Movie Madness 2017

Once again, I spent the majority of my free time in February consuming Oscar-nominated movies. I went to theaters, watched online, and made many trips to the Redbox. I opened up my mind to new worlds and contemplated everything from the components of love to the reality of human error. I didn't make Oscar predictions. I have found that the Academy is of an entirely different mindset than I am. I did though list all of my favorites for every category below. I saw every movie in every category except the Foreign Language Film category. I had a hard time accessing two of those movies, one of which (The Salesman) is favored to win, so I do still plan on seeing that once I can find a digital copy on Amazon.

As a whole, I found this year's movies to be a little less enjoyable than last year's, but every year is different and I wasn't totally disappointed. I still immersed myself in some fabulous writing and acting and visuals. I would say that my biggest observations this year about the movies nominated were that:

1. Endings weren't very satisfying this year for me. I watched a lot of incredibly well-made movies and then the it ended and I didn't feel anything. I didn't take something big away. I'm not saying that I always need a happy ending, but I was left frustrated and somehow missing something on many movies including best picture nominees Manchester by the Sea, Arrival and La La Land.

2. They really liked string instruments this year. Classical violin was in so many movies that I felt like they became the soundtrack to my life. Whenever I was walking somewhere, I figured some dramatic strings needed to be playing. There was also an abundance of silence with no background music at all.

3. I realized for the second year in a row that I might actually be a documentary buff. When I think back on this month of movies, the documentaries I watch (full length and short) stand out in my mind. They showcased real events and emotions in the world and captured the human spirit unlike even the best acting can do. I feel like documentaries get a bad rap, but I really want to watch more of them in the future.

And, without further ado, my favorites in every category:

Best Picture-Hidden Figures

Actor-Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Actress-Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Supporting Actor-Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Supporting Actress-Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Animated-Zootopia

Cinematography-La La Land

Costume-Jakie

Directing-La La Land

Documentary-O.J. Made in America

Short Documentary-Extremis

Film Editing-La La Land

Foreign Language-A Man Called Ove

Makeup & Hair-Suicide Squad

Song-How Far I’ll Go (Moana)

Original Score- Passengers

Production Design-Passengers

Short Animated-Borrowed Time

Short Live Action-Enemis Interieurs

Sound Editing-La La Land

Sound Mixing-13 Hours

Visual Effects-Doctor Strange

Adapted Screenplay-Moonlight

Original Screenplay-20^th Century Women