2024, Art, Gatherings, Kids, Movies

Blinding Lights

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YA came home from work yesterday asking if I had watched the Golden Globe ceremonies.  When I looked at her blankly she asked if I had “heard” about them.

I actually don’t really know what the Golden Globes are.  I mean, I know it’s yet another way for the over-paid and over-glamorized folks in Hollywood to pump up their egos, but other than that I don’t know what differentiates it from the Oscars.

One of my friends always makes a point of seeing all the movies that are up for the best picture Oscar.  I’m pretty much 0 for 5 every year for the past 10 years.  I did see Shape of Water on Christmas Day 2018 – I didn’t know anything about it at the time, just that it was showing at a good time for us.  I didn’t actually like it very much so was surprised to find out a few weeks later than it was an Oscar contender.

Apparently the Oscar nominations are due out on January 25 although there are lots of websites trying to predict who will be on the leaderboard.  Since the only movie I’ve been to in the last year is “Migration” (an animated film), I’m pretty sure I’m continuing my streak.

I’m fairly certain that none of my favorite movies have ever even been nominated for a big award, much less won one:  To Catch a Thief, Moonstruck, Princess Bride, People Will Talk, Sneakers, Murder on the Orient Express (1974 version only), American Dreamer, Dial M for Murder…. 

Do you follow the Globes/Oscars/Sundances/Cannes, etc???   Do you have a favorite movie?

40 thoughts on “Blinding Lights”

  2. I saw exactly one movie in a theater last year: Barbie. I could happily have waited until it was available on television. Movies in general and consequently the awards filmmakers give themselves capture very little of my attention, as does the lives and activities of those identified as celebrities in the supermarket tabloids.

    I can never name a favorite anything and that includes movies. I have some I have enjoyed and wouldn’t object to watching again but no single one to the exclusion of all others.

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  3. All time fave is ‘Casablanca.” However, the BEST movie I’ve ever seen is “Saving Private Ryan.” Shocking, stunning, riveting, probably quite realistic (first 30 min. Normandy landing), unforgettable. I’ve never cried so hard at the end of a movie than I did at that one, SO Powerful and poignant.

    I think it was Spielberg’s masterpiece. That said, I doubt I’ll ever watch it again because of those first 30 minutes.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  4. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    I do not follow any of the awards shows. Years ago I noticed that if I liked a show, it often did not get many awards, the exception being TV comedies like Ted Lasso which is highly awarded. But that does not need my attention. Sitting in front of the TV watching people who do not need attention, getting attention is boring. It also appears to me that many of the awardees don’t like the awards show. I recently read Tom Hanks’ novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture” in which he has disdain for awards. Jeff Daniels’ podcast also indicates disdain. So if I find it boring, if I don’t like the movies awarded, and no one wants an award anyway, why would I watch it.

    Favorite movie(s): Probably “Ordinary People”. But this changes from day to day.

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      1. I had never appreciated Mary Tyler Moore as an actress. In fact I almost didn’t go see “Ordinary People” because I was so sure she’d screw it up for me, but she was perfect for the part. A good movie.

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  5. I loved Moonstruck too – it won a boatload of Oscars.

    I like watching the broadcasts of the awards shows,and I make lists of movies that I want to see and then never get around to actually seeing the movies.

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  6. The only award show we’ll watch is the Tony’s. And then, it’s really only for the performances, we could skip the speechifying and awards. It’s like the Superbowl; it’s only for the commercials.

    I have a lot of favorite movies. ‘All That Jazz’, ‘Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’, ‘Wall-E’, ‘Up’,

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  9. We sure do have a lot in common. I don’t watch awards shows either. They’re right up there with the StuporBowl for me.

    There are a couple of movies I like. I don’t go to theaters so I could probably benefit from more movie exposure. One that I like is the Pixar movie “Up”. It’s just charming and I like the story. Another movie I like isn’t well known. It’s called “Whale Rider.” I loved the book so I saw the movie on Netflix when I had it once upon a time. It’s not long but it’s worth watching. Or just read the book.

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    1. Whale Rider was a wonderful movie from New Zealand. It was filmed on location where the novel was set. Loved it.

      Another couple of movies, set and made in Australia, that I really like are The Rabbit Proof Fence, and The Gods Must be Crazy. None of these are recent movies, but well worth seeing, nevertheless.

      I watch the occasional award’s show. In case of The Oscars, not because I’m likely to have seen the films nominated, but depending on who is hosting, it can be fund to watch. I do read the reviews and follow – in a haphazard fashion – the buzz on social media. With The Grammys I’m more likely to have heard the artists and music nominated, though as far as fancy or outrageous get-ups are concerned, The Grammys are far more eccentric and weird that The Oscars. Most actors are pretty tame compared to musicians.

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        2. You’re right, Clyde. My mind got those two continents that both start with an A mixed up. Still a good film, though.

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  10. I see a bunch of movies over the course of a year so I do follow the Oscars, though no host has ever come close to Billy Crystal. These days I don’t necessarily watch the telecast but look up the winners. The other award shows, not so much or at all. Favorite movie is hard to pick – there are too many. I have seen “The Great Escape” many times and never tire of it. The three that PJ mentioned are all wonderful films and worth seeing. “Casablanca” is a no-brainer. “The Shawshank Redemption”, “The Secret of Roan Inish”, “Ever After”, “The Philadelphia Story”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”…..the list goes on and on.

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    1. “The Shawshank Redemption” is an exceptional film. Another older film, readily available online, is “Madison by the Sea.” It’s a pretty somber movie, and I know it won’t appeal to some baboons, but I love it, and I recommend it highly.

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  11. Alternative question:
    If you were going to show your fellow baboons a movie you were fairly sure they had never seen or heard of, but a movie that was one of your favorites, what would it be?

    Of course it’s impossible to know what baboons know and so I might offer Local Hero or Time Bandits but those might be commonplace.

    More obscure but nevertheless worthwhile might be a movie like Cosi, likemoviehttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115951/reviews
    Which I would bet you’ve never heard of.

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  12. I think most of the baboons probably know and like a lot of the same movies I do. One that’s a little more obscure is An Awfully Big Adventure, a movie I discovered when I was seeking out movies with Alan Rickman in them, and Blockbuster had it. (Remember Blockbuster?) Mike Newell directed it.

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      1. I liked Hugh Grant in this one, but there’s more Rickman than Grant, IIRC. They were both cast again in Sense and Sensibility – another well made film.

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  14. sorry i missed it
    im the movie guy here
    take my mom to the movies every tuesday last 10 years
    always see all the oscar movies and have opinions
    love the golden globes
    gives me a finger on the pulse of tv as well as movies

    favorite movie harvey

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  17. It’s totally understandable not to be into award shows like the Golden Globes. Everyone has their own tastes in movies, and it’s awesome that you stick to what you enjoy, regardless of nominations or awards. As for me, I do enjoy catching snippets of these ceremonies, but my movie preferences are all over the map—no strict allegiance to award nominees here!

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