If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, you probably know that I love awards season. I get so excited in January and February to tune into the Golden Globes and SAGS and Oscars. It isn't because of the dresses. Just because I am a girl doesn't mean I care at all about fashion. I really enjoy watching actors being recognized for accomplishments. I feel like I know these actors from their work and am connected to them.
What frustrates me, though, is that I never have seen very many of the movies. Most award shows go like this. "I have no idea if Leo should win this year because I haven't seen any of the movies in his category." "Why is this movie winning so much? I need to see it!"
So, this year, I decided I would see all the Oscar nominees in every category. Every single one. I wanted to see the best of the best. I wanted to be in awe of the cinematography. I wanted to discover a new favorite actor. I was excited. The problem was that I decided this on February 1st and needed to see over 30 movies in exactly 30 days. At this point, all I had seen was Star Wars, Cinderella, Inside Out, and Bridge of Spies. It wasn't a good start. The task was insane.
I spent every weekend in February in movie marathons. I watched all the short films at the Ross in town. I went to the Best Picture Festivals at the Grand. I drove to Omaha to see four films I couldn't find in Lincoln. I watched online after school many days. I may or may not have obtained a few movies without paying.
But I did it. I saw them all.
So what did I learn?
1. I love movies! Even more than I thought. It was seriously one of the best experiences ever. I want to do it again. (Maybe I'll start earlier though next year).
2. I might be a movie snob. I honestly haven't liked many movies recently. I am so tired of superheroes and sequels. These movies were actually original. Turns out I also really like foreign films. And documentaries. I kept seeing the same people at the movies and thought "these are my people." Too bad my people are mostly retired couples.
3. I love learning. I already knew this, but I didn't realize how much I would learn just watching movies. My favorite movies were about topics I didn't know a lot about. I watched movies about wars and the financial crisis and Turkish culture and musicians and space and border security and the Ukranian revolution. I feel like a more educated person. It was amazing.
4. The Academy doesn't think like me...at all. I loved all of the Best Pictures nominees except one. And that one was the winner. I loved all the foreign films except one...that one was the winner. Seriously? What were you thinking?
5. Netflix is a wonderful thing. You know this of course. I just love that the framework of Netflix is not centered on number of viewers so they can afford to make some great documentaries that everyone can access without budget limitations. It is a great thing for the movie industry. So maybe you can switch it up one day and watch Winter on Fire instead of yet another episode of Fuller House (don't worry, I watched all of that too.)
So...you might be asking, "What was your favorite movie?" The answer is...I can't decide. I loved so many. But here is my short list of recommendations in case you want to watch something new.
1. The Big Short
2. The Revenant
3. Winter on Fire
4. Mustang
5. Brooklyn
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