Here’s the deal… you know that I’m in the bag for my vegan king, Joaquin Phoenix. 2018 was a lot of fun because we got to see Phoenix figuratively and metaphorically throwing down some hammers. I’m one of the ten people that enjoyed Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot. I’m also a fan of The King of Comedy, the Scorsese picture. In theory, I should be very excited about this new Joker picture and its possible awards potential for King Joaquin and maybe even Lawrence Sher for his grimy cinematography, but this one has me spooked. Not that it looks like a traditionaly scary picture, but I’m nervous about how the one will be recieved by audiences…. will people take this one a little close to the heart; a little too seriously.  I may be over reacting and taking things too seriously, but how I feel like how this one plays with the general audience is going to affect its awards season life. With the times we’re living in, this one could set off a powder keg.

Not to mention that the Best Actor race feels very crowded at the moment. There is a lot of noise, but it feels like there are two names already locked in. Rick Dalton and Kylo Ren. Those three other spots are up for grabs. You have a couple of actors that the Academy want to honor their body of work with a nomination (Hi Eddie. Hi Antonio!) or they could throw a bone to a couple of old dogs like De Niro and Hanks. Maybe even Mark Ruffalo sneaks into the race with that Todd Haynes picture. A little reward for keeping the lights on at the multiplexes.

The Aeronauts looks exactly like what you would imagine an Eddie Redmayne/Felicity Jones costume drama about hot air balloons to look like. The Theory of Everything felt like watching paint dry for me, but it picked up a couple of nominations. The Aeronauts will probably pick up a lot of below the line nominations, but I don’t know if its going to connect with the Biden/Corporate Pete block beyond that. It might. Jeff Bezos doesn’t have a lot of contenders…maybe it’ll get a big, big push.

In other news, I am eagerly awaiting the end of the European soccer transfer window. September 2nd can not come soon enough. I’m very tired of reading and shifting through various rumors about Neymar returing to FC Barcelona. I’m not a fan of the move because it costs too much and doesn’t fill any holes within the club. I feel like it’s going to happen because winning now is more important and it seems easier than trying to build for the future and win now. I’ve said that I may look for another club if Neymar comes, but I don’t think I will. I have to assume that most people knew I wasn’t seriously. I mean, I’ve already spent so much on merchandise just to throw it all away.