I think it’s been a decade now since we began our annual Oscar party. The first one was Donna, Dana, me and a pizza, and by last year, it was catered. How fun. Beginning a year or two ago, I began seeing as many of the Oscar films as I could that were nominated. With a kid at home, it wasn’t like the wife and I could just run out whenever we wanted. We had to be creative. Most I saw alone. I am more obsessive with the whole concept. Back in the day we had over two months to catch the ones we wanted to see after nominations were announced, and now we have one more exactly. Ugh. So begins my yearly sojourn.

Today was the first film. I know nominations don’t actually come out until January 22nd, but there are certain movies that fit the Oscar mold. For example, if Kate Winslet is in it and it’s not a comedy, it’s nominated. If Streep, Dench, Washington, Smith, Eastwood, etc… is in it, it’s nominated. If it cost a shitload to make, it’s probably nominated. So today’s movie was a toss up between Gran Torino or Seven Pounds. Gran Torino was more recently released, and I heard great things (and one bad review that I intrigued me) about Seven Pounds, so here I went.

I will say right here and now, that these will pretty much all have SPOILERS. If that kinda stuff pisses you off, STOP READING NOW.

From Flickr via Cine Fanatico

The student who didn’t like (read: understand) Seven Pounds decided to tell me right away that Smith died by jellyfish in the end. Not cool. Not cool at all. Why would you do that to me? So I knew that much, but Joey said there was way more to it, but everytime i saw the damn jellyfish in the film, it sucked a little for me.

I remember seeing the trailer for this film awhile back, and I knew it was the kind of play where you’re just suppose to HAVE TO SEE IT because YOU NEED TO KNOW! And I can see why some people would be disappointed, if they can’t appreciate what the “it” really is.

Smith plays “Ben Thomas” an alleged IRS agent who seems much more (more much less) than that. For most of the first 80-90 minutes the audience isn’t really sure, albeit some people said they knew right away. What did I know? What did I learn? I knew that the jellyfish would kill him and that Emily’s pager would buzz. Pretty much it. And of course we all knew (from the trailer) that he’d give away the house.

I enjoyed the mystique of the film and didn’t mind the sections that were slower, and I understood relatively quickly that seven people had died and it was his fault. His fiancee being played by Smith’s real life with didn’t bother me at all, and I really enjoyed his relationship with Rosario Dawson’s Emily.

Many of my friends said they cried at the end, and yes, tears were forming for me, too, but I understood why and how. When his brother finally sits down with Emily and lays everything out for her (which was subtle enough) I felt like the payout was definitely there in the end. The one thing that did bother me though was that Will Smith, in this film, is looking like death warmed over. I don’t know if the Fresh Prince is getting stale (in appearance) or if he was suppose to look that bad, but it wasn’t something I could really get over in this film. Overall, great flick and would recommend to most intellectually minded people.