lot of resistance from the baseball world as they seemingly assemble a team of misfits and put their careers on the line while trying to change the system.  It’s a story about the struggle of the main characters and of an underdog team.  You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.  I really did!

Another Oscar nominated movie that I would recommend is “The Descendants” starring George Clooney.  Clooney does an amazing job in the role of Matt King.  We follow Matt as he deals with several crises in his life.  Firstly, he is pressured with negotiating a land deal on behalf of his extended family who are all descendants of Hawaiian royalty and own 25,000 acres of inherited land.  At the same time, his personal life is turned upside down when his wife has a boating accident and lands in a coma.  An otherwise uninvolved father, he is suddenly trying to deal with his 2 daughters and get through this tough time together.  To add to his struggles, his teenage daughter informs him that his wife had been cheating on him.  Nothing in his life makes sense and he battles against this lack of control.  The movie mixes hilarious moments with tragic emotions and is very relatable.  Clooney is transformed into this character and does a great job expressing the complex emotions throughout.

I love both these actors and truly enjoyed both movies.  I wish them well for the awards and can’t wait for Oscar night.  Check them out if you get the chance!