Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty.

Its only appropriate that I start the most casual movie blog with one of the most controversial films. I love irony.

I watched this movie with my man this past weekend. It was an excellent film! It wasn't the super action-packed CIA movie you expect. Kathryn Bigelow comes through on this film in a big way. When Hurt Locker first came out, and then won significantly in the Oscars, some may have attributed her success to beginners luck, or to her association with James Cameron. None of that was considered in my assessment of Zero Dark Thirty.

The symbols she used in this film - i.e. the ringer the SEAL got when he was playing horseshoes before the mission (foreshadowing mission success), along with the fact that Jessica Chastain did not play the typical "sexy female agent" role - really gave the film a flavor of authenticity that was unanticipated. In my humble opinion Jessica Chastain is a goddess - beautiful red head, with serious eyes, and the kind of cinematic timing that only a natural starlet can have. There is quite a bright Hollywood future after this performance.

Also - this movie is a great "thinking/discussion" movie - if you want to watch with a group of friends, or significant other, and then have thoughtful conversations about what had happened. At least that's what happened between me and my man - and it was really quite enjoyable. After all movies are art, and to feel affected to engage in conversation is an attribute to the high quality of this piece of art. Well done Katheryn Bigelow, well done Jessica Chastain.