Marble Falls Library Cinema Book Club mulls Oscar picks
MARBLE FALLS — Of nine nominees for an Oscar during the upcoming Academy Awards presentation, four films stand out, according to the Marble Falls Library Cinema Book Club.
Each month, the club convenes in the Marble Falls Public Library to discuss movies based on books.
During a meeting Feb. 3, the members picked “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “The Help” and “Moneyball” as contenders for the 2011 Oscar for Best Picture.
PHOTO 1: Marble Falls Cinema Book Club member Elizabeth Shelton displays the photo of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in the book ‘Killing Lincoln’ by Bill O’Reilly. Staff photo by Raymond V. Whelan
“I like all of them,” said club member Mary Wagner of Meadowlakes.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the winner Feb. 26 during the 84th presentation of the awards in Hollywood at the Kodak Theatre. ABC television plans to broadcast the ceremonies.
Kingsland resident Ed Mampel noted “The Help” has already received several awards from the Screen Actors Guild, as well as Golden Globe awards from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The film — based on a novel by Kathryn Stockett — focuses on the relationship between a well-to-do woman and her maids during the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s.
“I think it is excellent,” Library Director Mary Jackson said.
Based on the book by Michael Lewis, “Moneyball” is probably her favorite film from last year, said Elizabeth Shelton of Marble Falls.
The movie tells the story of Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics baseball team former general manager, who transformed the 2002 club into a contender by relying on statistical analysis over traditional scouting methods.
“It (‘Moneyball’) is based on a true story about a man who had vision,” Shelton said. “I like stories about Americans who do good things.”
“The Descendants” is based on a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The movie centers on the trials of the wealthy King family in Hawaii after a mother who had an affair lapses into a coma. George Clooney plays attorney Matt King, her husband.
“It is an excellent book,” Shelton said. “Clooney plays an honest person, and I like that.”
“Extremely Loud” is based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. It concerns a young boy named Oskar Schell, who wanders through New York searching for the meaning of a key his late father left hidden in vase. The dad perished in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001.
Young actor Thomas Horn — who initially rose to fame on the game show “Jeopardy” during Kids Week — portrays Schell in the film, which also stars Austinite Sandra Bullock.
“He really played the part,” Jackson said.
Also during the meeting, the group discussed “The Conspirator,” a film based on the book by Eliza Ann Dupuy.
The movie portrays the trial of Mary Surratt, the sole female charged with conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln soon after the Civil War ended in 1865, as well as the first woman hanged by the U.S. government.
“I think she was wrongly accused,” Shelton said. “She was a Southern sympathizer. It was a bitter war, a hard war for all Americans. But she probably didn’t kill anybody.”
Hollywood celebrity Robert Redford directed “The Conspirator.” Well-known for his outspoken opinions, his anti-government bias may have distorted the case in the film, Wagner said.
“I still enjoyed it,” she added.
Two other recent books on Surratt and the Lincoln assassination were discussed, including “The Assassin’s Accomplice” by Kate Clifford Larson and “Killing Lincoln” by Bill O’Reilly.
Moviegoers and readers alike are welcome to attend the club’s monthly meeting 11 a.m. the first Friday of the month at the library, 101 S. Main St.
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