#Oscar project

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2025

22/?: The Substance (2024) - watched 2/1/25

I was not looking forward to this because I am not a fan of body horror, but it didn’t bother me much (the thing that actually made me the most squeamish was a needle being repeatedly inserted into an infected wound). Anyway, I loved this. It has a strange heightened style obviously influenced by Kubrick, and although it is not subtle in its message I don’t think it needs to be. Demi Moore must have done some psychological work on herself, because 15 years ago she was the number one example of an actress afraid of aging, and here she gives a generous and emotionally brave performance while also allowing herself to be shot and lit very unflatteringly. I didn’t expect to cry at this movie, but the line “You are the only part of me that’s lovable” got me. There is a lot to unpack here. The ending may mean, “chasing youth too much turns you into a monster,” but I think it’s more complex than that — becoming monstrous sets you free.

In the meantime, take care of yourself.

THE SUBSTANCE 2024, dir. Coralie Fargeat

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1948

The wrong movie won this year — despite being adapted (and perhaps too freely abridged) from Shakespeare, Hamlet just can’t hold a candle to the first three movies on this list. I was really expecting to love The Red Shoes, but I mostly just found it boring. My ranking:

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Johnny Belinda

The Snake Pit

Hamlet

The Red Shoes

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2024

87/?: One Night of Love (1934) - watched 3/25/34

This is a thoroughly mediocre movie which unfortunately dispenses with the most likable characters after the first fifteen minutes. There is a lot of opera, which Grace Moore sings well (for the most part). It is interesting how often, in old movies with love triangles, the woman ends up with the wrong guy and it’s supposed to be a happy ending. Obviously they were not considered the wrong guy back then, so there is something about the assumptions about what love is and what makes a good partner that does not translate to the modern day.

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1978

This is a decent year, although all the movies are very 1970s (complimentary at the top of the list, derogatory at the bottom). My ranking:

The Deer Hunter

Midnight Express

Coming Home

Heaven Can Wait

An Unmarried Woman

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2025

23/?: Emilia Perez (2024) - watched 2/2/25

What a bizarre movie. One of the worst musicals I’ve ever seen… no one can sing, or at least they can’t sing the droning, melody-less songs they’ve been given. I can’t understand why this was made a musical in the first place, because the story would work without the songs. I do think there is the seed of a good movie here — the idea of someone transitioning and then trying to undo the harm they caused in their previous life is interesting. Unfortunately the execution is a mess.

Emilia Pérez (2024)

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1949

This was a solid year — all these movies are at the very least enjoyable. I think The Heiress and Twelve O’Clock High are a cut above the rest, but All the King’s Men is still a respectable winner. My ranking:

The Heiress

Twelve O’Clock High

All the King’s Men

A Letter to Three Wives

Battleground

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1967

This year has four good-to-great movies that pushed the boundaries of film at the time, whether by content, theme, or technical achievement. Yet it also has one of the worst examples of the last gasp of the dying studio system. My ranking:

The Graduate

In the Heat of the Night

Bonnie and Clyde

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Doctor Dolittle

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 2007

This year is full of movies that I like and admire but don’t love — that describes all these movies except Juno, which just sucks major ass. My ranking:

No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Michael Clayton

Atonement

Juno

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2024

280/?: The Lion in Winter (1968) - watched 9/30/24

The movie is full of great actors devouring the scenery, including a young Anthony Hopkins and a baby Timothy Dalton. The script gives everyone a lot of opportunities to deliver memorable dialogue, but there are some editing and directing oddities that keep this from being a truly great film. Still, worth it for the performances.

THE LION IN WINTER (1968) dir. Anthony Harvey

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1972

This was a really strong Oscar year. It was hard to choose between The Godfather and Cabaret, but in the end I had to give the edge to Coppola. The only one of these I didn’t really care for was The Emigrants, which is overlong and way too slow in the first half. My ranking:

The Godfather

Cabaret

Deliverance

Sounder

The Emigrants

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1956

This was a year for bloated epics which are varying degrees of dull. Naturally the best movie is the one smallest in scope, Friendly Persuasion. It is a legitimately good movie, while the other nominees rise to the level of “pretty good” at best. My ranking:

Friendly Persuasion

Giant

Around the World in 80 Days

The Ten Commandments

The King and I

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1989

This was an incredibly weak Oscar year. Born on the Fourth of July is only my favorite by default, because none of these exactly blew my skirt up. Dead Poets Society and Field of Dreams are also good, at least. Of course the Academy didn’t help things by choosing the worst of the nominees as the winner. My ranking:

Born on the Fourth of July

Dead Poets Society

Field of Dreams

My Left Foot

Driving Miss Daisy

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2024

235/?: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - watched 8/16/24

I’ve seen this before, and I’m having a hard time thinking of what to say about it. It’s just a great, expertly-made movie, with some unsettling cinematography and smart editing. The performances are all compelling, but Anthony Hopkins absolutely dominates.

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS jonathan demme, 1991

[astonishinglysane]

Movies I’ve Watched - 2024

335/?: The Thin Red Line (1998) - watched 11/24/24

I love the filmmaking here — there is a meditative quality that really drew me in. It’s so good that it makes the story seem better than it is, because upon reflection it is a bit too scattered and muddy. Still, I enjoyed watching it.

[astonishinglysane]

Oscar Rankings - 1930/1931

This is a pretty weak Oscar year. Cimarron and The Front Page are the best movies, but neither are amazing. Skippy is pretty good but tonally odd, and Trader Horn and East Lynne have their interest but are both pretty dull. My ranking:

Cimarron

The Front Page

Skippy

Trader Horn

East Lynne

[sennamaticart]

Artfight attack for @possessedpasm of August and Oscar doing the twist!