According to the ratings, many of you were not watching the Oscars Sunday night. And good for you. The crop of nominees this year failed to inspire moviegoers and it even failed to inspire viewers to sit on their living room couches for a few hours. Hopefully, you were all at the video store renting some of last year's more notable movies - you know, those flicks that should have won a few awards but didn't even get mentioned. Just in case you weren't out there, the Wildcat is here to recommend a few for your next trip to the video store.
Featuring Icelandic singer Bjork's first and most recent acting performance, "Dancer in the Dark" is a moving tale about a factory woman, gradually losing her sense of sight. The film revives and modernizes the musical, featuring a soundtrack full of original songs from its pixie-ish lead.
She was a Golden Globe recipient but there was not even an Oscar nomination for Renee Zellweger's sensitive, subtle performance in Neil LaBute's dark comedy "Nurse Betty." The film tells the story of Zellweger's Betty who treks across the country in search of her favorite soap star after a breakdown caused by her husband's murder.
Clay never acted so well. Nick Park's "Chicken Run," starring Mel Gibson, was not only a triumph in feature-length claymation movies but also a funny, endearing film about chickens...running - well, escaping from their coop. It is one of last year's most overlooked films.
Happy renting!
