the oscars are coming! the oscars are coming!

Ah. I love Oscar nomination day. It takes a whole year of movie watching, and takes it down to five perfect motion pictures. If you are a movie whore like me, it becomes a healthy obsession trying to figure out what will get nominated, and then who will win. This year brought some BIG surprises. First and foremost...Keira Knightley getting the nod for lead actress in "Pride and Prejudice". This is a HUGE nomination for her career, and one I think she rightfully deserves. I adored this film. I might have seen it three times in the theatre (I am not confirming that), and each time found something more in the picture that I hadn't seen before. As most everyone knows, "Sense and Sensibility" is my all-time favorite movie...so I am a die-hard Jane Austen fan. Joe Wright (the director) made this adaptation fun, sweet, epic, and also made it different enough from the A&E version to allow viewers to adore each version. I highly recommend checking the film out if you haven't yet. Bonus: Matthew MacFadyen is adorable! Colin Firth will always have a place in my heart...but so will Matthew MacFadyen. Secondly....who knew the film "Crash" would have so many nominations. I hate to admit this (I do it sheeplishly)...I never saw "Crash". It just didn't appeal to me. It's funny. People either LOVED this movie, or seemed to think it was pretentious crap. Well, I guess the jokes on them! I will definitely try to check it out...but I think it will have a hard time beating "Brokeback Mountain" for best picture or direction.
Two movies everyone should try to see before the Oscars: First, "Good Night, and Good Luck. Sadly, I think it will get shut out of the Oscars, but it is an absolutely brilliant film. Well written, directed, acted, and what a compelling (and time-appropriate) story. David Straitharn is FABULOUS....and he is just as deserving as Philip Seymour Hoffman to win Best Actor. Secondly, "Capote". I think that Hoffman will take the Oscar, and he is just one part of an interesting, disturbing film. If you are like me...you know who Truman Capote is...you've heard of the book...and that's that. This movie is so compelling as you watch Capote obsess about writing his book. It is truly a mind trip to try and figure out what he's thinking; is it about the story, or his quest for fame? Two must sees before the big event.
The Oscars are on March 5th...don't call, I won't answer. Keep your eyes on the blog for my upcoming predictions! The Oscars are coming! The Oscars are coming!

For all the nominees, check out www.oscar.com
photo credit: http://images.amazon.com