And The Nominees Are

side_oscarThe 95th Academy Awards are going down Sunday night and, after a year break, my woeful predictions are back.  I don’t know that I’ve heard of many of these movies let alone seen them, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Steven Spielberg and Tony Kusher, The Fablemans
Todd Field, Tár
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

I’ve seen none of these films, but Everything Everywhere All at Once seems to be the hot property, so I’m going to go with that.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western Front
Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Kazuo Ishiguro, Living
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, Top Gun: Maverick
Sarah Polley, Women Talking

Who doesn’t love a good war movie?

Best Animated Feature

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red

My best guess, having seen none of these fine films, is that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio wins the day.

Best Cinematography

James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
Darius Khondji, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Mandy Walker, Elvis
Roger Deakins, Empire of Light
Florian Hoffmeister, Tár

Seems like I’m going all in with the war movie.

Best Costume Design

Mary Zophres, Babylon
Ruth Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Catherine Martin, Elvis
Shirley Kurata, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jenny Beavan, Mrs. Hamm Goes to Paris

Well, I’ve seen one of these films, so let’s go with that one.

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2022: The Year In Movies

After seeing my movie watching crater last year, with my lowest total of movies seen since 1988, I managed to bounce back a little bit this year.  I finished the year with 68 movies last year, still on the lower side based on past performance.  Despite being home all day and not needing to bother with pesky things like a commute.  Or exercise.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I watched last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

The Lost Daughter (2021)
A woman goes on vacation without her family and ends up confronting issues from her past.

Wind River (2017)
Two Avengers team up outside of the MCU.

I Am Mother (2019)
After the extinction of humanity, a young girl raised by a robot meets another survivor.

The Craft: Legacy (2020)
A new collection of young girls experiments with witchcraft.

A Family Man (2016)
A man tries to balance the needs of his career versus those of his family and sick child.

Spiral (2021)
A detective finds himself drawn into the games of a mysterious killer.

Scream (2022)
Ghostface is back to terrorize a new generation of Woodsboro teens, but series stalwarts Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette are on hand to assist.

The Fallout (2022)
After a school shooting, three teens bond in mysterious ways.

The Woman In The Window (2022)
An agoraphobic woman starts spying on her neighbors but sees something she shouldn’t.

Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020)
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reunite after 30 years to bring us this tale of music saving the universe. Continue reading →