The Curious Case of the Oscar Season



Today was a wonderful day for the movie watching pirates of the world, as the day we'd all been waiting for arrived.

DVD screener day!

For the film enthusiast in Anchorage, Alaska, it's hard going most of the time. Whatever Oscar contender that comes out, always seems to come out way later here than anywhere else. However, you can get around that, as DVD screeners for Oscar viewing purposes always seem to make their way onto the internet around mid December. Over the last few days, it happened, with Frost/Nixon, Seven Pounds, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and many others making it on to torrent sites (and my computer eventually).

Of course, going back to the post I made a few weeks back, it's still a mediocre year one way or another for Oscar contenders, especially with films that I had high hopes for like Australia and Milk turning out to be good, not great.

Strangely enough, this excites me, as it opens up the race for year to date favorite Wall E and my most anticipated yet to be seen movie Slumdog Millionaire to pull in Best Picture nominations. Of course, could an animated nearly silen film and a movie based in Mumbai directed by Danny Boyle possibly pull in nominations? Check this:

Wall E: Best Picture from Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics, Boston Film Critics, Time Magazine, and one half of Entertainment Weekly.

Slumdog Millionaire: Best picture from Boston Film Critics, London Film Critics, D.C. Film Critics, Dallas Film Critics, and Florida Film Critics.

If this were a Presidential election, you could say these two are pulling in the major battleground states. Regardless, with each passing day it becomes more and more likely that both will pull in Best Picture nominations, along with most likely Milk, Frost/Nixon, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

If that happens, I'll be a happy guy. The more movies that are heartwarming and just good for the soul, the better I say. I'm just a sucker for heart I guess. Here's hoping when the nominations are announced on January 22nd, they call out the movie about the little robot and the little slumdog that could.

Also, for a dark horse, if you haven't caught the trailer for the Wrestler, get excited. Mickey Rourke looks unbelievable in this movie. I want it now!