The Color of Film Collaborative

My friends typically base their movie going experience on three questions.The first, “is the movie awesome?” The second, “were there enough battle scenes in the movie?” and the third, “was the movie a leave the theater speechless because it was so awesome kind of movie?” Disregarding the second question, because not every film is comprised of gruesomely graphic battle scenes where Spartans decimate Persian forces, there is only one film that anyone could objectively answer yes to the first and third question that has been released this year; “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Twentieth Century Fox Film Entertainment.

Based partly on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography of United States President Abraham Lincoln, the film highlights the final four months of Lincoln’s life, which focuses on the President’s efforts to pass the thirteenth amendment outlawing slavery and involuntary servitude.

I know I am not alone when I proclaim that “Lincoln” was one of the best, if not the best film of the year ( many award shows have thought differently). This film is Steven Spielberg’s Mona Lisa and is rightfully nominated for twelve Oscars. A shooting star performance by a hauntingly perfect Lincoln look alike, Daniel Day Lewis was the crux of this breathtaking picture, so much so that the term “shooting star performance” was specifically created in an attempt to describe the unbelievable performance staged by this famed actor. Had production teams and actors stumbled across some sort of time machine during the making of this film and warped back in time to 1865, the real President Lincoln may have been arrested for impersonating the President.

There are very few words in the English language that can accurately describe this film experience. In order to simply gauge the extent of this productions glory, I may have to revert to using the lingo of my simple minded friends whilst applying “Lincoln” to the three question questionnaire. “Was the movie awesome?” Yes, it was awesome. “Were there enough battle scenes in this movie?” It was awesome. “Was the movie a leave the theater speechless because it was so awesome kind of film?” It was awesome.
“Lincoln” is an experience that dims your surroundings to the point that you are not even aware that you are in a theater. You feel as though you are tucked in the back of the room during his greatest moments, silently contributing to the decisions that are made. Stellar performances resonate from all the cast. Sally Fields portrays Mary Lincoln Todd’s inner turmoil with such subtlety it washes over you. Tommy Lee Jones gives another top tier performance as Thaddeus Stevens. Spielberg tells this heart wrenching story of courage and leadership in a inspirational and patriotic way. “Lincoln” is the ultimate movie going experience you don’t want to miss and one you will want to see again.