Monty & The Seasons First Oscar Screeners
Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 2:00PM Monty, my beloved gray furball, is the web's original cat Oscar pundit. So once again we beg his feline proclamations. They are usually mysterious and non-committal but there are also the unambiguous dismissals, 100% prescient predictions and dumb blunders... just like any pundit might make.
The first screeners of the season arrived last night: indie hit Mud and Sarah Polley's documentary hopeful Stories We Tell. I presented them to him. Which would Monty favor?
Oh oh... looks like he's going for Stories We Tell??? It would make Katey so hap...
False Alarm.
He leaps away a split second later, refusing to engage. (I wish I'd snapped quick enough to get him in motion.)
Will AMPAS voters spend more time with these screeners than Monty or merely leave them to collect dust near the TV while other screeners arrive to build a jenga-like tower of FYC impossibilities??? What's your best guess? There are only so many movies you can watch in a season.
FYC, Mud, Punditry, Stories We Tell, cats
Reader Comments (25)
I think it's clear that Monty is hoping for a Mud surge.
I'm hoping this means the Oscar is Polley's to lose, I haven't seen a finer movie - fiction or nonfiction - this year. Is it me or have you not discussed it as much?
LOL.
Monty, I thought we talked about Sarah Polley and her wonders! I'll have to get my cat to educate you, buddy.
I loved Stories We Tell! Was just thinking about it the other day even though I saw it months ago. Do you think it has a shot at documentary, or will the genre ambiguity mess with the voters?
I'm so glad Stories is eligible. Best film of the year so far. Polley... get that Oscar, girl.
I think this shows that Monty's all in for American Hustle and doesn't even want to entertain these early releases. In his defense, the trailer is very shiny.
Omg I was so scared he was going to go for Mud. I don't think my heart could take another three months of people going nuts over that movie. Easily my least favorite of the year so far in regards to the awards fare.
I suspect Monty is on the mark with regards to MUD. Not so sure about STORIES WE TELL but Monty might be right to ignore it as well.
I think I will go nuts if I have to hear any more Bullock 2nd oscar hype (sorry,
I'm off topic here)
Monty is so cute and cuddly - first time I've seen him. Post more pics, please.
Here's hoping Monty comes back to Stories We Tell, easily the best movie I've seen so far this year and will likely remain in my top 5. I will send catnip vibrations to Polley's DVD.
I guess I'm in the minority here as I felt very underwhelmed by Stories We Tell after all the hype I had heard. Was really hoping Monty would go for Mud though.
Monty is the Spike Jonze of the Film Experience. He doesn't contribute often, but when he does, it's always worth paying attention to.
Mark -- if you want more Monty please click on those links in the post. he's been predicting haphazardly for years. he doesn't always cooperate which is why his pronouncments are unpredictable in terms of how often he's willing to chime in
Monty has correctly predicted that Oscar voters will ignore Mud and pretend to notice the Sarah Polley film, but no dice.
They haven't started sending out Blu-rays instead of DVDs yet?
Good ol' Monty. Just waiting now for David Poland to sub-tweet something passive-aggressive about you and we're off to the races.
One of my favorite posts of the year!
Maybe Monty was hoping for a Short Term 12 screener, recognizing that its campaigners need to get the screeners out early for it to have any chance at a nomination.
Wonder what Monty would do with pictures of the Wolf of Wall Street, Foxcatcher, and Grace of Monaco... it could be fun to track his opinions from conception of the idea to release and finally to Oscar season.
I thought I was the only one that didn't love Mud! It's a nice little movie but nothing beyond that, while Stories We Tell is magnificent and will rank among my top 10 movies of the year. Wouldn't it be gret if it is nominated for BP? :)
ah, so happy Monty is so gracious to give some Oscar considerations again this year, as short as they might be (hope he will be back for some more)! I will see Mud on Friday and am curious if I agree with his stance on it.
So both will be considered, but neither will be rallied behind.
I really hope Stories We Tell and The Act of Killing are at a race to the top for Documentary. Stuff like Blackfish, We Steal Secrets, and Inequality for All bore me to tears and do not challenge the documentary form at all but they placate to Oscar voters 'preach to the choir' type of politics.
CMG -- you should add The Missing Picture to that first set of movies.
Nathaniel- Really want to see that. This is Not a Film was so great and heartbreaking. Oh dearest Academy, instead of having 'Mr. Middle Eastern Studies Major at UVM' state in 5 seconds how horrible it is for people like Panahi to direct, you could've nominated this for Documentary but I guess the category needn't not be full of downers.