50 Best Films of 2014 - #30 - #21

On to the next ten, my #30 through #21 favorite films from 2014...

30. The Fault in Our Stars

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of this film, from the glowing review I wrote when I saw it in the theater last summer to the fact that I included Shailene Woodley in my personal choices for Best Actress of the year recently. I refuse to pretend the tears I shed from this story and the performances that carried it never fell from my eyes. A gut wrenching yet beautiful movie.

29. Selma

An expertly made biopic that nearly avoided all of the traditional tropes that make me roll my eyes at these types of films, Selma gets right what a movie like Unbroken got so, so wrong. Getting punched hurts, unless you get hit every two minutes for two straight hours, which was essentially the narrative of the latter. Eventually you are desensitized to the brutality and you just quit on the experience, where as in Selma, when it hits, it hits hard because it knows just when to land the blows. This is a pretty great and important film.

28. Finding Vivian Maier

A truly fascinating documentary about a eccentric and mysterious nanny who lived a secret, brilliant life as an absolutely amazing photographer. Despite her incredible artistic vision with the camera, she never showed a single picture to anyone, and her massive and breathtaking collection was finally discovered after she passed away. Not only does this film cover her life and her jaw dropping talent, but it asks a pretty important question as well: if someone goes to great lengths to hide something while they are alive, is it fair to show the world after they are dead? Or should privacy extend beyond the length of our lives?

27. Edge of Tomorrow

Easily one of the best surprises of 2014 for me, Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow seemed like a turd when I first saw the trailer, but after catching wind of a whole lot of positive word of mouth I gave it a shot. I'm glad I did. A smart, exciting and fun summer blockbuster, and say what you want about Tom Cruise but no one else could play a role like this so damn well. His personal life and religious beliefs aside, Cruise is still an outstanding talent and he demonstrated that again here, and the chemistry with Emily Blunt didn't hurt matters either.

26. John Wick

An action film starring Keanu Reeves titled John Wick? Well, this is obviously going to be terrible. The premise is what? His dog is killed so he gets revenge? You've gotta be kidding me, what a train wreck...

Much like Edge of Tomorrow, this is another example of why I shouldn't judge a work before I see it. John Wick is smart, intense, ultra-violent fun, and that silly premise about the dog makes total sense when framed inside the narrative. Not only does it make sense, it actually strongly resonated emotionally. Sure, if this was real life I would be disgusted with the type of killing spree he goes on as a result of a pet dying, but this isn't real life. This is a movie, an escape from reality, and inside this world I was rooting for John throughout.

25. The Guest

The Guest is a wonderful blend of neo-noir modern cinema and a completely ridiculous yet fun horror film from the 1980's. Carried by an incredibly charismatic lead performance from Dan Stevens and the perfectly executed vision of director Adam Wingard, this was one bad ass, tasty treat. Oh, and that last act Halloween school dance set piece with a brilliantly utilized fog machine? Absolutely amazing.

24. X-Men: Days of Future Past

I was pessimistic about how this film would turn out, what with the massive cast and ambitious to a fault sounding premise. I anticipated a jumbled, messy narrative. I was wrong. The latest X-Men installment was not only top notch superhero comic book fun, what impressed me the most about this movie was the patience it showed to make sure it told a story first, with the action and the special effects taking a back seat when they needed to. Thanks to this extremely impressive effort, I have no pessimism whatsoever about the follow up due out next year. Bring it on.

23. Calvary

Prior to seeing Calvary, I had heard it was a "dark comedy". This may be true, but I think a much more fair label would be a dark, meaningful drama with some comedy bits sprinkled in to ease the tension and lighten the mood. What Calvary does extremely well is explore the unfortunately twisted and uncomfortable relationship society has with the Catholic church thanks to the many documented cases of abuse, and also the tense nature of the role faith in general plays in our lives today. It's a shame that we have to be cautious of a man of the cloth, but given the track record, how could we not?

22. Enemy

What if you saw your exact double? Not just a person who resembles you, literally your exact twin that has no relation to you in any genetic sense. What would you do? 

I will tell you what you should do: watch Enemy immediately. Beware though, this doesn't play like a traditional film and the ending is both terrifying and utterly confounding.

21. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

2013 was a down year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sure, I had some fun with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, and neither were terrible films by any means, but after the high that was the first Avengers, they certainly felt like somewhat silly and underwhelming let downs. Well, the good news is 2014 turned out to be a banner year for the studio, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier coming first and being just so flat out awesome. After I saw it, I declared it was the best movie yet from the MCU and I stand by that...sort of. At that time it was, but (spoiler alert for the future of this list) a different 2014 release went above and beyond and soared straight to the top.

Next up, I will enter the top 20 of 2014. The image above is from an extraordinary little gem that I never saw coming.

If I Picked the Oscars - Best Actor

The other day I posted the first round of my personal Oscar picks, from who I would personally nominate and also who would win in the Best Actress category (that post can be found here).

This time around, Best Actor. These would be my five nominees if I were put in charge of the Oscars, and the last one listed is my pick to win the award.

Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Bringing the uniquely brilliant material of Wes Anderson to life seems like it cannot possibly be easy, yet Ralph Fiennes made it look that way in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Displaying perfect comedic delivery and timing, it was an absolute joy to watch Fiennes work throughout this entire film. Despite its intentional absurdity, this movie managed to invoke a certain nostalgic feeling in viewers that clearly resonated, given its critical, box office and award season success. Ralph Fiennes is a major reason why.

Channing Tatum - Foxcatcher

Yeah, that's right. Channing Tatum is a Best Actor nominee in my book. For whatever reason this bright talent remains an actor that people love to hate, as everywhere I look I see negative reactions whenever his name is mentioned as a possibility for a film. I not only don't roll my eyes when I see his name, I root for him to get the part because the richer the material Tatum gets to work with, the better and better he will get. This was proven in Foxcatcher, a film that demanded strong performances from the entire ensemble and they all delivered, yet despite the actual Oscar nominations for both Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo, I felt Tatum's portrayal of Mark Schultz was the strongest piece of this excellent movie. Intense, unnerving, unsettling and just plain awkward, I completely bought in to his character and admired every second he was on the screen.

David Oyelowo - Selma

I would imagine being offered the chance to play Martin Luther King Jr. in a major motion picture would be both a massive honor and an incredibly stressful endeavor. Sure, if it works you will be beloved for bringing the passionate and extraordinary Dr. King to the big screen, but if it doesn't work? That would be a rough moment for any career, being known as the guy who failed at portraying such an important man, the face and the force behind the Civil Rights Movement. David Oyelowo accepted this challenge and he delivered, my goodness he delivered. His work in the film Selma is gripping, emotional, beautiful stuff, and honestly, I still can't believe Bradley Cooper received a nomination over him at the Oscars. Cooper was good, but Oyelowo went to another level.

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

The transformation Eddie Redmayne pulled off to play Stephen Hawking was incredible. It's easy for me to look through a performance like this and see the guy pretending to be the real famous person with an illness, rather than get lost in the role and lose sight of the difference between reality and a fictionalized version. When I was watching The Theory of Everything, I was beyond lost in the heartbreaking nuanced turn by Redmayne. I was in awe of just how real it felt. Hell, even the real Stephen Hawking said he thought he was watching himself after witnessing it. Now that's a hell of a compliment.

and the Oscar goes to...

Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler

Ahhhhh Lou Bloom. While Julianne Moore's performance in Still Alice was the best work I saw in 2014, Lou Bloom is my favorite character of the year, and Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of him lands the top spot om this list. Nightcrawler is such an ominous and entertaining delight, and Gyllenhaal absolutely nails the lead role, showing an unsettling amount of range. I found myself quickly going from a genuine laugh out loud to feeling a sinister chill reverberate through my body, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time watching Jake put on a brilliant, inspired show.

Two actors I desperately wanted to include on this list were Michael Keaton was his amazing performance in Birdman and Haluk Bilginer for his subtly beautiful work in Winter Sleep, but alas such is the nature of narrowing down such an amazing crop of performances to only 5. A great year and unfortunately, I couldn't pick them all.

2015 Best Picture Nominees - Ranked

After watching Selma the other day, I have now officially seen the eight films nominated for Best Picture. Here is how I rank them with links to my reviews of each and a few thoughts on why they either worked or didn't.


8. The Imitation Game

My Review of The Imitation Game

The good news is that I wouldn't call any of the Best Picture nominees a bad film. The Imitation Game was perfectly fine in many respects, but that is precisely the problem: perfectly fine isn't good enough when talking about the elite pictures from any given year. Essentially just a recycled set of biopic tropes with good performances to carry them, I was bored throughout most of the movie and have already forgotten a majority of what occurred. Except, of course, for Alexandre Desplat's score. As usual that was brilliant.

7. American Sniper

My Review of American Sniper


Clint Eastwood directs the hell out of this pretty darn good film, but it just isn't great. At times perfectly measured and compelling, but at other times it felt very much like propaganda rather than fair and balanced, especially during a sequence in which the opposing sniper plays like an evil villain while Chris Kyle wears the hat of hero. Also, a bit too much action and not enough focus on the PTSD side of his experience. It was there, I just wanted more.


6. The Theory of Everything

My Review of The Theory of Everything


The Theory of Everything suffers from many of the same problems I have with The Imitation Game except it was just a more engaging film to follow, and that is mostly due to the absolutely breathtaking lead performance from Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking and the perfect turn from Felicity Jones as the first real love of his life, Jane Wilde. I could watch them on screen together all day, which is what makes this a much better work than the previously listed biopic.


5. Selma

My Review of Selma

Powerful and important, Selma is a great film but a near miss in terms of reaching its full potential. Roughly an entire into it and it absolutely had me by the throat and wasn't willing to let go...until it did, and the experience cooled off with it. Regardless, a must see featuring an amazing lead performance from David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. 

4. Birdman

My Review of Birdman

Being #4 on a list of 8 total films may not seem that impressive, but the fact that Birdman rests at my #7 film of 2014 as of now tells you just how highly I regard the top half of this list. Featuring brilliantly clever writing, technical wizardry from one of the modern geniuses of film photography Emmanuel Lubezki, and amazing performances from the entire ensemble, most notably the man in the lead Michael Keaton, this is a special, stunning movie.

3. Whiplash

My Review of Whiplash

A film practically glowing with electricity, pulsing with intensity and dripping with enough sweat that you feel like the pressure is on no matter how comfortable of a seat you have while watching, Whiplash is absolutely dynamite. If it weren't for the soon to be Oscar winning turn by J.K. Simmons in this one, a bigger focus would be on the star making performance from Miles Teller. My heart was still racing a good half hour after this one was over, don't miss it.

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel

My Review of The Grand Budapest Hotel

I have long been a fan of the work of Wes Anderson, but I always felt his films were a note or two short of being the masterpiece I knew he was capable of crafting. Earlier in 2014 when I got a chance to see The Grand Budapest Hotel, I realized it had finally happened. The aesthetic, the performances, the amazing screenplay, the level of artistry on display to make everything about the film feeling wonderfully nostalgic and full of life, even at it's darkest moments. A recent revisit elevated this even higher than I originally ranked it, pushing it all the way up to the number two spot.

1. Boyhood

My First Review of Boyhood

My Second Review of Boyhood

Boyhood is a film that seems to have a different effect on every single person who sees it, and some may not understand the widespread appreciation it gets. For me, it is a profound and beautiful experience, one that feels so much like reality, one that makes me look at my daughter and wonder where the time has gone already and worry about how fast it will continue to move. A joyous, remarkable piece of cinema, not only my favorite of the Best Picture nominees but my clear cut favorite of 2014 overall.

Selma Review

Quiet when it's appropriate and yet fierce when it wants to hurt, and it does hurt. I felt the pain as I watched human beings fall in the streets, beaten under a shroud of darkness, shot dead for no apparent reason beyond the color of their skin. Selma is a film that will effectively resonate with me for those moments that brought tears to my eyes, as if I was transported back to the time when such atrocities really took place rather than watching a modern day cinematic re-creation.

At certain times throughout Selma, the film flat out had me. It had it's powerful narrative wrapped around my soul and was shaking me, refusing to loosen it's grip...and then suddenly it would let go, which is unfortunate. A victim of uneven pacing, just when I thought the film's director Ava DuVernay had a pitch perfect handle on exactly what to do with the material, she would temporarily fall back into the familiar biopic tropes and thus let the foot off the gas pedal. At it's best though, Selma is a film that makes you want to stand up immediately and march right along side the characters on screen, ignoring the hatred and the danger tossed in your direction because you know it's right and you know it is a cause that absolutely means something to humanity.

I can't confidently say that I feel DuVernay was deserving of an Oscar nomination for her direction of Selma, mostly because I think her weaknesses were occasionally evident, but it's undeniable that at times she knew exactly how to make an audience feel the power and importance of this picture, whether it be through framing or brilliant camera angles like when we feel as if we are marching behind Martin Luther King Jr. Granted, if we are comparing her work here with an actual nominee, say the by the numbers, bland and completely underwhelming craft of Morten Tyldum on The Imitation Game, then DuVernay absolutely was snubbed, but dare I say Fincher anyone?

Yes, I felt compelled to take a side swipe shot at Tyldum here. I still can't get over that nomination. But I digress.

What is apparent is the glaring oversight of David Oyelowo in the lead role of Martin Luther King Jr., an absolutely brilliant and measured performance that captivated with every word, every look, every mannerism no matter how seemingly slight. Without a doubt one of the finest efforts of 2014, and it is difficult to discern how he didn't find his name mentioned among the five most elite performances of the year. I can fault various aspects of the film for letting me down because they were glaring due to the rest of the work feeling so faultless, but across the board the acting was rock solid, with Oyelowo leading the way with complete perfection.

At the end of the film Selma, it feels as if a victory had been won and of course it absolutely had been. The events depicted showcase a major moment for the Civil Rights Movement, and it is worthy of a joyous and optimistic tone, but I feel saddened and ashamed that a racial divide still exists in America in 2015.  Is it as tense and hostile as the 1960's and earlier? Of course not, but nevertheless I still occasionally see a proudly waved confederate flag or hear some disgusting rhetoric about "what's wrong with this country" with a finger pointed at a specific race, and it's unsettling to say the least.

The optimistic part of me thinks its possible that my now seven year old daughter will see a world sooner rather than later in which we see far less hatred expressed for such ludicrous things like skin color or religious beliefs, but unfortunately I worry that is far fetched. All I can do is teach her to avoid stereotypes and bias and bigotry, an understanding that all people deserve equal rights and equal treatment. Martin Luther King Jr. marched us down the right path, but we must continue on because the work is not yet done.


4/5

Oscar Nominations 2015 - Final Predictions

My how things have changed since the first time I did nomination predictions a couple of months ago (which can be found here). I didn't even factor in the possibility of The Grand Budapest Hotel would be such a major player for Best Picture, considering it's March release date and quirky Wes Anderson nature, but there it was winning the trophy in the comedy or musical category the other night at the Golden Globes.

With the Oscar nominations being released early Thursday morning, here are my final predictions of who will be recognized in each category. Of course, after they are released and I my guesses are proven to be horribly wrong, I will then make some predictions of who will win of the actual nominees. I won't even bother picking winners now, merely nominations.

BEST PICTURE

Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Birdman
Gone Girl
Nightcrawler
Whiplash
Selma
Foxcatcher


I know the past few years the number of films nominated for Best Picture has turned out to be nine, so I will just continue the trend and pick that amount here. If a tenth film were to be slotted it, it would likely be The Theory of Everything, but I will continue to believe that voters will see what I saw: amazing performances insider a pretty standard, good but not great biopic.

If the list above does actually pan out, I will be thrilled. So many personal favorites among the nominees, with my top two films of the year being Boyhood and Gone Girl, and my current 4, 5, and 6 being Whiplash, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman. While Nightcrawler sits just outside my top ten, I am rooting for it to be nominated not only because it is a great film worthy of the recognition, I also will appreciate what it will represent since it is typically the type of work that would be acclaimed critically but ignored by the academy.

BEST DIRECTOR

Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

With the potential love thrown in the direction of films like Whiplash and Nightcrawler (and I complain about neither receiving support), Fincher and/or Tyldum could be left off this list for either Damien Chazelle or Dan Gilroy, and you absolutely cannot count out Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher. Oh, and Clint Eastwood garnered a DGA nomination for American Sniper today, yet for some reason I can't shake the idea that the Academy will not follow suit. The only one of the films I listed as nominations that I haven't yet seen is The Imitation Game, so it wouldn't be fair of me to root against Tyldum in favor of one of these other possibilities.

BEST ACTOR

Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel


Going with a bit of a surprise here with Fiennes, but I can feel the love for The Grand Budapest Hotel that I was never expecting and my goodness what a delightful performance it is. My four favorite single lead performances of 2014 would be recognized here if these picks did pan out, with only Cumberbatch not a part of the mix for me and that is due to my not seeing The Imitation Game yet.

BEST ACTRESS

Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Amy Adams, Big Eyes

Another surprise pick at the end of that list, although it may not seem like it since Amy Adams just walked away with a Best Actress prize Sunday night at the Globes. That award was specific for her role in a comedy film, and thus the daunting task is trying to sneak in against the dramatic contenders. It seems like Jennifer Aniston would be the choice for that fifth spot for her film Cake, but I just have a gut feeling we hear Amy Adams instead. She seems to be recently beloved by the academy, nominated for an Oscar three of the last four years, and I expect that to continue here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

One of the few categories that I expect no surprises in. These are the five names that are likely to be recognized and I believe they will.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year

Much like supporting actor, the expected five are the names I predicted above so I am anticipating no surprises. Although watch out for Tilda Swinton for her bizarre yet fantastic turn in Snowpiercer.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, Foxcatcher
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler

This category got very interesting when they deemed that Whiplash would be considered an adapted screenplay rather than original, a very strange decision as what the film is adapted from was literally a scene from the actual film that was released as a short to raise the funds to help make the full movie. Sounds confusing when I read that back, but I'm not sure how to work it better.

Whiplash seemed to be a shoe in for an original nomination, so that decision frees up a spot.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Nick Hornby, Wild
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash


That vacated spot on the original side of the ballot means Whiplash gets to take one of the adapted spots from a film hoping for it, likely the work of Anthony McCarten for The Theory of Everything. Likely the only category that Inherent Vice will be recognized for, which is a shame.

BEST EDITING

Boyhood
Birdman
Gone Girl
Whiplash
Interstellar


It is very, very likely that Interstellar will be overlooked her for something like The Imitation Game, but I can hold out hope for as many nominations as possible for my third favorite film of the year, since I am pretty certain it will be ignored in all of the major categories I already covered.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mr. Turner
Unbroken
Interstellar


Likely the only nomination for Unbroken, which is a good thing because the only aspect I would want that misfire of a film to receive recognition for would be the work of the amazing Roger Deakins (and even his cinematography left me underwhelmed to be honest). Again, rooting for the technical recognition for Interstellar.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Interstellar
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Birdman
The Imitation Game


Interesting to see if Mr. Turner gets a nod here as I expect it will for cinematography, very much a possibility it knocks The Imitation Game out of that last spot.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Interstellar
Into the Woods
Whiplash
American Sniper
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes


Sound mixing is typically the category where you see a shitty movie like a Transformers 4 get nominated, so you never know, something like that could sneak in.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Interstellar
Into the Woods
Whiplash
Birdman
American Sniper

See above for possibility that Transformers 4 finds another nomination.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Into the Woods
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Mr. Turner
Belle

Should be really interesting to see who wins this one between Into the Woods and The Grand Budapest Hotel, both have such inspired costume design.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Gone Girl
Unbroken
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game

I watched every second of The Theory of Everything closely, and I can barely remember a single note of music from the film. The score did nothing for me, it felt like standard biopic material, but it shocked the holy hell out of me by winning the Golden Globe. I guess that means it scores a nomination here.

*I was informed after posting this that the Birdman score was deemed ineligible by the Academy. This means I begrudgingly slide Unbroken into the vacant spot.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Wild Tales
Tangerines

Of these nominees, I have only seen Ida (it is very good)...that is going to have to change prior to the Oscars so I can have a better understanding of the competition.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

CitizenFour
Life Itself
Last Days in Vietnam
The Overnighters
Virunga

This is a category that seems to have the potential to surprise some people, so while I haven't seen a ton of recognition for the Netflix Original film Virunga yet, I have a gut feeling it pops up here.

Have to see CitizenFour still, since that appears to be the major competition for Life Itself which is a wonderful, beautiful film.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

The LEGO Movie
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The Tales of Princess Kaguya
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls

The first two films listed above both currently sit in my top ten of 2014, so safe to say I am a fan of animation this past year. Still need to see The Tales of Princess Kaguya, I admire the work of Studio Ghibli so much so I am expecting to love it as well.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Interstellar
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Transformers 4
Godzilla

Yes, I presented the possibility of two Transformers 4 nominations above, and here I flat out believe it will be among the five. Gotta love the technical categories, they make a Michael Bay film appear to be more accomplished than something like Inherent Vice.

As for the other four films listed, I would love to spend a weekend watching those on Blu-ray while laying on the couch. That would be a blast.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Birdman
Into the Woods
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy

Another potential showdown between Into the Woods and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

BEST SONG

"Glory" by Common and John Legend, Selma
"Big Eyes" by Lana Del Rey, Big Eyes
"Mercy Is" by Patti Smith, Noah
"Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
"Opportunity" by Sia, Annie


Same five nominees as the Golden Globes, and gut feeling the result is the same with "Glory" taking home the trophy. Not an official pick, just seems likely at the moment.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Feast
Duet
Coda
The Bigger Picture
Footprints


For anyone who has not seen in, Feast is a wonderful animated short. Touching, heartfelt stuff.



BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
The Lion's Mouth Opens
One Child
Our Curse
Joanna


I read about these shorts and I always want to see them before the Oscars, but I never seem to. Need to find a way to start so I can have a better understanding of what makes them award worthy prior to the ceremony.



BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Carry On
The Phone Call
Boogaloo and Graham
Aya
Baghdad Messi


Same as above, would love to see some or all of these before the Oscars take place. All I know is that these are titles mentioned as possibilities for the category, so I just kind of blindly picked.

Thursday morning the nominations will be announced and I will find out how I did, and then I will make some predictions of who will actually win after that. The Golden Globes felt like a preseason game, and here comes the real thing. Very excited.