I was going to write about the Oscars and I had all these notes written out, clever bon mots, but after reading the entirety of the internet’s responses there wasn’t anything I could have said that hadn’t already been said. Things like, “Selma was robbed” and “David Oyelowo was in three nominated movies this year; why did he not get an academy award for any of them??” (Note: if you haven’t seen A Most Violent Year, please do so. Oyelowo’s smooth as silk twist at the end is worth waiting for). It was nice that Selma won for best original song, but its win felt like that scene in Blazing Saddles where the cowboys ask the workers to “sing us a song!” And while Julianne Moore won for Best Actress in Still Alice, she also shined in Map to the Stars, which surprised me by not getting nominated but perhaps the subject matter hit a little too close to home for some folks ::ahem::
- Take This Waltz: Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen star as a couple whose relationship is tested when she meets Daniel (Luke Kirby) on a business trip where sparks fly…and then she discovers he lives across the street. Noteworthy: palpable tension between Williams and Kirby, Rogen being heartbreakingly charming. Why is he not doing this more often?
- And the Oscar Goes To…: feature documenting the history of the Academy Awards with vintage clips and milestones from Hollywood’s greatest. Worth it for the bits of history and things you might not have known about old Hollywood
- Labor Day: Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin star in a film about an escaped convict who takes a mother and son hostage but his reasons aren’t so dishonorable. I really enjoyed this one. Also with palpable tension, which takes talent when there are no sex scenes in the film.