oscars – Culture Travel and History Crossroads

The one weekend a year when my love of movies, history and travel converges together is Oscar Weekend. At first I considered sitting this year out. Last years happened in early February 2020, just as the COVID-19 Pandemic was about to strike. Little did I know the next fourteen months would be a daily struggle.

Around October and November of last year things were looking pretty grim. The Pandemic was raging. People weren’t really doing what needed to be done. Here in Utah a lot of people refused to follow the guidelines. We had a sitting president that offered less than zero leadership on the matter. As the year progressed towards it welcome end, I was very doubtful that the California trip would happen, even though the awards had been pushed back to the end of April.

Things changed in mid January on many levels and we finally had a plan for the vaccinations that were needed. The new Utah Governor stepped it up on a local level, and federally thins improved greatly. Still, I decided I would not make the trip if I was not fully vaccinated. Not because I worried so much about myself, but I certainly am not selfish enough to want to put other, more vulnerable people at risk of contacting the virus.

On February 28th I received my first Mederna shot. My second came on March 28th. Two weeks later I was ready to start getting my life back and do a little living.

I rented a car with my sister and brother and left Logan, Utah on Wednesday morning. First stop: the Belagio in Las Vegas. We stayed the night and then set off for Las Angeles, staying in our usual Sunset Plaza Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.

Immediately it was clear that this year was very different. California was still very much in lockdown from the virus. Restrictions were beginning to be lifted on restaurants and stores, but just barely. The hotel was much more quiet and offered very little in room service or housekeeping (though a tip envelope for the staff was still present in the room). Indoor eating was limited. I was happy, though that everyone was wearing their masks and making the effort to do what was right.

The usual Oscar attractions were also very different. The Dolby Theatre was closed up, except for the filming of some musical numbers. The awards instead would be broadcast from Union Station in downtown Las Angeles. The smaller venue would limit the number of attendees.

We chose a few outdoor activities this time around to aid in distancing. All of us love the 1960’s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. The opening sequence of Andy and Opie at a lake for some fishing and a bit of pebbles skipping is a slice of classic pop culture. We decided to take the short drive and see if we could locate the exact spot from the starting.

Franklin Canyon Reservoir. photo by author

We took Mulholland Drive to the Franklin Canyon Drive. The road winds its way down a deep canyon to Franklin Canyon reservoir. This was the place. The first thing we saw a lone, scared looking coyote walking along the road in front of us. We then parked and took a trail around the reservoir, finally locating the spot we believe was the actual spot. Such a peaceful location at the edge of a huge city. Not many tourists flock here, but I highly recommend it as place to enjoy nature and take a break…and maybe whistle a few notes.

Cute but scared. Coyote on the train. photo by Tracey Smith

Keeping the outside theme alive, we also visited Hollywood Boulevard and took a stroll from Santa Monica Beach down to Venice Beach. Though still teaming with some tourists, the vibe of these places was very different from previous years. The pandemic and its bruising of the California economy was evident. I have never seen so many homeless tents and sleeping bags. In recent years the city had made an effort to clean up both places. The efforts were quite noticeable. This year it was sadly different. Urine soaked sidewalks and homeless desperation littered the street and beach. The toll the virus had taken on everyone over the last year, truly saddened me. I truly pray that things will get better from here. Visiting the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was a much more beautiful and peaceful experience.

Venice Beach

Since the Oscar broadcast was at a new location, we decided to visit Union Station and the adjacent Olvera Street. I had never visited this oldest street in the city before. It was so much fun shopping the traditional Hispanic shops and eateries. The Union Station was also an impressive building with its own fascinating history. Though scaled down, the area was still busy with cameras and red carpet being set up. It’s very exciting.

Top: Union Station. Bottom: Olvera Street. photos by author

This year we ate at places we really enjoy. Nothing really new for us this time. Micheli’s, El Coyote, the Polo Lounge, the Rainbow Grill, Farmers Market. We frequented these places often. They were all good. That’s why we come back.

We watched the Oscar Telecast from the hotel room on Sunday night. All of my choices won except I was hoping for Ri Ahmed for Best Actor for The Sound of Metal and Carey Mulligan for Best Actress for Promising Young Woman. But the winners were deserving as well. The show itself was a bit rocky, especially when the big hope for an emotional award for Chadwick Boseman fell flat on its abrupt face.

Because of the theater closures, the notoriety of the films was lower. Not many people had seen them. The rating for the awards were down as well. I don’t care about any of that. It’s not a popularity contest. We had some wonderful films in 2020. Box office and rating are unimportant to me. None of that really matters. It’s quality over quantity.

The next day we dropped the car rental off at the Burbank Airport and flew home into the new airport in Salt Lake City. It was a unique trip with some challenges and some real pleasures. That said, I hope it is the only year where we to struggle with all the limitations. I hope and pray that we are back to normal 2022.

Celebrating Marlon Brando’s 95th Birthday

By admin | March 7, 2019

On April 03, 1924 Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska. I consider him to be one of the biggest influences on me and my love of movies. The era where he was popular in films is far ahead of when I started to watch movies, but I used to browse old movies at Somer’s Video in Logan, Utah. It was there that I began watching old movies. I mostly viewed them with casual interest, but one day I decided to rent A Streetcar Named Desire. It had an impact on me that would drive a new passion for classic cinema and take me on a long trek seeing as many motion pictures as I could.

I remember that it showed me that “old movies” were more than just black & white boredoms, or schmaltzy musicals. There some real emotional elements in them. The acting mesmerized me. I knew I was watching greatness. In honor of his upcoming 95th birthday, I would like to offer my choices for the 10 most essential Brando films. Anyone who is interested in the history of Hollywood needs to know these movies and performances.

10 Essential Movies

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Film and Television

As I mentioned earlier, this is the film that started it all for me. I believe it likely had just as much influence on a generation of young actors who deviated from the style of acting that had been the standard in Hollywood for the last two decades.

It is a film that didn’t just launch Brando as a first rate Hollywood heavyweight, but featured a group of actors who all gave award worthy performances. The film opens with Blanche Dubois, played with strength and fragility by Vivian Leigh, as she steps of a train in New Orleans. She has arrived in the French Quarter to visit her younger sister Stella (Kim Hunter). Blanche seems to be running from something. We get the idea that her past has been catching up with her.

Blanche likes southern traditions and manners, where a lady is always a lady and man is a protector. She quickly learns that Stella’s husband is not cut from that cloth. Stanley Kowalski (Brando) is a uncouth brute of a man. He works hard and plays hard. Her first encounter with him makes her turn away, repulsed, yet at the same time there is an uncomfortable sexual attraction there as well.

Stanley and Blanche clash on every level. Stella desperately plays referee as the arguments become more and more heated. We see Blanche and how fragile she has become as she increasingly sinks into mental overload until she and Stanley clash in a violent and shattering confrontation.

Written by Tennessee Williams, Streetcar had been a Pulitzer Prize winning play and was directed by Elia Kazan. It’s adult themes erupted a censor battle in Hollywood that diluted the story to some degree. Still the message is clear for those who can easily read between the lines. The film was a box office hit and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards. It won trophies for Vivian Leigh as Best Actress, Karl Malden for Best Supporting Actor, and Kim Hunter for Best Supporting Actress. Though Brando was the lasting memory of the film. He lost the Oscar to Humphrey Bogart for The African Queen. The film was nominated for Best Picture, but lost to the far inferior An American in Paris.

CLASSIC LINE: Hey, Stella!!!!

Julius Caesar (1953)

The brutish Brando from Streetcar seemed like an odd choice to play a role in a Shakespeare tragedy. One critic joked that all the filmmakers needed to do was put Brando in a toga to ensure a box office success. In the part of Marc Antony, he proved that he was more than just a physical presence.

Louis Calhern plays Caesar, and James Mason stars as Brutus. A group of Roman senators, led by Cassius (John Gielgud) convince Brutus that Caesar is planning on dissolving the republic and establishing himself as the monarch.

The screen version of the play is a fairly straight-forward adaptation. It proved that Brando was capable of holding his own with the british, theatre trained thespians. Proving the point, Brando received his third Oscar nomination in three years for Best Actor.

While I wouldn’t call it one of his greatest films, it does showcase how Brando could take on a variety of roles and be believable.

CLASSIC LINE: You Blocks. You Stones. You Worse Then Senseless Things!

The Wild One (1953)

At first glance The Wild One looks likes a cheap, B-Movie that exploits the motorcycle craze of the early and mid 1950’s. With the help of a dynamic performance from Brando, as rebel Johnny Stabler, it becomes much more.

The story is based on a real life event that took place in 1947 in a small California town when a motorcycle gathering got out of hand over a Fourth of July weekend. Hollywood hadn’t explored youth oriented, rebellious pictures much yet. The Wild One became a cultural sensation as the first motorcycle gang movie to emerge.

It looks really tame for today’s standards, but it packed a punch at the time. After its success, a slew of rebellious teen movies flooded the local cinema house.

CLASSIC LINE: Mildred: Johnny? What are you rebelling against? Johnny: What’ve you got?

On the Waterfront (1954)

Considered by many to be the high point of his early film career, On the Waterfront, which reunited him with director Elia Kazan, was a triumph in every sense. It was that rare moment when actor and role became simpatico. It would be hard to imagine any other person playing the part of Terry Malloy.

Lee J. Cobb plays Johnny Friendly, a mobster who rules the waterfront with an iron fist. The politicians look the other way and the police don’t want to get involved. Friendly uses Malloy to lean on workers on the edge of the river. Malloy, however falls for the sister of a man who was killed. She wants justice and Malloy begins to challenge the boss.

The film received twelve Academy Award nominations and won eight of those, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Supporting Actress for Eva Marie Saint. The film was also a box office hit, solidifying Brando as THE actor of his generation.

CLASSIC LINES: I Coulda Been a Contender.

Guys and Dolls (1955)

I wouldn’t say that Guys and Dolls is really one of Marlon Brando’s best films, but it does show off a side to the actor that is rarely seen. That of a singer in a musical. Here he is all dressed up and belting out show tunes with the best of them.

Frank Sinatra plays Nathan Detroit. He likes to gamble, but the police are cracking down. He meets Sky Masterson (Brando). He wages a bet with him that Sky must take a woman of Detroit’s choosing to dinner in Havana, Cuba. Detroit picks Sister Sarah Brown, played by Jean Simmons.

The musical had been a hit on Broadway and Frank Sinatra coveted the lead role of Masterson. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz wanted Brando since he was a huge box office star at that time. Sinatra instead was cast as Detroit. He fumed at this since he had already lost out of the role of Terry Malloy to Brando in On the Waterfront. This made for a lot of tension on the set.

While not among Brando’s greatest performances, it is still one of the more entertaining MGM musicals of the 1950’s. Brando sings fine, but be shines best as a charismatic male lead. It might even be a bit “too Hollywood” for him.

CLASSIC LINE: Is it wrong to gamble, Or only to lose?

The Young Lions (1959)

After watching The Young Lions a few years ago, I found it to be a bit of a lost and underappreciated film. Not many people mention it when they talk about great Brando movies. Especially given the fact that the film received positive critical reviews and was a box office hit. It might be partially due to the fact that Brando shared the screen with a few other big name actors including Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin and Maximilian Schell.

Brando plays Christian Diestl, a young German ski instructor who believes that Hitler will bring prosperity to the country. He joins the army at the outbreak of war and is stationed in North Africa. He quickly sees that the war is different than he expected.

U.S. soldier Michael Whiteacre (Martin) meets and befriends Noah Ackerman (Clift), a fellow U.S. army soldier who is also Jewish during their physical examinations. They start into the U.S. side and the story follows them through the war.

As the war drags on Christian becomes increasingly depressed and disgusted with the war, but can’t see his way out with his country. The film takes on a very emotional and dramatic examination that good people exist in many places and situations in our world. I think it is one of Brando’s strongest performances.

CLASSIC LINE: Michael Whiteacre: Look, I’ve read all the books. I know that in 10 years we’ll be bosom friends with the Germans and the Japanese. Then I’ll be pretty annoyed that I was killed.

The Godfather (1972)

There has been so much said and written about The Godfather. Simply put: It is one of the greatest cinematic experiences in movie history. It ranks on top, or close to the top of my all-time favorite films, depending what week I am ranking my favs.

I suppose there are some people out there who haven’t seen or don’t really know much about The Godfather. The plot follows the Corleone family, led by the Don (Brando). He is the head of one of the most powerful mob groups in the United States. But, the other families are reaching for more power and a mafia war erupts.

When Corleone is wounded, his sons must step into the leadership roles, with a reluctant and naive Michael (Al Pacino) taking control in ways he never expected or never prepared for.

Two successful sequels followed and movie history was re-written. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Brando took home the Best Actor award for the second time. In a now famous moment from the Oscar telecast, Brando sent Sacheen LittleFeather to decline the Oscar. She made a speech acknowledging that Brando had refused the statue in protest of how Native American were represented in film.

It was one of the most talked about and controversial moments at the Oscars. The film which he won for has gone down in history as a pinnacle of great American films. No true movie fan should miss it.

CLASSIC LINE: I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Last Tango in Paris (1973)

Turning down the Oscar for The Godfather didn’t prevent Marlon Brando from receiving another nomination for Best Actor the following year for the very controversial Last Tango in Paris. Director Bernardo Bertolucci spun a disturbing story about Paul (Brando), a middle aged hotel owner who is mourning the suicide death of his wife, Rosa.

He meets Jeanne, played by Maria Schneider. She is interested in renting the same Paris apartment that Paul is looking at. She is in her twenties and Paul is instantly attracted to her. He gets the apartment while he and Jeanne start into an adventurous and wild sexual relationship that eventually leads down a dangerous path.

The film was very graphic for it time, and still is. It received an X Rating upon its initial release, and still carries an NC-17 today. It became very controversial with movie-goers and Oscar voters alike. John Wayne commented that he’d like to punch Brando in the face after watching it.

In reality it shows a very real and very sad look at an older man losing himself in a kind of sexual freedom. The film remains highly talked about. In 2018 there was a great amount of discussion over the way Bertolucci and Brando filmed the movie. Schneider herself was unaware of just how graphic things would get until the scene was being shot. The #METOO movement only emphasized the way in which women have been treated by men in Hollywood.

CLASSIC LINE: I could dance forever. Oh, my hemorrhoid!

Apocalypse Now (1979)

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Marlon Brando re-teamed with the director of The Godfather for a movie that drove home the horror of war. Francis Ford Coppola was considered one of the greatest directors of the 1970’s. As the decade came to a close, he decided to do a film that was an unflinching look at the war that had been front and center when the decade had begun. The Vietnam War was still dividing the nation and soldiers had returned home with nightmares and injuries. Many felt abandoned by their country.

Colonel Walter Kurtz (Brando) has gone insane. The pressures of fighting the war has taken their toll. He has hidden himself away deep in the jungles of Cambodia where he commands his own army. The United States armed forces decides they need to send a special group of soldiers in to bring the mad Kurtz back, and take him out of his position of power.

Martin Sheen is one of the special ops who must venture into the heart of darkness to confront the shadowy Colonel. The journey forces himself into an exploration of his own sanity and decisions, while confronting the horrors of this war.

Coppola creates a surreal, and mesmerizing horror of a film. The imagery stays with the viewer long after the credits have run. The film is based on and updated from the book “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.

As great as the movie is, the making of the film turned out to be just as hypnotic. The cast and crew all suffered while filming on location. Footage was shot that eventually made itself into its own documentary entitle Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. This makes a very interesting…and long double feature.

CLASSIC LINE: I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

The Freshman (1990)

Following Apocalypse Now, Marlon Brando’s screen appearances became more sporadic and varied greatly in quality. In 1989 he received is seventh and last Oscar nomination for his supporting role in the apartheid drama A Dry White Season. It was a good, though short performance, and deserves mention. I decided to include his next movie as one of my picks, however. In 1990 he took a much bigger role in the comedy The Freshman. In it he spoofed his role in The Godfather. It wasn’t mocking the part, but it lovingly memorialized it.

Matthew Broderick stars as Clark Kellog. He arrives in New York to start his education in film at New York University. Having his money stolen, he takes a job working for a mob boss named Carmine Sabatini, played by Brando. Clark is amazed how much Sabatini looks like Don Corleone. The job is unusual and Clark finds himself in the middle of illegal importing of animals on the endangered species list.

Shortly before the film was released into theaters, Brando famously went public to declare that the film was horrible. This crushed writer/director Andrew Bergman, especially since he had said that directing Brando was a great joy for him and he found the veteran actor delightful.

Despite that critics rejoiced with the movie. They found it to be a comic gem and Brando was routinely singled out as being a big reason for the films success.

CLASSIC LINE: (Looking around the dorm) So this is college. I didn’t miss much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!

I truly recommend that anyone interested in the history of films and the culture of movies, should seek out Marlon Brando. He was a true original and one of the greatest actors to every grace the silver screen

On April 03, 2019, he would have been 95 years old. The twentieth century entertainment wouldn’t have been the same without his talent. Happy Birthday, Mr. Brando…wherever you are!

A Trip to the Oscars 2019

By admin | February 27, 2019

I suppose you would have to be hiding under a rock to not know that each February or March the movie industry gathers for its biggest night of the year. My family and I are huge film buffs and have been following the Oscars for years. I have been watching all the Best Picture nominated films all the way back to the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.

Every year since 2007 we have made the trek from my cold northern Utah home to Southern California in order to experience Tinseltown during its greatest weekend. I was led to believe that I soak up the warm sunshine and bask in the glow of the beaches. The truth is that California is almost always experiencing a cold spell when I vacate there. Luckily, this year it was beautiful, though a little cool.

That wasn’t the case at all during the drive from Logan, Utah to Los Angeles. We stayed in Las Vegas at the Luxor. A rare and powerful snowstorm hit. I’ve been to Las Vegas dozens of times and have never experienced anything like this. The snow fell heavily for hours cause a threat to close all schools. I had to laugh a little since it took several feet of snow on the roads to even cause a whisper about closing schools where I am from.

View from my hotel room at the Luxor in Las Vegas. Photo by the author.

Arriving in Los Angeles

Despite some scary roads covered in snow around Baker, California, the next day arriving in L.A. the weather cleared and I welcomed the rays of the sun. It was like California should be.

The first night I spent some at The Grove, a sleek outdoor shopping center next to the Farmer’s Market. I enjoyed a nice meal at the outdoor eating area in the market. I recommend stopping by the market on Fairfax Avenue to anyone visiting Hollywood for the first time.

I should mention that for the last several years I have found the best place to stay is the Sunset Plaza Hotel at 8400 West Sunset Blvd. Though still a little pricey, it offers the best deal for the weekend. It’s central location makes it easy to drive to the Dolby Theatre, or just as quickly to Beverly Hills. The traffic is always a pain, but I’ve gotten quite used to it.

Our third floor room had a nice view of the courtyard where the pool is surrounded by pots and awnings covered with roses. It’s quite delightful and honey. This time I had a nice straight shot view of

Night view of L.A. from the Sunset Plaza Hotel. Photo by the author.

The J. Paul Getty Museum

I always try and do something new each year during Oscar Weekend. This time we decided to venture to the J. Paul Getty Museum. I almost went before but last years movie, All the Money in the World about Getty motivated me to seek out the fine art showcase. I am so glad I did. It is a stunning, multi-building showcasing one of the finest art collections in the world. It sets high on the hills overlooking downtown L.A. and a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean.

What a thrill to view original works by Monet, Renoir, Pissaro, Gauguin. I was especially interested in seeing work by Vincent Van Gogh since Willem Dafoe received an Oscar nomination for portraying the tortured artist in At Eternity’s Gate.

It’s scary to think about how close the horrible fires last year came to this museum and the destruction of people’s homes and property. We should do more as a nation to help all those people affected by these disasters. That is a true national emergency.

The Independent Spirit Awards

The Spirit Awards are held on Santa Monica Beach. Photo by the author.

Along with the Oscars, I have had an interest in Independent films. Having working for the past twenty years at the Sundance Film Festival, I feel it is the heart of the film industry. While Hollywood is touting their teen oriented blockbusters that will play well in the nation’s heartland, the true inspiration and thoughtful filmmaking comes from those with small budgets who risk much to make a work of art. I truly appreciate this and am glad that awards are still given out for quality rather than rewarding publicity machines.

A couple of years ago I joined Film Independent. It helps advance and support those independent minded filmmakers who give us movies with a point of view, and movies that inspire real emotions. When I joined that allows me to be a voter in the awards. It’s nice to know that true film lovers are allowed help in choosing the winners. I didn’t attend the ceremony but was able to watch the Red Carpet Arrivals.

Most of the nominees were in attendance. Best Actress nominee Glenn Close arrived with her dog in tow. Her fellow nominee Toni Collette hurried into the tent shortly later. They were nominated for The Wife and Hereditary, respectively. Both were fantastic, though I leaned to Ms. Collette, personally.

Also on the carpet were: Armie Hammer, Joaquin Phoenix, Molly Shannon, Amanda Seyfried, Richard E. Grant, Alfonso Cuaron, Marissa Tomei, Adam Diver…just to name a few. Luckily, the day at the beach was beautiful and sunny. The high was in the mid 60’s. A far cry from the 20’s back in Logan!

Toni Collette on the Red Carpet. Photo by the author.

I won’t go into all the winners and losers and nominations on this blog. You can read a complete list of the victors here.

Oscar Night

I must say that my trip to Los Angeles isn’t entirely about the Oscars. It is about the experience of being in Hollywood and enjoying the movie industry’s biggest night. The energy and the atmosphere of the town is very exciting. I don’t attend the Oscars. I watch them comfortably in my hotel room. I think I have the best seat in the house. I like to cheer on my favorite films. I don’t need my picks to win. It’s would be nice, but generally the winner is not my choice. That’s fine. I don’t need any validation for my opinions.

I was happy to see Regina King win the Best Supporting Actress for If Beale Street Could Talk. She seems like a nice lady and has paid her dues for years. My choice to win was actually Rachel Weisz for The Favourite.

I did agree with the Best Supporting Actor winner, though he should have been in the Best Actor race. Mahershala Ali was fantastic in Green Book. I also would have been happy with Adam Driver winning for BlacKkKlansman. I did like the Driver’s film better than Ali’s.

Rami Malek did a fantastic job as Freddie Mercury in the good, but flawed Bohemian Rhapsody. I did think that Christian Bale should have been the winner, however, for Vice. He really became the part of Dick Cheney, though Vice was also a bit flawed. Bradley Cooper would have been my second choice for A Star is Born.

Everyone thought that Glenn Close was going to be the winner for her performance as the suffering woman who stands by her man in The Wife. Her acting is top notch, but the film isn’t Oscar worthy. I wish she had won years ago for Dangerous Liaisons. My choice for Best Actress actually did win. Olivia Colman was spellbinding as Queen Anne in The Favourite.

I was totally in line with the Academy when they awarded the Best Director trophy to Alfonso Cuaron for his exceptional film Roma. Quite simply: He deserved it. It is a wonderfully realized, stunning work of art. I can’t praise it enough in showing a film about people we generally look through. Rarely does a movie give us a moment that feels this authentic.

Needless to say, I wanted Roma to win the Best Picture Award. I was shocked that it didn’t, even though I have reservations about a streaming film winning. Quite simply, Roma was the best film of the year. Green Book is a good movie, but mostly a film that voters likely felt good about voting for.

Hollywood Boulevard the night before the Oscar ceremony. Photo by the author.

I am a bit troubled by the emergence of Netflix as an Oscar contender. Where is the separation of television movies and theatrical movies? Where does streaming fit in to this? I think it is a dangerous trend that needs to be addressed. I’m not saying that streaming companies are not eligible for consideration, but some adjustments need to me made. As it stands now, Netflix needs hardly any theater exposure. Plus they will hold onto that film and never allow true movie collectors to buy a blu ray or DVD of the film. Should the company decide to pull the film off their site, it is gone until they bring it back. This is a very bad and poor trend in filmmaking. For that reason alone I am considering cancelling my membership.

I believe that the Academy should take steps in remedying this issue. I believe that a film should have a two or three month theatrical run before it is streamed to be considered for awards. It should also be under contract to be released on DVD or Blu Ray within a year of its streaming.

When a director makes a movie they are intending it to be seen on a large screen. That is the hope for any filmmaker. It is possible that Roma lost the Oscar to Green Book because of this. Voters, hopefully, are not ready to give their highest award to a film that only made a brief, week-long showing in a theater house.

Nothing Lasts

Like any good thing, a vacation must come to an end. If it didn’t, it would no ,longer be a vacation. Though it is still over 50 weeks away, I am already trying to think of places to visit in Southern California during next year’s Oscar Weekend. Thanks for coming along with me on trip.

Tag: oscars

A Pandemic Oscar Weekend

By admin | May 20, 2021