Selma Poster

Selma (2014)

Biography | History 
Rayting:   7.5/10 87K votes
Country: UK | USA
Language: English
Release date: 19 February 2015

A chronicle of Dr.

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User Reviews

clark-andy 10 February 2015

I saw some reviews of this movie that varied quite a bit, which should have been a warning. Have you noticed how, generally speaking, a movie's rating starts of as 'x' and then declines gradually before settling down? is this because a brand new movie is exciting but later when it isn't new the ratings become more accurate? This movie is difficult to rate as the subject matter is so interesting; I was about 18 when it all happened so remembered it pretty well. The problem is that so much of the content is a series of conversations set in a rather murky background (to make it look like 1960s?). Many/most of the conversations are frankly rather tedious... so much so that I actually fell asleep for short while, somewhere in the middle of the movie. I was never quite sure what they were trying to tell me about the relationship between MLK & his wife..some bits of the movie good, most of it not so good.

To sum up, pretty disappointing.

chrisdmoller 26 January 2015

Fmovies: If you are looking for entertainment about the civil rights era (a real challenge if you know anything about the civil rights period), and you have no problems with the historical revisionism of the movie, then this is a film you might like. Although I find the idea of making an entertaining film about one of the ugliest periods of American history a fool's errand, I guess the director is entitled to make the attempt to entertain us. . On the other hand, given that the subject matter of the film is the pivotal, dramatic, and violent clashes involving the racist political structures of Selma and Alabama, and the key players of the civil rights movement, one would think that the directory and screen play would capitalize on these dramatic historical events in a compelling retelling of this part of American history. They failed to tell history truthfully. . I had heard about the problems in the portrayal of LBJ in the film, but I didn't realize that historical time lines were also tinkered with for dramatic effect.

*** SPOILER ALERTS ***

The film starts with Coretta and Martin just before his Nobel award in October of 1964, and then the second scene jumps back more than a year to September of 1963 and the "16th Street Baptist Church bombing" where 4 young girls were killed (there is no subtitle to clue in the audience that these scenes were more than a year earlier). They used his 1964 Nobel speech to juxtapose against events that appear to happen at the same time.

It was clear right from the beginning that the writer and director were not interested in historical accuracy, they were interested in creating their own mythology around historical events. The historical inaccuracy characterizing LBJ as dead set against civil rights and voting rights for blacks is proof that the makers of this film have an agenda to lionize and then canonize MLK. The problem I with the film makers is that don't have to lie about the facts to convince us that MLK was a great man.

In conclusion, if you are looking for entertainment, there are a lot of other popcorn films that are far better. For history on the civil rights era, better check out the PBS documentary series "Eyes on the Prize" (1987 six one hour episodes) and the follow up second season in 1990 of eight one hour episodes).

Sploich 18 February 2015

As Cinemark's Oscar Movie Week reaches its midway point, we come to possibly the most controversial film in the running for Best Picture this year. A lot of people are confused as to why Selma was only nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song. Frankly, I don't think it should have been nominated for either.

First of all, from what I understand, the reason it was "snubbed" (I really hate that word, by the way) is because the studio was late in releasing its screeners to voters. It seems that most people just never saw the movie because of this and the fact that it had a sparse release in the first place. So how did it get nominated for Best Picture? I can only imagine it was word-of-mouth. People said it deserved it, so maybe voters wrote it in to give it a chance, and it just so happened to knock Gone Girl and Foxcatcher out to edge its way in.

Selma may be the first major studio production depicting the life of Martin Luther King Jr., but there is nothing original or even remarkable about this film. It has the production value of a made- for-TV movie and the acting to match. It's better than something as abysmally idiotic as The Butler, and it's not as politically manipulative as something like Fruitvale Station.

On the other hand, Selma is to the civil rights movement what countless religious movies are to religion. Even if it has heart and its intentions are pure, which I do believe they are, the production quality just isn't enough to make it relative or persuasive. The politicians are flat and their interactions are repetitive. The movie follows a pattern of King arguing with President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), followed by King talking to his wife, followed by a protest, followed by King returning to Johnson. It just goes on and on like that for the duration of the film with not a whole lot being accomplished or progressing.

David Oyelowo is not a bad actor, but he does not make an inspirational King, and virtually nothing King does in the film has any bearing on the story. The plot only moves forward when outside forces effect the situation. I feel like that's an injustice to King, to not make it more clear and apparent that what he was doing and saying was an important factor in getting to where we are today.

Personally, I would have made a film that ended with King getting his Nobel Prize rather than opening with it. The fact is that the Selma story just isn't very interesting. If it had been the climax to a story of the entire journey, it could have made for an epic, emotional conclusion. Instead, the movie is just a drawn out mess of repetitious preaching.

NanoFrog 19 January 2015

Selma fmovies. Something, hard to define, is missing in this important film. This film takes the viewer on a journey to Selma Alabama at the crucial time of the Civil Rights movement that took place during the life of Martin Luther King. It covers the important facts, describing clearly the sad situation that people of color faced in trying to register to vote in the segregated south. Even today, the efforts by white-dominated election boards make it more and more difficult for people of color to register and make their votes in the old south. The actor playing Dr. King, in my view, is one of the serious problems this film has. He seems to do a good job, but something serious is missing. The fact that he is not an American is part of this problem. There is something artificial about his acting. It is technically sound, yet lacks some deeper presentation of the driven, inspiring personality that defined Dr. King. Perhaps the problem is in the context. We don't really see any sense of the history that lead to this confrontation. The beat down on the bridge is, in my view, poorly filmed and does very little to capture the full outrage, violence and terror of that event. Certainly this is a difficult scene to set up and record, but Hollywood is very well-equipped to do things like this. A lot has been made of the so-called snubbing of Oprah in this film. She has a small part in the beginning of the film, a scene that could have been played by anyone. The scene where she tries to register to vote, while being questioned and intimidated by a series of crazy questions from the voter registrar is very helpful in telling us what this film is about. There is nothing exceptional about her small part, so I see no cause at all for her to imagine that for such a small part she should be nominated for an Academy Award. The very idea seems really childish. A lot of facts were left out, or glossed over; so an enormous opportunity seems to have been lost. Selma is a good film about the civil rights movement, but not a great film. It is flat, the lead actors are not very interesting and the script, in particular, seems half- finished. It comes across as a rough draft of an idea for a film rather than a finished product. I was very disappointed in this film. In particular I did not like the actors playing Doctor King or President Johnson. The photography, the camera work, as well was not very good...flat and dry. Perhaps we all have inflated expectations. This is such an important and dramatic story; yet it was created and presented in a very un-inspired form with to many missing parts. The part I absolutely did not like at all in any way is the "song" that closes the film. The semi-rap composition was very disrespectful and tried much to hard to be "relevant". And the fact that it is one of the few points on which it was nominated by the Academy, as "best song" is just sad.

supersohail 1 January 2015

David Oyelowo played a spectacular MLK. The drama was good and it kept me entertained...like The Expendables. The movie was strongly fictionalized, unfortunately tarnishing its historical accuracy. This would have been a great movie even if it had stuck to the historical record but for Hollywood reasons (sensationalism; promoting racial discord; etc) the writer actively "reimagined" LBJs relationship with MLK to promote the idea of MLK fighting on all fronts - even against the all-powerful President who stands in his way. In fact (with plenty of recorded phone conversations, and MLKs words to back it up) LBJ and MLK worked closely in tandem to orchestrate the Civil Rights Act in '64 and Voting Rights Act in '65. This is not even debated - it's known and well recorded and understood. The fact that the film presented the opposite of the truth in this regard - for box office sales no less - is unfortunate indeed. For those who turn to Hollywood for history lessons they will see an entertaining movie but learn very little.

drawlife 20 January 2015

Film critic Richard Roeper said it best. Selma is a film that provides a history lesson, but doesn't feel like a history lecture. Not one bit.

I foresee a bright future for the director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo. For DuVernay's second or third effort, it's quite an achievement what she manages to do with this film. For nearly fifteen years she's been working in studio marketing and publicity and her film speaks for itself. She directs the film with flare and keeps the film emotionally grounded. Even though at times you think you know whats coming, DuVernay keeps us at bay and also provides us with some neat surprises. Also give Paul Webb some credit with his sharp screenplay.

David Oyelowo truly embodies MLK. More often than not Selma tends to focus on something not many people tend to expect in a movie about MLK. The script showcases his doubts and insecurities. Oyelowo comes through with a deeply felt and compelling performance. He also nails Dr. King's speech patterns, voice, even his posture and shows that Dr. King has his flaws, but is a compassionate person. I find it hard that anyone will be able to take their eyes off him. What a performance. Shame that it was overlooked by the Academy.

Everyone in the cast brings their "A-game." I liked Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, but I wanted just a little more of her character, but she makes up the most of what she has. Oprah Winfrey is solid as Annie Lee Cooper. She has a very substantial role and has a nice subplot. Other particular standouts are Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Tim Roth as George Wallace.

Selma takes itself very seriously, there isn't much humor to be found, and any break from documenting its events are often downbeat character moments. However DuVernay's talent is in full blaze. This film is very heavy, but it always grabs your attention, often in the hands of Oyelowo's performance. The March 7th, "Bloody Sunday" sequence is brutal to watch, but DuVernay and cinematographer Bradford Young achieve and deliver quite an intense and impactful set piece. Literally, it hits you in the gut as we watch history forged in flesh and blood.

I am still shocked that this film received so little recognition by the Academy. Oyelowo and DuVernay should have been nominated at the very least. I believe you can blame that to Paramount Pictures as I heard that they did not deliver the screeners on time for the Academy voters. It's a pity.

By the time we arrive at the film's postscript, revealing the fates of several people chronicled by Selma, it's almost impossible not to be moved by their courage and sacrifice. Selma to me, is not just a biopic, but rather a film that celebrates a community action through the eyes of Martin Luther King Jr. This movie sadly, could not be more relevant right now.

9.3/10

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