Oscar Blitz 2024 — The Hub
Okay, everyone. You know what time it is. I’ve slept my last full night for at least the next seven weeks to come, because it’s time to officially kick off this year’s Oscar Blitz! The nominations came out a few days ago, and I’ve done better in my advance viewing than ever before. Only two movies got nominated that I have yet to see. The first, El Conde (up for Cinematography), is on Netflix as I type this. The second, Robot Dreams, could be my downfall. It all depends on distributor Neon, who has confirmed that they’ll release the movie in theatres sometime this year, but has yet to set a date.
It seems like every year there is at least one picture that gets a nod despite only getting the minimal qualifying run. Last year it was A House Made of Splinters and Tell it Like a Woman, the latter of which not being an actual movie, but a craven anthology of shorts hastily thrown together just to let Diane Warren cheat her way to another pointless nomination. In the case of Robot Dreams, that run didn’t happen in Los Angeles as far as I can tel. It played once during the Mill Valley Film Festival, as well as a members-only private screening at American Cinemateque, but those don’t count.
So it’s all riding on Neon. If they release the film theatrically (or on streaming, but Neon is pretty committed to the theatrical model, which is a good thing) at some point in the next few weeks, then I’m golden. The Shorts will be released on February 16, and I’ll do my usual triple feature over that ensuing weekend. Similarly, I’ll pull up Netflix one more time whenever I feel like it. It all rests on one of the premiere distributors for indies. If they don’t release it, then I’ll have to scramble for any screening I can find, which may be a lost cause. I have hope that they’ll do the right thing, though, because nothing says, “Don’t vote for this movie” like not allowing the public to see it until after its Academy fate is decided.
So, as always, this post will serve as the main hub for all the Blitz breakdowns, be they in print or on video at my YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to). As I did last year, four categories were drawn at random to get the visual treatment, the results of which you can see below:
Now, just because those four will be joining Best Picture on the channel, it does not mean that they’re any more important than the others that make up the Academy 23 (though obviously Best Picture, being the grand prize, is the exception). Starting Tuesday, we’ll begin with our first analysis here on the blog, with another to follow on Wednesday. After that, it’ll be five breakdowns per week until Friday, March 1. At that point, only Best Picture will remain. I’ll be working my local primary election for the four days that follow, and then picking back up on Wednesday, March 6, I’ll fire out the two remaining videos, one for Best Picture, and the other for my official predictions.
I also still have a bunch of regular coverage to get through, including two editions of TFINYW, the remaining capsule reviews for documentaries, foreign films, and Independent Spirit nominees, and of course, reviews of new films debuting in 2024. I’ve only been able to see one this month due to budgetary constraints, but you best believe I’ll still be watching as much as I can, even while Blitzing. That said, this will be the busiest edition of this experiment yet, including having to serve jury duty literally the day after the ceremony, so now more than ever the disclaimer of “subject to change” must be kept in mind. I’ll do my best, but there’s a LOT going on at the moment, so make sure to bookmark this post in case I need to update the schedule along the way. Obviously I’ll be updating with links as I post each category, but there may be further changes if my physical need for rest demands it.
So without further ado, here is that (tentative) schedule:
Tuesday, January 30 — Original Song
Wednesday, January 31 — Supporting Actor
Monday, February 5 — International Feature
Tuesday, February 6 — Costume Design
Wednesday, February 7 — Best Actor
Thursday, February 8 — Documentary Feature
Friday, February 9 — Adapted Screenplay
Monday, February 12 — Sound
Tuesday, February 13 — Makeup & Hairstyling
Wednesday, February 14 — Supporting Actress
Thursday, February 15 — Cinematography
Friday, February 16 — Visual Effects
Monday, February 19 — Animated Short
Tuesday, February 20 — Original Score
Wednesday, February 21 — Production Design
Thursday, February 22 — Live Action Short
Friday, February 23 — Best Director
Monday, February 26 — Documentary Short
Tuesday, February 27 — Film Editing
Wednesday, February 28 — Original Screenplay
Thursday, February 29 — Animated Feature
Friday, March 1 — Best Actress
Wednesday, March 6 — Best Picture
Friday, March 8 — Who Will Win?
Sunday, March 10 — Oscar Night Live Diary
Wednesday, March 13 — Postmortem
That’s how things shake out, at least for the moment. I’ve still got a ton of prep work to do, but rest assured, we will get through it together (assuming Neon doesn’t fuck me). Let’s go Blitzin’!
Join the conversation in the comments below! Which category are you most looking forward to? Which one do you think is already a lock for the winner? Will this lone Animated Feature outlier be worth the effort to see? Let me know! And remember, you can follow me on Twitter (fuck “X”) and YouTube for even more content!
Originally published at http://actuallypaid.com on January 29, 2024.
