The Oscars this year
The Oscars are this Sunday! At this time last year, Steven and I were prepping for our first ever Oscars Party, and had seen quite a few of the films nominated for best picture.
This year? Um… chirp. We’ve seen ONE of the films nominated for best picture (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and yeah, definitely not having a party!
I didn’t feel like planning something the same month we were gone for a week for vacation, and didn’t even know if Steven would be in town this weekend. He is going to be in town, so our grand plans are to make vegan ribs and nachos and watch as much of the Oscars as we feel like (maybe with a break at 8:00 pm when Downton Abbey comes on, ha ha).
Do you plan on watching the Oscars? Have you seen many of the films nominated?
Last year was the first time I watched every film nominated for best picture (some in the theater, some at home). Those films typically aren’t the ones I gravitate to in the theater… or always enjoy. I do want to watch all of this year’s list, at some point!
Themocracy
The only films I have seen on the ENTIRE list are animated (Big Hero 6 and The Lego Movie) and the Hobbit. Not a single film up for best picture (although I am hoping to see some of them).
Last year was so fun! This year it’s back to not caring for me 🙂
I want to see Big Hero 6 on DVD! I was surprised it got such rave reviews (it looked so dumb to me).
I am happy you had fun 😀
I, sadly, haven’t seen any of the films! But I’m so looking forward to the Oscars this year…and I still think about how awesome your party was– the decor, the food, the ballots…the cookies! So fantastic! I have a photo and our Oscars up on display on our bookshelf– makes me smile 🙂 Enjoy!
Are you guys gonna watch at home?
Aww, thanks for thinking that! And I love that you have your pic up 😉 Steven’s bro gave him some fancy backdrop thing this year (essentially a green screen) thinking we could use it for our party. No party. Oops!
Sadly my sis-in-law is not having a party this year. And the only movies I have seen are Guardians of the Galaxy, Maleficent and X-Men, which are only up for technical awards. I’ll still probably watch it, but probably without any fanfare. Maybe I’ll get a bottle of champagne.
Aww man, that is sad! Champagne sounds like a good idea 🙂
I have plans with friends, but Budapest is the only movie I’ve seen as well. My three friends have seen them all. I like fun movies and the Academy doesn’t.
Ha ha, the Academy likes serious, sometimes off the wall movies. Especially if they are about movie making and the art of cinema.
I had a year, about 8 years ago, when I saw a lot of the nominees but I rarely make it to the movies anymore. Womp, womp. This year, of ALL the nominees, I’ve seen “Gone Girl,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Unbroken” and “The Lego Movie.” Meh. I did want to see “Wild” and just never got around to it. If I watch the show, it’s only because we finished watching a miniseries on Vietnam that we found on Netflix.
Meh… to the four movies you saw, or that you only saw four? Or meh to the Lego Movie? (cause I thought it was meh, ha ha).
Meh to just four though I should say 3.5. I have not seen all of “Lego Movie.” Miles gets an hour of TV, give or take a day, and he always wants to start a movie from the beginning. So while I have heard “Everything is Awesome” 2,342 times, I’ve never seen the end. Glad I’m not missing much!
I did like “Gone Girl” and “Unbroken.” Neither were as good as the book but I was happy still.
I also saw The Grand Budapest Hotel, because it’s on HBO, haha. I also saw The Lego Movie, which sadly was not nominated for best animated film, but the song was nominated!
I wonder if the song will win. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!!
The only ones I’ve seen are The Imitation Game and American Sniper (those are both on the list, right?).
I’m not a big movie or pop culture person, and I never watch the Oscars or other awards shows. Often times I don’t even realize they are on that night until I see a commercial. If I haven’t seen the movies, there isn’t really much point in watching for me, since I have absolutely zero interest in monitoring what celebrities are wearing on the red carpet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Just not my taste.
I am trying to get more into film this year, because I do like seeing good movies. Maybe this time next year I will be singing a different tune! An Oscars party actually sounds really fun.
Yeah, those are both on the list!
What defines a “good movie” for you? These Oscar nominated ones? Or something less serious?
Good question!
I guess I would say that what defines a good movie for me is the same as what defines a good book: a film that you can tell has a lot of care, hard work, and talent poured into it; a film that is original and bold and everyone involved takes seriously their role in producing a work of art. I used the word “serious”, but this can also include comedies and even “chick flicks” too. Films that move you, that make you think, that challenge your perception of the world and open up new ones. It can include popular movies as well as indies and documentaries – basically, anything that’s not clearly intended as mass-production fluff with popular A listers playing the same recycled characters in recycled story lines.
With that said, I’m not trying to say that the latter type of movie doesn’t have any value. These lighter films – again, like lighter books – are often highly enjoyable, and the world needs a balance between heavy and light.
Let me know which ones you find that meet that criteria! That is quite the list! Especially if it does not allow recycled characters and story lines, lol 😀
And I get what you are saying about the lighter films – those are almost always the ones I run across. I am wowed when I find one that is actually original!
Well so far I’d say both American Sniper and Imitation Game make the list! I thought both were great. Kevin and I got a membership to Milwaukee Film and I’m hoping that between their monthly screenings and the fall Film Festival we will uncover lots of gems. MKE Film is pretty renowned, so I trust I’m in capable hands there 🙂
Again, I can’t judge – this is the same gal that sits around watching tons of 90s sitcom reruns and Hallmark channel movies. On second thought, maybe that’s why I hold film to a higher standard – I’d like it to offer me something I can’t get spending half the time and no money on a 30-60 minute TV show, if that makes sense.
I am watching the Oscars but have no idea which movies are nominated so cannot tell you if I’ve seen them or not. 🙂
Guess you will find out on Sunday if you make it to Best Picture!
I can’t remember the last movie I’ve seen at the theater and we used to go ALL the time. That was our go-to thing. What happened?
Seriously, I’m still racking my brain…
LOL! Prices went up? You got sick of how rude people are in the theater? Decided you wanted to spend time outside? 🙂
We made a goal to see all the best picture nominees, but only made it through Grand Budapest, Birdman, Theory of Everything and American Sniper.
You made it to half! Lucky this year there are only 8 nominees, not 12 like in years past!
We saw The Grand Budapest as well, but other than that, I don’t think I’ve seen any…too busy binge watching TV shows on Netflix, ha ha!
LOL! Priorities!
The only Best Movie on the list I’ve seen is American Sniper. I don’t typically watch the awards shows because my movie tastes fall in the “not nominated for awards” categories – ha. I do hope American Sniper does well, though! I really enjoyed that movie. (As much as you can enjoy such a movie!)
My taste doesn’t quite either, but I really enjoy the Oscars for some reason!
I need to see that. When I get brave enough!
I have seen half of “The Grand Budapest” hotel, but eventually just left the room where my family was watching it because I was like “UGH, WES ANDERSON, I CANNOT!” Do you enjoy watching all the nominated films, even if they aren’t like your “normal” movie fare? I used to feel guilty that I didn’t watch them, but then I just realized that if I don’t want to watch them, I shouldn’t waste my time!
Ha ha, yeah. You REALLY have to be in the mood for his style of film.
Hmm. I do enjoy trying new movies out. I watch a lot of movies that are not my taste, and that I would never watch again, just to see if I will like them, so I don’t feel like it’s a waste of my time, since it’s already a hobby of mine 🙂 But I do avoid horror and torture movies (not that those are every nominated) – the images never leave me!