Quick! Let’s talk Oscars.

On Sunday, the 88^th Academy Awards will be hosted by Chris Rock, a guy who told David Letterman in 2005 he would take this gig again “If there’s a lot of black people on it…”

And while the opposite is true, I cannot wait to hear what comes out of Rock’s mouth. In fact, I am looking forward to the entire glitzy. schmoozy showdown on Sunday.

Seeing the clothes on the red carpet on Sunday and the  Twitter feeds the rest of the week.  Most importantly, I’m looking forward to finding out which movies I’ll want to see later.

My name is Karen and I love movies. I love watching them. I love talking about them.  (Face it, if there were more people like me there would be more parties to attend.)

This year I’ve seen only half of the nominees for Best Picture. (Eight is so many.) In the next few days I’m streaming “Brooklyn”, “Room” and “Spotlight”.
I tried watching “Mad Max: Fury Road”  on HBO- twice. Enough said. But I did enjoy listening to some of the music by Junkie XL/ Tom Holkenborg.

Here’s  a list of what’s in theatres and what’s available for home viewing  from Entertainment. If you’re a fan of the documentaries, find how to see them here.

 

My thoughts on the Best Picture nominees I’ve seen:

“The Big Short”*

Paramount Pictures and Adam McKay take on the housing credit bubble through the adaptation of  Michael Lewis’ best-seller “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine”.

Couldn’t stop thinking about this movie for days. The cast if brilliant. And the storyline is both haunting and entertaining. Nominated for five Oscars including Best Director and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Christian Bale).

“Bridge of Spies”*

This movie makes you feel good about paying a lot of money to see it. (You will also feel good seeing it at home.) It’s a powerhouse of a movie with something for everyone. Your brain will enjoy being involved. The combined talent of Ethan and Joel Coen and Steven Spielberg are apparent from start to finish. And  Tom Hanks still has it.  Six nominations including Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Music Score and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mark Rylance).

(*the first two movies were a deadlock for my favorite)

“The Martian”

I love Matt Damon on screen. The end.This character was my favorite since Will Hunting. But the character Mark Watney does not stand up to “The Revenant”‘s Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) and I have not seen “The Danish Girl”,  “Steve Jobs” or “Trumbo” to make those comparisons.

Anyone would love this movie and I love Ridley Scott for his stamp on it, though directing is not one of the movie’s seven nominatjons.

“The Revenant”

This vengeance and wilderness glory story of legendary Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is based on a truth. Left for dead, Glass  must survive the perils of the frontier to find his way home. Nature wins. Not a movie for the faint of heart or anyone seeking DiCaprio the heart throb. Nominated for 12 awards, Tom Hardy steals the show.

What did you think?

Which of the eight Oscar nominees for Best Picture have you seen? What were your thoughts?

Will you watch The Oscars?  Aren’t Bryan Cranston and Leonardo DiCaprio scary as cookies?

(Unless you live in New York City, it’s too late for you to have Eleni’s ‘playfully unique’ cookies for your party. There’s always next year. I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait that long.)

Don’t forget to vote!

Grab a complimentary Oscar ballot here. Or log on via Facebook to compete for prizes in a TV audience event sponsored by Kohl’s.

Now, meet me in the Comments Section and let’s talk Oscars!