LINCOLN (B+)

Bottom Line: I can’t imagine a world where Daniel Day Lewis goes home empty-handed come Oscar night.  In all of his political intuitiveness, all of his methodical patronage, all of his soft spoken sincerity, all of his…tallness - DDL becomes Honest Abe before our eyes and easily delivers the best lead actor performance of the year!  Instead of covering the lifespan of this great leader – like its singularly bold title might suggest – we’re plunged in to the last few months of his presidency and his path to abolishing slavery and ending the Civil War.  It’s the best movie about passing a law I’ve ever seen…but it’s still a movie about passing law.  I was a little turned off by this at first but found myself thinking about the movie more and more in the following days.  If you can get over the non-epicness of it all, that it’s just a bunch of people debating in a bunch of different venues and the perhaps-it’s-better-suited-as-a-stage-play vibe – if you can get past that then you’re in for an enlightening cinematic treat.  Spielberg’s LINCOLN is a polished, deliberate, witty, astute, informative, intense and thoroughly engrossing Oscar frontrunner.  An intricate and intimate look at the back-door political arena of the mid 1800’s.  It’s an enthralling history lesson via the big screen.  More than deserving of the handful of Oscar nominations it’s bound to receive, LINCOLN is – quite honestly – one of the better films of 2012.

Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 149 minutes
Story: Lincoln is a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. (DreamWorks Pictures)

Trailer: www.thelincolnmovie.com