Life After Gringotts: The Bill Weasley Story

Is there any other Sunday that sparks such debate, anticipation, and excitement than Oscar Sunday? Move over Super Bowl Sunday - it's time for the Oscars! (Guys, seriously, football isn't even in the Olympics. Well, football as we Americans know it.)

Since January Bryan and I have made it our mission to see as many nominated films as possible. We spent our anniversary weekend living in an AMC theater downtown seeing films like The Revenant and Spotlight. Because what else says, "I love you" like watching Leonardo DiCaprio being mauled by a bear?

Leo, Spotlight, and Mad Max were the big winners of last night's award show, but when I look back at all the movies we've seen I think there's one guy who totally won in the 2015-2016 season: Bill Weasley. I mean, Domhnall Gleeson, but I'm going to refer to him as Bill throughout this post because once a Weasley always a Weasley. Every time we watched a movie Bill Weasley was there. It was like magic. There was Bill falling in love with a robot in Ex Machina. We saw him again as he was falling in love (this time with Saoirse Ronan) in Brooklyn. He made Molly proud by serving his country in The Revenant. And he even supported the dark side (Sorry, Harry) in Star Wars.

If I had to sum up all the movies we saw into a theme it would be: Survival. Think about the crappiest thing that's ever happened to you, a loved one, or the world and then make a movie about it. It's no wonder that I cried during every Best Picture nominee. 

Here's my thoughts on the 2016 Best Picture nominees (from my least favorite to most favorite):

1. Bridge of Spies (#8):  While I can appreciate the costume and set design, I think this movie overall was just okay. I was surprised to see it listed with these other movies for Best Picture and extremely surprised when Mark Rylance won for Best Supporting Actor, but then immediately felt bad for saying that out loud after he gave a very heart-warming speech.
2. The Martian (#7): I'm just going to say it - I hate movies about space. I also hate movies where only one actor is in the majority of the scenes. No one is that interesting. I need more than one person (or a volleyball) to stay interested in a movie. With all that being said, I didn't hate this movie like I thought I would. 
3. The Revenant (#6): This movie is like flipping through a really bloody issue of National Geographic magazine. I desperately needed subtitles every time Tom Hardy's character said anything, but I may not have been able to read them since my eyes automatically shut every time someone got attacked by a bear, killed by an arrow, or raped by a tree. Oh and there was also that part where Leo crawls into his dead, bloody horse to stay warm. Oscar well-deserved. 
4. Room (#5): After I read this book a couple years ago I remember thinking, "God, I hope they never make this into a movie." The book was such a terrifying concept that I think the story itself is more compelling than the actual individual performances in the movie. 
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (#4): Just when you think the most violent movie of the year is going to be The Revenant you watch Mad Max and see someone's face ripped off. The only way I know how to describe many of the characters from this horrifyingly beautiful movie is as a combination between everyone on Sons of Anarchy and the Reavers from Firefly (and thinking that now I'm guaranteed to have nightmares tonight). The costumes, hair, makeup, set, and stunts were amazing. All the technical awards it won are well-earned. As a side note: if our world ever does end up like this and I'm still alive someone please kill me, but in a non-face-ripped-off kind of way.
6. The Big Short (#3): This was Bryan's favorite. I think that has to do with all the death metal Christian Bale listened to throughout the movie. I actually thought Steve Carell's performance was great in this movie and gave me flashes of every time Michael Scott got upset on The Office. This movie will be also be added to our "Reasons We Don't Want to Own a House" list. 
7. Brooklyn (#2): Definitely the sweetest movie of the year and a much needed breath of fresh air after watching movies like Mad Max or The Revenant. Saoirse Ronan's performance was magical. What she can convey with just a look is crazy for someone her age (or anyone's age for that matter). When she was sad, I was sad. When she was happy, I was happy. When she got food poisoning on the ship to America and had to go to the bathroom in that bucket, I stopped eating my nachos. 
8. Spotlight (#1): This was the movie that I cried that hardest at. Mark Ruffalo was robbed for Best Supporting Actor. Did it remind me of All The President's Men? Sure, but I think it's an important story that needed to be told in this exact way. Plus, Stanley Tucci. Need I say more?