I have not seen enough of the films this year to comment. I'm always excited by the Oscars, it's almost always a fun night, one way or the other and always inspires me to see more films.

OT, I'm trying to flesh out my netflix queue with some foreign films, there are so many classic and not that I've never seen.

I agree it was a good year for movies, but again the divide between critical success and popular success seems pretty wide.

I'm guessing that Juno made it into the five best picture nods because with Ratatouille relegated to the animation ghetto, it was one of the better instersections of the two. Juno is by far the best performing (financially) of the five -- though still only the 31st best grosser for the year -- and only American Gangster (18th) and Enchanted (20th).


One of the bloggers I was reading had a break down of how the divide has grown over the last decade. It used to be that that at least one top 10 movie would make it into the best picture nominations every year (and in the 60s seven of ten top grossers were nominated) to the point where that hasn't even happened in four years running.

Last year was "The Departed" "LIttle Miss Sunshine" "Dreamgirls" etc. etc.

I think this year I've seen less films then in previous years - mostly I don't work at a theatre anymore. :) But, there hasn't been much I've gone out of my way to see. Though they may be good films, there isn't much that really appeals to me initially.

I'm rooting for No Country. Any film that makes you think long after leaving the theatre and one that doesn't give the view what they expect/ want deserves the praise and the gold.

Hadn't noticed that three songs from Enchanted were nominated. Was it really that boring a year in film music?

No. But my choices didn't make the shortlist, and others I liked didn't make the noms list. (I don't begrudge Menken, but there were others that were good if not better.)

Now is the time of year I start cramming in movies simply because they are oscar nominated and I'd like to have an intelligent position on some of the awards. So I made a list of the status of all the nominated (feature length) movies. Thought somebody else might be interested.

12 - Unknown
3:10 to Yuma - On DVD
Across the Universe - DVD - February 5
American Gangster - DVD - February 19
Atonement - In Theaters
August Rush - DVD - March 13
Away from Her - On DVD
Beaufort - Unknown
Charlie Wilson's War - In Theaters
Eastern Promises - On DVD
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - DVD - February 5
Enchanted - In Theaters
Gone Baby Gone - DVD - February 12
I'm Not There. - In Theaters
In the Valley of Elah - DVD - February 19
Into the Wild - In Theaters - DVD - March 4
Juno - In Theaters
Katyn - Unknown
La Vie en Rose - On DVD
Lars and the Real Girl - In Theaters
Michael Clayton - In Theaters - DVD - February 19
Mongol - Unknown
No Country for Old Men - In Theaters
No End in Sight - On DVD
Norbit - On DVD
Once - On DVD
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience - On DVD
Persepolis - In Theaters
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - On DVD
Rataouille - On DVD
Sicko - On DVD
Surf's Up - On DVD
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - In Theaters
Taxi to the Dark Side - Unknown
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - DVD - February 5
The Bourne Ultimatum - On DVD
The Counterfeiters - Unknown
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - In Theaters
The Golden Compass - In Theaters
The Kite Runner - In Theaters
The Savages - In Theaters
There Will Be Blood - In Theaters
Transformers - On DVD
War Dance - Unknown

There's also that slight, some feel snub, of the Original Song Nom for There Will be Blood.
Since it never plays in the mvoei, and only over the credits, it did not actually qualify.

(I hope I got the movie right. I was reading that in EW yesterday. Tell me if I am wrong)

Apparently there is some debate raised in the last few days again as to whether the Once song actually qualifies per rules and it may be disqualified.

Better not be true (I was reading that on Sunday, maybe it has been resolved by now).

I really don't think it could be disqualified. It was written for the movie, recorded after and released before. I don't see how that's a problem. (Unless it's another issue of which I'm not aware.)

Apparently the committee that decides such things met yesterday and decided to allow "Falling Slowly" to remain in contention.

Apparently the investigation was twofold: one, was the song written for the movie. It was.

But the second issue what that it was several years between the writing of the song and the making of the movie and in the intervening years it had been performed publicly several times. Apparently someone thought that might be enough to disqualify it and raised a red flag. The decision was that these performances were inconsequential.

Fuller details here. I'm surprised that this was re-raised so late because I thought it had all been settled after a similar review before nominating ballots were sent out.