#1348 Oscar nominations

There is one activity that all three people in my house like to do and that is watching movies. T in particular has become an avid movie watcher, especially last year when he watched over 140 movies.  We were very interested in the Academy Award nominations that were announced today, especially the Best Picture category.

For me, I don't usually pick a movie because I've heard that a performance is special. If I happen to see a film and I recognize that the acting was excellent, I'm happy, but I usually pick a film because of the story. An example is the movie Blue Jasmine. My sister and I picked the film because we thought the story was interesting, and it turned out that Cate Blanchett was absolutely amazing in the movie. (She won the Oscar for Best Actress last year.) On the other hand, I have never seen the movie Monster starring Charlize Theron for which she won the Best Actress Oscar.

Eight films were nominated for Best Picture this year. So far, I have seen two of those movies and if it's possible - that is, if the films are playing at a local theater - I will probably see all eight nominees. There weren't any films this year that made me say "Hmmm". Well, maybe Birdman, but I already went to see it. I wrote about it here. I didn't like it very much, but there it is, with nine nominations this year, tied with another film I saw, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Let's take a look at the nominees, shall we?

Birdman - Seen it, didn't like it, so it will surely win everything and leave me thinking that I just don't get it.

The Grand Budapest Hotel  - Seen it. It's very busy and full of very famous movie stars. Quirky.

Boyhood - T just bought the video. I may watch it this weekend. The premise is cool. The filmmakers hired a little kid and filmed parts of the movie over the next 12 years. All the same actors played their roles over that time, so you get to see actual aging, not just through makeup. Intriguing.

American Sniper - I was interested in this film before the nominations. We'll see it. Sometimes I like a war movie.

Whiplash - I don't know anything about this movie, but it's been on T's radar for awhile. He likes Miles Teller. J.K. Simmons is also in the movie; he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. I like him. You may know him from the Farmers Insurance commercials.

Selma - We were going to see this movie last weekend, but then T was hanging out with his friends and we just didn't go to the movies. We all want to see it, though.

The Theory of Everything - This is the movie about Stephen Hawking. I've been back and forth about going to see it. I think I will see it, but it's not the top of the list.

The Imitation Game - This movie is about a guy who invents a computer-type device during WWII. Benedict Cumberbatch is the star. People seem to really like him, at least that's what I'm getting from Pinterest. I thought he was great as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. He has an awesome voice and accent. Plus Keira Knightly is in this movie and I love her!

Good thing the Oscars presentation isn't until February 22 so I have plenty of time to see the six films I haven't seen! I'm pretty sure I'll be talking a lot about movies over the next five weeks.