Selma

We had to see this movie after so many conflicting things were said about it. I did not go in with high expectations and was surprised to find that everything about the movie was excellent, from the casting, costumes, and sets, to the filming, script, directing, lighting effects and music. It all worked for me. I was moved and upset in all the right places, from the shocking beginning to the triumphant, and also foreboding end. The cutting in of actual film footage towards the end was welcome and not overdone or trivialized. Kind of like, let's slip the audience back into reality now. This was real. It really happened and people kept on fighting and dying for civil rights in America after the events of this movie. I loved it. It should have gotten more Academy Award nominations than it did. Especially for the actors who played Martin and Coretta King. I can't believe they are not even Amerian actors. Nicely done accents. The actor who played LBJ was also very good, but being from Texas I was not as convinced by his accent. If I was on the Board for the Academy Awards I definitely would nominate this movie for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress - at minimum.

OK for starters I came into this with low expectations and they were met. The importance of what Martin Luther King Jr. did just does not necessarily make for riveting historical fiction. It can and "Mississippi Burning" is a great example of that. Gene Hackman is the bomb in that film. This thing is boring like a metal pail, and definitely not "Mississippi Burning.". The first time one takes a trip it's wonderous. But here we all know where this train is going, and that's exactly where it does go. Spoiler alert: when the church explodes at the beginning that took me out of my chair. After that it's all downhill sorry to say folks. Banal acting and a lackluster script do not exactly make for riveting entertainment. Throw in lousy rap as a score and you get dog vomit. It redeems itself only slightly at the end as the lead does a decent MLK impersonation. Big whoop. I feel jipped at one dollar fifty cents. Yawn.

Selma does not disappoint and safely delivers its message. David Oyelowo is the spitting image of the great Martin Luther King Jr however he may not have portrayed him to the full extent. When actors take on monumental figures in history they have very big shoes to fill. Having said that he manages to pull of a nice tribute and likeness to Dr King. The supporting cast did a great job in carrying this film. The film excelled in showing the brutality towards many innocent African Americans and the inhumane behavior of law enforcement. However it felt a bit slow at times and did drag on. Some will argue how accurate the portrayal of LBJ was. Also accusations against MLK being unfaithful were never substantiated and the rumors do not match with the reality of those times. Perhaps this could have been excluded. This was a good film but it could have been a great film. The best part of the film was probably the montage of scenes at the end and actual footage shown from Selma. 7.8/10

Truthful, Strong, and Powerful. Those are the three words I would use to describe this movie. Selma is the true story of Martin Luther King Jr., fellow African Americans, and even some White Americans as they fought to secure equal voting rights for all Americans. The performance given by David Oyelowo as MLK is reason enough to watch this movie. He was powerful and inspiring, just as MLK was and delivered his lines with strength and emotion. The screenplay by Paul Webb was amazingly written and ingeniously structured. He wrote without limits to reveal the actual pain and violence of the time. At some points, it was hard to watch, but that is the truth. That's what happened and there is no denying the truth behind this fascinating and inspiring story. Selma is truly a piece of history. I give it 8/10 stars and wish it good luck in the upcoming awards season.

A film to remind a fight, a leader, a march, relations, vulnerability, the evil in few pure forms. Obvious, it is not the best film about Martin Luther King jr. It is not its purpoise. But it is correct crafted, it gives the fair message, impressive for cast and for an exemplary performance of Tim Roth . A film more important today, in time of BLM.

Greetings from Lithuania. "Selma" (2014) is not just a history lesson - it's engaging, involving and very well made picture. It features great performances from all involved, especially by lead man. Settings are good, they take you to the place. Music is very good here, direction, cinematography is solid. Overall, "Selma" is not just a reminder of history, it is a very well movie on it's own. At running time 2 h this movie never drags and is involving from start till finish. There are some moving parts, but it's not a tearjerker. Based on very true events, this is a good history lesson as well as motion picture. All in all, this is a good movie.

I found Selma surprisingly hard to get into and finish past about the first 30 minutes. I kept stopping and taking breaks until reaching the end. It's kind of unengaging, by-the-numbers, and doesn't draw you in like I hoped. The casting isn't quite right. Oyelowo doesn't seem to know how to pull off MLK's restraint and leave the drama for the words and the voice. Doesn't look like him. Doesn't sound like him. Doesn't act like him. Randy Quaid was also a better LBJ. Costumes were even a miss. Selma's re-imagined 60s mens suits have stupidly-high notches and/or Parisian lapels. Oliver Stone films had far more accurate clothes compared to this Hollywoodized version. My favorite aspect about Selma was probably the FBI stuff that, in my opinion, is never out of place to talk about.

A poignant film with a timely message, even if it did take a little bit to figure out what it was trying to tell people of our era. What's really the most troubling aspect of this film is that, about 50 years later, not much has changed.