Reaction Shots

I think over the years I’ve expressed how phlegmatic I am about the Academy Awards (TM). I don’t hate them, but each year I find them increasingly irrelevant to the merits (or lack thereof) of the films they reward with the little gold guy. I’m way too long in the tooth to think that an Oscar Winner means much other than this is what some members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences came up with. Most of the voters are actors, but credit where it is due, I’m often pleasantly surprised at some of the technical awards that are given out, but even there, meh. I’m not necessarily awards-averse. However, I find that festival awards are better litmus tests for figuring out the quality of any given film than, say, the Big Game on Sunday Night. All of this said, this year’s awards are pretty solid. There really isn’t much I have to complain about in terms of nominees and regardless of who wins, I’ll be okay with it. If I’m being honest, I haven’t had a real issue with who’s got ...

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,...