Academy Awards 2016 Announcement

I love movies.

There is very little that I like better than settling down to watch a film.  And unlike a lot of people, I don't watch to criticize and see how much fault, how many plot holes, how much ridiculousness I can identify. That drives me nuts.

Movies are an art, and the director has a lot on his or her plate to bring their vision to the screen for us to share. I prefer to first, honour their efforts. There are very few films I have seen where I will walk away with great frustration over how sloppily the director treated his/her art.

I watch movies to be entertained, but more I watch them to be privy to a story, to learn something, to identify with a character and have his/her story of discovery shared with me, resonate in me so that I become better, too, in some way. Not too much to ask for, is it? Good movies, like good art, I believe, will resonate with truth.

Maybe, I look more for the good in films rather than the bad.

The nominees for the 2016 Academy Awards were announced today. What is important about that is that I have a tradition.  Maybe more than traditions at any other time of the year. I wait until the Academy announces their picks and then I embark to see as many of them as I can between the announcement day and the day of the awards.

I start with the nominees for Best Picture. I will try to see them all and then, if time permits, move on to other nominees. The challenge this year, added to the list below, is that I am unemployed.  This is turning into a difficult "season" for me, so I am very glad to have something positive to reflect on. Now, add to the challenge, how do I see the movies with as little money as possible?  One movie at a time!

So, here I post the challenge .... let's see how the next month or so goes!

NOMINEES FOR BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

NOMINEES FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro Inarritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Adam McKay, The Big Short
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Lenny Abrahamson, Road 

NOMINEES FOR BEST ACTOR

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Matt Damon, The Martian

NOMINEES FOR BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

NOMINEES FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

NOMINEES FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Let's start there and see where this goes this year!!