It's that time again: Oscar Season! And the Best Picture is....
The Little Gold Guy is back... Honestly, I don't care. I've had a general antipathy toward the Academy Awards for decades, ever since Raging Bull was passed over for Best Picture for Ordinary People (which is, of course, a very good film; no flies on it, but Scorsese's masterwork was a leap forward in depth of narrative, use of film grammar, and is simply a towering masterpiece of cinema). I also have a dim view of most of the nominees in any given year. Last year was brilliant, with Everything Everywhere All at Once raising the bar for what can be honored by AMPAS. This year, I'm more intrigued; it's been a good while since every entry is a remarkable work and in half the cases, An Important Film. I think I'd be good with just about any of them winning. I've already covered Past Lives , Poor Things , The Zone of Interest , The Holdovers , Killers of the Flower Moon , Barbie , and Oppenheimer ; I'm remiss that I haven't given the rest their due,