Grade: A
It happens often where I see a movie and am unable to discern the message or the moral, but then I search the reviews, and I see a myriad of critics who seem to have figured it all out. Many of them toss out pretentious blurbs like “it is a story about hope and trust” or “in the end, they save each other.” I can’t put my finger on the “point” of Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. All I know is I enjoyed the journey, and it is my favorite Best Picture nominee I’ve seen so far. I savored the sweet, small-town simplicity of the story and the characters. For some reason, it reminded me of those late Decembers I used to spend in Allentown, PA. The performances were effective, and filled to the brim with personality, especially Oscar-nominee Bruce Dern, my friend June Squibb, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, and Bob “Better Call Saul” Odenkirk. Initially, I was confused by the choice to film in black-and-white, but in the end, it goes a long way toward awakening our senses and really putting us in that quiet, dreary season with them. I can’t imagine it presented to us any other way.
Grade: A
Film Reviews by Mark 
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