Consuming mass quantities of film


I don't know why it matters, but I always try to see all the movies nominated for the big Oscars before the awards are handed out. I guess I want some sense of ownership when the prizes are announced, and I want to option to say "Oh, what a farce! Any fool could see that The Long Noisy Exhalation was a far finer film than The Osprey Sings at Lunch! The Academy is all about politics!" or "It's obvious that Garson Canard only got the nod for Mr. Annoying this year because he was passed over last year for his much better portrayal in The Hemlines of Peoria." If I haven't seen any of the movies, all I can do is sit there and say "Oh, she won? What do you know? Must have been good."

And running out to see the winners after the awards is too herd mentality for me. The last thing I want to do is cram into a theater with a bunch of losers who couldn't get off the couch and get out before the Academy Awards - in other words, a bunch of losers just like me. That's bad company.

So although this year I have had a piss poor success level in getting my viewing done in a timely fashion, one should never give up and never give in. Or give way. Or give out. So we are making a last ditch effort to see as many nominees as possible in the waning hours before Sunday's Oscars.

Thursday night it was Eastern Promises on DVD. A little bloody and cruel for Mrs. Blogger, but a super excellent film for me, I give it eleven stars. Last night it was Elizabeth: The Golden Age, again on DVD. Love that Cate Blanchett, and love those old England period pieces. Just watched the other Elizabeth film recently, along with season one of The Tudors, so this one was right in my wheelhouse, and seeing the Spanish Armada go up in CGI flames was sweet. I doubt that Viggo Mortensen or Blanchett will win Oscars, but these are two real good movies.

For today's action packed adventure, I have located a theater (The Rialto in Santa Rosa) where we can see No County for Old Men in the early PM and There Will Be Blood right after. That would be after The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is playing in my living room in about five minutes. So far, the evening is open. And since the Oscars don't start until 5pm Sunday, we have time for a couple more viewings tomorrow. Wish me luck, and send Visine.

Comments

DodgerScott said…
I want to hear your review on The Assassination of Jesse James. It seemed like the perfect role for soft-spoken, often muttering, Baby AfFleck.
March 1, 2008 at 10:00 PM
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