Review of Selma (2014) by Robert B — 12 Jan 2016

Hoo doggy! after seeing this I really got the same vinegar everyone else has about the Oscar snubbery - it was SO good! I'll freely admit I had no idea about these marches or the political landscape immediately following the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was this crazy constant in American news so I'm sure while there was all this pushback from LBJ, it's no surprise how many people traveled down to Selma for the black voting cause when the call was put out.

The film is pretty incredible - the beginning seems a little bit of a scattershot of the world of the early 60's and the climate before the focus on MLK really ramps up, which was hard to get a good grasp on, but from there it really takes off and MLK begins leading the charge in the film. David Oyelowo bring such a powerful voice to the role of arguably one of the most competent leaders and figures in American history. the production design was something I kept taking note of; the recreation of all the sets in historical pictures is something I stand completely in awe of. the detail is staggering.

The other thing I really appreciated was the looks at MLK's relationships and all the planning that went into intelligently forcing the US govt's hand. it's crazy how much discussion between the committee there was, including the local Selma voting advocate group, and that it wasn't all totally coming from MLK.

But yeah, seriously, this movie is pretty incredible and powerful (and not in a totally white guilt kind of way). the story was a really satisfying slow burn, just an edge-of-the-seat pleasure. do yourself a favor and go see it - make the Academy regret their decision by pumping this puppy chock full of profits!