Some Predictable, and Some Awesome, Choices for this Year's Oscars Nominations

The Oscar nominations came out this morning, and for the most part, it was status quo. Everyone that has been rumored got their nominations. "Three Billboards" got a ton of nominations. "The Post", along with Meryl Streep, got their nominations. Willem Defoe got his nomination. Frances McDormand was there. So was Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Like I said, status quo. I was a bit upset that "The Disaster Artist" only got one nomination, but with the recent Franco allegations, I was not surprised.

What made me smile a bit when I read the nominations was all the new people that are getting consideration. Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani got nominated for best original screenplay for the excellent "The Big Sick". That movie was amazing, and it was incredibly well written. It was very much deserved, and I'm happy that comedians are finally getting noticed by the academy. I love that "The Shape of Water" and Guillermo del Toro got nominated. Guillermo del Toro makes weird, but great movies, and "The Shape of Water" is no different. I'm stoked that Great Gerwig got nominated for what many consider to be the best movie of the year, "Lady Bird". Saoirse Ronan got a much deserved nomination too. Margot Robbie, playing Tonya Harding, will be at the ceremonies. Sally Hawkins, who rules, got nominated and she plays a mute in her movie. It's also pretty cool to see someone like Mary J Blige get nominated for acting and original song. I don't know that that has ever happened. Good for her. It's nice to see Woody Harrelson get some recognition.

What makes me happiest are three specific things from this morning. First off, "Coco" is getting the much deserved recognition that it needs. That movie is so innovative, great and moving. I will be very, very upset if it doesn't win best animated feature. It is leaps and bounds better than any other movie that is in that category. I'm also stoked that "Remember Me" is nominated for best original song. That too should win in a runaway. It is so sweet, but also is the running theme throughout that movie. It is not only a great song, it serves a purpose.

Next, I'm pumped for Daniel Kaluuya getting a best actor nod. He was amazing in "Get Out". He more than deserves this nomination. I only became aware of him last year when I first saw him in the "Black Mirror" episode "15 Million Credits", and I thought he was tremendous in that. Then I had the pleasure of watching "Get Out", and his performance blew me away. He was so good. He made me believe everything that was going on in the movie. He created a truly unique and dynamic character. I will be so happy if he somehow wins. But, the things that make me happiest are "Get Out" and Jordan Peele getting their due. "Get Out" was the most unique and interesting movie I saw all year. I know it wasn't my top movie of 2017, but it was the best movie I saw all year. The way they balanced horror, drama and a little comedy was stupendous. The people involved toed the line of each genre to perfection. "Get Out" is a one of a kind movie, and we need more movies like that in this remake and rehash age we live in now. It is a special movie. Which leads me to the thing that surprised me most, in a good way, this morning. Jordan Peele got a best director nod, he should win, a screen play nod, he should probably win and a best picture nomination, again, he should win. Jordan Peele created something truly different and wonderful and scary and honest and poignant and perfect. He outdid any other director that is up for the award. He did a masterful job with "Get Out". Everyone in that movie was made better by his direction. As far as screenplay, if I have said it once during this blog, I have said it a thousand times, there is no movie more unique than "Get Out". And not just this year, in quite sometime. He made something fresh and new and it speaks to the thousands upon thousands of people that saw "Get Out". No one knew what to expect, and everyone was talking about it after they saw it. This movie had more memes, GIF's and fan art than any other movie I have ever seen in my life. It is one of a kind.

As far as best picture, I think "Get Out" has only one, maybe 2 competitors. "Darkest Hour" is too boring and too historical. Same with "The Post". "Three Billboards" will get scrutinized too much to win. "Dunkirk" is a war movie, and those don't hold much weight anymore. And "Phantom Thread" is too weird. I think "Get Out" only real competition is "Lady Bird" and "Call Me By Your Name". "Call Me By Your Name" won't win because "Moonlight" is a better movie and it won last year. "Lady Bird", by all accounts, I have not seen it yet, is great, but I think the voters will only give it one award, and that will go to Ronan for acting. So, that leaves "Get Out" as the best movie left. I am hoping that it wins best picture. It would be so awesome, given the current state of our country, for a movie like "Get Out" to win best picture. That is my wish at least.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the people that were getting recognized this morning, and that hasn't happened in awhile with the Oscars, Hopefully, times are changing for the better. At least this year's nominees makes me hopeful that is happening.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention the robbery where "Logan" gets one nomination, and the movie of the year gets zero nominations. Why did the Oscars forget "The Lego Batman Movie"?  Why?

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Better Late than Never on "The Big Sick"

I am finally getting caught up on TV shows and movies that I have meant to see, and I finally saw one of the movies that I really wanted to see it the theaters. That movie is "The Big Sick".  

I am a big Kumail Nanjiani fan. I love him as Dinesh on "Silicon Valley", I love his bit roles in some good and not so good movies and I have been a fan of his standup from day one. When I heard about this movie that he and his wife wrote, loosely based on their relationship, I was intrigued. Then, the movie got big time buzz when it was screened at a bunch of different festivals. Everyone was saying that they loved it. The movie sold after the Sundance Film Festival I believe, for somewhere in the 12 million dollar range. That is enormous for a movie that is basically an independent movie. This made me want to see the movie even more. Then the critical buzz came, and it was nothing but shine. Pretty much every critic found something to like about this movie. I do not usually care what critics say, but when a movie gets somewhere in the high 90's percent critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, that makes me think it is a movie worth checking out. I could not see it in the theaters, family and kid stuff got in the way. But, I finally saw it when it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

This movie is everything that the critics and the fans said it was. I love this movie so much. It is so touching and funny and sad and just perfect. This is a true star turning role for Kumail Nanjiani. He owns this movie. He is playing himself, but he brings such great emotion, perfect comic timing and just controls everything that this movie is supposed to be. It helps that he co wrote it, but damn it, was he great. Zoe Kazan, playing his now wife Emily, is just as good. She could have come off as a clichéd type love interest, but she is not. She is just as powerful and moving and funny, all the way up to when she is put in a coma. For those of you that don't know, Kumail met his wife Emily at a comedy club, they struck up a romance, broke up due to cultural stuff and then she got sick and was put in a medically induced coma. That is what "The Big Sick" is about. I'll touch more on the plot in a moment. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are tremendous as Emily's folks. Holly Hunter is the fiery southerner who will do anything to get her daughter healthy. Ray Romano is great as the quieter, but can also be fiery, dad that has a troubled past. They are tremendous actors to begin with, and that shows in this movie. Kumail's family, Anupam Kher plays his dad and Zenobia Shroff plays his mom and Adeel Akhtar play his brother, are all wonderful. Every time that Kumail's mom brings an Indian woman over to meet Kumail, it is funny and awkward. Kumail's dad is a bit softer on him, but he still wants his son to be a faithful Muslim. Kumail's brother is hilarious. Every line he talks is so funny and witty and just perfect. As far as the other standouts from the movie, I love Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham and Kurt Brauholer. They all play Kumail's friends that perform at stand up clubs in Chicago, in hopes of getting into the Montreal Comedy Festival. They each bring a different character to their roles, and they all nail it. Kurt Brauholer is truly wonderful as the comic that just shouldn't be doing standup.

Getting to the plot, "The Big Sick" is a great, modern love story about family and culture. It is amazing to me that people from Pakistan still believe in arraigned marriage. It was amazing to see Kumail express to his parents how he thinks this is not for him. To watch their disappointment, but then acceptance, is truly wonderful. To see the beginning, middle, break and reuniting of Kumail and Emily is so great, sad, funny and perfect. This movie perfectly captures what a new romance for people in their mid to late 20's is about. The stuff in the hospital, and at Emily and Kumail's apartments, with Kumail and Emily's parents is just awesome. Their distance, then getting close to each other is so great. Watching a boyfriend and the girlfriend's parents going through this horrific event is masterfully done in this movie.

"The Big Sick" is amazing. I really think everyone should see it. It is a movie that could have been ripe with clichés, but Emily Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani and Michael Showalter, the director, wouldn't allow that to happen. They are too talented for that. This movie is really, really good and my only gripe, I wish I had seen it sooner. I hope this brings on bigger and better things for Kumail, I guess it has, he just hosted "SNL", and Emily Gordon, because they deserve it. Watch this movie, it is a must see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had some cultural differences when he was dating his wife. She came from a culture where she was good looking, and he came from one where he was ugly. They worked their way through the differences.

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