Guest spot!

Some of you might now I was asked to be an expert witness co-host on an episode of The Projection Booth some months ago as they talked about Myra Breckinridge. Apparently they thought I was clever enough to have me back, so tune in as they bring me in again as co-host for my first John Waters' film Female Trouble.

To those of you coming in from TPB, thanks for swinging by. If my opinions should make you sick, please at least let someone know, so they can mop up the carpet.

Postshow Recap

Based off my pageviews, can you tell when Oscar Season is?

So how'd I do? Five times I both liked and correctly picked the winner. Another four times I agreed with the academy voters but predicted incorrectly while eight times I predicted correctly while disagreeing.

Best Picture

Well this is it, the last major article before the Oscars are presented tonight. I've already talked at length about these films as even the least nominated film Philomena snagged three other nominations. At the other end of the spectrum I've gone on about American Hustle and Gravity a whole mess of nine times already. To note, there are only eighteen categories possible (seventeen for American films), so ten nominations is pretty hefty. Only two films have ever pulled in fourteen: Titanic and All About Eve. Ten isn't terribly uncommon as thirty-two other films have reached that mark with poor, poor Gangs of New York not winning a single one of them. That's not the record, though! Both The Turning Point and The Color Purple put up goose eggs with their eleven tries.

Now, I know I said I'd stop saying this, but since I've talked about these all ad nauseum, maybe I can get through them pretty quickly*. Later today I'll be putting up a total list of my hopes and predictions.

On to the nominees!

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Gravity
• Her
• Nebraska
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Preshow Recap

The show's just about to start, so let's take a quick overview of my thoughts on which nominees should be and will be winners. I do have a couple changes and a case where I don't think I had submitted a decision.

Enjoy the production, and if you really need something Oscar-related to fill your time, The Hollywood Reporter has an excellent "Brutally Honest Oscar Voter Ballot" series you should check out. After, you know, reading everything I've posted. Obviously.

Animated Short and Feature Films

This is the last genre article and the last article at all before best picture talk! I'm excited. I also just have to finish Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom because - in the interest of full disclosure - no, I didn't actually watch it before writing about its original song (nor had I watched Despicable Me 2). After that, I may or may not watch Alone Yet Not Alone whose nomination was rescinded and The Missing Picture which won't be available for a couple weeks yet. The end is so close I can taste it! Wait, no, that's the lingering taste of candy and energy drinks I've been consuming in high quantities to get through Oscar Quest 2014.

Short Film, Animated:

• Feral
• Get a Horse!
• Mr. Hublot
• Tsukumo (Possessions)
• Room on the Broom