Welcome Back! It's Oscar Season!

Welcome back everyone! Here we go again with my incredibly professional and well-researched review on the newest round of Academy Award best picture nominees. (Joking - amateur at work here!)  I've been patiently waiting for this list to come out since the Golden Globes ceremony a few weeks ago, and I have to say that I am overall very excited to review the 10 films nominated for best picture. It's a mix of familiarity for me this year - I've seen a couple, been waiting to check out a few, and never heard of some. Here's a quick run down of this year's nominated films: 

American Fiction: I have not seen this one and know very little about it, but it's got a great cast and I'm excited to check it out. 

Anatomy of a Fall: Another one I have very little knowledge of, but I believe it may be an international film? 

Barbie: Along with many of the female population, I did see this when it came out this past summer. I liked it, didn't love it, but am interested to see it again and maybe pick up more reasons to like it on a second viewing. 

The Holdovers: Heard a tiny bit about this one, but I'm intrigued by the plot. 

Killers of the Flower Moon: I have been waiting with baited breath to see this film and have been purposely putting it off until Oscar season for this very blog.

Maestro: This may be the one film in the group that I am not excited to see. It's Bradley Cooper writing, directing, and starring in a film about a composer. This screams desperation to me, but I hope I'm wrong...

Oppenheimer: Saw this twice in the theater this summer and LOVED it both times. Super pumped and not at all surprised to see this among the nominees. And yes, I will happily sit through this 3+ hour movie for a third time to complete this review. 

Past Lives: I heard about this one on CBS Sunday Morning this past week when they interviewed the main actress. I said then that I wanted to see this movie and looks like the Academy recommends it too.

Poor Things: Going to be honest - I didn't know this movie existed until Emma Stone beat out Margot Robbie for the best actress Golden Globe for her role in this movie a couple of weeks ago. Come to find out, CBS Sunday Morning also highlighted this movie last week and mentioned it was directed by the same director that did "The Favorite" from a couple of years ago. I really liked the oddballness of that movie, and am looking forward to the newest collaboration between Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos. 

The Zone of Interest: This is an international feature and other than the brief synopsis I heard on an Oscar nominee podcast today, I know nothing about it. 

Over the next several weeks, I'll be watching and reviewing all 10 of the best picture nominees and posting my thoughts on the film. Embracing the my true nerdy self, I take notes as I'm watching the movie to capture real time thoughts and observations, particularly on those features of the film that have been nominated in other Oscar categories (acting, production, music, script etc.) When boiled down to specific viewing points, there's usually much to appreciate about movie making, even if the film isn't a mainstream blockbuster.  

Reviewing the best picture nominees these past few years has been a fun challenge for me - it can be a daunting goal at times, particularly when life gets busy, but usually results in some surprise enjoyments and broadens my world view. Thanks to all who have read a post and who are spending time reading this one - I look forward to conversing with you more about 2024 best picture nominees!