The Oscars Game

Friends have introduced me to the Oscars Game: Try to watch all of the top contenders for the top awards before the awards show happens. Then, share opinions by texting or tweeting during the show, since we now have informed opinions about these movies. Part of the problem in Normal Times is simply trying to guess which movies are contenders (so there is enough lead time to see them all), and then trying to get to the theater or find a way to stream them, before time runs out. Luckily, this year, most of them should be available for streaming, if at a sometimes steep price.

Left to my own devices, I would see far fewer movies. But I enjoy entering into the spirit of the Game. Sometimes, the chase leads me to see movies I would otherwise skip. Here is my list of possible contenders. I copied the outlines from a friend, and then I've added some additional. The list contains some movies I have no intention of watching, but others think are Oscar-worthy.

Ammonite	O		Fossils	Rent
Another Round	O		Drunk Danes	Rent
Da Five Bloods	X		Vietnam Vets	Netflix
The Father	__		Senile dad
The Forty-year-old Version	X		Playwright Rapper
French Exit	__		Aging in Paris
Hillbilly Elegy	No
Judas & the Black Messiah	O		Black Panthers	HBO
The Life Ahead	__		Sofia Loren	Netflix
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	X		Musicians
Malcolm and Marie	No		Abusive relationship
Mank	__		Citizen Kane
The Mauritanian	O		Guantanamo Bay
Minari	O		Koreans in Arkansas	Rent
Miss Juneteenth	O		Mother/Daughter	Rent
Never Rarely Sometimes Always	O		Teen Abortion	HBO
News of The World	O		Reconstruction Texas	Rent
Nomadland	X		Road Trip	Hulu
On the Rocks	__		Bill Murray	Apple
One Night in Miami	O		Talking	Prime
Palm Springs	X		Groundhog Day
Pieces of a Woman	__		Dead baby	Netflix
The Prom	No		Gay highschool girl	Netflix
Promising Young Woman	X		Revenge	Rental
Shirley	No		Shirley Jackson
Soul	X		Cartoon Jazz Player
Sound of Metal	X		Deaf Drummer	Prime
Trial of the Chicago 7	X		Abby Hoffman
U.S. vs Billie Holiday	O		Censorship	Hulu
The Way Back	O		Basketball	HBO

If there is an "X" I've seen it. If there is an "O" I will (probably) see it. If there is an underscore, I haven't decided. And a few are just plain "No".

I am being very careful about what I see. I have seen movies in the past that depressed my mood for days. I'm not wanting to risk that right now. But there aren't a lot of rom-coms on this list - maybe Palm Springs? Maybe The Prom, though that got really bad reviews. One thing I like about streaming at home - I can stop a movie, and come back later, or even never if I really didn't care for it. 

What do I think of the movies I've seen? That would require a different post.