| Kyle Buchanan Pop Culture Reporter | | Hey, movie fans! It's your faithful Carpetbagger. | | There are a lot of movies to see this weekend, whether you're checking out new releases or catching up on Oscar nominees before next weekend's big event. Among the high-profile newbies are Robert Rodriguez's sci-fi flick "Alita: Battle Angel," the Rebel Wilson rom-com parody "Isn't It Romantic?" and the horror sequel "Happy Death Day 2U," while specialty releases include the foreign-language entries "Sorry Angel" and "Birds of Passage" and, in limited release, the female-wrestler dramedy "Fighting With My Family." | | This is around the time I should be pivoting to my Oscar predictions, but the constant controversies over what will or won't be shown on the Oscar telecast just haven't let up! If you've been reading my articles, you know I tend to err on the side of the show being longer and better rather than shorter and less memorable, and one of the things I fear they will cut altogether this year or next is the clips that play after each nominated actor's name is announced. It may seem like a small thing to want to retain, and these film clips are often the first thing to go when the show runs long, but I really loved watching them when I was growing up since they gave me a window into movies and performances I'd had no idea about. | | For viewers who haven't seen all the nominees, it's a little burst of rooting interest: Which of these five performances would you pick, based on their excerpts? And for viewers who've done their Oscar homework, it's still a fun, kicky reminder of what these performers are capable of. At an Oscar viewing party last year, I remember how delighted I was when they played the "Phantom Thread" clip of Lesley Manville telling Daniel Day-Lewis, "Don't pick a fight with me, you certainly won't come out alive," and I was just as delighted by how much it delighted everyone else! If those clips go, I'll really miss them. | | |
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