The 6th Annual Oscar-Pick-A-Palooza With Adam Howard

Film blogger extraordinaire Adam Howard are back at it with our sixth annual Oscar-Pick-A-Palooza.  I can't believe another year has passed, but here we are.  We've been emailing back and forth for the past month and have our picks for all the top Oscar categories.

Adam:  I'm kind of bleh -- like 50% happy 50% mad, 200% like this is what I expected. It's so fascinating to me how there's just these narratives that everyone accepts and like therefore Ethan Hawke doesn't get one for the BEST performance of his career. 

Brian:  I'm actually floored by these nominations.  Sure, the Golden Globes always seem to nominate films and actors to get "stars" into the room on event night.  Look at Johnny Depp being nominated for Mordecai.  I always take their winners with a grain of salt because, while an enjoying show, the Globes are never really a metric to rely on.  However, I'm seeing a weird trend this year.  Like you've said, for whatever reason (and I'm searching for answers), these are the films that have been settled upon.  We've got Vice (63% Rotten Tomatoes & 61 Metacritic score) , Bohemian Rhapsody (62% RT & 49% MC), and Green Book (82% & 70% MC) lurking all over these nominations.  Are they front runners?  Are we headed for a Best Picture winner that's worse than the infamous Crash debacle?  I can't recall a weirder year for movies than 2018, but here we are.    Like I said, #OscarsSoWTF.  Anything can happen. The Oscars have no host.  Major cinematic achievements are getting the cold shoulder and a superhero movie has cracked the list for Best Picture (even though the stars and director got left out in the cold)  Speaking of snubs... For the first time I can remember, I can honestly say that it feels like there's legitimate and baffling snubs in each category... and not just because of an odd person out type situation.  Hollywood has a chance to nominate some fresh and exciting performances that, in a banner year for films, wouldn't get recognized.  Instead, they played it safe again.  We'll get to those during the picks, as well as who we think will and should win.  Both of our best of 2018 lists are out and for the most part we enjoyed the same crop of movies.  As always, you've seen way more of these than I have, but our lists are pretty close.  Welcome back to the 6th (!) edition of our Oscar Pick-A-Palooza.  Let's get after it.

Our first category is Best Supporting Actor.  I feel like there's a giant sized Black Panther hole here, which will be a recurring theme throughout this back and forth.  Sam Rockwell was another surprise to me.  Dubya was portrayed better and more sincerely by Josh Brolin in Oliver Stone's movie.  I believe you called it a above average in your Daily Beast article.  I'm glad to see Sam Elliott finally break through with a nomination for his emotional "brother of an addict on his last straw" performance in A Star Is Born.  It was weird to see Mahershala Ali in as a supporting actor in what was essentially a co-lead performance in Green Book.  Adam Driver was great in BlacKkKlansman, but it hurts to see the heart and soul of that movie, John David Washington, left out.  

Here are the nominees:

Mahershala Ali, Green Book

Adam Driver, "BlackKKlansman"

Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born"

Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me"

Sam Rockwell, "Vice"

Who Will Win: Honestly, I don't know.  I feel like Green Book will Crash (see what I did there?) its way into the winner's circle, so I'm going with Ali.

Who Should Win: Of the people nominated, I'm going to go with Sam Elliott.  He deserves it for the scene in which Bradley Cooper's character tells him that he admired Elliott's character his hole life alone, but he was so good throughout.

Snub/Surprise:  The answer here is, of course, Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther.  There hasn't been a better, more developed superhero villain performance than Killmonger in Black Panther.  I'm also going to throw out anyone in First Man for this.  I'm still completely bewildered by the complete lack of Oscar love for First Man.  It has all the ingredients (Oscar favorite director?  Check.  Stellar cast?  Check.  Biopic?  Check.) to score a ton of nominations and yet it fell flat.

Who takes home your Supporting Actor statue?

Adam:  I don't disagree with your assessment at all. I think it's just that at this point I'm so used to being disappointed by Oscar nominees that I am almost more surprised when they get it right -- like with Moonlight a couple years ago. This year, it seemed like more than ever certain movies were crowned early, and several strongly reviewed releases (like First Man, which I also really loved) were just never given a chance to get any traction. 

I guess it'll be a more exciting year than most results-wise, since it doesn't feel like there is any definitive front-runner in a lot of the categories, including Best Picture. I was of course pleased to see my favorite movie of the year, Black Panther, got recognized, even if it wasn't as honored as I would have liked. And it's a pleasure to finally see Spike Lee honored as a Best Director nominee ever -- which is insane -- and marks the first time black directors were nominated for two years in a row. Unfortunately some strong work by several female directors like Lynne Ramsey (You Were Never Really Here) were completely ignored.

This year felt like one step forward (The Favourite) and two steps back (Vice and based on what I've heard, Bohemian Rhapsody). There are a handful of the big nominees I haven't seen like The Wife and Cold War, but I have a decent sense of how they'll fare. At the end of the day the two nominations I wanted to see the most -- Ryan Coogler for Best Director and Michael B. Jordan for Best Supporting Actor -- didn't happen. And so I'm left to root for mostly films and people who likely going to come up empty handed.

Of the folks who did make the cut -- I'm mostly fine with the choices with the exception of Rockwell, who is barely in Vice and who pushed out meatier, more compelling performances. 

Will win: Mahershala Ali.  He has managed to stay about the fray when it comes to the controversies and backlash surrounding Green Book (a film I've avoided). He's a fantastic actor, and I hear the best thing in the film. The one thing maybe working against him is that he just won two years ago, but that didn't stop a recent repeat winner like Christoph Waltz

Should win: Sam Elliott. Of these final contenders, I think his performance was the most effective and really elevated the movie he was in. I too quite liked Adam Driver's work in BlacKkKlansman, he's a great, underrated actor who will be a contender for years. And Richard E. Grant was very good in a role he was born to play, but this feels like the best part of Elliott's career. It'd be cool to see him win for it.

Snubs/Surprises: It mystifies me that Michael B. Jordan has still never been Oscar nominated. It's not like he has a bad reputation. This is the third unforgivable snub in a row after Fruitvale Station and Creed. Hopefully, someday soon he'll get his due. If Widows had hit bigger, it might have been possible for Daniel Kaluuya's bone-chilling villain from that movie to make it. And I know this isn't a widely held opinion, but I really thought Sylvester Stallone was just as moving in Creed II as he was in the first one.

Adam:  I'll get us started on the next category -- the one almost always seems like a foregone conclusion (ever noticed that?) -- Best Supporting Actress. As per usual, there were an embarrassment of riches in terms of great female supporting performances, although quite a few, also as per usual were overlooked.

Here are the nominees:

Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

I think the malaise I feel about this year's awards reflects just a lack of imagination on their part. Sure more unconventional movies like Black Panther and BlacKkKlansman are in the mix, but then there are a lot nominations that feel like gimmes -- like Amy Adams in Vice. Don't get me wrong -- I love Amy Adams and hope she wins one eventually, but this role isn't worthy of a nom, I'm sorry.

But, other than that one I don't have a lot of quibbles with this list. Marina de Tavira got in surprisingly for her very effecting performance in Roma, which squeezed out the anticipated nod for Claire Foy, who really was excellent in First Man -- totally upending the cliched astronaut wife role. And I was thrilled to see the double nom of stars from The Favourite -- one of my favorite movies of the year. I don't know how that movie is going to do overall -- it's way too dark and quirky to win any of the big ones. But I digress.

Who will win: Regina King, If Beale Street Can Talk

Everyone loves her, rightfully so. She's one of those people that everyone presumes MUST have won an Oscar by now. True story I once won a $50 bet with a boss of mine, years ago, over whether she had ever even been nominated (she hasn't). She's taken most precursor awards and is a warm and lovely presence in the movie -- probably the most grounded, accessible thing about it,

Who should win: Regina King If Beale Street Could Talk

This is a closer call for me that you might think. If Emma Stone hadn't just won for La La Land, I might be rooting for her in this category, because I think this is the performance of her career to date. I'd call it Gravity syndrome -- someone wins for a far inferior role (think Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side) and then lose for a much better performance years later that actually was worthy of a victory (think Sandra Bullock in Gravity). And Rachel Weisz is her equal in probably the least showy role of the three Favourite leads. But both actresses have trophies (Weisz won for The Constant Gardner, again, I think the Gravity syndrome applies there, too) and King is long overdo (she's the BEST thing in Jerry Maguire, seriously).

Snubs/Surprises: Rather a lot really. Claire Foy, for sure. I loved First Man, and like you and mystified as to why audiences and awards shows didn't. Foy was the one part no one seemed to have an issue with but alas no Foy. I also think that Nicole Kidman deserved consideration for her terrific work in Boy Erased (And Russell Crowe was great too, should have mentioned him in the supporting column). 

There was some talk of Emily Blunt getting in for A Quiet Place, but I figured she'd get in for Mary Poppins Returns, she got neither and I was bummed because she was stellar in both. Something tells me she will eventually get her Glenn Close consolation Oscar.

For all the -- well deserved -- hype around Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther, I was always mystified as to why there was never any talk of nominated Letitia Wright for her role as Shuri. Certainly, it was more of a comedic role, but she stole every scene she was in and ended up being a real iconic character, too.

Brian:  Ha!  I would have lost that bet with you because I, like your old boss, assumed that she had already been nominated.  I also forgot that she was in Jerry Maguire, but now I can't get her out of my mind from that one (in a good way!).  I do like your Gravity syndrome as it happens a lot (look at Martin Scorcese finally winning for The Departed.).  Hell, look at Leo DiCaprio winning for The Revenant.  I also agree that this category has historically felt like a foregone conclusion, with this year being no different.  

I'm also in agreement with you on how this category has 4 strong performances and a meh Amy Adams nomination that probably should have gone to someone more imaginative.  We're on the same page with this year being, for the most part, the "play it safe" Oscars.

Who Will Win:  Regina King.  She's cleaning up in the lead up to the Oscars and I have no reason to believe this one will be any different.

Who Should Win:  I haven't seen The Favourite, so I can't speak on that, so if it's not going to be King, I'd go with Marina De Tavira.  Maybe I have a soft spot for strong single mothers (since I came from one), but I was absolutely floored by her performance as a woman trying her best to keep a straight face in the middle of a marriage meltdown.

Snuts/Surprises:  While I really liked Letitia Wright in Black Panther, I'd go with Danai Gurira for her performance as the badass warrior, Okoye.  I'm seeing Boy Erased next week, and I can't wait to see Kidman's performance in it.

Up next, Best Actor...

Brian:  The Best Actor category is puzzling to me.  And this is where I base my #OscarsSoWTF hashtag.  How can an actor (Ethan Hawke) that's currently doing very well in the pre-Oscar run-up be completely left out?  His performance in First Reformed is not only one of the year's best... it's a career defining role!  I just don't get it.  I'm puzzled at the other nominations.  We've seen a body transforming performance from Christian Bale before Vice, so I'm not all that jazzed about this one.  Rami Malek is the presumptive front runner for his take on the late, great Freddie Mercury, and  yet, I can't help but wonder what that film (and performance) would have looked like had Sasha Baron Cohen not dropped out.  I'm glad that Bradley Cooper is getting some love for his performance (even though he got snubbed as a director).  I can't really speak on Willem Dafoe's performance, though I've heard good things.  

I feel like there is a laundry list of actors who have a genuine beef as to why they were left out.  Anyway, on to the nominations...

Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)  

Who Will Win:  Rami Malek.  The Oscars love a music biopic (see: Foxx, Jamie & Witherspoon, Reese), and Malek seems poised to take home this one.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but I heard he does a really good job portraying Mercury.  

Who Should Win:  Anyone but Viggo Mortensen!  Of the people nominated, I'd go with Bradley Cooper.  He's delivered a string of Oscar quality performances and I think he gave a genuinely moving performance in A Star Is Born.  I thought this film would clean up, but it seems to be more of an afterthought this year.  Speaking of afterthoughts... what the hell happened with First Man???  I thought Ryan Gosling was a lock for this category, but the voters seem to have passed this film by.  Robert Redford's (supposed) final acting role was overlooked as well.  Finally, John David Washington deserved a nomination for BlacKkKlansman.

Snubs/Surprises:  Hawke.  It's not even close.  

Who ya got?

Adam:  This was the category (and perhaps Best Picture, too) that I think most people were really frustrated with, and rightfully so. Besides Hawke, who I agree gave a career-best performance -- one of the most memorable of the year -- in the criminally under-appreciated First Reformed, there were several other performances I'd like to see here instead of the ones that are here.

I actually disagree with you the Rami Malek is the front-runner. I might have thought so two weeks ago, but the recently resurrected allegations against Bryan Singer, which were exhaustively explored in a recent article in The Atlantic. In the wake of this piece, which makes a compelling case that Singer has been sexually abusing young men and boys for decades -- there have been a lot of pointed questions about what did Malek know and when did he know it. He's claimed he was unaware of Singer's reputation when he took on the role of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody -- but a lot of folks are calling B.S. on that.

Aside from that, despite its blockbuster grosses, the movie has a mixed-to-bad reception and even though Malek is widely seen as the best part of the film (I haven't seen it yet, so I can't judge), I think the whole production has become to problematic to embrace in any way. But, I could be wrong.

I hear a lot of folks saying Bale is the lock to win, which seems even stranger to me. He's terrific in Vice, a movie that I have a lot of issues with. But he's already won for The Fighter and I can't remember someone winning Best Actor for a movie as critically divisive as that one, although the academy clearly liked it because they nominated it for a boatload of top honors, including Best Picture and Director. So maybe he's got a real shot.

No one has seen At Eternity's Gate, literally no one. I think it doesn't exist. We all love Willem Dafoe, it's a travesty that he doesn't have an Oscar. He should have won for The Florida Project, and hopefully he'll get one someday. But it ain't happening. I'm sure Viggo Mortenson is good in Green Book, and he's also due, but that movie also feels too toxic to reward, especially in this category featuring its white star.

Who will win: Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born ... All of which leads me to the guy who for most of the year I was reading was a practical guarantee to win for Best Actor. He's been nominated a bunch of times and never won, and this is arguably the best performance of his career. I'm not sure how this movie and this performance sort of faded away for people... I don't know if the movie peaked too early. But since he was snubbed for Director and this was very much his (and Lady Gaga's) achievement -- I think they'll find a way to reward him and the movie here.

Who should win: Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born - I say this with the caveat that many of the best leading man performances from this year were totally snubbed. I haven't seen Malek, Dafoe and Mortenson's work -- so I could be wrong -- but it feels like a worthy victory for Cooper.

Snubs/Surprises - Where to begin here. Again, Ethan Hawke in First Reformed is the most shocking one. I really would have loved to see Robert Redford get in for his career capping performance in The Old Man & The Gun, sadly it looks like he'll never get an acting Oscar in his career. I think Clint Eastwood gave a wonderful comic performance tinged with melancholy in The Mule. It would have been cool to recognize John David Washington's subtle work in BlacKkKlansman or Joaquin Phoenix's haunted performance in You Were Never Really Here.

Brian:  I'm sticking with my Malek front runner prediction... especially after he took home the SAG award last night.  I think the Singer accusations, while horrible, are too late to derail his momentum.  We'll see.

Speaking of front runners... we're on to the next category... Best Actress.  I think this category is practically a one person race, which I'll get to in my predictions.  I also think that the academy generally got it right  with this category.  A case could be made for Emily Blunt's joyous performance in Mary Poppins Returns, but was she that much better than the other women nominated?  I'm not so sure.  I'm really glad that Yalitza Aparicio got the nod for her quiet yet brilliant performance in Roma.  Before the pre-Oscar run-up,  I thought Lady Gaga was a shoo-in to win this one.  However, it looks like this one's a lock for Glenn Close.  Speaking of pre-Oscar run-up, these award shows steal all the fun and surprise from the Oscars.  We basically know who is going to win ahead of time.  I think it's a large reason why people are turning away from watching the Oscars.  I know I'm less interested in watching the ceremony than I was even a couple years ago.  Perhaps the Oscars should look into moving the ceremony ahead of the SAG, PGA, Golden Globes, etc.?

Here are the nominees:

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)  

Who Will Win:  Glenn Close.  This category feels like a coronation for Close.  She's cleaning up so far and I see no reason that the Oscars will be any different.  It would be a nice topper to a brilliant career.

Who Should Win:  I haven't seen The Wife yet, so by all accounts Glenn Close deserves all the accolades coming her way.  However, I was absolutely blown away by Yalitza Aparicio in Roma.  She deserves it for the birthing scene (and I don't want to spoil it for anyone) alone, which was one of the most emotionally intense scenes I've seen in a movie in a long time.  Lady Gaga also gave a great performance in A Star Is Born, but I feel like Bradley Cooper had the meatier role.  Gaga tied with Close at the PGA awards, so there's a chance she could win the Oscar.

Snubs/Surprises:  I know the Academy generally stays away from "weird" sci-fi, but Annihilation was my favorite movie of the year and I'm upset at the lack of Oscar love it received.  I know her role wasn't as showy as some of her other previously nominated roles (Black Swan and Jackie), but I loved Natalie Portman in Annihilation and would have liked to have seen her name included.  

Are we in agreement with this one?

Adam:  This was a very solid group to be sure. I guess the only surprise was that Yalitza Aparicio got in -- and that wasn't too huge a surprise, since she is the heart and soul of Roma. I do think this is  -- probably -- the one forgone conclusion of the night in a year that is weirdly unpredictable. For instance, does last night's SAG win for Best Cast now make Black Panther the front-runner now? I don't know.

The precursor thing can be weird to be sure, and I guess SAG is a better indicator than most. For me, I don't usually watch the Oscars in suspense. I just like moving acceptance speeches -- they always get me and I think the winner of this category will deliver a doozy.

I do know that you're right that Glenn Close has emerged as the clear front-runner. Lady Gaga was really remarkable in A Star Is Born, a part -- forgive me -- she was 'born' to play. I think she'll probably have to prove herself again like Cher did in Moonstruck after her initial nomination for Silkwood before the academy fully embraces her. I also think her consolation prize will be the Best Song category -- and she will be well on her way to I'm sure will be an inevitable EGOT. Everyone else, though terrific, will have to wait their turn. 

Aparcio is a great discovery and will hopefully get more opportunities. Melissa McCarthy was very good in a movie I had some quibbles with and in a role that was hard to make even a little sympathetic. I haven't seen The Wife, but I've always been a Close fan, so I'm intrigued. But I am all about Olivia Coleman this year. More on that in a sec.

Who will win: Glenn Close, The Wife. Close has clearly been gunning for the Oscar for decades now. Her last attempt with 2012's Albert Nobbs came up short but this year feels different. She's been so great for so long -- that Golden Globes speech just sealed it. And I'm happy for her. She's so terrific in roles as wildly different as Fatal Attraction and The Natural. Looks like seventh time is the charm.

Who should win: Olivia Coleman, The Favourite. I don't know about 'should' -- all of these people are worthy (unlike Best Actor) -- I just have to go with the performance I enjoyed the most and that would be Coleman's tour-de-force work in The Favourite. She's alternately funny, pathetic, sad, tragic, manipulative and doomed. It's a really amazing piece of work and I hope she continues to get juicy parts like this.

Snubs/Surprises - This is a pretty stacked category but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have been thrilled if Toni Collette had made it in for Hereditary or if Viola Davis got in for Widows. For a while, it looked like Emily Blunt would be nominated for her luminous movie star performance in Mary Poppins Returns. But yeah, this is a hard group to find fault with. At least Meryl Streep isn't in there for the 100th time (and don't get me wrong, I love her).

Brian:  We're in the home stretch with only two categories to go.  Up next, we have Best Director, which is a category that's in a bit of an odd predicament.  They've expanded the Best Picture nominees to 10, but have kept the directors at 5 nominees.  This has lead to its fair share of snubs and surprises in recent years (most notably Ben Affleck missing a nomination for eventual Best Picture Argo).  I've also noticed a trend in split Best Picture/Director winners.  Whereas these two categories used to go hand in hand, we've seen a split in recent years.  After a discussion with my co-worker, I've changed my mind on this as well.  I used to lump the Best Picture and Director together because I felt that a Best Picture had to be the best directed film.  However, my coworker is a much more visual person and he likens directing to being able to tell a story without a script.  He places shot selection and imagery as a more important part of directing than the plot.  Honestly, I can see it both ways.  If you look at The Revenant, that was a beautifully directed movie, but not necessarily the best movie of the year.  Same with Gravity, The Life of Pi, etc.

I could see a split scenario occurring this year, especially if Black Panther uses its SAG momentum to catapult it to a Best Picture win.  The only directing nod that I could see ending up with Best Picture is Roma, so this is a very interesting category... with a few glaring snubs.

Here are the nominees:  

Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)  

Who Will Win:  I'm torn on this.  I think that Alfonso Cuaron will win for his epic-in-scale, yet personal in story film, Roma.  However, he's already won for Gravity, and I don't see Roma with a ton of momentum going in to these Oscars.  It could be the film that ends up cleaning up in the "lesser" categories, but fails to notch any of the big awards.  I think that Spike Lee might just pull this one off for his long overdue nomination for BlacKkKlansman.  Is it his best film?  No.  However, I would liken this to Scorcese finally winning for The Departed.  Maybe it's just the time for Spike Lee.

Who Should Win:  Again, it's between Cuaron and Lee for me.  I wouldn't be disappointed if either won.  Same with Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite.  

Snubs/Surprises:  My two biggest snubs are Ryan Coogler for Black Panther and Alex Garland for Annihilation.  Coogler basically turns everything he touches in to gold and I'm really upset he was left out here.  Would he have been included if they had expanded the directing field?  Probably.  That Adam McKay nomination really chaps my ass because there were much more deserving people left out.  Alex Garland may be the most underrated director working today.  He's Denis Villeneuve without the critical acclaim.  Yeah, he makes "weird" sci-fi movies, something the Academy has never really warmed up to, but he's a hell of a director and someone I hope people come around to more as his career progresses.

Who takes home your top directing award?

Adam:  I thought this was perhaps the most underwhelming category besides Best Actor. I guess the biggest surprise was Pawel Pawilkowski for Cold War, which I haven't seen, but is supposed to be terrific. The lack of female nominees is glaring as is the lack of recognition for directors whose films have made it into the Best Picture race. I agree there are a lot of glaring snubs, although of course as a longtime Spike Lee fan, it is nice to see him finally recognized after all these years. I am not someone who gets hung up on whether someone wins for the best movie or best performance. I love The Departed, so I'm fine with Scorsese winning for that and I thought BlacKkKlansman was a great comeback movie for Lee, even though he should have been nominated and won for Do the Right Thing 30 years ago.

Who will win: Alfonso Cuaron. That being said I think with some major would-be contenders like Bradley Cooper on the sidelines, I think Cuaron has this locked up. He seems to be cleaning up in the precursor awards, and his semi-autobiographical film is very much his personal vision. He has already won once -- deservedly -- for Gravity, and this epic film further demonstrates his skill and range. I always like to see the wealth spread around at the Oscars (I was bummed when Inarritu won two years in a row), but I think few will quibble with this result.

Who should win: This is tough one for me too. I have immense respect for Cuaron and I'd love to see Spike Lee win, but my favorite film represented in this category is ironically The Favourite, so I'm gonna go with Yorgos Lanthimos, a filmmaker I have not totally embraced until now. His bleak, darkly comic style grated on me in the past but I thought this film got the balance of darkness and light just right and I think his film is the best directed of this bunch.

Snubs/Surprises: For me its gotta be Ryan Coogler. Black Panther would have been just another superhero movie without him and he imbued that movie with so much style and sophistication, it's just a travesty that he was never a real contender here. I actually think Bradley Cooper deserved to get in for A Star Is Born, a wonderful and moving re-interpretation of a classic showbiz tale. I haven't been singing First Man's praises as much as I've meant to but for me Damian Chazelle demonstrated with that movie that he is too good to ignore. Lynne Ramsey did excellent work on You Were Never Really Here. The Coens did more effortlessly great work with The Ballad of Buster Scuggs. But, I'm just glad Peter Farrelly and Bryan Singer didn't get in for fairly obvious reasons.

Brian:  I, too, am glad that Peter Farrelly and Bryan Singer didn't get nominated.  Singer's fall from grace is a real disappointment to me because 1) his alleged actions are so despicable and 2) I've really enjoyed his films.  I get separating the art from the artist, but it's really hard to watch his films anymore.  The Usual Suspects, which is one of my favorite movies of all-time, now has the added Singer stink on top of it in addition to Kevin Spacey.  Yeah, there were rumblings about Singer before, but they were never really this loud.

OK, moving on to our final category: Best Picture.  This ties in to my previous statement because we have a Singer directed (but not finished) film in Bohemian Rhapsody.  A film that I said in my initial email that's a in the 50s as far as critical praise, and yet might actually win this thing.  That, coupled with Vice and its 60% rating, could lead us to the worst critically praised Best Picture winner of all-time.  I'm not sure it happens, but there's a chance and that is totally weird to me.  This category is another WTF category with some major snubs and surprises.  On the good side, we're living in year 10-11 of The Dark Knight rule and we finally have our first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture (Black Panther).  We've got a Spike Lee movie getting love (BlacKkKlansman) in a way that we haven't seen with one of his films in years.  We've also got another signature Alfonso Cuaron masterpiece (Roma), which signaled Netflix's emergence as a legitimate awards season player.  However, I can't get past all the stinkers in this category (Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book) that are here at the expense of other, better films.  This category is allowed to go up to ten films, and yet we don't have a full slate of nominees.  I honestly don't understand this rule and its criteria for getting films nominated.

Here are the nominees:

Black Panther 
BlacKkKlansman 
Bohemian Rhapsody 
The Favourite 
Roma 
Green Book
A Star Is Born 
Vice

Who Will Win:  Honestly, it's anyone's guess.  We saw Black Panther jump up the list after its SAG upset.  I also can't shake this feeling that Bohemian Rhapsody has a chance, warts and all.  If I had to guess, I would go with Roma or A Star Is Born.  Roma is a note perfect film that shows you don't need a "big" story to make a sprawling epic.  A Star Is Born is a great film that I thought would make a bigger splash than it has.

Who Should Win:  Black Panther was an epic film with rich and complex characters and a great story to boot.  If we're ever going to see a superhero movie win Best Picture, this is the year.

Snubs/Surprises:  Where do I begin?  First Man and Hereditary have legitimate claims for those final two spots.  Both were critical darlings that somehow just didn't connect with audiences at the Box Office.  I feel like we'll be talking about Hereditary the same way we do other classic horror films in 10-15 years.  Eighth Grade somehow didn't get the Lady Bird quirky comedy slot like last year.  First Reformed was another major snub that was inexplicably overlooked in this and other categories.  For me, the biggest snub was Annihilation, my favorite movie of 2018.  I've seen it a few times and each time I get something more out of it.  I know the Academy typically overlooks "weird" sci-fi system, but I really wish it wouldn't.  I was hooked from the moment I saw this film, and I really wish it received more recognition for the masterpiece I believe it to be.

So there you have it.  Who takes home your top prize?

Finally, thanks again for doing this with me.  I really enjoy it and I can't believe we're already in year 6 of this.  

Adam:  Yeah I am still a fan of The Usual Suspects,  but there's no doubt that its legacy has taken a beating. And oddly enough, despite the widely reported, credible allegations against him, he's somehow managed to be signed on to direct a remark of the Schwarzenegger cult film Red Sonja. I'll never understand why people like him and Mel Gibson keep getting second, third and fourth chances while others are rightfully pushed off-stage for good.

On a more positive note, I think last year was a great year for films and I saw a lot of work that really inspired me and moved me -- for instance, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse was such a euphoric cinematic experience for me that it truly lifted my spirits and restored my faith in the future of movies.  That'd being said I don't feel a lot of 2018's best were represented in the Best Picture category. I agree that Vice and Bohemian Rhapsody are two of the worst reviewed nominees since they expanded the category (I think the worst rated ever was the forgettable Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close). I disagree, however, with your belief that either of them can win. I could see four maybe even five of these movies winning the big prize.

I think Black Panther has a lot of momentum off the SAG win but perhaps the academy will say a nomination is enough of a reward for a superhero film. I think BlackKklansman could be a sentimental favorite -- its weirdly very topical thanks to Virginia's blackface scandal -- and if Spike Lee were to pull off an upset, it could maybe take the top prize. A Star is Born could be this year's Argo, like you suggested before, since a lot of people think Bradley Cooper was snubbed for Best Director, Green Book -- while polarizing as hell -- has been the safe choice for some time now -- and then there's Roma, which is widely being hailed as a cinematic achievement, but perhaps will suffer from its Netflix tie-in. Could it be the first Best Picture winner with virtually no theatrical grosses?

Who will win: Roma, It's really really close. I feel like this could have been A Star is Born's award to lose but it peaked too early. I think Black Panther would be amazing but I just think it'll suffer from not enough acting branch support. I think BlackKklansman has always been an also-ran in this competition. I love The Favourite to death but its too quirky to win. And I think neither Vice nor Bohemian Rhapsody is loved enough to win (remember the new system is tiered and preferential voting, so basically the movie the most people don't hate usually wins this). That leaves Green Book and Roma, and I find it hard to believe with all the controversy over its alleged whitewashing of history and cultural tonedeafness, I just don't see Hollywood endorsing it with their top prize. And I think Roma, as unconventional a picture as it is, has virtually no detractors. It's not my personal favorite of the year, but it is an unassailably worthy winner.

Who should win: Black Panther. This has always been very personal for me. As an African-American cinephile, this was the kind of movie I've always been waiting for. A sophisticated epic that had both the wit and world building of Star Wars but also the moral complexity of the Blade Runner films. Regardless of who wins, I believe this was THE movie of last year and certainly the one that has had the greatest cultural impact of any of the movies released in 2018. Wakanda forever!

Snubs/surprises: Again First Man has been criminally under-appreciated. Honestly, I wish Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse were taken seriously enough to be included, but Black Panther clearly already took up that lane. Eighth Grade was a magical movie, hopefully it'll become the cult classic it deserves to be. And I'm totally with you on Hereditary, such a great advance of the horror genre. And yeah I'd be happy to see First Reformed, Mary Poppins Returns, Crazy Rich Asians, Annihilation, The Death of Stalin, You Were Never Really Here and A Quiet Place in place of Vice and Bohemian Rhapsody and/or Green Book, but that's just my two cents.

p.s. I neglected to mention it when we talked Best Actor, but I just want to give a shout out to Nicolas Cage and his performance in Mandy, as well as the movie itself. For obvious reasons, a movie as experimental, non-linear, gory and strange as that one never stood a chance of ever having any kind of awards consideration, but it was one of the most striking, unforgettable cinematic experiences i had all year, and I could see this one creeping into my top 10 when all is said and done.

p.p.s. Thanks for doing this too!

Despite The Negative Reviews 'Glass' Mostly Works

I'm not an M. Night Shyamalan apologist by any means.  I felt that his act (what a twist!) had grown stale around the time of The Village.  His twists and turns felt forced and unnecessary.  I think The Village would have worked 100 times better without the surprise ending.  Even when he tried movies without twist endings (The Happening & Lady In The Water), he felt like a filmmaker without a cause.  I thought the (ridiculously whitewashed) The Last Airbender was an example of someone who had been given too much to work with and didn't know how to fit all the pieces together.  Finally, the less that's said about After Earth, his mistaken Scientology metaphor film with Will Smith, the better.  I, like many others, had written Shyamalan off for dead... resigned to the scrap heap of cinematic history.

However, something funny happened on the way to Hollywood exile.  Shyamalan started making good movies again.  Blumhouse stripped away all his excess and forced Shyamalan to tell stories again.  His first success was with the found footage film, The Visit.  This "they're not who you think they are" film shouldn't have worked.  He was years late to the found footage genre and it wasn't a particularly original idea.  However, Shyamalan knows how to craft a story and tell it visually.  I thoroughly enjoyed that film way more than I thought I would have.  Next came Split, a doozy of a story featuring a stunning performance by James McAvoy as a man with dozens of personalities and the girls he kidnapped.  I think we were all caught by surprise how enjoying that film was.  He even threw in a trademark twist ending that actually worked.  It was at the end of that film that we (spoiler alert!), as an audience, learned that Split was connected to Shyamalan's best film, Unbreakable.

And here we are with Glass, the movie that connects both films.  I was intrigued by the trailer and thought it would be a knockout hit with critics and audiences.  However, as the reviews started rolling in, it was apparent that this film was not critics' cup of tea.  It was getting savage reviews normally reserved for the likes of Michael Bay and Zac Snyder.  The reviews were nasty and personal in nature.  After watching Glass, I can say that it's not nearly as bad as the reviews say.  Sure, it has its flaws, and the dialogue is extremely heavy-handed at times, but Glass is a way better movie than people give it credit for.  It's as if the world hasn't forgiven Shyamalan for his past filmmaking transgressions and is taking it out on him through Glass' reviews.

Glass picks up months after the events of Split.  McAvoy's Kevin Wendle Crumb has once again kidnapped a bunch of young girls (McAvoy once again knocks his role out of the park, sliding seamlessly between Crumb's personalities).  Bruce Willis' David Dunn has opened a home security company with his son and still moonlights as The Overseer at night.  He is hot on the tale of Crumb, but before they can fully wage battle, they're captured and placed in a mental hospital.  A psychiatrist (played enjoyably by Sarah Paulson) is convinced that they're not actually superheroes, but rather suffer from a mental and/or physical condition that can be explained scientifically.  It's at this moment, we're reintroduced to Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Glass.  He hasn't skipped a beat since Unbreakable.  Still dastardly and one step ahead of everyone, Mr. Glass is the glue that holds this film together.  His scheme leads to a conclusion that I can't explain without ruining the film.  I think it works, but it's probably going to be the part that has people arguing for years over this film's merits.

I will say that, while I enjoyed the ending, I can see why people may take issue with it.  It's the most heavy handed in terms of expository dialogue, something I wish Shymalan had turned down a bit.  I get it, we're in a movie that knows it's a comic book movie.  However, we don't need the running commentary by Mr. Glass during this section.  I think it would have been a much better movie if Shymalan had lead this part out.  Shyamalan has to learn that his audience can figure things out on their own.  We don't need to be spoonfed all the time.  I also think that of the approximately 27 personalities that James McAvoy played, The Beast is by far the least enjoyable.  I think this film may have overused him in this one.

That being said, despite its flaws, I found Glass to be an enjoyable conclusion to Shyamalan's superhero trilogy.  It's worth a shot even if the critics seem to take delight in trashing it.  2.5 out of 4 stars.

The 10 Best Movies I Saw In 2018

In many ways, 2018 was a weird year for movies.  We're very close to Oscar nominations and yet, I can't really tell what the front runner is.  We just had a bizarro Golden Globes ceremony where a movie with a Rotten Tomatoes score in the low 60s won best picture (Bohemian Rhapsody).  On the other hand, 2018 saw one of the best superhero movies ever made dominate the box office (Black Panther), a brilliant return to form for Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) and a better than it should have been Star Wars film bomb at the box office (Solo).  We also saw the tides shifting towards streaming services for quality film releases (Roma), and the rise and fall of Movie Pass (RIP).  That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the movies in 2018.  There's still a bunch of films I need to see (The Favourite, Spider Man Into The Spiderverse, Boy Erased and Widows to name a few) before Oscar season.  However, I wanted to get my top 10 list out of there before the nominations come out.

Here are the 10 best films I saw in 2018, but first, here's a list of films that just missed the cut.  They were all great films, and any of them could have nabbed that 10th slot. For this list, they're on the outside looking in.

Bumblebee
A Quiet Place
Avengers: Infinity War
Creed II
Mandy
Fahrenheir 11/9 
Sorry To Bother You


10) Disobedience - This quiet film about the impact of faith on family, life and love is a film I just happened to stumble upon... and I'm glad I did!  It features two harrowing performances for Rachael Weisz and Rachel McAdams as lesbians living inside and out of an Orthodox Jewish society.  The film is a treat to watch and completely heartbreaking at the same time.

9) Hereditary - One of the most intense and thoughtful horror movies of the last decade.  This tale of a family dealing with grief will leave you in complete disbelief.  It slowly builds to a crescendo of chills and thrills.  It's stayed with me for months.

8) First Man -  This telling of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon was a surprise stinker at the box office, and I can't tell why.  It fits all the check marks that you would want in a movie.  It has a stellar cast, story and is directed with a surgeon's precision.  For the life of me, I can't tell why this one isn't a bigger player in the awards chase.

7) First Reformed - This gripping telling of a priest who has lost his faith isn't for everyone.  In fact, I don't think most people will get it.  However, it's stayed with me and has grown in stature every day since I viewed it.  Ethan Hawke gives a career defining performance and will hopefully be recognized for it.

6) Mission: Impossible Fallout - This may be the best pure action movie ever made with stunts that may never be topped.  The Impossible franchise just won't quit and I don't want it to.  It's the new high water mark for spy thrillers and I can't wait to see where it goes next.  Though, Tom Cruise may eventually die performing one of these signature Impossible stunt sequences.

5) A Star Is Born - A brilliant re-telling of a Hollywood classic, A Star Is Born lives up to the billing.  Both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper deserve everything that is coming their way.  Bring your tissues and enjoy the ride.

4) BlacKkKlansman - A welcomed return to form for Spike Lee.  This film hits you like a ton of bricks.  Equal parts humorous and scathing takedown of Trumpism, Klansman is the film we need for the times we live in.

3) Roma - Alfonso Cuaron's latest film is a master class in directing and storytelling.  As beautiful as it is bleak, Roma should be the favorite for best picture.  It's a slow burner of a film that almost feels like a documentary that hooks its claws in you and doesn't let go.  It features some of the most intense sequences I can remember and some of the most beautiful imagery in a long time.

2) Black Panther - What more can I say about Black Panther that hasn't already been said.  It's without a doubt the best Marvel film and has a claim in the battle for best superhero movie of all-time.  The biggest question facing this film is whether or not it will be the superhero film to finally enter the best picture discussion.  I can't wait to find out.  Speaking of best picture...

1)  Annihilation - I was hooked from the instant I saw this film.  Director Alex Garland's second sci-fi thriller (behind the wonderful Ex Machina) is the kind of film I wish more people would make.  It felt like a long lost Kubrick film that is worth repeated viewings.  Sadly, it kind of fell by the wayside.  I hope it gets the long life it deserves now that it's available on home video and streaming.  I can't wait to see where Garland goes next.

The Brilliant 'Roma' Is The Future Of Quality Films.

I finally had the opportunity to watch the new Alfonso Cuaron film, Roma, the other night and it hasn't left me since.  It's the latest masterpiece by Cuaron and it's available exclusively on Netflix.  It's sucks you in and doesn't let you go as it simmers to some of the most gut wrenching scenes I've seen in a long time.  Roma also represents the future of high quality films.  In a time where the marketplace is dominated by Superhero films, Netflix (and other streaming services) appear to be stepping in to fill the void for audiences that don't want to be pounded into submission by the latest caped escapade.

Roma is a semi-autobiographical film by Cuaron, which follows a family through the eyes of one of their servants, Cleo, (played extraordinarily by first-time actor Yalitza Aparicio) in 1970s Mexico.  Roma feels like a documentary.  The first half of the film builds its emotion as Cleo balances her work and personal life.  Cuaron doesn't waste time with wasted dialogue.  He lets his camera do the talking.  And boy, is does that camera showcase some beautiful imagery.  Shot in gorgeous black & white, Cuaron recreates the world of 1970s with precise detail.  He also lets the camera introduce us to the different members of the family that Cleo works for.  There's a wonderful scene that introduces the patriarch that only shows different angles of his car as he tries to park it in the garage.  During the first half of the film, the family is largely presented from afar.   Cuaron goes to great lengths to show the dichotomy between employee and employer.  She's overlooked by everyone in her life and yet she has a passion and strength for life that is unparalleled by the other characters in the film.

While the first half of Roma largely feels ethereal, the second half brings everything together to make Roma one of the most devastating and emotional films of the year.  There's a few scenes that I could barely watch, and yet, I couldn't turn my eyes away from.  I don't want to ruin anything for you, but there's one scene in particular that will stay with you forever.  You could tell that Roma was extremely personal for Cuaron.  Each character and scene is crafted with a tender love and care.  This world feels lived in and real in a way that Cuaron's other films haven't.

Roma will be a test for Hollywood.  Is there room for a film like it in the cinemas (where a film of its scale and beauty definitely deserves a healthy run)?  Or will more and more so-called "quality" films find a home on Netflix?  It looks like we're seeing the start of a trend here.  Martin Scorcese's return to his gangster film roots, The Irishman, is up next for Netflix.  And if Scorcese can't find a theatrical window for that, then who knows who can?

Roma is one of, if not the best films of the year.  It's beautiful, heartbreaking and will hopefully get some much-deserved awards.

Bumblebee Is Not Just A Good Transformers Movie, It's A Good Movie Movie

First off, I love Michael Bay.  I can't quit him.  I've seen all of his movies, and I love most of them.  I've seen 4 out of the 5 Transformers movies at the midnight screening on opening night.  I realize his severe limitations as a filmmaker, but the man is a visual genius.  He can craft an action sequence like no one else.  That being said, the last few Transformers movies have been all out piles of robotic crap.  For a director who normally sees plot as a means to get to the next action sequence, the last few of these had even less of anything remotely resembling a cohesive story.  Bay also took the lore and backstory of the Robots In Disguise to even loonier heights.  Each film tried to establish a different backstory for the Autobots and Decepticons to diminishing returns.  Needless to say, it was time for Michael Bay to move on.

Enter Travis Knight (Kubo And The Two Strings).  He wisely strips down all of the Michael Bay nonsense and focuses the film on a single robot, the highly popular Bumblebee.  And it worked!  I can't believe it, but Bumblebee is not only a great Transformers movie, but it's also a great movie movie.  It's full of heart and humor, while still existing as a top notch action film.

Bumblebee starts on Cybertron (the robotic home world of the Autobots and Decepticons) as the war is ending.  Bumblebee is jettisoned from his home planet to Earth as a sort of scout for the other Autobots.  However, he is soon caught, had his memory erased and his vocal chords slashed (answering the biggest running bag in Transformers history) and forced to go into hiding on Earth as the famous VW Beetle from the cartoon series.  He is soon discovered by Charlie (played with tomboy piss and vinegar by Hailee Steinfeld), and has to re-learn how to be a transforming robot.

This is where the film earns the majority of its charm points.  It's as if Knight said, "What if Spielberg made one of these?" and just loaded up the film with E.T. charm.  It also works because Knight chose to make his human characters as important to the story as the robot on the poster.  This is very much a 1980s coming of age film that just happens to feature fighting robots from outer space.  Knight takes the time to develop his characters and give them stories that make sense.  You feel for the people as much as the robots that are fighting above them.  John Cena continues his strong film presence in this one as well as a member of a government military agency.

Another thing that I loved about Bumblebee was that it didn't run away from nostalgia like the Bay films did.  Everything in this one felt like a celebration of the original 80s cartoon series (and companion feature film), rather than a re-imagining of it.  They use the original "tranforming" sound effect.  The robots are shown in the forms they took in the cartoon series.  Hell, they used a snipet of the catchy feature film song in this one.  It all worked to make something that all audiences could get behind.  Knight also wisely cuts down the number of robots to only a handful, so you don't have to keep track of a million characters on screen.

There are a few things that don't work in this film (there was a high diving backstory for Steinfeld's character that felt forced), but overall it's a hell of fun ride.  I'm giving Bumblebee 3.5 stars out of 4.  If you're a fan of the original cartoon series, or even someone who has grown tired of the Bayhem of the film series, go check it out.  It tries its best to ground the series in emotion over explosion and mostly succeeds.

Aquaman Is The Most Insane Superhero Movie Of All-Time... And It Almost Works.

Make no mistake about it... Aquaman, as a superhero, is pretty lame.  He's the king of the sea and his superhero is, wait for it, that he can talk to fish.  Needless to say, the bar was set pretty low going into the cinematic debut of Arthur Curry's alter-ego.  On top of that, the fact that the future of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is basically hanging by a thread made this an almost no-lose situation for director James Wan (of Fast& Furious fame).  It seemed like he had absolute creative control in this one.  From concept, to creation, to editing, it seemed like Warner Bros. handed over the reigns completely.  The result is a laudable mess of a movie that almost worked.  It's filled with insane CGI sequences, laughable costumes, and a script full of gobbledegook dialogue that is almost saved by Jason Momoa's charm.  It's like everyone was in on the joke, but still had a passion for it.

Aquaman has a loose connection to the previous DCEU films.  There's a brief mention of the events in Justice League, but that's about it.  It serves as a re-branding of sorts for the DCEU.  We are shown Arthur Curry's origins as the son of a fisherman and a queen from the underwater world of Atlantis (played by Nicole Kidman in a performance that could easily be called "just woke up from an ambien nap.").  Fast forward 30 years, and Arthur Curry is a reluctant hero.  He doesn't want to take up his birth right as the rightful king of Atlantis... even though Atlantis is descending into chaos by the rule of his half-brother (Patrick Wilson in a camp movie hall of fame performance) and his attempt to declare war on the surface.  Enter Amber Heard (in full "Ariel from The Little Mermaid" costume) as Mera.  She convinces him to help her on a globetrotting quest to locate the trident of the original king of Atlantis.  This trident will grant its owner the power to rule the seas.

Other than that brief description of the plot, I can't really go much further, as the term "plot" is used very lightly.  There's clans of fish people, crab people, and Dolph Lundgren (yes, that Dolph Lundgren) as a king of a clan of water-dwellers.  The scenes on earth look like they're more computer generated than the scenes under water, and there's about 3-4 too many villains working at the same time.  The final battle is a cacophony of CGI fish, people, crabs and monsters that might be the most insane battle sequence I've ever witnessed.

The movie is almost saved by its star, Jason Momoa.  He's not the best actor in the world, and yet he was arguably the best part of Justice League.  Given room to shine, he wears this character like a glove.  It's like he rolled out of bed and jumped straight on set (and I mean that in a good way).  He has an every man's charm about him that you can't help but get behind.  I'd be interested to see where he takes this character (assuming the DCEU doesn't completely reboot again). 

I'm giving Aquaman 1.9 stars out of 4.  It's a completely bonkers romp of a superhero movie that you'll have a decent time watching. 

Is Die Hard A Christmas Movie? Plus, My Top 10 Christmas Movies Of All-Time

"Now I have a machine gun... ho... ho... ho..." With his epic delivery, the late great Alan Rickman gave one of the great performances by a character in a movie that takes place during Christmas of all-time. But... is Die Hard actually a Christmas movie?  I've recently entered into a debate after seeing a non-scientific poll, which claims that roughly 62% of Americans do NOT consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie.  I've waffled on this question myself.  Is a movie that just happens to take place during Christmas an actual Christmas movie?  Or is it just a coincidental occurrence?

Sure, there are movies that are considered Christmas classics that have little mention of the holiday, but have the spirit of the season in its heart.  I'm looking at you It's A Wonderful Life.  There are also movies that happen to feature Christmas, but have little or nothing to do with the Holiday.  Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Eyes Wide Shut, Batman Returns, and yes, Die Hard 2 come to mind when thinking about this category.  The fact that they feature Christmas elements or have bits of Christmas sprinkled throughout them do not necessarily make them Christmas movies.

This leads me to the big debate.  Is Die Hard an actual Christmas movie?  It definitely is one of if not THE greatest action movie of all-time, but I'm not so sure.  There's been a push lately to put this film into the list of Christmas classics.  I've even considered it one in the past.  However, I feel like a Christmas movie should follow these criteria.  It should take place during the Christmas season (which Die Hard does).  It should feature the holiday as a central to its plot (Die Hard uses the holiday party as a plot device to get people inside a building).  Finally, if you remove Christmas, does the movie fall apart?  I think this is what separates Die Hard from being a true Christmas movie.  If you remove Christmas from Die Hard, it basically stays the same.

Final verdict:  Close, but no cigar.  I think that while Christmas is featured heavily, it's not a movie that's actually about the season.  It's a classic movie that features Christmas, but not a Christmas classic.

Speaking of Christmas classics... here's my top 10 Christmas movies.  I'm only including full-length movies, so The Christmas Toy, Muppets Family Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas miss the cut.

Honorable mentions that just miss the cut:
A Christmas Carol (2009) - I really enjoyed Robert Zemeckis' and Jim Carrey's motion captured take on the Charles Dickens classic.  However, not enough to push it into the top ten.

The Holiday - Nancy Meyers is the queen of comfort and her tale of two women swapping places during the holiday season was a cheesy, but enjoyable holiday tale.

The Family Stone - Probably the saddest (and most melodramatic) film on my list.  This ensemble tale of a family getting together (warts and all) at Christmas always warms my heart.

Miracle On 34th Street  - I know, I know.  This one is a classic.  However, it wasn't in heavy rotation in my household growing up.

The Muppets Christmas Carol - Of all the takes on the Dickens' classic, this one is definitely the zaniest.  The Muppets tell the Scrooge tale as only they can.  Which is to say with a lot of heart and humor.  While Jim Henson died during pre-production, his signature is all over this film.


10) The Santa Clause - Tim Allen inherits the role of Santa Claus after Santa falls off his roof.  While the two sequels became more cartoonish, the original is a heartwarming family tale about how we should never lose our youthful innocence.

9) Bad Santa - The film that proves you can be raunchy and still show the true meaning of Christmas.  Billy Bob Thorton's drunk, womanizing Santa meets an outkast of a child and learns how to be a decent guy.  Think of it as the Grinch, but if the Grinch had a woman screaming "F-Me Santa" in it.

8) A Christmas Story - True story... I only recently watched this movie straight through for the first time a couple years ago.  Sure, I've seen bits and pieces during its annual 24-hour marathon, but I never sat and watched it from start to finish.  Man, was I missing out!  A great little quirky Christmas movie.  You'll shoot your eye out if you miss this one...

7) Love, Actually - Perhaps the best ensemble Christmas movie ever made.  A film that will move you and make you laugh at the same time.  There's been a backlash growing to this film recently, but I can't explain it.  I'm a sucker for this one.

6) Scrooged - My favorite take on the Dickens classic.  Nobody but Bill Murray could have pulled this one off.  He portrays a modern take on the Scrooge character as a television mogul who has forgotten where he came from.

5) Elf - I love every second of this one.  It was the film that broke Will Ferrell into mainstream movies after his career at SNL ended.  He plays Buddy The Elf, a human who thinks he's an elf.  He portrays the character with equal parts caring and naivete.  It's a staple at Christmas time.

4) It's A Wonderful Life - This one was a hard one for me.  Basically, the last third of the movie is the only part about Christmas, but it's central to the film.  It's the classic that tells us that the spirit of giving joy and selflessness is what makes us wonderful... not material possessions.

3) Home Alone - The movie I would watch every year to start the Christmas season off right.  It's equal parts zany romp and caring family movie that shows us what's important at Christmas time... family.  I'll never grow tired of this one.

2) The Nightmare Before Christmas - Equal parts Halloween and Christmas movie that comes straight from the twisted mind of Tim Burton.  I've seen it a million times and I love it equally each time.  I introduced my kids to this one, and they were both hooked.  A family tradition continues.

1)  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Not only the best Christmas movie, but also the best Vacation movie.  I watch this one every year and I laugh just as hard.  There are so many quotable lines ("Shitter was full!") and moments that it's hard to pinpoint one as my favorite.  If I had to pick one, it would be the opening moments where the Griswold family get their tree.  Clark's road rage incident with the tractor trailer gets me every time.

I hope you enjoyed my list.  Where do you fall on the Die Hard debate?  Christmas movie or no?