It’s the day before the Academy Awards, the most famous, politically confusing, and fist-shakingly-maddening of movie awards ceremonies. Finally got a pool started at work. I’ve already forgotten what I chose for best documentary short and which ‘eh, we’ll throw it a little nugget’ choice I made for adapted screenplay. (At least one of the screenplay winners is a film that will win nothing else, generally.)
Since everything’s been said (except HOLY SHIT, Jean Dujardin didn’t win the César for Best Actor), I can’t really add much to the conversation anymore. So here are some other people’s musings and similar:
- Cinematorium staffer Laura saw 124 movies last year. Here’s what she thought of ’em.
- The Independent Spirit Awards are today, and almost universally more interesting (nominee and winner-wise) than the Academy Awards. Ditto the Chlorothrudis Awards.
- Ditto the Razzies (nominees are being announced later today).
- Hell, even the potentially just-as-political BAFTAs (which have been awarded already) are a touch more interesting/less inclined to schmaltz (slightly).
- Filmspotting’s show this week was mostly about the Oscars. It’s because of critics like them (and Ebert, and a dozen others) that I never aspired to be a completist about seeing all the Best Picture nominees. Extremely Loud looks exceedingly schlocky and precious.
- Roger Ebert thinks these people
werewuz robbed. - The AV Club on why Oscar Season Is Basically The Worst.
- A relink to the Oscar panel (from late January) on Q.
I have been faffing about for weeks instead of seeing Hugo, the only one of the Best Picture nominees I’m interested in still (I’ve not seen the aforementioned Extremely Loud Thing, nor War Horse). Is it worth an hour-long bus ride each way? What if the hype that the Cinematorium employees have been giving it has tainted the film for me, making me resentful and immune to its charms? (My car is in use all day for my brother’s nerdly pursuits with carless friends who live in faraway places.)
Stayed tuned (or not) to this space.
Also, the lovely Mark Watson was on Graham Norton last night. Brits can catch it on iPlayer. It’ll be on BBC America some time today, I think. BBC Canada will play it…eventually. Next week, maybe? I do think it might mark (heh) Mr Watson’s Canadian tv début. From the clips I’ve seen, though, the ‘big’ guest, a Hollywood star of massive ego and little wit, kinda takes over in a disappointing way.