Selma

Tali: Selma tells the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his work for voting rights and justice for blacks in Selma, Alabama in 1965. It just may be one of the best movies I've seen, and it couldn't have come out at a more important moment in American history. Pick these characters up and plop them down in Ferguson, New York City, or anywhere in America for that matter, and you'll see just how little society has come decades after the events in the film. The imagery is intensley powerful, the characters have depth and soul.  Haters gonn' hate, but this film is not about LBJ. If that is your concern, I think you are missing the point. Political critiques aside, this film is just so so so well done. After seeing it, I told Leo, "that was wonderful." Although I instantly regretted that word choice, I must say, it was damn near close. 94/100.

Leo: If I had to summarize my thoughts on this movie into one word, it would be "powerful". The message of this movie was so strong and delivered so clearly that I just wanted to get out of my seat and march with them (though I would probably be horrible at non-violence if someone attacked me). While it had this crazy effect on me, I do not think it was the "best" movie of the year....I have a critique. I was sort of unsure of whether or not this was a biopic or a retelling of the event, not that it has to be one or the other, I just thought it would have spent time a bit more...relevantly. What I mean is this: in their time half-telling MLK's personal story and struggles, they glossed over a lot of supporting characters (I'm not just talking about Viola Liuzzo, but people like Diane Nash as well). Even if they aren't as important, I thought it was very....odd to have them come on screen, say "Hi I'm <insert name>" then basically nothing about them until their respective blurbs at the end. When comparing this movie to others I would definitely say this: as a technical film it had its hiccups, but in conveying the message it sought to convey, it was one of the best I've ever seen. Leometer: 89/100.