And the Winner Is….

Posted on by

The Academy Awards, also known as Oscars Night, happens this Sunday, March 4. I’ll be watching. How about you?

The Oscars

Photo Credit: The Indian Express

Since I now live in the Los Angeles area, award season events, especially the Academy Awards, are annual TV events to watch at our house. The entertainment industry is big in our area, and that’s part of why I watch. Plus, I enjoy movies and TV programs. They tell stories, educate, and entertain, taking me out of my own busy life for a time. We also watch to stay culturally relevant.

The hosts, the openings, some of the speeches, and many of the dresses add to the interest of awards events. The red carpet entrances are also part of the fun. I become a critic of it all from my viewing vantage point.

We enjoy voting for the various categories. If you are looking for online forms to print for home use, here is one option: In Style Oscars 2018 Ballot

My friends and I have had parties over the years to watch together, as have many of you. After all, it is more fun to talk and share it all with others. The voting added an enjoyable competitive nature to the gathering. We shared appetizers and desserts.

One year, we dressed up representing our favorite movie of the year. We saw some very clever outfits. My friend and I both came as Shrek, not knowing we’d chosen the same movie.

We oooooohhh and ahhhh at beautiful dresses or raise our eyebrows in criticism over other dresses. Remember this dress (below)? And the “What Was She Thinking” Award goes to…

If I had to pick a dress, I’d prefer a soft pink dress. Modest. Flat shoes. This would be perfect.

Find your Oscar dress style with this fun little quiz: What Is Your Oscars Red Carpet Dress Style? 

The night does get complicated. The hosts, presenters, and winners’ speeches often voice opinions on politicians or express points of view on controversial issues. That has taken the enjoyment out of watching for people. I still find it interesting to hear the different perspectives on current topics, leaders, and passionate causes.

Some celebrities walk right up to the line of decency in their comments. Some march right through that line. Some celebrities give amazing speeches that are touching, sharing about their journey and growth, meaningful work and relationships, and words of appreciation. I have really enjoyed many acceptance speeches over the years.

Some friends work hard to see nominated movies before the Academy Awards. We go see movies that interest us, or watch them at home. We like to see movies nominated for Best Picture, if they sound like we’d like them. I also like to see Best Animated Features, though I do some of that viewing on my computer.

Some nominated movies are just too dark, edgy, and troubling for me, so I skip those. I’m sure I’ve missed some outstanding performances. That is OK with me. Images I put in my mind are tough to get out, so I choose carefully. There is wisdom in wimping out for me, anyway.

Since December, we’ve seen and enjoyed…

Image result

Image result

Image result

Image result

Image result            Image result

Not many have been nominated for Best Picture, but they are all Best Pictures for us. And that’s what really matters to us anyway.

Whether you go to the theater or not, watch the Oscars or not, I hope you enjoy something that is fun for you this weekend.

And stay charming, my friends!

Best Picture

  • Call Me by Your Name (didn’t see it)
  • Darkest Hour (hope to see it)
  • Dunkirk (didn’t see it)
  • Get Out (didn’t see it – but thinking about seeing it)
  • Lady Bird (saw it)
  • Phantom Thread (didn’t see it)
  • The Post (saw it; I hope it wins, but doubt it will.)
  • The Shape of Water (didn’t see it)
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (didn’t see it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 thoughts on “And the Winner Is….”

  1. This was a fun read, Cindi! Like you, I love the OSCARS for many of the same reasons. I think there are numerous films this year worth celebrating, quite a few of which did not receive OSCAR nods. I am personally hoping Darkest Hour takes the win this year. Truly some of the best acting I have ever seen! The Post is another strong candidate for me. It was an interesting glimpse into a fascinating historical event, and I loved Meryl Streep’s performance as Kay Graham. She captures the complexity of a strong yet vulnerable woman breaking through the gender wall as the first female publisher of a major US newspaper.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Bryan! Glad to hear you are into Oscars night, too. What time does it broadcast in Maui?? The Post was top notch in my book and Meryl Streep rocked it. I lived in that time period as a teenager. I know the women went through so much of those expectations. Fascinating. I know it won’t win Best Picture, and that is OK.

      Like

  2. For the first time in 20 years, we are not having our annual Oscar party! I cant say I will really miss it as I am looking forward to just watching the Oscars with Jeff and Ryan, my biggest movie fans. It got to be some of our party attenders didnt reallly follow what movies were up for awards and didnt really care that much . They just liked the party. So this year our family of three will be watching together and following closely every detail of the Oscar evening. Looking forward to it! We have seen all the movies, all the actors/actresses/screenplays, and even three documentaries and two foreign movies. I enjoyed al the nominated movies except Call Me By Your Name, but none really stood out to me like a best picture. Some of my favorite movies this year were Coco, Wonder, Wonderstruck, and Faces/Places (a charming French documentary that is nominated, about an 89 year old filmmaker and a 33 year old photographer and their joint venture in making this movie. I loved it!). Enjoy Oscar evening, Cindi!

    Liked by 1 person

    • This is such a great comment. I am amazed that you see so many nominated films! It is fun to hear how watching with the serious family film critics is the way to go this year. Makes sense. Now I want to see Wonderstruck and Face/Places. Have fun Sunday night!

      Like

      • I looked back at my movie journal (where I write down what movies we see, a short summary and rate them with stars because without it, I can’t remember what movie I saw last week!!). I remembered I also like the animated movie Loving Vincent. Very unique and interesting to learn more about Van Gogh told so creatively.
        Also, this year, we got Movie Pass which makes it so much cheaper to see all the movies we like to see. Have you heard about it? Such a great deal!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Loving Vincent looked so interesting, but I had forgotten all about it. I keep wishing for a “Good Reads” version for movies to log them in, because I forget, too. We only see about five movies in theaters a year. Would the Movie Pass be worth it? And we never go to the same theater. Does that matter if you go to Regal, AMC, and independent theaters?

        Like

      • It probably wouldn’t be worth it for only five movies a year, but you might go out and see some more when it doesn’t cost any extra! It is good at Regal and AMC. We have also used it at the cheap Brea theater and at Laemmle in Pasadena (for our independent and foreign movie fix!). If you go to one movie a month it more than pays for itself.

        Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.