2015: The Year in Reviews (March)
Look, this is the fifth year I’m doing this. You guys know what it is by now. Every January I go over everything scheduled to come out, and about 200 more movies, just to be safe. I guess what I’m gonna think about them, and then immediately forget I did it. Then, in December, I recap everything I saw and see how I did.
I put up batches of reviews for everything I saw, once in April, once in August, and once… yesterday. Those contain my initial thoughts on the films after I saw them. I take those thoughts and match them against what I said back in January, plus I take some time to reflect upon how my thoughts have changed in the time between when I saw the movie and now (since only crazy people develop a final opinion on a movie after a single watch). It’s very straightforward. Plus… five years. I know you’re supposed to treat every person as if they’re reading for the first time, but there’s only like twelve of us who read the crap I write anyway.
Today we’re recapping March: (more…)
Pic of the Day: “How do you think the new record compares to your old classic stuff?” “Oh come on, Mikey, you know as well as I do the record’s crap. But wouldn’t it be great if Number One this Christmas wasn’t some smug teenager, but an old ex-heroin addict searching for a comeback at any price? All those young popsters, come Christmas Day… they’ll be stretched out naked with a cute bird balancing on their balls, and I’ll be stuck in some dingy flat with me manager, Joe, ugliest man in the world, fucking miserable because our fucking gamble didn’t pay off. So if you believe in Father Christmas, children, like your Uncle Billy does, buy my festering turd of a record. And particularly enjoy the incredible crassness of the moment when we try to squeeze an extra syllable into the fourth line.” “I think you’re referring to ‘If you really love Christmas…'” “‘Come on and let it snow…?’ Ouch!”
Oscars 2015: Best Foreign Language Film Shortlist
So, Best Foreign Language Film had 80 films eligible at the outset. I previewed all 80. Then I randomly guessed what I thought the shortlist was going to be. Mostly to prove how impossible it is to guess what the hell this branch is going to select.
Final tally: I pulled 8 that seemed like the best chances to make the shortlist. I got three of those. So that’s not bad. A third. And then, of the 25 I pulled that felt like they had a good chance, I got 6 of them. Which isn’t bad. And of the remaining three — I thought two were unlikely, and one “had a shot” but didn’t guess it.
Here are the 9 films I’m talking about that made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film: (more…)
Oscars 2015: Best Original Score Eligibles
The Academy announced the list of film scores eligible for the category this year. It totals 112 films.
As always, there will be films people are surprised aren’t on here, and films that make it on despite not seeming like they would. Mostly it’s 80& full of scores that have no chance of being nominated.
I use this article to sort through the mess and give you a good idea of which portion of the list you need not concern yourself with.
Here are all 112 scores eligible to be nominated for Best Original Score: (more…)
