There is more to life than gold.

Having seen a mere 10 of the 32 released movies nominated (and 2 of the 8 Best Picture nominees), don't be surprised if things are more than a little...guessy for most of these categories.

Picture: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Actor: Good as Gary Oldman was in Mank, Chadwick Boseman - unfortunately - won't have a chance to be nominated ever again. Let's just call this a make-up Oscar for Get on Up.

Actress: I really think that Carey Mulligan was terrific in Promising Young Woman, balancing the story's moods effectively.

Supporting Actor: The buzz around Daniel Kaluuya has been deafening. Who am I to contradict it?

Supporting Actress: I was really impressed with Amanda Seyfried in Mank, though I have a feeling about Yuh-Jung Joun.

Director: Chloe Zhao.

Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman.

Adapted Screenplay: Nomadland.

Cinematography: News of the World.

Editing: Nomadland.

Production Design: Tenet.

Costume Design: I'm going with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Original Score: Da 5 Bloods. Not only the strongest score of a middling field (Mank would've, for sure, made my top 10 list had it been more judiciously spotted), but easily the best thing about the messy - yet weirdly otherwise snubbed - film.

Original Song: "Speak Now", I guess.

Animated Feature: Wolfwalkers, easily. If a) Monkeybone were as well known a dud as, say, Battlefield: Earth and b) people could let themselves see the resemblance between the films, Soul wouldn't be anywhere near front-runner status. Wolfwalkers is more imaginatively animated, better-scored, more emotionally resonant. I cannot imagine why this is a contest.

Animated Short: "Burrow", if only for the Pixar imprimatur.

Live-Action Short: From the descriptions of the nominated shorts, I would give it to "Feeling Through". (I have a bad feeling that it'll end up going to "Two Distant Strangers". Never seen it, never will, but don't trust the positive reviews.)

Documentary Short: I've heard interesting things about "Colette".

Visual Effects: Tenet. Period.

Make-Up and Hairstyling: I want to say Pinocchio.

Sound: Sound of Metal, just because. Also, good on them for condensing the two categories into one.

International Feature: Another Round.

Documentary Feature: "Collective".

Scream for Help (John Paul Jones)

 

Teenage Christie (Rachael Kelly) is convinced that she and her mother (Marie Masters) are in danger from her stepfather (David Brooks), but no one believes her...and there literally would not be a movie if people did. Filtering Tom Holland's 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' plotting through Michael Winner's...whole deal makes for one of the stupidest thrillers of the 1980s. Lifetime Movie Network originals wish they could be this idiotic.

A movie this dumb probably didn't deserve a score this lush, but Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones (with a notable assist from Elmer Bernstein associate Christopher Palmer) exceeded any and all expectations, buoyed by a main theme that he turns into a song for the end credits.

Scream for Help

music by

John Paul Jones

1. Opening 2.24
2. Noises 1.16
3. Basement 1.02
4. Sabotage 0.47
5. Pursuit 3.17
6. Escape 0.27
7. Drip 0.17
8. Mom's Car 0.33
9. No Brakes 1.30
10. Home Late 0.22
11. Plugged 0.30
12. Chase 0.46
13. Dying for Two 1.31
14. Diary 0.32
15. Sleepover 1.22
16. Gassed 0.31
17. Broken Leg 0.50
18. Photo Finish 1.42
19. Oh, Brother 0.54
20. Surprise 0.40
21. Beaten to the Punch 0.32
22. Confession 0.31
23. Peaceful Night?/Intruders 2.25
24, Dominance 1.07
25. Locked Up 0.43
26. Ketchup with Honey 0.36
27. The Truth 1.25
28. Warning 0.53
29. Scheme 0.16
30. Countdown/The Dark 2.28
31. Hide and Seek 1.26
32. Bitch Slap 0.20
33. Lights Out 0.53
34. Knock Knock 0.44
35. Breakup 1.04
36. Home Improvement 1.41
37. Death March 1.04
38. Hand Job 0.50
39. Electrocutie/Hot Dad 1.16
40. Reunited 0.32
41. Police Escort 0.24
42. False Worry 0.35
43. Bloody Hell 1.10
44. "Christie" (End Credits) 2.51

For real, tell me that Michael Winner thought better of hiring Elmer Bernstein after hearing this:

TIL* that Ben Falcone, husband of Melissa McCarthy/writer-director of her crappiest movies, was also a writer on “The Looney Tunes Show”.

Not exactly a Keyser Sozeian revelation to learn that if rain was talent, he’d never get wet, but still. Dude is definitely on my ‘Schmucks with Underwoods’ list.

* - Two things: a) I’d periodically see this abbreviation on Twitter and not know what it meant, but I learned that it stands for ‘Today I Learned’ and b) in this case, it should be ‘Yesterday I Learned’, since I read this last night.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer's market downtown. From the spring to early fall, they would have all manner of homemade produce, meat by-products and baked goods for sale.

The main attraction for me (besides the filled cookies) was this vendor that sold chocolate banana bread. It's been too long since I've had it and given the last year, who knows if it's even coming back?

So, there's dark chocolate in it.

Maybe, I don't have to wait for the farmer's market.