Ohhh, Oscar, Oscar, Oscar....

[captainsblog]

I doubt I'll watch the festivities tomorrow night. The buzz and the red carpet and the Busby Berkeley production numbers all get lost on me real quick, and I can never manage to stay awake for the real business of the evening after the Second Assistant Nosepicker winners finish giving their 20-minute speeches for the first three hours.

At least this year breaks with some past contests, in that we've actually managed to see one of the nominees, and on home video yet, before the ceremony. I suspect this oddity is a by-product of the writers strike, where they couldn't sneak all their last-minute entries into a Los Angeles County cinema by the last week of December. Michael Clayton is a remarkable, if difficult, piece of entertainment, and it would richly deserve any accolades it might receive (particularly for Clooney and Tilda Swinton, the latter once again unfairly displacing a United Statesian actress through her bloody perfect Mercunness). Most pre-season polls, however,  point to the Coen brothers cleaning up for No Country for Old Men, which won't show up a la Netflix for another two-plus weeks. I've loved most of their stuff over the years, but somehow this particular plot didn't seem all that suited to their sort of black humor, and I'll be pleasantly surprised if either the Academy or the DVD gives me reason to believe otherwise.

I've had a vague desire to go out and see Juno, but nothing's come of it yet, and I don't think any of the other leading contenders (other than There Will Be Blood, another that doesn't really appeal) is even playing in these hinterlands yet.

Somebody wake me when Bjork gets attacked by a falcon.

Comments

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

I have a standing policy. I generally wait to see the Oscar-nominated movies until the festivities are over. Then I rent them and see if I agree with the Academy. The Academy bats about 60% with the headbanger. It's not hard to avoid the Oscar-worthy movies during the years, as the only movies I see in theaters are kids' movies. :D

[targaff.livejournal.com]

I won't be watching them for the specific reason that they're not showing on freeview here and I they're far too stupid and self-congratulatory to actually pay for. Mark Kermode did the Mark's on The Culture Show here last night, and they seemed eminently more sensible, especially the Diving Bell and the Butterfly for best foreign film.

We were supposed to see Juno last week, but everyone was ill, so maybe we'll see it tomorrow. I was assured "down t'pub" last night that No Country for Old Men was well worth seeing, though the informing party said they weren't able to work out what the point of it was despite being absolutely convinced that there was one. Then again, he was on the verge of being a Coen apologist for their Ladykillers remake, so perhaps a pinch of salt is required...