Two for Cinematography: Inside Llewyn Davis and Prisoners

I'm okay with a melancholy film as long as it hits a certain threshold of poignancy. If it resonates with me or affirms some basic tenet I hold true, then I don't need a plot-heavy or fast-paced film..  Unfortuantely, Inside Llewyn Davis did not resonate with me, but I bet it did with some of its viewers. I enjoyed it fine while watching it but as soon as it had finished I experienced buyer's remorse.  Maybe I should have seen something else? Surely there was some laundry at home that I should have been working on?

That said, the cinematography was the talent in question and it was beautiful.  So dreamy, hazy and muted, like old memories, kind of sad because the color was going out of them, but also more beautiful because of that aging process. (As a side note, too bad there is no Oscar for animal actors because two cats were great in this film!)


On the other hand, the look of Prisoners seemed so run of the mill to me, I could not figure out why it got nominated in this category.  Despite my expensive film school education, I still know very little about how to work a camera, so I am completely open to someone explaining to me why this film was a work of genius. I do recall one fabulous shot of an eye barely lit by a shaft of light.  Super cool shot, but is it enough for an Oscar?

As for the rest of the film, I had a devil of a time staying awake, which was probably not the fault of the film.  I thought I would be an emotional wreck for the plot line of two young girls being kidnapped, but thankfully the film makers did not pull those strings.  Instead the focus was logical, tactical, detached.  I liked the creepy, off characters and the question, "What does it take to make a monster?"