It's just hours away!

• Gurus of Gold final predictions from the Gurus (though I adjusted mine slightly here)
• TFE our final Oscar predictions icymi
• Vulture How horny is My Octopus Teacher? Highly recommended amusing read.
• New Yorker Interesting interview with Paul Schrader on how streaming is changing cinema

Here's something I dont recommend doing if you live for the Oscars each year: getting vaccinated the day before. Had so many fun blogging plans today but vaccine reactions called and said 'you're not getting out of bed today! [EVIL LAUGH]'. On a happier note, fully vaccinated now. Woohoo. And good timing in a way since the Oscars are essentially New Years Eve for us and 2021 can start proper tomorrow. 

Best Original Score: Take a Listen

by Eurocheese on the eve of the Oscars...

A simple exercise: I sat down with each of the five scores from this year, gave them my full attention and wrote down any descriptors that came to mind. They may be a little jumbled, but I’m glad I took the time to give them a listen. Looking at my list, I picked the descriptor that the felt like the best summary for each. My terms and overall ranking below...

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Your Oscar Votes - Reader's Choice

We've been polling you for the last month plus on the Oscar charts about who you feel SHOULD win the Oscars  in each category and we now have the results, so we know what the readers are rooting for tomorrow... 

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1 day til Oscar. What's your #1 wish for the ceremony?

A simple prompt today. The Oscars are tomorrow night. You've read our predictions, our category reviews, voted on the charts (hopefully), and seen most of the movies you wanted to.

So what's your #1 biggest wish for Hollywood's High Holy Night?

I'll go first: I want The Father to win Best Film Editing. That might seem like a strange request since it's not one of the headline categories but in most of the marquee categories, I'm either excited about the presumed winner or there are extenuating circumstances (usually previous rewards or loving the performances in similar amounts) preventing me from being too invested in the outcome. 

How about you? 

Westerns and the Best Cinematography Oscar

by Cláudio Alves

With News of the World nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar, I started thinking about the relationship between the western and this particular craft and awards category. My relationship with the intrinsically American genre hasn't always been one of admiration, and for years I counted it among my least liked genres. However, some historical research and the watching of many fascinating classics made me reappreciate the possibilities of the western. I gained a new respect for its importance. The wondrous feats of cinematography had a lot to do with it… 

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