Will you be watching this year?

Turns out there's concern in some quarters that this year's Oscars telecast could be one of the lowest-rated ever. And I'll admit the reasons make sense: No mega blockbusters a la Titanic; many of this year's top contenders are limited-release films that most people haven't seen; the lead acting awards are thought to be suspense-free locks for Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren; and, at least for me, a special performance by Celine Dion holds about as much appeal as Rob Lowe and Snow White singing "Proud Mary."

No matter. I'll be watching no matter what. The Oscars are still maybe our greatest intersection of art and pop culture, and it also feels watching a bit of history -- "Academy Award-winning motion picture" carries more cachet than, say, "Grammy Award-winning song" or "Tony Award-winning musical." And although I don't get into the red-carpet fashion watch all that much, I do love the drama of the stars playing themselves, racing to thank their agents before their 45 seconds are up and the orchestra starts playing.

And, of course, don't forget to fire up the laptop during the telecast to join in the running commentary right here! 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25. Bring it on!

Best non-nominated film

My vote goes to Sweet Land, a little jewel of a film that was filmed right here in Minnesota (near Montevideo). It's a touching, personal film about Norwegian immigrant farmers carving out a life for themselves in the years just after World War I. And it's a beautiful film, with many shots drinking in the gorgeous, green western Minnesota landscape.

I saw Sweet Land here in October, shortly after it opened on only a few screens, and its release is slowly expanding nationwide. If it's in your town, check it out. (Here in the Twin Cities, it's at the Grandview in St. Paul, the Muller theaters in Rogers, the Mann in St. Louis Park and the Chaska Cinema. In Milwaukee, it's coming back to the Times Cinema next month.)

There were no Oscar nominations for Sweet Land, but it is up for two Independent Spirit Awards -- best first-time feature for director Ali Selim and best lead actress for Elizabeth Reaser. The Spirit Awards air Feb. 24, the night before the Oscars, on IFC.

And Reaser, by the way, guest-starred on last night's Grey's Anatomy -- although she was tough to recognize under all that latex.

Oscar movie marathon

If you're even more of a procrastinator than I am, why not see all five Best Picture nominees in one shot -- the day before the Oscars? That's what AMC Theatres is offering with its Best Picture Showcase promotion, starting with Babel at 11 a.m. and wrapping up with Little Miss Sunshine at 9:45 p.m. (And I thought those "Lord of the Rings" marathons were hard core.) The one-day pass will cost you $30 -- six bucks a movie. Here in the Twin Cities, AMC is offering the promotion at Southdale and Arbor Lakes. (Thanks to the Carpetbagger.)

So many movies, so little time

A confession: Out of Entertainment Weekly's "25 Movies You Need to See Before Oscar Night," I've seen ... seven. Not a good record. The good news is that with studios re-releasing films to pump up their Oscar buzz and DVD releases getting earlier and earlier, I've got a good shot at half by the big night, including all five of the Best Picture noms. Anyway, here's what I've seen so far:

Babel: A suspenseful movie in that I spent most of it squirming in my seat wondering who was going to make what bad decision next. Great acting turns as well.
The Queen: No question, a great performance by Helen Mirren; she's so good that I forgot I was watching an actress and became completely absorbed in the film -- even though in real life she doesn't look that much like the queen.
Letters From Iwo Jima: A great film. Clint Eastwood does a masterful job of seamlessly weaving the personal stories together with the historical big picture. That you know how it will end just makes it all the more heartbreaking. Great performance by Ken Watanabe as well.
Notes on a Scandal: A great role for Judi Dench, deserving of a nomination. But if you require a sympathetic character to root for in your films, you won't find one here.
Last King of Scotland: Forest Whitaker deserves all the awards he's been getting, and the film -- the Ugandan dictator as seen through the eyes of his Scottish doctor -- stands up as well.
Borat: You'll laugh, you'll squirm. But all in all, very funny stuff. Not for everyone though.
Thank You for Smoking: I saw this almost a year ago, but I remember it as wickedly funny.

On my must-see list the next two weekends: The Departed and Dreamgirls in the theater, Little Miss Sunshine and United 93 via Netflix. Then, if I have time: Pursuit of Happyness and Children of Men. We'll see.

What's on your still-must-see list? Here's your options:
In theaters now (at least here in the Twin Cities): The Departed, Dreamgirls, Babel, The Queen, Letters From Iwo Jima, Notes on a Scandal, Last King of Scotland, A Night at the Museum (just kidding), Little Children, Borat, Blood Diamond, Volver, The Pursuit of Happyness, Venus, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth
On DVD now: Little Miss Sunshine, United 93, Flags of Our Fathers, The Devil Wears Prada, An Inconvenient Truth, Thank You for Smoking
Coming soon to DVD: The Departed, Half Nelson, Marie Antoinette (Feb. 13); Babel, The Prestige, For Your Consideration (Feb. 20)

Welcome!

Congratulations: You are one of three people who will ever stumble onto this blog. Why are we here? I got the idea during last year's Oscar telecast, when I noticed several live blogs that were up and running during the telecast -- one on the Washington Post website was quite good (although I can't find it archived anywhere on their site; too bad). So this year, I'm trying it myself. I'll publish tidbits and links here and there over the next couple of weeks, but be sure to tune in right here on Sunday night, Feb. 25 -- it'll be a party.