The Great Oscar Baiter

I’ll put myself on a consistent schedule for these things one day, I promise. In my defense, there are a lot of movies to catch up on, and isn’t that what Oscar Baiting is all about? For instance- until recently, I’d never seen the original Top Gun! But with Top Gun: Maverick holding its spot as the biggest hit of the year (probably only to be dethroned by Black Panther or Avatar ) and even potentially soaring into the obligatory crowd pleaser Best Picture slot, I figured it was time to see where things began. Because while the Oscars Top Gun: Maverick may win have yet to be decided, the first Top Gun only went home with one- for the love theme, “Take My Breath Away.” (via Wikipedia) Love themes for films have gone a bit out of style these days, although for a long time it seemed to be a surefire way to nab a Best Song nomination. Seriously, look through the Wikipedia article and count how many times you see "Title Seemingly Chosen at Random (Love Theme from Movie You Didn...

Pixar has been so wildly successful at the Oscars over the years that it’s hard to imagine a time in which they were even capable of losing. In the past ten years, only three Academy Awards have gone by without the studio winning an Oscar in either the feature or Short category. Some people find this level of dominance exhausting and irritating. But I consider it an act of cosmic balance, the universe correcting the mistake that was Luxo Jr. somehow losing Best Animated Short to   A Greek Tragedy . When you put it into perspective, Pixar should be winning every year. (via Wikipedia) Directed by former Pixar head honcho and current total piece of shit John Lasseter, Luxo Jr. is a simple short, but a landmark one for the company. Even if you've somehow managed to go your entire life without seeing it, you're undoubtedly familiar with its title character, a sentient lamp who has gone on to become Pixar's mascot. It's not hard to see why. While not technically the first ...

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times- some films are just plain weird. Some just plain weird films are very good. Quite a few are pretty terrible. But in my experience, most straddle that line of “pretty decent.” Not great, but certainly worth watching. In a lot of cases, that weirdness which makes it unique can also make it a little difficult to watch or hard to follow. But I suppose at the end of the day, you just have to respect the originality. I think Bob Stenhouse’s The Frog, the Dog, and the Devil fits neatly into that category. (via TV Tropes) Released in 1986, The Frog, the Dog and the Devil comes to us from New Zealand, which is always fun. It's about... well, it's hard to say exactly what the short is about. A frog, a dog and a devil I suppose. But beyond that, I suppose it's kind of like a Western, except in this case the frontier happens to be in New Zealand. (Well, it's west of somewhere .) Based on "The Devil's Daughter", a ...

Something you have to accept when you embark on a quest to watch every film ever nominated for an Academy Award is that the Oscar so rarely goes to the right film. It sucks, but it’s something you have to accept. Braveheart did not deserve Best Picture over Sense and Sensibility. Rex Harrison did not deserve Best Actor over Peter Sellers, Richard Burton AND Peter O’Toole. Suicide Squad does not deserve to have won more Oscars than Singin’ in the Rain. This is just part of the game, and you just have to try and explain it away as best you can. But as far as I can tell, there is simply no reasonable explanation for why today’s film, A Greek Tragedy, deserved to win Best Animated Short over Luxo Jr. (via IMDb) Directed by Belgian animator Nicole Van Goethem, A Greek Tragedy follows the... well, calling it a story seems generous. Regardless, A Greek Tragedy is about three statues (carved to depict scantily clad women) trying (and failing) to hold up a crumbling roof. It is, ostensi...

I love the Oscars. That really shouldn't come as a surprise. Of course I do. After all, one does not create a blog dedicated to watching every film ever nominated for an Academy Award if they do not possess what can be characterized as an unhealthy level of affection for them. And one doesn't read such a blog unless they've got a soft sport for them as well, I might add. (via imdb) Still, when we talk about the Oscars, we tend to focus on the big things. What won Best Picture. What didn't win Best Picture but should have. What DID win Best Picture but shouldn't have. What wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, proving that the Academy Awards are a joke and always have been. And, of course, what does Amy Adams have to do to finally get an Oscar? This is YOUR fault, Academy! You made her do this! Too often, these discussions tend to ignore the little guy. And by that I mean the short films. Well no more! And so, starting today, I officially launch my mission wi...