Tomorrow begins my "27 Days of Oscar" series and what did I find myself doing all weekend? Avoiding movies at all cost and binging "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and re-binging "Degrassi: The Next Class." Even now I find myself wanting to say more about that show (HEY, NETFLIX...why have you not gone ahead and renewed the 5th season of this awesome show!!!) than the Oscars but luckily another Awards Wiz saving good night's sleep has given this Oscar season (another!) 2nd, 3rd wind.
I had hoped that last night's SAG Awards would do the trick, but it didn't. Although I was grateful that the show moved along, and that it had some good moments, I found the majority of the show - from presenters to winners insincere.
For some reason, listening to the presenters drone on and on about how each performance was groundbreaking in its individuality and skill played tired. With the exception of Emily Blunt (which I unofficially predicted...ASK MY MOTHER!) and Rami Malek, I found the majority of the actors who won to lean toward canned or emotionless.
While others were praising Chadwick Boseman's amazing speech, I couldn't help notice that he seems to have lost a significant amount of weight and honestly seemed to ramble with a complete disregard to time and place.
Of course, this is Hollywood, a place where we reward actors for unhealthy weight loss/gain instead of casting actors of appropriate size, so if something is actually wrong with Boseman (I think there was) we may not know because the scripts are already pre-written for exactly how we are supposed to respond to a "Black Panther" win. Everything is fine here! Pay no attention to the truth behind the curtain.
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it doesn't matter. I'm thrilled "Black Panther" won. Either way...it was a pretty dull night for me, when the unpredictability of this season should be exciting me.
So, what's going on with this race? Perhaps for the first time in a long time each voting body, Golden Globes, Critics Choice, PGA, SAG...they are simply voting for their favorites and using their own voice. Or have they been doing that all along and Oscar prognosticators have been wrong saying that they are simply doing their best to fit into the presumed Oscar narrative?
I will say this, now having experience...the way we categorize these voting bodies as a unified voice is completely wrong. When the Dorian Award nominations were announced, we were criticized, as a unit, (by at least one person on Twitter) for not including more LGBTQ directors in the LGBTQ Film of the Year. A valid response. I get it...two of the films I personally nominated, "1985" and "Alex Strangelove" were directed by Queer people but did not make the list. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. This is simply how the votes added up.
Who knows what might happen come Oscar night. I'm not feeling a groundswell for Bradley Cooper for the DGA ala Ben Affleck when he was snubbed in Directing by the Academy, so I think they will go for Cuaron although the Academy could go for Lee which means "A Star is Born" is probably out for Best Picture. I think the same people who would vote for that film are more than likely to go for "Green Book" at this point.
I do know that tomorrow I start my 27 Days of Oscar series despite having no clue what that is going to look like. In the past I have had almost 27 Oscar nominated films to watch (sometimes more) which has made the layout of the series one film per day for as long as I can remember. This year I think I have 9 to watch as well as several Indie Spirits films.
But, my passions are lining up elsewhere. I'm already looking forward to a hiatus from Awards Wiz to focus on directing "Doubt" for Theatre Oxford and finishing up my short film screenplay to shoot that as well. Heck...last night I even dreamed that I was at a theatre conference preparing for a mass cattle call for acting. Even my dreams are telling right now.
But, the show and 27 Days of Oscar must go on!
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