Oscars 2018

Scott Hardie | January 23, 2018
Our annual contest has begun!

Thoughts on today's nominations?

Erik Bates | January 23, 2018
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Samir Mehta | January 23, 2018
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Evie Totty | January 24, 2018
@Samir - I have seen Three Billboards and have NOT seen the controversy. I didn't see anything racist about it - other than the racist characters who were pointed out to be racist...

I also have only seen Get Out and Three Billboards. I was going to see Lady Bird this evening but had to postpone. I will see Mudbound soon as it's already on Netflix. Will be renting Dunkirk as well. And I'll use my trusty Moviepass this week to see as many as I can.

It just seems there is a LOT of 'Oscar bait' films. The Darkest Hour, The Post for sure. I will say I had never even HEARD of Phantom Thread until The Globes.

I am sad that even though I hated Valerian - it didn't get an sfx nod. I was told that it is a tight race and is dependant upon the Bake-Off presentation (a dinner a couple of weeks before the nominations for these movies) and I'm assuming they didn't show up.

Also surprised that The Greatest Showman did not place for anything except song. Really surprised. I did hope that Blade Runner would have made it in given the 'no limit' to the nominations. I really did love that film. Watched it again this past weekend.

Regardless - super pleased to see Get Out and Lady Bird in there. Greta Gerwig speaks my language so I know I'll love Lady Bird before I even get to see it.

Scott Hardie | January 28, 2018
I received Get Out on disc from Netflix weeks ago and still haven't had time to see it. I had better catch up because the spoilers are starting to catch up to me.

I'm really pleased to see Blade Runner 2049 nominated numerous times, especially for visual effects. In a movie full of great effects, its conception of Joi the hologram is especially impressive.

I was surprised to discover that Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan's first nomination for directing. I know he has his detractors, but I thought enough people in the industry admired the ambitiousness of his work to give him the honor already.

I guess Three Billboards directed itself?

Like Meryl Streep's automatic nomination, another year brings another embarrassment in the Best Animated Feature category. Is it really worth nominating this sort of thing for an Academy Award?

Samir Mehta | January 28, 2018
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Evie Totty | February 20, 2018
Yeah I can't believe Boss Baby was nominated lol. Also cannot believe that Nolan did not receive a nod before now - what? I just rewatched Memento for the first time since it came out in 2000 the other day. I was happy to say that I'd pretty much forgotten the whole thing (because this isn't a film you can rewatch really... but I guess you can 2 decades later lol)

Anyway, it was the film that introduced me to Nolan!

I haven't had the opportunity to see Coco yet :(

I'm up to 5 of 9 for the Best Films though! Call Me By Your Name may prove difficult to find. Maybe. This is an artsy town. Maybe it's at Burns!

Scott Hardie | February 21, 2018
Some Regal theaters are holding a "Best Picture film festival" by devoting one screen to showing the nine Best Picture nominees on a loop. For $35 you can attend any of the movies any time for two weeks. Kelly and I are debating doing that; it's really a question of whether we'll have time to see enough of them to get our money's worth. But if you can pay just for a single showing, that might be a way to see Call Me By Your Name.

Scott Hardie | March 5, 2018
It was a good year in our contest. Returning players did well, but new player Dave Guthmann, who joined only a day before the contest, won with 120 out of a possible 124 points. Incredible! Of the Funeratic regulars, Steve West did by far the best with 114 points. Well done.

Reading about the awards and the show, the thought I'm most struck with is how the industry's words and actions don't line up. This year, they say they're all about championing female empowerment in the face of sexual abusers, but they turned around and gave Oscars to a wife-beater and a rapist. (And that's not even counting this jackass still having a job on the red carpet.) I don't understand how it's ok to honor some abusers while jeering others. I have a feeling that if Kobe Bryant had played basketball for any other city, he wouldn't have been on that stage.

What is your take on the show or the winners, or our contest?