For Starters

Ever since I was seven or eight, the night the Academy Awards are on TV is always the most wonderful night of television of the year for me. Everyone is dressed up all fancy in beautiful dresses or suits. The reporters busily ask who people think are going to win the big awards. And then it starts. We have the little awards, such as Best Makeup, Best Score, Best Art Direction. As we draw towards the end though, we all lean forward as we wait for the envelope to be opened and the Best Picture for that year to be announced.

And sometimes we are shocked. Flabbergasted. How could such and such win? Obviously this movie was so much better! I am sure if you have ever seen an Oscar ceremony you have had this reaction. I have many a time. But, then I realized, how can we know this movie wasn’t better if we haven’t ever seen it? This year, at the eighty third Oscars, when Up lost to The Hurt Locker I had the reaction described above but realized it wasn’t fair and then an idea was born.

I was going to watch every single Best Picture winner and see if I thought it deserved to win.

You may be thinking this is a waste of my precious time. “Oh Kelsey, go do something useful. Don’t blog and watch movies all day long.” First off, it’s totally cool to watch a movie occasionally. It helps one chill from their insane life. And second, I don’t think this is a waste of time. I am going back through the last eighty three years of our heritage to see what was deemed the best in film art. I am culturizing (yes, I made that word up) myself.

Also, in the eighty three movies, there may be movies that are rated R or that someone else may think are “inappropriate.” However, that is not for you to decide and to judge me for, so if I get any comments on how I am corrupting myself or anything like that, my head will explode, more than likely taking yours with me. Are we clear on that? Dandy. Moving on.

I am inviting you on a journey with me as I watch movies, so sometimes there will be spoilers. If I feel a movie is very well known, i.e. My Fair Lady, or I just hated it, I will feel no shame in spoiling it. Others like The Sting or Annie Hall, that I absolutely love love love, I will not. There will be a warning atop any that do contain major spoilers so don’t worry.

So, I think I must be crazy to be excited about watching 83 movies! No I don’t think, I know. Oh well, craziness just produces better writing. Are you ready? Let us begin then!