Nomadland (2020 US) Its #FemaleFilmmakerFriday and today we feature the brilliant Best Picture winner from Chloe Zhao. After losing everything a woman lives out of her van and becomes a nomad. Based on the book of the same nam. Frances McDormand stars as Fern, an every woman coming to terms with her new life and grieving the old one. I know it may not seem like a lot because Zhao made it look so easy but this was an extraordinary film. Most of the actors in this were not real actors. They were real life nomads playing themselves. So that meant that Zhao followed McDormand around with a camera as she talks to the other nomads from the book. Zhoa takes cinema verite (Realism, authenticity) to the next level. Not only did she cobble a story together from said footage but she made it look good while doing so. I'm so glad this got recognized because this was insane hard to pull off. As I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of cinema verite, 'cuz if I wanted real I would go outside. But this is no ordinary film. Its next level or "elevated" for the fancy folks. You get a glimpse of a reality you just are not privy to for the most part and its an eye opener. Find it on Hulu and for rent on most streaming. Please Like share and subscribe. #TheMarchofOscar #Film #Movie #Oscars #Cinema

An American in Paris (1951 US) an ex GI (Gene Kelly) stays in Paris after the war to pursue painting. He meets a teenager (Leslie Karon) and falls in love. Not joking about the teenager thing. She was way too young for her love interests but oh how she could dance. Judy Garland’s husband directed this Best Picture Oscar winner. Much to the surprise of many this one won against some pretty stiff competition with films like A Place in the Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire. Some tweeted it was “rigged” and demanded a recount. I $*it you not. But the film is really good. Post WWII audiences were still reeling from a tough decade or two and just wanted to go back to happier times. MGM said “sure” with this lively jewel toned, flower infested, kaleidoscope of a film. The music was created by the Gershwin bros after MGM(?) bought the catalog. I could imagine seeing Paris all lively and not burning was a joy. Choreographer was done by Mr. hardass himself Gene Kelly. He had a reputation for being too much of a perfectionist but here is what I love about him. Besides his skills and charisma he put in gay subtext and gay text (not so subtle) just to stick it to the Hays code censors. They missed it entirely and only complained about Karons dance scene with a chair. She was baffled “what can you do with a chair?” To that I respond “what can’t you do with a chair?” The cherry on top was a 17 minute long dance sequence shot on 44 sound stages and costing a boatload of money. That was glorious. Audiences flocked to see this film and I can see why. Find it on HBO or for rent on most streaming. #TheMarchofOscar #Film #Films #FilmFan #Movie #Movies #Cinema #TCMParty

Parasite (2019 S KR) An impoverished family schemes to work for a wealthy family. Things don't go well. Director writer Bong Joon Ho had a lot to say about South Korean society with this very dark "comedy". This is a brilliant film and I'm glad it was recognized by the Academy with a best picture award. Bong is a genius when it comes to framing. I heard the term awhile ago Sacred Geometry. I know it does not apply here but I'm just going to pretend it does and say that Bong incorporated Sacred Geometry to inform his audience. Watch the film and pause it. Look at the geometry of the shot. It makes a huge difference in your sub conscious and emotional responses to the film. Its a lot of work and planning. I can assure you the process was daunting. Bong is known for tone changes and wow this one had a doozy of a tone change so beware. I'm a fan of his work and if you are interested he did an outstanding Kaiju film called The Host (2006). The thought was the Bong opened up a door for South Korean filmmakers to have a seat at the Academy table but nope. The neo-noir film "Decision To Leave" by Park Chan-Wook was completely snubbed this year. Its an Oscar caliber film. If you cant tell, my panties are in a bunch over that. Find it on Hulu. If you like my content, Please Like Share and Subscribe. #films #Movies #Cinemastodon #Cinema #TheMarchofOscar

As we close out #LoveFestFebruary I will be moving into #TheMarchofOscar tomorrow. Normally I talk about the genres and subgenres I will feature for the month but not this time. I will be discussing any film nominated for any category. Technically the Academy nominates films in all genres but you will find very few sci-fi or comedy films or women led or people of color led films. It’s kind of getting better. Being inclusive is not about inclusion for inclusions sake. It’s about recognizing exceptional work from all communities including marginalized ones instead if burying it like they have been to elevate films that should not be there but are anyway for virtue of being cis white male. Yeah I said it out loud. So I will be featuring a few outright snubs too. There are some extraordinary films that have been nominated but many WTF films which of course I will feature on WTFWednesday, I’m looking at you English Patient. I gotta say though that Wednesday will be kind of full for the next month. So please like, share and subscribe. #TheMarchofOscar #Film #Films #Movie #Movies #FilmFan #Cinema