2017 Academy Awards

This year, two things struck me as I reviewed the nominations for the Oscars. The first was that 'La La Land' got 14 nominations. Although I haven't seen the film, as yet, a number of people have asked if I did and when I queried them all stated they felt the film was "Ok" or "Pretty Good" . I got no "Wows", or "Greats", or "Best Movie I've Seen".  Which indicates that perhaps 'La La Land' was the best out of a number of so-so films.

With 14 nominations it tied the record with 'All About Eve' (1959 and 'Titanic' (1997). If it wins 12 Oscars it will beat the most Oscars received by a film. That record, of 11 wins, is held by three films: 'Ben Hur' (1959), 'Titanic' (1997), and 'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' (2003).

The second thing that hit me in reviewing this year's nominations was that this was the first time that an internet streamer had a movie nominated for Best Picture. Amazon's 'Manchester by the Sea' scored six Oscar noms, one being Best Pic. This is historic in that the movie was not produced by a Hollywood production company.  Amazon Studios, like Netflix, has shoved its way into the ranks of Hollywood's elite and has become a formidable player in the movie industry.

Amazon paid an incredible $10m for the distribution rights to  'Manchester by the Sea' at last year's Sundance Film Festival and that decision has paid off big.

Best of luck to both 'La La Land' and Amazon's 'Manchester by the Sea'.  The Academy Awards are being held on February 26th.

Best,
Jim