Ah yes, it’s time for yet another Oscars ceremony. Tonight talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will take the reins of the 90th Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theater. And to think I’ve only known for a few days now that the film Lady Bird isn’t about former first lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson. Other than looking at lists of names, nominees, etc., I’ve been kind of tuned out. I have only seen The Shape of Water as far as any 2017 nominees go. I’m not one of those people whom will go out to see a movie just because it was nominated for a damned Oscar. I’ll see it if it looks interesting to me!

The movie being parodied in this scene from UHF was Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was nominated for best picture.

As for awards shows, they’re just not interesting to me…at all. I don’t care what dresses the women wear, I don’t care how the guys look in their monkey suits. I care even less about the song and dance numbers – and the audience reaction of the losers. I don’t care about seeing red carpets. It might be mildly amusing if one of the nominees fall on their ass on their way up to collect their statuette, but I don’t need to see that in real time. That’s what the Internets are for! I just don’t have the patience to watch an entire awards show, unless the host is really, really interesting to me. The only two hosts from the past 15 years or so that enticed me to watch the Oscars ceremony were Steve Martin (I’ve always been a big fan), and Seth MacFarlane. Other than that? Meh. George Carlin is dead. Would’ve loved to have heard HIS acid tongue on the Oscars stage! I would also love to see Ricky Gervais take the helm, though I think they usually like to “buy American” with Oscar hosts – or so it seems.

All of this opining aside (and please, please, don’t let me rain on your parades if you’ve planned an Oscars viewing party or otherwise love this kind of pomp and circumstance), there have been some Oscar-nominated – and Oscar-winning – films that I’ve loved. Here are my favorites, released since 1972 or later (in chronological order):

Oscar Nominated/Winning Films I’ve Liked/Loved

Robert DeNiro (one of my favorite living actors) in The Deer Hunter

The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part 2, All the President’s Men, Network, Taxi Driver, Star Wars, The Deer Hunter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Amadeus, Goodfellas, In the Name of the Father, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, As Good As It Gets, The Full Monty, American Beauty, Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inglourious Basterds, True Grit, Moneyball, Django Unchained, American Hustle, Hidden Figures, The Shape of Water.

Oscar Nominated/Winning Films I’ve Hated

Annie Hall, Fargo, Little Miss Sunshine, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

Oscar Nominated/Winning Films I Still Want To See

Cabaret, All That Jazz, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Mission, Bugsy, Elizabeth, Moulin Rouge, Twelve Years a Slave, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.