2019 Oscars

It's time for the 2019 Oscars. I haven't blogged in almost a year, but there's something about the Oscars that makes me want to put all my movie thoughts out into the interwebs.

Best Picture
Thanks to Cinemark's Oscar Week, I was able to cross off two more nominees on Friday and Saturday, bringing my total of Best Picture nominees to 5 out of 8. I feel like it was a really weak year of nominations and I wasn't really excited about any of them (except A Star Is Born which I was very excited about it when I bought my ticket). I generally have at least one that I loved and I'm rooting for despite it's slim chances (Brooklyn). This year I feel like instead of rooting FOR movies I'm rooting AGAINST movies to win. 

Black Panther - didn't care for it; the best Marvel is Captain America: Civil War by far (although Infinity War was pretty spectacular).

BlacKkKlansman - didn't get around to seeing it

Bohemian Rhapsody - I ended up seeing this purely on my cousin Phaedra's love for it; I enjoyed it, and did not expect to cry, but there are some issues with the portrayal of Mercury

The Favourite - just saw this on Friday night after swearing off Yorgos Lanthimos films after The Lobster; however, it was fun and entertaining and just might be my pic for most liked/didn't hate film this year.

Roma - didn't see it; heard from several people that  it has no story and is incredibly slow (which doesn't make it bad, but does mean that if watching it at home  means I'll fall asleep).

Green Book - no desire to see this film.

A Star Is Born - really excited to see it, but it didn't quite live up to the hype. I felt it floundered a bit in the second half. 

Vice - saw it against my better judgment yesterday just so I could adequately compare all nominees. The movie is boring and incredibly slow, with very weird tonal choices that left me wondering if it was meant to be a comedy (the only laugh I heard from the audience was at the beginning title card). It was awful and I'm actively rooting against it to win anything. 

Best Actor

Christian Bale and Rami Malek are duking it out, and this one is both me actively rooting against and rooting for. I really do like Bale, but the film is not good and I dislike giving an award based on physical transformation. I'm actively rooting for Malek because I like him in Mr. Robot and think he's a really great actor. In another year, it would be Bradley Cooper's year for singing, playing, acting and directing himself. 

Best Actress

No dog in this fight really until I saw The Favourite. Now I'm all in for Olivia Colman.

I just hope it's a fun night with some surprises (Richard E. Gant!!!). The Academy has really been botching things as of late, and the hostless ceremony this year is just one more. But I'm optimistic, and I'm going to watch anyway because I like to see what everyone is wearing and, most of all, I love celebrating film!