Norfolk’s historic Attucks Theater is a special place made even more special last week as it hosted the screening of a new HBO documentary on an historical court case/beautiful love story.

For those who are unaware of the Lovings, here’s a brief backstory. An interracial marriage in Virginia ends in arrest in June of 1958 and ultimately, a felony conviction. The couple were banned from living in the state.

They sought help from the ACLU at the suggestion of then Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and it led to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case: Loving vs. Virginia, 1967.

The documentary is shot in HD and in 16mm. The story of the bulk of the 16mm footage is an amazing story not even told in the film, but the footage itself is worth mentioning. Shot by a then recent college graduate with a hunch that this case might be historic, the footage captures the essence of Richard (who was white) and Mildred (who was part black and part Native American) Loving at home in a normal family setting, doing everyday, mundane things like putting on their daughter’s socks or starting a fire in the wood stove. The lingering shots in a cinema verite style are moving, endearing and thought-provoking. The footage ultimately sat in the graduate’s bedroom closet until a call from The Loving Story’s producers.

Using footage from news archive footage of the time intercut with the 16mm gold footage and grounded by modern day interviews with the lawyers who brought the case to the highest court in the land, as well as the Loving’s daughter, gives the audience the feeling of being in the time capsule but with perspective.

Wonderfully captured in the film, Mildred’s boldness and tenacity from a quiet and humble place beside Richard’s sincerity and dedication help us really see the bigger picture even while they seem unaware or unwilling to see themselves as civil rights activists. And in an interview, their daughter Peggy shares simply that when they met (Mildred was 11 and Richard was 17), it was love at first sight. This love was evident on screen throughout the film.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned Virginia’s law which led to the end of anti-miscegenation laws in all stars that had them. The Lovings were an unassuming couple who simply asked why loving someone was against the law – a question that still plagues states in 2012 as same-sex marriages are debated.

Bravo to Director/Producer Nancy Buirski and Producer/Editor Elisabeth Haviland James for their vision and persistence in bringing The Loving Story to the screen. Thanks locally to COX Communications and the Attucks Theater for allowing us to see it in person and meet one of the attorneys who argued the case and the editor/producer following the screening. And kudos to HBO for bringing such an important story to a mass audience.

A movie reviewer loves this day! All year long we go to movies and review them based on our feelings and observations. When it’s time for the nominations, we are put to the test. Did the movies we reviewed as the best of the year stand out among all the rest in the eyes of the Oscar voters? Today was the day we got our answers!

Here were MY picks for BEST PICTURE — the first ones I felt were a lock for a nomination (the asterisks denotes the actual nominations):
**The Descendants
**The Artist
**Midnight in Paris
**Warhorse
**Hugo
The Ides of March
**The Help
**Moneyball

These were the ones I felt COULD get in but were on the bubble:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
**The Tree of Life
Bridesmaids
Drive
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two

One film received a nomination that wasn’t on my list at all:
**Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The most interesting thing about the list of Best Picture nominees is that there are only nine. The Academy expanded nominations from five to ten a few years ago, but this year — tweaking the rules — required winning nominees to receive a certain percentage of votes for inclusion. Five to 10 films could have been nominated — apparently only nine received enough attention from Academy voters.

As for the Acting nominations. I went five for five in the BEST ACTRESS category. The nominees are:
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn’

I went four for five in the BEST ACTOR category. The nominees are:
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Denian Bichir, “A Better Life”

Other categories of note:
BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

My first thoughts looking over the list:
1 – So excited for Melissa McCarthy and “Bridesmaids”!
2 – No “Ides of March” in the Best Picture list?
3 – Where was “The Adventures of Tin Tin”? One nomination and not even for Best Animated Feature?
4 – So sad that the best of the Harry Potter film series was relegated to Visual Effects, Art Direction and Makeup nominations, again.
5 – Isn’t Max von Sydow the guy who doesn’t say a word in “Extrememly Loud and Incredibly Close”? That’s awesome.
6 – And YAY! for Melissa McCarthy! Did I already mention that?

I’m sure I will have more thoughts when there’s time to digest it all. That’s another blog for another day.

For a complete list of Oscar Nominations, visit the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences websit by CLICKING HERE.

The winners will be announced Sunday, February 26th and I will be tweeting and posting on facebook via The Hampton Roads Show twitter and facebook pages. So much fun! Let me know your thoughts below!