Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is a story about a young man who is forced to see that life different from your own isn't necessarily better.  Gil (Owen Wilson) is a script writer who is struggling to write his first novel.  For inspiration he travels along with his fiancee's (Rachel McAdams) parents to Paris.  He is in love with 1920s Paris in the rain, referring to it as the Golden Age.  One night, while walking around Paris at midnight, he is pulled into a cab and brought to his favorite decade.  He hangs out with fellow writers from that era, such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston; Thor, War Horse and Alison Pill; Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim vs The World), Ernest Hemingway(Corey Stoll; Push, Salt) and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates).  He often escapes to this fantasy land causing him to drift apart from his fiancee.  He falls for Picasso's mistress Adriana (Marion Cotillard; Inception, Nine) and is swept away to her idea of a golden age, 1890s Paris.  She soon decides she wants to stay and that's when Gil realizes that everyone's idea of a golden age is different.  He may be in love with the 1920s, but people from that era may wish to live in a different era as well.  He also soon reevaluates some of his present day relationships.
Midnight in Paris is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Art Direction, Writing (Original Screenplay).
Midnight in Paris is director Woody Allen's sixth nomination for Best Director and 15th nomination for Best Writing.  He's won both awards together once before in 1978 for Annie Hall.  He won Best Writing once again in 87 with Hannah and Her Sisters, but hasn't won an Oscar since then.  The writing and dialog has the same flow as all his other films, so to me its nothing really special.  The main story, however, was a different concept.  Any book lovers dream, whether you write or just read, would be to meet any great other of another time.  Seeing these authors, I know for me at least, portrayed in the film was exciting.  One of the things that bothered me in the film, other than the very long establishing shots of Paris, was the character of Gil.  Sometimes I felt as if Wilson was just told to act like a young Woody Allen.  Some of the things he said or they way he said them reminded me of characters Allen had played in his other films.  It wasn't very different from his other films, so I don't know if he has a good chance of winning.  This is his first Best Picture nomination, but I don't think its Best Picture material.  It was good, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't go out and buy it to watch everyday.  Then again, so far out of the Best Picture nominations I've seen, I haven't felt so excited about any of them.  I guess we'll see in a few weeks.