In an attempt to rectify my shocking lack of Oscar 2010 knowledge I began with the simplest movie to watch. The one that was On Demand. I expected that I would probably like or at least be interested in The Hurt Locker, a film about an EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) unit based in Iraq. One of the most interesting trivia about the film is that it was directed by a woman, Kathryn Bigelow, who by the way, is the first woman ever to win for Best Director. yay! (And about time).
This isn't the sort of film you'd expect to be directed by a woman, because it's a guy's kind of movie- war, exploding bombs, lots of testosterone slamming in the air. But I have to say, I was absolutely riveted from the first second. The story takes off when a new Sargent (played by Jeremy Renner) comes to the 3 man squad. He's the sort of brash, dangerous, risk-taking protagonist who on the surface seems doomed to bring the squad down. But he's a complex character and I really grew to root for him, even when he did stupid things. There are cameos in the film by Guy Pearce, Evangeline Lilly and Ralph Fiennes. It's gritty and makes no pretense that war is anything but dirty business.
One of the "fun" things about watching this movie was of course, Mike Geraci. His sideline commentary, I have to say, in this case, actually added to the film's experience. I'm always amazed at the stuff he comes up with. Although I have to say it's a little scary to realize just how much your husband really knows about explosives.
