I listen to pretentious indie music, try to stay well read, and make an effort to see all the Oscar nominated movies. But sometimes Radiohead is too heavy, Faulkner makes no sense, and fantastic performances are a part of slow paced movies.

Fences is a play by August Wilson that takes place in Philadelphia in the 50’s, and the greater part of this cast were pulled directly from the recent 2010 Broadway revival. And it shows, as Davis and Washington perform this like they have been speaking these lines for years, and they have.

Viola Davis and Denzel were sensational, with Davis especially securing her spot as reigning Oscar heavyweight. I read recently that we all underrate Denzel’s performances, because he’s so consistently spot on. I thought these two were going to have an Academy Awards night sweep, especially after the SAG awards this year.

As for the movie overall, I don’t picture myself re-watching this anytime soon. It comes off as a true rendition of the play, and I so rarely sit down with a pint of ice cream and think “I could really go for something subtle.” Performances near perfection, but film, 7/10