Hmm… Looks like the Golden Globes managed to popularist without nominating ten films. The Oscars could learn from them.

The drama/comedy divide always weirded me out, but I suppose comedies don’t generally do well at awards, so a bit of positive descrimination is justified.

I absolutely agree, Derek. Indeed, I wrote a column saying that after the Academy made their announcement. What I would say is that henceforth Oscar-watchers will regard the best director nominations — still just five — as the real best picture shortlist. After all, though a few films have won when their director lost, you have to go back to Driving Miss Daisy to discover a film that won when its director wasn’t even nominated. I suspect — please correct me if I’m wrong guys and gals — that’s the only one.

Thanks for that, Q. I knew some wiz would dig up a few more examples. I think that Wings is an odd example, in that two films won at that first ceremony (Sunrise being the other).
As regards Driving Miss Daisy, from 1989 you could also mention Crimes and Misdemeanours, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Drugstore Cowboy, Roger & Me, Sex Lies and Videotape and Say Anything. Heck, even My Left Foot is better than Driving Miss Daisy.

A Serious Man in the best comedy or musical? I liked it a lot but it’s neither fish nor fowl I’m afraid.

sadly, I’ve hardly seen any of the movies from the nominee list – hopefully I’ll get to watch more of them before the awards night comes around

The Globes always manage to make a vomit-inducing snub. Remember last year Milk getting only one nomination for Sean Penn? A Serious Man is this year’s Milk.

I didn’t like Invictus or Morgan Freeman’s performance, I think people are too condescending with him and Clint Eastwood, who is arguably the most egocentric director working today. He’s obsesed with awards and only makes movies that are Oscar-baity.

At least they snubbed An Education too, a film I consider to be vastly overrated.

Hard to know what to think when 3 of the best movies (and none of the best actor) nominations haven’t opened here yet.
Excited about seeing Precious because I’m reading Push right now for my movie ecker.
A Serious Man is a serious film.

I think Q chose Do Th Right Thing because of the two films’ attitudes to race relations and how the academy will go for sugar-coated every time.
Or I could be wrong.

I’m with you M. Robespierre, although I am worried that with all of the requests from various quarters on the blog, Mr. Clarke won’t have the time or inclination, (which is understandable). In any case, you have my vote, for what it is worth, although I am struggling to remember what ‘classics’ will be foisted on us this Christmas.
As to your efforts in attempting to brainwash your other half, I encourage you to desist, in the interest of peace of mind and social equilibrium. In the name of love, (oh yes, slay me where I sit), I have had to endure the likes of ‘13 Going on 30′, ‘PS I Love You’, ‘Good Luck Chuck’ and ‘The Proposal’ in recent times and I can assure you my experiences have done nothing to alter my preferred viewing habits. If anything, they have just intensified my questionable need to watch the likes of Michael Winner’s ‘The Sentinel’ again and again.
Could anyone recommend a decent psychiatrist?

Looking at Nam Citsale’s post, I can’t help wondering if he feels any better for airing his grimmest movie memories, so with your permission of course Donald, I’d like to give it a go.

It was Christmas time, many years ago
and I accompanied my parents to my uncle and aunt’s house. An angry young 17 year-old, my cynical certainties were brutally crushed by being left in an over-heated, over-decorated room, with a paper hat on my head and a bottle of 7-Up at my side, and forced to watch King Ralph and Kindergarten Cop in quick succession.

The cloying smell of a Christmas tree, or even a stuffy room, is enough to revive the harrowing memory, such is the mark it left upon me.

Thanks for listening…

I don’t get this obsession with trying to make the major awards shows more “populist”. If I want to spend four hours worshiping every expulsion by messrs Tarantino and Cameron, I’ll read Empire front to back thank you very much. The Oscars and Globes are a brief moment in time when people who know nothing about movies get shown snippets from films that are slightly better than the tripe they favour. Good for them.

As for bad movie experiences, I’ve had many, but watching Inland Empire with a girlfriend who had no previous experience of Lynch and began stirring angrily after 15 minutes certainly stands out. She didn’t talk to me for 2 days after…