Football or Film?

This time of year is, for me with film, like the Superbowl is to football fans. As I have said, I do not think the Oscars are the be-all and end-all determination of film excellence, but they get a lot of press, so it is a high profile barometer of the past film season. Several years ago I started to use the Oscar nominations as a basis for selecting films to see. I try to see as many nominated films as I can before the gala event. This is a project, because by the time the nominees are announced, many of the films have left theaters, and may not be out in DVD in time ... a dilemma. I try to be diligent during the year, but I usually get trapped by one or 2 films. It's usually some awful film nominated for something obscure like sound or costumes. Nominations will be announced on January 25th, then I'll be making my clean-up list. I already fear I'll have to see The Day After Tomorrow, as it is being considered for a nom in sound editing *sigh*