Selma Reviews

Since I kept hearing some really good things about this movie, I was really eager to check it out. Well, it has been a while since I have seen such an heartbreaking picture. Indeed, like everyone else, I do believe that Martin Luther King was one of the most inspiring human beings that ever lived and this movie was a great reminder on how difficult and sad his fight was. In fact, I thought the message delivered by this movie was now even stronger following the recent disaster represented by the victory of Donald Trump at the presidential election. Indeed, the main reason the guy actually won was because so many people didn't even bother give their votes and it is just infuriating when you think how hard some people, not only King but all the people supporting his movement, fought so that everyone would be allowed to vote. Indeed, one of the great lessons giving by this movie is that the right to vote is not really in fact about chosing the best person to represent you, very often, it is in fact about preventing some really awful people to get elected and it certainly what should have happened with Trump. Anyway, I thought it was a great historical drama and it is definitely worth a look.

"La vita non è degna d'essere vissuta se non siamo disposti a morire per coloro che amiamo e per ciò in cui crediamo…"
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Before winding up in the hands of Ava DuVernay, Selma had passed through the hands of numerous directors including Lee Daniels and Stephen Frears. Thank god it took so long to finally get made, as DuVernay has steered away from bland “Great Man” territory (think of The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, or American Sniper) into thornier, more panoramic territory. Part of the reason for this was a lack of access to Dr. King’s famous speeches, demanding that the filmmakers instead find ways to show his taciturn mind and ability to galvanize.

Selma is the kind of film that we should be showering and celebrating with Oscar nominations. Somehow, it would up with only two nominations, and one win in a minor category. The best of these types of film faithful recreate a past struggle but frame it in a way that feels fresh to a modern audience. Far too much of Selma feels like it could be contemporary news footage if you merely updated the clothing and hairstyles. This film is having a conversation with the past, yet still manages to find hope for the future.

Perhaps it’s that spark of hope which animates Selma so brightly. It certainly colors in the central performance from David Oyelowo. Oyelowo finds a way to bring King down from the vaulted space of history and make him a living person. Too often films about “Great Men” feature central performances that feel less like a real person than a series of famous moments and tics cobbled together (yes, I’m looking at you Benedict Cumberbatch), but not here. And if Selma ever stumbles, and it sometimes occasionally wobbles, it’s in the villainous performance by Tim Roth as George Wallace. Roth is not bad, but sometimes gets a little too broad and plays a character instead of making it feel real.

This never detracts enough to keep Selma from being anything other than essential viewing. From the top down it’s a stacked cast doing commendable work, making each moment feel as real and accurate as possible, so one occasionally too broadly played scene is easily forgiven. And if there was any justice in the world both David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo would have been blessed with Oscar nominations. A scene that seemed like a lock to at least get them some recognition is one in which Coretta confronts her husband about his infidelity. It’s played with minimal emotional outburst, building in slow burning intensity, and hits all the harder for it.

This is a retelling of an important historical moment that finds the meeting ground between intimacy, epic scope, large ambitions, brutality, and hope. Selma may have a few moments of budgetary restraints and obvious compromises between director and studio, but Selma is still a profoundly moving experience. Although it does make one wonder why a man like King has been given such a small budget, while Chris Kyle’s questionable sniper gets a huge budget, A-list director, and a big studio push. The answer is probably obvious, and too depressing to really think about.

Important, enough sincere to recreate doubts and discussions in MLK's front; but its still solemn to me. The subplots are a bit trite (the suferred wife is unbereable).

BAM, that was quite an opening! This is definitely worth watching: directing, performance, costume, sets, etc. I'm not old enough to know much on or about Martin Luther King so unsure on accuracy (hence the rating), Yet this remains an eye opener, as I suspect it'll be for most viewers.

I watched this in a promo screening at my theater and the diversity of the people watching it next to each other was amazing. I think Martin Luther King Jr. made it possible to be able to do that and he would have been proud to see such a thing if he were still around. This was such a powerful movie. It's inspiring and intense. There are several moments where I found myself shaking my head in disgust at the ways people were treated back in the 60s. It reminded me a lot of the recent Ferguson nonsense. Some moments were so heart pounding and emotional I found myself on the verge of tears several times. David Oyelowo was amazing as MLK Jr. In fact the whole cast did an excellent job. There are also a lot of political points made in this that still pertain to the way our life in America is. I highly recommend checking this out when it's officially released.