12 Years A Slave, out November 1st 2013, is based on the book of the same name. Written by Solomon Northup and published in 1853, it chronicles the account of his kidnapping and subsequent years as a slave in the Deep South. The movie holds nothing back from Northup’s brutal descriptions of slave life. Brilliantly played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Northup takes us on an emotional rollercoaster with the very first image. From sweet scenes with his family in Saratoga, New York, to vicious slave whippings on a Louisiana cotton plantation, the movie succeeds in pulling you in and horrifying you all at once.

It runs the gamut of slave life: a master who treats his slaves as human beings, and one whose behavior is both bizarre and brutal; going from singing in the cotton fields to mourning a fallen slave; attempting to run, and the myriad punishments for doing so. Here, too, is depicted the deepest despair in a beautiful slave who catches master’s eye, and the terrible consequences to which jealousy can bring both men and women. Filled with moments of exquisite tension, perfectly musically underscored, the movie will leave you shaken.

Though set in 1841, it portrays the life that sets up so much of the foundation for our own time period that the perspective it provides far outstrips the ticket price.

While the lack of sugar- coating is admirable, it is a violent, and often graphic, view on slave life, and so should not be seen by anyone under college age. Directed by Steve McQueen, and also staring Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Brad Pitt (who also produced the movie), it carries an R rating.

By: Debbie L. Jones

On November 16th, history buffs were given another Civil War movie to critique. Starring Daniel Day Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg, Lincoln pulls back the curtain on the last months of the president’s life.

Centered around the battle to get the 13th Amendment passed, the movie moves between intense debate in the House of Representatives, and behind-the-scenes efforts of Lincoln and his cabinet to secure the vote. Along the way we are given glimpses into the private lives of the Lincoln family, leaving the viewer with a multi-faceted portrait of Lincoln late in the war.

The sets and costumes are highly detailed and were clearly created with an eye firmly on accuracy. Daniel Day Lewis loses himself in his role, allowing viewers to believe he truly is Lincoln. Sally Field beautifully portrays the troubled Mary Lincoln, and David Strathairn gives a brilliant turn as an intense Seward. Tommy Lee Jones is featured as the no-holds-barred Representative Thaddeus Stevens. The movie offers many surprisingly funny and tender moments, and little to irritate a serious historian and re- enactor.

In the end, Lincoln is an intriguing, wonderfully filmed movie that is well worth the price of admission.

By Debbie L. Jones