Where are the holiday movies???

Greetings- long time no see. The Traders have moved from ITP in Chamblee, to OTP East Cobb. I guess that's all part of settling down and giving up the free spirit lifestyle (ha!) Actually, we were taxed out of Dekalb and fed up with zero representation so we went for Cobb County with lower taxes and more like minded folks.

On to my original point... So It's Thanksgiving, and you and the fam want to take in a flick. What are you options? Not much. Thanks to converging factors like the most recent writers' strike and the economy, the usual buffet line of movie options have been reduced. Victims of the economy included the Leonardo DiCaprio/ Martin Scorcese film Shutter Island which was pushed from Oct. 4th release to February, bumping it out of Oscar contention (unless is it is really really good). Too bad for them, because Oscar decided this year to expand major categories (Picture, Actor, Actress) to 10 nominees. Granted they hold the best films for the end of the year, I still don't see where these 10 nominees are coming from.

First of all, on Thanksgiving weekend a huge movie opens, long and ripe for Oscar opening. This year, we have New Moon. I'm sure New Moon will give Dark Knight a run for its money, all billion of it. Quality entertainment, that's up to your individual taste in movies. Oscar worthy? nah. Twilight was a mediocre read and a terrible film. I won't bother with the 2nd installment, even though I know they had a huge budget and better sfx. The feel good film, The Blind Side might be good family fare, but not worth $10. Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta feels like Wild Hogs... standard Disney buddy comedy fare. Ninja Assassin? Not for me.

Where do I go for a day at the movies on my extended weekend? The dollar theatre. Quentin Tarintino's Inglorious Basterds might be good enought to make the Acadmey take a second look at him. Kathryn Bigelow's Hurt Locker has been a critical success and might put a woman up in the Best Director slot this year. I've been a fan since she did Blue Steel and having a woman in that boy's club would rock.

If war movies aren't your game, and the previous two movies are war movies, my only other recommendation is to see This Is It. If you appreciate music and dance at all, you can't help but be captivated by the fantastic picture Kenny Oretega created out of footage that was never meant to see the light of day. Forget everything you've ever heard about Michael Jackson and just sit and enjoy. Of all the films about over the holidays, I would gladly pay another $10 and watch This Is It on the big screen again.

That brings us to the Oscars this year. The Oscars have been in a ratings tailspin since Titanic and they are trying everything to bring back people to the broadcast.
(Note to Oscar, everyone is trying to bring back people to broadcast!) Last year Hugh Jackson as host gave them a slight bump, but the nominee list didn't pull in extra eyeballs. Kudos to the Academy for trying. They've hired Adam Shankman, (FOX's So You Think You Can Dance) to direct. They boosted the number of nominees in the big categories, but you have to ask was this the year to do that. I couldn't name 5 films worthy of best picture yet. The trades (Variety and The Hollywood Reporter) have already published articles on the lack of nominees for the Original Screenplay, since most of this year's best works are adapted, and also Best Actress. They're pegging Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side for crying out loud. She's even proclaimed that she's not "an awards show girl".

If you ask me, of all the films I've seen, are any Best Picture worthy? I have two, Star Trek and This is It. My mission during the holiday is to see the other three films that might make the cut. They are Inglorious Basterds, Precious and Hurt Locker.

Come back for more as this weird and wacky year winds down and we get into Awards season. The Golden Globes are just 2 months away!