Last week the nominees for the 2010 Oscars were announced. Team HCG is really into the Oscars. For as long as we can remember (or since law school), we’ve committed ourselves to seeing all of the films nominated for Best Picture before the Oscars air.
Seeing all of those films in the time period between the announcement of the nominees and the airing of the Oscars isn’t always an easy task. It requires diligence, a stockpile of candy and, if you’re Joe, acceptance of the fact that you had to see “Brokeback Mountain” on your 23rd birthday.
This year, our task is even more arduous than in years past. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has doubled the number Best Picture nominees from 5 films to 10 films (the switch is a reversion to old school practices. In the 1930s and 1940s the Academy recognized between 8 and 12 Best Picture nominees each year). 10 films?! I can already feel my stomach churning from too much soda and popcorn.
The nominees for Best Picture are:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Fortunately, some of these films are already available on DVD, and the weekend blizzard gave us a chance to get started on our viewing. So far we’ve seen:
- Up (So cute, but Best Picture? I don’t think so.)
- The Hurt Locker (Very good.)
- District 9 (Disgustingly bad. The inclusion of this film as a Best Picture nominee must be a joke. I hated every minute and had to leave the room halfway through because I was going to be ill.)
- Inglorious Basterds (Okay, only Joe has seen this, but 1/2 of the team will have to fly for now.)
The Oscars air on Sunday, March 7 on ABC. That leaves us 26 days to see 6 films. I’m particularly excited for “The Blind Side”, while Joe (and my dad) is amped for “Avatar” (I am kind of dreading it).
Does anyone else attempt to see all the Best Picture nominees? Do you have any favorites?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
blind side was awesome. i also dreaded seeing avatar. however, i have to say, it was way better than i expected, and the special effects and 3d really are pretty cool. that said, it is about a full hour too long. ration your snacks. and wear contacts if you are seeing it in 3d. are you going to post your list of predicted winners?
On behalf of my roomie and me, we loved District 9 even if a few parts made me cringe and we had one major complaint about The Hurt Locker, no where in the film did anyone say “Welcome to the Hurt Locker”, it seemed like it would be an appropriate line. Other than that we think Inglorious Basterds is “Wunderbar!”
Reg, Avatar is a tough one. I borderline hated it and found the story line absolutely ridiculous, but you may disagree. It is Ed Hanna’s #1 movie of the year, so obviously some tend to disagree. I TOTALLY agree with your thoughts on District 9. Didn’t the aliens look somewhat comical? When they started talking…forget it. Up In The Air is my fav. of the year.
I’m only missing An Education (what is that anyway) and Up in the Air – have you seen it yet, i’ve wanted to catch that one several times, but keep getting distracted. As for the others, i think Hurt Locker might be the lead runner.
HAF: You were right about The Blind Side. I loved it! I can’t remember the last time I left a movie feeling so happy. I don’t think HCG is going to attempt a prediction of the Oscar winners. We don’t like getting things wrong, and that would be a very risky task.
Hoolie: As you, your roommate and I have discussed, we have agreed to disagree about stupid District 9. I may have to boycott the Oscars for a few years if it wins.
Spuhler: We still haven’t seen Avatar, so I’ll let you know how it goes; Up in the Air is also still on our to-see list. I hated those damn prawns in District 9. Why did they curse so much? I had trouble taking them seriously when all they did was eat cat food and drop the F-bomb.
A: You may be right about The Hurt Locker – it just won Best Picture at the BAFTAs. In addition to Avatar and Up in the Air, we’re also still missing An Education plus Precious. We have only 2 weeks left!