Random Trivia and Stuff

Nominees for the 2008 Oscars were announced this week. I admit it, I am a nerdling for movies ~ if I had more free time I would go to the movies at least twice a week. My Netflix list has about 62 movies in cue and about 40 more that haven't even been released on DVD yet. So ~ clearly ~ there are not enough hours in the day to whittle away at my ever growing list of flicks that I must see.

So ~ back to the Oscar nominations ~ I enjoy seeing as many of the nominated films as I can so that I can make educated guesses as to who will actually win the coveted gold statues. This year I have watched many of the films that have nods in one or several categories: Atonement, Juno, Enchanted, Into the Wild, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Ratatouille, Surf's Up. I will add another to my list by seeing There Will Be Blood tomorrow night. A couple more are on my Netflix list of must sees ~ Michael Clayton, Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson's War, The Savages, Gone Baby Gone, I'm Not There, The Golden Compass, The Assassination of Jesse James.

Judging from past award winning Oscar films (see below), the Academy frequently pics violent movies. True Story ~ just look at the list from 1970 til now (I have seen the ones in blue)~ Every now and then there will be a heartfelt film winner like: Terms of Endearment, Forrest Gump, Chariots of Fire, Out of Africa ~ but most are filled with some sort of brutal violence ~ blood shed. I'm telling you right now ~ I won't see No Country for Old Men ~ but am afraid the it's going to make a clean sweep on Oscar night. One of my blog buddies expressed her review of the movie in her blog ~ I would rather see Juno win ~ the movie made me laugh all the way through it and yet the issues dealt with in the plot were pretty serious.

LOVED Enchanted ~ with the combination of classic Disney animation coupled with a fresh look at a fairy tale princess ~ I was smitten ~ so surprised that the chipmunk didn't get an Oscar nod for best Actor!

2007 ~The Departed 2006 ~ Crash

2005 ~ Million Dollar Baby

2004 ~Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003~ Chicago

2002~A Beautiful Mind

2001~Gladiator

1999~Shakespeare in Love

1998~Titanic

1997~The English Patient

1996~Braveheart

1995~Forrest Gump

1994~Schindler's List

1993~Unforgiven

1992~The Silence of the Lambs

1991~Dances With Wolves

1990~ Driving Miss Daisy

1989~Rain Man

1988~The Last Emperor

1987~Platoon

1986~Out of Africa

1985~Amadeus

1984~Terms of Endearment

1983~Gandhi

1982~Chariots of Fire

1981~Ordinary People

1980~Kramer vs. Kramer

1979~The Deer Hunter

1978~Annie Hall

1977~Rocky

1976~One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975~The Godfather, Part II

1974~The Sting

1973~The Godfather

1972~The French Connection

1971~Patton

1970~Midnight Cowboy