oscars, blah

I was getting ready to write a lengthy Oscar nominations reaction, but you know what? Fuck the Oscars. Jonah Hill is nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and Albert Brooks is not. Tree of Life is not nominated for visual effects. And don't get me started on the animated feature category...

I was already fairly disconnected from the awards season this year to begin with. Over the past year, the cost of going to see a movie in the theater has gone up while the quality of the experience at my local multiplexes has plummeted. Half the screen out of focus, projected so dimly that subtitles are grey, background noise drowning out quiet dialog... And, most importantly, the movies that are actually worth seeing (according to critics) almost never play anywhere. Meanwhile, I got a new TV for Christmas. Nothing special, just a 32". No super HD, no blu-ray, no home theater system - I've just got a decent TV and a DVD player. And the experience of watching a movie on that is far better than any theater in the region. Seriously, the theaters here have gotten so bad that even if I took my basic TV and cheap DVD player to a crowded room with a sticky floor and broken seats, it would still be a better experience than the local multiplexes. Consequently, I've only seen maybe three movies in the theater since the summer (whereas last year I went almost every week).

But still, I thought, "Oh, I'll put the movies that are nominated for major awards in my Netflix queue, and watch them eventually." But then I see that at least one movie with scathingly negative reviews is nominated for Best Picture. And of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, only and small handful are nominated for anything. And then I remember watching The Blind Side, and finally it dawns on me: The Motion Picture Academy are a bunch of idiots.

Well, so much for not writing a lengthy post.

I guess as long as I've come this far, I might as well make some lists, for my own reference. Asterisks mark movies that are available on video.

Nominees that I've seen:
*Drive - sound
*Harry Potter 8 - art direction, makeup, effects
*Midnight in Paris - picture, directing, writing, art direction
*Moneyball - picture, writing, lead actor, supporting actor, editing, sound
The Muppets - song
*Rango - animated feature
*Rise of the Planet of the Apes - effects
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - writing, lead actor, score
*The Tree of Life - picture, directing, cinematography

Nominees that I haven't seen and want to see:
The Artist - picture, directing, writing, lead actor, supporting actress, editing, cinematography, art direction, costumes, score
The Descendants - picture, directing, writing, editing, lead actor
*Bridesmaids - writing, supporting actress
Hugo - picture, directing, writing, editing, cinematography, art direction, costumes, sound x2, effects, score
A Separation - writing, foreign film
*The Ides of March - writing
*Beginners - supporting actor
*Warrior - supporting actor
*Hell and Back Again - documentary feature
My Week with Marilyn - lead actress, supporting actor
The Adventures of Tintin - score

Nominees that I haven't seen and wouldn't mind seeing but don't really care:
Pina - documentary feature
*Jane Eyre - costumes
*Real Steel - effects
War Horse - picture, cinematography, art direction, score, sound x2
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - lead actress, editing, cinematography, sound x2
*A Better Life - lead actor

Nominees that I don't know anything about one way or the other:
Albert Nobbs - lead actress, supporting actress, makeup
Bullhead - foreign film
A Cat in Paris - animated feature
Chico & Rita - animated feature
Footnote - foreign film
In Darkness - foreign film
Monsieur Lazhar - foreign film
W.E. - costumes

Nominees that I haven't seen and don't want to see:
*Margin Call - writing
Undefeated - documentary feature
*Kung Fu Panda 2 - animated feature
Paradise Lost 3 - documentary feature
Puss in Boots - animated feature
Iron Lady - lead actress, makeup
*Anonymous - costumes
*The Help - picture, lead actress, supporting actress x2
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - picture, supporting actor
*If a Tree Falls - documentary feature
*Rio - song
*Transformers 3 - sound x2, effects