Blinded by the Hype

So it's been quite awhile since I have posted on here...but with good reason. A little over a week ago I started my road trip from Atlanta to Chicago to ultimately move in with my boyfriend. It has taken me about a week to get moved in and settled somewhat. All I need now is to find a job which is probably one of the most difficult things to do at this time. But I am staying positive and keeping my fingers crossed.

This past week and a half as I was unpacking my things and trying to make this apartment look like a home while my boyfriend has been at work, I have occupied my time with lots and lots of TV! One wonderful contraption we have that I have never had before is a DVR in which I can record pretty much anything and everything I want to watch. Seriously this is the best thing ever! So with my frequent use of the DVR I have pretty much stayed up to date with all things going on in the world.... well... lets be real, all things pop culture/entertainment.

One big event within the past week was the announcement of the Academy Award Nominations. Most of the nominations were no big surprise, basically the same people we have been seeing at other award shows and whatnot. However, the nominees for Best Picture were quite surprising. The Academy is now nominating 10 feature films in this category which can be quite interesting when perhaps there have not been 10 outstanding films this year. This is why I assume some of the following films were nominated.



Best motion picture of the year

"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)

"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)

"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)

"Up" (Walt Disney)

"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)


Now I don't profess to be an expert because honestly I haven't seen all of these films, but when I saw that "The Blind Side" was nominated I seriously laughed. Now don't get me wrong, I saw the movie with my mom and thought it was very entertaining and heartwarming for a sports family type movie. But that's all I thought of it. A nice movie to see with your family in theaters around the holidays not "Picture of The Year". There has just been so much hype around this film (and don't get me started on Avatar either!!!) that I wonder why the Academy feels that it is a justified Best Picture nominee when I feel it is not up to par with some of the other nominated films and films nominated in the past. Something may be hyped and popular, but that certainly does not make it great.

Another confusion of mine is the nomination for "Up". Now I loved "Up" and cried every time I saw it. It gave me the warm and fuzzies and made me really appreciate the direction Disney/Pixar animation is going. But my question is...If "Up" is nominated for "Best Picture" and "Best Animated Feature Film" wouldn't that already mean that "Up" is the "Best Animated Feature Film" because it was apparently better than its fellow nominees in that category since it earned a "Best Picture" nomination and none of the others did? Hmmmm?

Well no matter what the deal is, "Inglourious Basterds" should win something.... I mean ANYTHING because I thought it was fantastic.




If those damn blue Avatar people steal the "Inglourious Basterds" Oscar glory, I'm gonna go all Shoshanna on their CGI asses.