A Century of Film: The Top 1000 Films (#650-601)

This is the 8th part and the introduction can be found here.  All 50 films in this section earn a 90 which is a lower range **** film.

 

The Oscars: Even when they make history they blow their chance to make history

Two out of three ain’t bad. Three out of three would have been better.

Well, I realize this may give it away but I would still rather you not make guesses, even if it’s clear what it is.  For the first time since Carol in 2015 my #1 film was not nominated for Best Picture.  For the first time since Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988 my #1 film was not nominated for an above the line Oscar nomination.  For the first time since Winter Light in 1963 my #1 film was not nominated for any Oscars.  For the first time since Touch of Evil in 1958 my #1 film is in English and was not nominated for any Oscars.  Now, beyond that, on to today’s actual nominations, where I wrote down quick picks just to make it easier (then I just circle if right – much faster) and got only four categories 5/5: Actor, Actress, Cinematography, Animated Film.

 

Awards Notes 2020 or I Wish I Knew How To Quit You, Golden Globes (ongoing)

That’s just a reminder that Mark Harris is a funny and smart writer who already wrote one of the single best books about film ever written (Pictures at a Revolution).  He has a new biography of Mike Nichols and even though I rarely buy biographies at all and certainly not new and in hardcover, I will be getting this when it goes on sale on Tuesday.  His Twitter feed is also worth reading and I do that everyday even though I’m not even on Twitter.

 

Qualified return to the blog and box office stats for sale

It was heartwarming to have so many people comment that they will miss the blog.  And I would miss writing it.  So we’ll see what happens.  There are qualifications I need to meet before I know this will continue, including whether it’s more difficult for new posts than the ones already created but not finished, how much of a pain this new editor is and how much of a timesuck this creates.

But I didn’t want to just write a post to say that.  Since all the COVID stuff (and now the WordPress issues) caused such delays in posts, I have finished other stuff, including my giant box office spreadsheet.  So I’m willing to offer a version of it to people, though I am going to charge $10 for it, because I spent a lot of time on it and I think it’s rather unique.

 

Nighthawk News is on hiatus, possibly permanently

So WordPress has switched to a shitty new editor. I can’t do most of what I used to be able to do. They gleefully tell you that you can continue to use the “classic editor” but don’t bother to tell you that you can only do that with a $300/yr business plan. So fuck them. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with their shit. So instead of putting up a post about the 70th anniversary of the first appearance of Peanuts, the Beatles of comic strips, this is a post saying the blog is on hiatus. At some point I will either decide to figure out their new editor, switch to some other platform or just say fuck it and give up the blog altogether. At the moment I honestly don’t know which I’ll do. It’s taken four tries just to get this post up, so it’s not looking good for option #1.

So, stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask and vote Biden / Harris (because the other option is a vile racist, bully, scumbag, moron who deserves the disease he’s gotten).

 

moving

Our move is mostly done.  It’s mostly little crap, but with daylight gone by the time we’re done with work, it is going slow.  But I hope to have a new post up by the end of the weekend.

 

still dealing with heat and other issues

So, I am almost ready for the next post.  But my trip to Philadelphia, family visits, a trip to DC that ended up with Thomas throwing up, a return that has brought a couple of rough days for Thomas, a bad cold for me and a fever for Veronica, combined with heat that is crushing enough that I moved our mattress to the floor of the living room so we could all sleep near the air conditioner means that it is not quite ready yet.  We’ll see what the next couple of days bring, but they keep raising the high for tomorrow – it now says 100 with a heat index of 110, so I’m guessing tomorrow will not be it.

 

Christmas pictures, 2010

Christmas!

A plate all his own

 

brief delay

Bit of a backup with getting stuff done between Thomas’ birthday, Veronica’s birthday and my sister having visited for a couple of days.  More posts soon.

 

The History of the Academy Awards: Best Picture – 1941

The mining family in How Green Was My Valley (1941)

The 14th Academy Awards, for the film year 1941.  The nominations were announced on February 3, 1942 and the awards were held on February 26, 1942.

Best Picture:  How Green Was My Valley

• Citizen Kane
• The Maltese Falcon
• The Little Foxes
• Here Comes Mr. Jordan
• Suspicion
  
• Hold Back the Dawn
• One Foot in Heaven
• Sergeant York
• Blossoms in the Dust

Most Surprising Omission:  Ball of Fire

Best Eligible Film Not Nominated:  Fantasia

Rank (out of 82) Among Best Picture Years:  #57