“Open your eyes and look at me. No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.”
Rhett Butler – Gone with the Wind
Jan. 22: Oscar Nominations
In two days the nominations will come out for the Oscars with the ceremony on Feb. 24th. To win an Oscar is huge, bigger than the SAG or DGA or the Golden Globes in my opinion. One thing for sure, there are politics at play, it could not be avoided for any award with voting.
The Wrap at MSN predicts who will be nominated. It is fun to look at their list and feel smug about the movies seen and bummed about the movies missed. Can’t see them all.
When it comes to the awards ceremony, the elephant in the room will be Black Panther. It is #3 All Time Domestic in the box office. It pulled in big big big bucks and was a really good movie.
Black Panther has everything going for it; big box office, good movie, good cast, good story and so on. Politically it would be a feel good moment for the Academy to see this film sweep the Oscars. I certainly hope that it does.
The down side for Black Panther is that it was released a long time ago. If the best song is nominated, who remembers the song? Some categories could be tough like cinematography when so much is done with CGI. And, finally, it is part of the Avengers franchise and that might be a bad mark for some voters.
The much-smaller-but-still-an-elephant in the room is A Star is Born. This was not a blockbuster but has a ton of Hollywood cred from being a remake, from Cooper’s labor of love, from Lady Gaga and so on. As a voter, I might ask myself if I want to prop up Bradley Cooper’s ego even more!
My own darlings for the year are Mary Poppins, Black Panther, A Star is Born, Green Book and The Favourite. Actresses Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Lady Gaga and the cast of The Favourite all put in brilliant performances.
And so it goes back to politics, I fear. Do you vote for Lady Gaga who is new to acting but a very big name and good for business if she wins? Or do you vote for Glenn Close who has had a great career in film and on Broadway? Both were wonderful in their roles.
How do you even define best?
When the nominations come out in two days, we’ll be shocked at the snubs and delighted if the Academy reflects our own hopes.
The Profound Bartender 