The Oscar Challenge

The insane mission to watch every Oscar winning film, every category from every year. This may take a while.

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I couldn’t remember if I had ever completely watched The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert so thought I should just to be sure. Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce are so good in this, as well as the late Terence Stamp. It received the Oscar for Best Costume Design.

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I have been endlessly postponing this one. Three hours and 36 minutes is a lot. But today I finally sat down and watched The Brutalist. I’m somewhat surprised to say that it was actually pretty good. Good cast, gorgeous visuals. But there is a lot happening and part of me feels like maybe this would have worked better as a mini series. It received the Oscars for Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.

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When I first watched Wicked in the cinema last year, I enjoyed it but wasn’t completely loving it. Watching it at home I found a new appreciation and must say that I do really like it. Love the cast, the music, the sets! It received two Oscars, Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Achievement in Costume Design.

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Okay I’ll be honest, this isn’t a bad film but I don’t quite understand why it received so many Oscars. A couple I can understand but I’m definitely not sure I would have voted for Anora for Best Picture. It also received the Oscars for Best Director, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Mikey Madison, Best Original Screenplay and Best Achievement in Film Editing.

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I think it’s safe to say that I’ve never seen a film like The Substance. Really enjoyed it, do feel like some parts dragged a bit but overall good! Also completely understand Demi’s Oscar nomination. Alas, that one she didn’t get, but the film did receive the Oscar for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling.

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I really enjoyed A Real Pain. The cousin dynamic, the way it was shot and edited, really good. It received the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kieran Culkin.

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I really enjoyed Conclave! I’ve always found the Vatican quite fascinating, so much mystery and shady things happening throughout history. This film is just really good, beautifully shot, excellent casting, I highly recommend it. Conclave received the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Peter Straughan.

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I thought I would really like this film, and it’s not bad but it wasn’t great either. Felt way too long with not enough happening. Doubt I’ll rewatch it. Anatomy of a Fall received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Justine Triet & Arthur Harari.

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Finally was able to watch American Fiction. I really liked this one, the sibling dynamics are great, the entire story works and excellent casting, I love Sterling K. Brown. Highly recommend! It received the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Cord Jefferson.

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Not sure how I feel about this film. It’s good, but I think maybe people I know talked too much about it so I was expecting.. more? The Zone of Interest received two Oscars, Best International Feature Film and Best Sound.

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I was having a tough time to really get invested into this one. Evita is not a bad film, and it’s also not because musicals aren’t my favorite genre. It’s that I mainly saw the high sparrow, puss in boots and Madonna, rather than the actual characters. Evita received the Oscar for Best Original Song for You Must Love Me by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

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Minari is beautiful in its simplicity. Great casting of the kids especially. Not a new favorite but I definitely enjoyed it! It received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Youn Yuh-jung.

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Finally watched No Time To Die. I’ve always enjoyed Bond films, had slightly mixed feelings about Daniel Craig but he grew on me. As for this film specifically, I enjoyed it. Not the absolute best or a new favorite, but it’s a good one, I quite liked Rami Malek as a Bond villain. It received the Oscar for Best Original Song.

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Somehow I hadn’t actually seen The Barefoot Contessa yet. I quite enjoyed it! It’s not your typical story or way of storytelling. Plus I really like Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, true legends. It received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

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I really like Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons, but this, film not so much. It was way too long and I just wasn’t feeling very invested in the characters or the story. Elmer Gantry received three Oscars, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Writing-Adapted Screenplay.

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Reversal of Fortune, I liked how it was narrated (funny btw that Felicity Huffman is in this, over a decade prior to Desperate Housewives with a similar narrator). Really solid cast as well. I love Jeremy Irons and this film is no exception, he received the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Claus von Bülow. That final line where he asks to purchase insulin, great ending. I really enjoyed this one!

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One of the first things I thought, when I was watching Coal Miner’s Daughter, was that the young Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Hartnett are eerily similar and could easily pull off playing a father/son duo. I googled if perhaps this had already happened, and discovered that I clearly wasn’t the first one to notice the resemblance. Really think they should do a film together. Anyway, back to this film. I really loved this one. Obviously the music is great, but the cast, the overall story, I think this is one of the better biopics I’ve seen. Highly recommend it! Sissy Spacek received the Best Actress Oscar for her fabulous portrayal of Loretta Lynn.