Last week I read an article titled “Best Pictures That Didn’t Deserve to Win and What Should Have Won Instead” (or something to that effect).  Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare in Love, can you believe it?

On Friday, I printed out our at-home ballots and all week, Joey and I were scrambling to watch movies that were up for some of the lesser awards (i.e. not Best Picture) before tonight (aka Oscar Sunday, which by the way, sounds way better than Super Bowl Sunday if you ask me).

Last Thursday, Apollo 13 was on the History Channel while I was running at the gym and I kept thinking “dang, this movie is good!” so when I looked it up on Wikipedia I was shocked to see it lost in all kinds of Oscar categories, including Best Visual Effects to… get this… BABE!  That pig movie??

In other words, I’ve got Oscars on the brain right now.  Which makes sense, considering they are TONIGHT!

Summer is my spirit animal, but my  winter life, when I become a movie theater dweller, start having very serious conversations about the merits of an animated short and can’t get enough of Fridays in, parked on the couch with a Best Picture nom on rent is so so special.  I look forward to this short sweet time every year.  Yeah, yeah, the film industry is hustling all year long, but I kinda like cramming it all in during the winter months.  Gives my life a real sense of purpose from December to February.

That being said, some years are better than others film-wise but I thought this year was pretty alright!  We saw some movies we really loved (Manchester, Fences, La La Land) and some we truly hated (please never make me watch Jackie or Hacksaw Ridge ever again).  From big showy productions (hi, highway dance scene in La La Land) to much more low-key and somber tones (gotta root on Moonlight as the little indie that could).  I’m gonna stop dragging this out and just give you my personal rankings:

1. Manchester by the Sea*
2.  La La Land
3. Fences
4. Moonlight
5. Hidden Figures
6. Hell or High Water
7. Arrival
8. Lion
9. Hacksaw Ridge

Honestly, I could arrange 4-8 every which way and still feel like I got it wrong.  I know which movies I LOVED but after Fences, I had major criticisms of all the other movies.  On the Oscar Nominated Shorts front, Piper and Pear Cider and Cigarettes could not be more different (in length, tone or content) but both grabbed my attention.  I suppose I’ll root for Piper because the world could use more things that make you laugh.  I didn’t love a single one of the live actions, but if I had to choose, Sing and Silent Nights were my favorites.

In my heart of hearts, I think La La Land will do very well tonight.  Also, feeling very strongly about Emma Stone for Best Actress and Viola Davis for Best Supporting Actress.  If Viola doesn’t win, something has gone very very wrong.

*Not gonna lie, I’m very torn between being a movie lover who thinks Casey Affleck was superb and being a feminist who heard those sexual harassment allegations and wanted to wash my hands of him forever.  The struggle is real.  But I definitely know Ben > Casey in all ways.  

Happy Oscar Sunday!