Movie Monday: FOXCATCHER

This past weekend Paul and I saw FOXCATCHER. Only after we'd seen it did I realize I'd been mistaken about it being nominated for Best Picture... while it did receive 5 nominations, Best Picture was not one of them! (Turns out, the movie I overlooked was WHIPLASH. So we still have that one and BIRDMAN to get to before the February 22nd Academy Awards.)

This movie surprised me. It is yet another based-on-a-true-story film (like other nominees AMERICAN SNIPER, THE IMITATION GAME & THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING) about John Du Pont and how he set up an Olympic wrestling training camp at his Pennsylvania home dubbed "Foxcatcher." I'm not much for wrestling, okay? But, history, yes. Relationships, yes. Fine films, yes.

I was immediately taken in by an early scene that shows the loving & also testy relationship between the Schultz brothers David and Mark. (Having 3 sons, this rings true to me. There is love, but there is always always a sense of competitiveness.) AND there is a scene nearer to the end of the movie that completely wrecked me. So much emotion. I was totally invested in these characters, these brothers, especially.

Now about Mr. Du Pont, and Steve Carrell's much-deserved nomination for Best Actor. What a creepy character Dupont was! I didn't know the true story before the movie, so everything was a surprise to me -- except it wasn't. Things happened that I just knew with a pit in the gut were going to happen. Oh, heartbreak and tragedy! Anyway, Carrell does an amazing job here. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so.

We'll see what happens Feb. 22. Meanwhile, Today is the Oscars of Children's Literature. What book will win the Newbery??? I'll be streaming the announcements to find out. :)