Academy Awards Challenge (Official, February 2023)

[gunnar]

Academy Awards Challenge

Goal
Watch movies that have been nominated for an Academy Award. Discuss them.

Challenge runs from February 1, 2023 to February 28, 2023 in your local time zone.

Rules
- Each feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- 80 minutes of short films or miniseries/TV episodes counts as one entry.
- Please include year of release when listing your viewings.
- Do not edit your posts to add new watches, just create a new one.
- Try to give an indication of how much you liked/disliked your watchings (reviews, comments, ratings,...)
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for the soul.

Official Lists
- Best Picture Winners
- Best Foreign Picture Winners
- Best Cinematography Winners
- Best Documentary Winners
- Best Picture Nominees
- Best Foreign Picture Nominees

Non-Official Lists
- Every Film Ever Nominated for an Academy Award
- Every Film Ever Nominated for an Academy Award Part 2
- Every Film Ever Nominated for an Academy Award in Any Category

Be careful with non-official lists because occasionally a film will make it on the list which had its nomination rescinded or was not an official nominee.

Rank	Participant	COUNT
1	flavo5000	139
2	maxwelldeux	42
3	sol	40
4	gunnar	37
5	Tngy	32
6	Good_Will_Harding	29
7	beasterne	28
8	afirm	22
8	redcard29	22
10	Lakigigar	21
11	AB537	20
11	DudeLanez	20
11	ororama	20
14	Nopros	19
15	blocho	16
15	klaus78	16
17	nimimerkillinen	15
17	RogerTheMovieManiac88	15
19	Lammetje	12
19	Rufus-T	12
19	Silga	12
22	magnusbernhardsen	10
23	whizwilly	9
24	jonas2k	8
24	Knaldskalle	8
24	Minkin	8
27	VincentPrice	7
27	vortexsurfer	7
29	ChrisReynolds	6
30	peeptoad	5
31	jdidaco	4
Total		661

Academy Awards Scavenger Hunt Bonus Challenge

When the word "film" is used, it implies any combination of films or shorts that comprise a point. For instance, you would need to watch at least 80 minutes of animated shorts to earn the point, assuming that each short was 40 minutes or less. Any film can only count for one category so if a film was nominated in multiple categories, you will need to choose which one you want it to count. Keeping a running total of your score would be helpful for double checking, but isn't required.

Tag	Challenge
#Picture	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Picture
#Director	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Director
#Actor	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Actor
#Actress	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Actress
#SupportingActor	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Supporting Actor
#SupportingActress	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Supporting Actress
#Cinematography	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Cinematography
#ProductionDesign	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Production Design/Art Direction
#AdaptedScreenplay	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay
#OriginalScreenplay	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Original Screenplay
#Documentary	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Documentary Feature
#International	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best International Feature
#Costume	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Costume Design
#Makeup/Hairstyling	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
#Animated	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Animated Feature
#Sound	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Sound (this includes Sound Mixing and Sound Editing)
#FilmEditing	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Film Editing
#Score	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Original Score
#Song	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Original Song
#VisualEffects	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Visual Effects
#DocShort	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Documentary Short
#AnimShort	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Animated Short
#LiveActionShort	Watch a Film based that was nominated for Best Live Action Short
#1920s	Watch a film from the 1920s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1930s	Watch a film from the 1930s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1940s	Watch a film from the 1940s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1950s	Watch a film from the 1950s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1960s	Watch a film from the 1960s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1970s	Watch a film from the 1970s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1980s	Watch a film from the 1980s that won an Academy Award in any category
#1990s	Watch a film from the 1990s that won an Academy Award in any category
#2000s	Watch a film from the 2000s that won an Academy Award in any category
#2010s	Watch a film from the 2010s that won an Academy Award in any category
#2020s	Watch a film from the 2020s that won an Academy Award in any category

Bonus Challenge Letterboxd lists

Best Picture Nominees
Best Director Nominees
Best Actor Nominees
Best Actress Nominees
Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Best Cinematography Nominees
Best Production Design/Art Direction Nominees
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees
Best Original Screenplay Nominees
Best Documentary Feature Nominees
Best International Feature Nominees
Best Costume Design Nominees
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Nominees
Best Animated Feature Nominees
Best Sound and Sound Mixing Nominees
Best Sound Editing/Sound Effects Nominees
Best Film Editing Nominees
Best Original Score Nominees
Best Original Song Nominees
Best Visual Effects Nominees
Best Documentary Short Nominees
Best Animated Short Nominees
Best Live Action Short Nominees
All Academy Award Winners

Bonus Challenge Leaderboard

Rank	Participant	Count
1	sol	***1st to Finish***
2	flavo5000	***2nd to Finish***
3	maxwelldeux	***3rd to Finish***
4	Tngy	28
5	beasterne	24
6	gunnar	22
7	Good_Will_Harding	19
8	afirm	18
8	DudeLanez	18
8	redcard29	18
11	ororama	17
12	Lakigigar	16
13	AB537	15
14	RogerTheMovieManiac88	12
15	Lammetje	11
16	magnusbernhardsen	9
16	Rufus-T	9
16	Silga	9
16	whizwilly	9
20	ChrisReynolds	6
20	Minkin	6
22	vortexsurfer	5

Lammetje Personal Police Academy Challenge Leaderboard

Lammetje Personal Police Academy Challenge Leaderboard

Rank	Participant	Count
1	Lammetje	25

[gunnar]

I don't plan on defending my victory from last year. I have 45 films to watch from this year's nominees and may rewatch a few earlier ones, but that's about it. Let me know if you have any questions about the regular challenge or the bonus challenge.

[sol]

Thanks for hosting, Kurt. Your Bonus Challenge is making my head spin. I had only planned to participate in this one in passing, but now I'm thinking about how many of those Bonus Challenge targets I could hit. And I love the Letterboxd helper lists since I can filter them using JustWatch. Amazing inclusion.

[gunnar]

I thought about doing two separate Bonus challenges, but decided to combine them. I'll admit thinking of you, Sol, and your love of bonus challenges and that this might nudge you to a bit higher level of participation. I'm glad that the Letterboxd links are helpful. I've been using those lists for the last couple of years as I completed my Academy Awards quest.

[maxwelldeux]

You just had to include a scavenger hunt... I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts. Let's see what damage I can do.

[gunnar]

You just had to include a scavenger hunt... I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts. Let's see what damage I can do.

Ha! You and Sol can battle it out for first to finish along with any other challengers that come along. Hopefully it is fun to complete.

[Lakigigar]

I'll be in as well, will mostly use this a bit to finish what i've left/want to see for the upcoming 2010s list (that happened to be nominated for an award), and maybe if there's enough time left some newer releases (2020-2022, esp. the last year due to being eligible for another challenge).

[sol]

It starts! First in. And first-in in a coincidental numbers way like only I can do.

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s



The set-up always feels contrived here, especially with his ability to walk around on the ship like a free man, but both a perfectly understated William Powell and a lively but fragile Kay Francis excel in their roles. The way Powell wins the trust of the cop escorting him is clever too. The film fares less well when exploring its supporting characters, but there is a simply amazing tracking shot before the main couple meet and all the choice close-ups are great.

[flavo5000]

You just had to include a scavenger hunt... I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts. Let's see what damage I can do.

Ha! You and Sol can battle it out for first to finish along with any other challengers that come along. Hopefully it is fun to complete.

Howdy

[sol]

Spoiler

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s

2. Live and Let Die (1973) REVISION #Song



With a goofy, borderline comedy vibe, this initially feels like a jarring entry in the Bond franchise; rewatched at a distance to the Connery efforts though, it proves surprisingly decent. Sure, many parts are excessively silly (Bond hopping across crocodile heads like Super Mario; the easily irate sheriff; Yaphet Kotto's demise), however, a very young-looking Roger Moore makes the role his own, with a stiff upper lip calmness that Connery never had. A fair few parts of the film are downright eerie too, most notably the deadly funeral processions (see above) and scarecrow heads with camera eyes and gun barrel mouths.

[gunnar]

I'll be in as well, will mostly use this a bit to finish what i've left/want to see for the upcoming 2010s list (that happened to be nominated for an award), and maybe if there's enough time left some newer releases (2020-2022, esp. the last year due to being eligible for another challenge).

Sounds like a good plan to me. Enjoy!

You just had to include a scavenger hunt... I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts. Let's see what damage I can do.

Ha! You and Sol can battle it out for first to finish along with any other challengers that come along. Hopefully it is fun to complete.

Howdy

[Lakigigar]

1. The Father (2020) - 8/10 #Actor

Small in scope, powerful in execution. In some ways, it reminded me of Mother! (ironically) due to the paranoia involved, even as the viewer. Not a pleasant film to watch, emotional and centering on fears most of us will have.

[VincentPrice]

1. Armageddon-1998: 10/10

Nominated For:

Best Sound
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Music, Original Song

[sol]

Spoiler

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s
2. Live and Let Die (1973) REVISION #Song

3. The Producers (1967) REVISION #1960s



Still entertaining after six viewings, this classic Mel Brooks comedy about two theatre producers trying to intentionally put on a flop (to avoid paying back investors) works on account of the chemistry between its co-stars. While it is hard to believe Zero Mostel being absolutely irresistible to "little old ladies", his every scene with Gene Wilder is comedy gold, most notably his inadvertently jumping up and down when telling an anxiety-ridden Wilder that he is not going to jump on him. The play-within is excellent too. Lee Meredith's "toy" role feels icky in post-#MeToo times, but this is a pretty great ride overall.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s
2. Live and Let Die (1973) REVISION #Song
3. The Producers (1967) REVISION #1960s

4. Blazing Saddles (1974) REVISION #Editing



One of those rare comedies that seem to only get funnier with every viewing, some of the gags are simply childish and groan-inducing here (baked beans flatulence) but the vast majority of them work. The story is pretty interesting too with Mel Brooks acutely tackling racism in the Old West and Cleavon Little shines in the role, though Harvey Korman is even funnier with all of his constant indignation. The crowning achievement of the film though is its final ten minutes that not only break but completely shatter the fourth wall. The final stretch might even be the single greatest thing that Brooks ever helmed.

[Lakigigar]

Spoiler

1. The Father (2020) - 8/10 #Actor

2. Winter's Bone (2010) - 5/10 #Actress

I get some of the appeal, indie grim-looking view on rural white trash trailer family America, but i feel the whole premise is just underwhelming and does not deliver.

Got the AV's 2010s bronze award tho, only True Grit left for 2010 BP nominees (which i plan to see too one of the upcoming days).

[beasterne]

1. My Night at Maud's (1969) #International

Nominee: Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay

This one will stick with me. It's my first Rohmer film, and I'm intrigued to try more. A very dialogue-driven film that reminded me of My Dinner with Andre (which could have been inspired by Maud, especially given their similar titles). There's a lot going on in this one with both the characters and the themes. The cinematography was also very well done. I liked this a lot.

I've been looking forward to this challenge! I've got a whole slate of films lined up and I'm ready to start checking them off

[gunnar]

1. My Night at Maud's (1969) #International

Nominee: Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay

This one will stick with me. It's my first Rohmer film, and I'm intrigued to try more. A very dialogue-driven film that reminded me of My Dinner with Andre (which could have been inspired by Maud, especially given their similar titles). There's a lot going on in this one with both the characters and the themes. The cinematography was also very well done. I liked this a lot.

I've been looking forward to this challenge! I've got a whole slate of films lined up and I'm ready to start checking them off

I liked this one a lot as well. Good luck with knocking films off of your list. There have been a lot of excellent films nominated for Academy Awards so there are plenty to choose from.

[flavo5000]

1. Sayonara (Joshua Logan, 1957) #1950s
Won: Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Sound Recording
Nominated: Picture, Lead Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing
One of those that's progressive for the time but still incredibly racially insensitive through modern eyes (Richardo Montelban as a Japanese man? uh...)


2. Finding Vivian Maier (John Maloof, Charlie Siskel, 2013) #Documentary
i]Nominated[/i]: Documentary
Very fascinating and engaging subject. The ending felt a little eh but still I suppose it's about the journey


3. Casanova '70 (Mario Monicelli, 1965) #OriginalScreenplay
Nominated: Original Screenplay
How the hell did this get, of all things, a screenplay nom? The script is just a mess. Marcello Mastroianni is as charming as ever though.


4. Iris (Richard Eyre, 2001) #SupportingActor
Won: Actor
Nominated: Actress, Supporting Actress
Broadbent earned his win here. His performance as a husband dealing with his wife's Alzheimer's is very good. The movie itself is just incredibly depressing though. Alzheimer's = almost guaranteed Oscar bait


5. Tár (Todd Field, 2022) #Actress
Nominated: Picture, Actress, Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing
The fact that so many people after seeing this think Tár is a real person is a testament to just how good the film is at building just a full-bodied character.


6. Action in the North Atlantic (Byron Haskin, Raoul Walsh, Lloyd Bacon, 1943)
Nominated: Original Story
A solid war film with some strong performances and some nice nighttime cinematography. It felt far too long though for the plot.

And the Award Goes to....

1. Sayonara (Joshua Logan, 1957) #1950s
2. Finding Vivian Maier (John Maloof, Charlie Siskel, 2013) #Documentary
3. Casanova '70 (Mario Monicelli, 1965) #OriginalScreenplay
4. Iris (Richard Eyre, 2001) #SupportingActor
5. Tár (Todd Field, 2022) #Actress
6. Action in the North Atlantic (Byron Haskin, Raoul Walsh, Lloyd Bacon, 1943) #1940s

[Lakigigar]

The fact that so many people after seeing this think Tár is a real person is a testament to just how good the film is at building just a full-bodied character.

What!

I thought they were a real person. I've heard speculations of Lydia Tár running for president in 2024 on political forums.

[Rufus-T]

This, I should be able to do. It was fun last year. I may not do as well this year. Last night I watched this

1. Rocky (1976) - I used to watched the last 20 min over and over. I have not watched the movie a long time. Excellent drama with much humor. Inspiring. Carl Weathers could have nominated for supporting actor. I love the line, "Apollo Creed meets the Italian Stallion. Sounds like a damn monster movie". Big kudos to Bill Conti's score. Won for picture, director, and editing. #Picture

[Tngy]

1. My Octopus Teacher (2020) 7/10 #Documentary
Winner: Documentary
2. Triangle of Sadness (2022) 9/10 #OriginalScreenplay
Nominee: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay

[Good_Will_Harding]

Let's get this started!

1. I Want to Live! (1958) #1950s

Extremely lively and stylized noir-ish drama, with some memorable diegetic Jazz music and a stunning central turn by Susan Hayward, who took home the Best Leading Actress prize for this role. This also secured a handful of other nominations across the board, all of which were deserved, yet it somehow missed Best Picture. I went back to the results of our 1958 poll from 2018, and from what I could find, this curiously didn't even make the list of our final results. I guess I'm part of the problem, having only just watched it for the first time today, but now I say we need a do over!

[VincentPrice]

2. 4 Little Girls-1997: 10/10

Nominated For:

Best Documentary, Features

Spoiler

1. Armageddon-1998: 10/10

[ororama]

1. The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) 86 min. #1930s
Winner: ​​​​​​​Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Muni)
            ​​​​​​​Best Writing, Original Story (Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney)
            ​​​​​​​Best Writing, Screenplay (Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney)
​​​​​​​Nominee: Best Picture

I first saw this movie many years ago during a period when I saw a number of other Muni biographic roles. He gives a very good performance, but I would have given the award to Walter Huston for Dodsworth. The message of this movie is unfortunately timely.

*First time viewing

[gunnar]

1. The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) 86 min.
Winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Muni)
            Best Writing, Original Story (Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney)
            Best Writing, Screenplay (Pierre Collings, Sheridan Gibney)
​​​​​​​Nominee: Best Picture

I first saw this movie many years ago during a period when I saw a number of other Muni biographic roles. He gives a very good performance, but I would have given the award to Walter Huston for Dodsworth. The message of this movie is unfortunately timely.

*First time viewing

I would have given the award to either Huston or William Powell (for My Man Godfrey). I'd have to watch the movies again to decide between them. They were each great in their roles.

By the way, if you'd like to participate in the bonus challenge, feel free to edit your post and had a # with the category you would like to use. You could use #1930s since it was a winner or you could use #Actor or #Picture, etc. If you don't want to participate in the bonus challenge, that is also okay.

[gunnar]

1. Armageddon-1998: 10/10

Nominated For:

Best Sound
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Best Music, Original Song

If you'd like to participate in the bonus challenge, feel free to edit your listings with a # such as #VisualEffects for the category you want to use. If you don't want to participate in the bonus challenge, that is also okay.

[AB537]

1. The Black Swan (Henry King, 1942) 7/10 ... Won: Cinematography ... Nominated: Original Score, Visual Effects ... #1940s

[sol]

Spoiler

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s
2. Live and Let Die (1973) REVISION #Song
3. The Producers (1967) REVISION #1960s
4. Blazing Saddles (1974) REVISION #Editing

5. At Eternity's Gate (2018) #Actor



This Van Gogh film netted Willem Dafoe a Best Actor Oscar nom and he is as solid as one would expect, but it's hardly his best recent work (Lighthouse, anyone?). The overall film is also a bit of an up and down ride. There are some great dialogue-free scenes of Dafoe basking in natural beauty before painting and the constant repeated dialogue (as he remembers things that others have told him as echoes) is a great touch. The more dialogue-heavy parts feel very verbose and longwinded though and the unsteady handheld camerawork is a mixed blessing - visually interesting but distractingly noticeable.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. One Way Passage (1932) #1930s
2. Live and Let Die (1973) REVISION #Song
3. The Producers (1967) REVISION #1960s
4. Blazing Saddles (1974) REVISION #Editing
5. At Eternity's Gate (2018) #Actor

6. Argentina 1985 (2022) #International



Those called to the stand have some memorable stories to share, particularly a pregnant woman, and there is definitely something satisfying in watching two men prepared to risk it all in the hope of seeing justice done. As a motion picture experience though, this rarely rises above standard courtroom drama narrative trappings. Much of the film simply revolves around witnesses on the stand giving lengthy accounts. A threats angle also disappears fairly early on with the overall film barely tapping into paranoia or fear that the two prosecutors presumably felt. The whole thing is certainly well acted though.

[flavo5000]

By the way, if you'd like to participate in the bonus challenge, feel free to edit your post and had a # with the category you would like to use. You could use #1930s since it was a winner

Oops, I just noticed the decade bonus challenges were for winners, not nominated. Action in North Atlantic only got a nomination, so I'll remove the tag from that one.

[gunnar]

By the way, if you'd like to participate in the bonus challenge, feel free to edit your post and had a # with the category you would like to use. You could use #1930s since it was a winner

Oops, I just noticed the decade bonus challenges were for winners, not nominated. Action in North Atlantic only got a nomination, so I'll remove the tag from that one.

I'm sure that you'll find a nice replacement film for that tag.

[flavo5000]

7. The Champ (Franco Zeffirelli, 1979) #Score
Nominated: Score
Did 1979 need a remake of a treacly Wallace Beery movie? No, not really. At least the kid is less annoying in this one.


8. The Barkleys of Broadway (Charles Walters, 1949)
Nominated: Color Cinematography
9. Second Chorus (H. C. Potter, 1940) #Song
Nominated: Song, Score
10. Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951)
Nominated: Song
11. You'll Never Get Rich (Sidney Lanfield, 1941)
Nominated: Song, Score
I have historically not been the biggest Astaire fan, so I thought I'd take in a marathon of Astaire movies to see if my mind could be changed. Short answer? No, I still don't like Astaire. He feels a little too self-satisfied for my taste. The final Astaire/Rogers film Barkleys of Broadway was kind of interesting with its meta commentary on their working relationship but still not great. The best dance number was in Royal Wedding with Astaire in the rotating room. Second Chorus had some decent jazz music but Goddard seemed lifeless, and You'll Never Get Rich was basically just Astaire doing his schtick in the military and breaking enough rules that he would've been court-martialed a hundred times over if it were real.


12. All Is Lost (J.C. Chandor, 2013) #Sound
Nominated: Sound Editing
Redford on a boat for two hours. I suppose it did have good sound editing, had an immersive feel to it. Felt a little dull at times, especially in the first half and the ending felt like a cop out.


13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ryan Coogler, 2022) #VisualEffects
Nominated: Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Song, Visual Effects, Supporting Actress
A decent film that felt entirely too long. The beginning zoomed over Boseman's death so quickly it almost felt disrespectful but the ending with the coda felt much more appropriate. I liked Ironheart as a character but she felt tacked on here in the same way that America Chavez did in the last Doctor Strange movie.


14. Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades a.k.a. Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2022) #Cinematography
Nominated: Cinematography
Uh...hm... The cinematography nod is indeed deserved with some amazing virtuoso camera work. But jeez, Iñárritu reeks of pretension here. It felt like he wanted to do his 8 1/2 but didn't know how to reign in his most nonsensical impulses.

And the Award Goes to....

1. Sayonara (Joshua Logan, 1957) #1950s
2. Finding Vivian Maier (John Maloof, Charlie Siskel, 2013) #Documentary
3. Casanova '70 (Mario Monicelli, 1965) #OriginalScreenplay
4. Iris (Richard Eyre, 2001) #SupportingActor
5. Tár (Todd Field, 2022) #Actress
6. Action in the North Atlantic (Byron Haskin, Raoul Walsh, Lloyd Bacon, 1943) #1940s
7. The Champ (Franco Zeffirelli, 1979) #Score
8. The Barkleys of Broadway (Charles Walters, 1949)
9. Second Chorus (H. C. Potter, 1940) #Song
10. Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951)
11. You'll Never Get Rich (Sidney Lanfield, 1941)
12. All Is Lost (J.C. Chandor, 2013) #Sound
13. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ryan Coogler, 2022) #VisualEffects
14. Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades a.k.a. Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2022) #Cinematography

[Lakigigar]

Spoiler

1. The Father (2020) - 8/10 #Actor
2. Winter's Bone (2010) - 5/10 #Actress

3. True Grit (2010) - 7/10 #ProductionDesign
4. Midnight in Paris (2011) - 7/10 #Director

Completed all BP nominees of 2010, and also saw the one i wanted to see yet from 2011 (skipping others for now). Both good and solid films that deserve to be in a top 250 best films of the 2010s list.

I think Black Swan was the best film from all BP nominees, but The King's Speech is my 2nd fav out of these. Would order them as such (sorry lovers of Inception). Good year though in this category

ranking 2010 BP nominees

1. Black Swan
2. The King's Speech
3. True Grit
4. The Social Network
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. 127 Hours
7. Toy Story 3
8. The Fighter
9. Winter's Bone
10. Inception

[Good_Will_Harding]

2. All The Beauty and Bloodshed (2022) #Documentary

A very rousing and impactful documentary by Laura Poitras, who also made the equally transgressive Oscar winner Citizenfour. Poitras appears to gravitate towards subjects which are very timely and controversial, and this film is no exception. It centers on the career and activism of Nan Goldin, as well as the downfall of the Sackler Family's wealth and influence within the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the impact they had on the ongoing opioid crisis in America. Goldin is a figure who I was really only familiar with in name only, though some of the photography shown in the film did seem familiar to me. This film does a pretty good job of painting a three-dimensional portrait of her as an artist and the eventually a public figure within the fight against big pharma companies. I came away feeling quite moved and like I learned a lot about the life and career of this film's central subject, which is all you can really ask for in a good doc.

Keep my wife's name out of your f'ing mouth!

1. I Want to Live! (1958) #1950s

[maxwelldeux]

LOL @ GWH's spoiler tag

1. The Living Desert (1953) #1950s

This was almost unwatchably awful. You have an old mediocre nature film, but then you score it with the most ridiculously awful cartoonish sounds that made me wish for the extinction of the entire desert. Do not recommend. Without looking it up, I'm assuming it was competing for the Documentary Oscar against two pro-Nazi propaganda films, an exploration of ways to scoop cat litter, and an early Warhol film entitled "Seven Hours of Paint Drying" with a 12-hour run time.

[gunnar]

We're off to a pretty good start with 12 participants and 39 films watched so far and 9 people participating in the Bonus Challenge. flavo is off to a blazing start in both sections with 14 films watched and 10 points in the bonus challenge. At this pace, he might complete the Bonus Challenge in 10 days or less. sol is off to a nice consistent start as well with 6 films watched and 6 points in the Bonus Challenge. Lakigigar and I follow in third place with 4 points in each category.

Two categories in the bonus challenge have been watched three times - Documentary and 1950s. I wouldn't have guessed that those two categories would have the early lead. Eight other categories have been watched twice while 15 categories don't have any watches yet at all.


1 - Triangle of Sadness (2022) - 7.5/10 - #Director - A male model and his controlling social media influencer girlfriend get invited to take a trip on a yacht with a group of very rich (and not necessarily well behaved) people. Things go well at first, but take a turn for the worse. I didn't really enjoy the opening section of the movie, but started liking it quite a bit more once they got on the yacht.

2 - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) - 7.5/10 - #Costume - A cleaning woman (and war widow) in 1950s London becomes infatuated with owning a Christian Dior dress and travels to Paris to buy one, making a number of friends along the way. Leslie Manville does a nice job as Mrs. Harris. The movie is old-fashioned and doesn't really add anything new, but it's pleasant to watch and a good way to spend a couple of hours. The costumes are also very nice.

3 - Elvis (2022) - 6.5/10 - #Sound - I think that Austin Butler did a nice job as Elvis, but I didn't like Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker. The early part of the film worked best for me, but the film felt overly long while also glossing over quite a bit.

4 - The Fabelmans (2022) - 8.5/10 - #SupportingActor - I've read various mixed reactions to Stephen Spielberg's film based on his youth, but I enjoyed it. Gabriel Labelle is really good as Sammy Fabelman. I also liked Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as his parents. Judd Hirsch was good in his brief role as Uncle Boris, but it seemed like a very small role to get an Academy Award nomination.

[klaus78]

1. Blonde (2022) 6/10
a. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022) 4/10
b. Le pupille (2022) 7/10

[afirm]

1. Amistad (1997) #Costume
2. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) #Song
3. Don’t Look Up (2021) #Score
4. Im Western nichts Neues (2022) #Makeup/Hairstyling

Off to a good start, but I don't think I can keep this up.

[sol]

We're off to a pretty good start with 12 participants and 39 films watched so far and 9 people participating in the Bonus Challenge. flavo is off to a blazing start in both sections with 14 films watched and 10 points in the bonus challenge. At this pace, he might complete the Bonus Challenge in 10 days or less. sol is off to a nice consistent start as well with 6 films watched and 6 points in the Bonus Challenge. Lakigigar and I follow in third place with 4 points in each category.

Two categories in the bonus challenge have been watched three times - Documentary and 1950s. I wouldn't have guessed that those two categories would have the early lead. Eight other categories have been watched twice while 15 categories don't have any watches yet at all.

Thanks for the update. I'm surprised about the 1950s; Best Documentary less so since I don't think the Oscar Doco list was Official during the last Oscars challenge, plus at a least a couple of the 2022 nominees are readily available on streaming platforms. Will be interesting to see if the trend continues.