Hello internet!

We are Krissen and Nolan – a movie loving couple embarking on an Academy Award Best Picture journey, throwing in all sorts of other reviews, top lists, and thoughts along the way.

To start, we thought we’d do a little movie Q&A. Be sure to check out our movie-love story and a little more about each of our relationships with film.

What’s the first movie you watched?

Krissen: Something Disney, I’m sure. Maybe Hercules? Maybe Mulan?

Nolan: Mary Poppins or The Lion King

What genre do you gravitate towards the most?

K: Drama or Romance (either comedy or drama)

N: Drama or Action

What do you focus on most in movies?

K: Definitely cinematography. I love long shots, either tracking a character through movement or still shots where a really good actor is let loose to do some face acting! And obviously a good story. I’ll watch a wide range of films (besides horror because I’m a baby!) as long as the story is engaging in some way.

N: I LOVE cinematography and editing. There are so many interesting ways to tell a story whether it’s throughout the entire film, or just one scene, simply by how the camera is placed, how it moves, and when the scene is shown to you. I absolutely love movies that play with beautiful lighting, long tracking shots, clever or unique transitions between scenes, and artful camera movements. If the shot or scene is well done, word may not even be necessary.

What’s your comfort movie?

K: It’s no secret that The Holiday is my absolute favorite movie ever. It’s gotten me through some pretty rough times and I love watching it anytime of the year (Christmas theme be damned!) This is by far Nancy Meyers’ best flick and it’s also the only movie I genuinely find Jude Law attractive in. 

N: Catch Me If You Can. I always watch this from start to finish when I catch it on tv! I love the story and Leo is pretty fantastic as Frank Abignale Jr. With America’s loveable dad, Tom Hanks opposite him as a fraud detective, I just can’t look away. Also Amy Adams is adorable in this movie. She charms me every time.

What’s the first Best Picture Winner you saw?

K: Casablanca. I probably watched it with my older brother as he was getting into film. I still love Humphrey Bogart and I think Ingrid Bergman is one of the most flawlessly beautiful women to ever live.

N: The Sound of Music. I saw it as a toddler in my after school daycare. It was one of the first musicals I ever saw, right after Mary Poppins. Pretty sure I was in love with Julie Andrews for a while after.

What’s your favorite Best Picture Winner (so far)?

K: Obviously Lord of the Rings, but I know Nolan will say that. Another would honestly be the newest – Parasite. For the Academy to recognize a foreign film spoken entirely in another language will always be monumental until it is the norm. The story is expertly crafted and so succinctly put together. There’s thoughtful cinematography and a seamless weaving of multiple genres into one. 

N: Return of the King. No other movie in history had every single aspect of the filmmaking process showcased in such high quality. Literally everything is of the highest production and the attention to detail is nearly flawless. Costumes, locations, visual effects, cinematography, set design, editing, all done at an enormous scale in a way we hadn’t seen before at the time. It’s the only film to ever clean sweep all major categories at the Oscars. 11 for 11. This absolutely made me fall in love with movies all over again. This film is a masterpiece.

Which Best Picture Winner are you most looking forward to?

K: So many! But maybe No Country for Old Men. It’s one of the modern classics I just never got around to seeing (as it was released just before I really got into film) and I’m interested to see Javier Bardem’s crazy performance. 

N: The French Connection. I honestly don’t know how I haven’t seen this movie yet. It’s right up my alley – a detective crime thriller that has one of the best car chase scenes of all time. I do love Gene Hackman in pretty much everything I’ve seen. Can’t wait to watch this one.

Which are you dreading and why?

K: Gone With the Wind. I’ve somehow gone 27 years without ever seeing this one, thought many people would often be shocked that I hadn’t. It’s a classic! One of the best of all time! But people like to forget that it glorifies the Civil War south and perpetuates racial stereotypes. And with all the recent societal conversations about race, I’m pretty sure I’m already leery of people who claim this as their favorite movie. I’m sure it has some redeeming qualities (as redeeming as a racist movie can be…yikes) and I wish I could watch every movie nominated that year to see how it stacks up, but unfortunately we’ll have to muddle through this one and hope that everything after is much better on the race front. I know, I know…a girl can dream, right? I’ll just think of Moonlight and be happier. 

N: Million Dollar Baby. (I’ve seen it before). I’ve never really been a Clint Eastwood fan to be honest, so I am coming at this a little biased. Everything about this movie just seemed dull to me. The story is rough and depressing enough so I hated that every other part of the movie was designed to drive home how bleak it is. Characters brood in the dark constantly, the lighting is scarce and boring, the cinematography is stale, and even the colors are muted to the point of almost black and white. I get it, it’s a sad movie. I’m supposed to be sad. I’m definitely in the minority by not liking this movie. I just felt there was nothing special about this movie and I would have loved to see any other nominees win Best Picture that year (The Aviator, Ray, Finding Neverland, and Sideways)

What are your current go-to movies?

We have so many random movies we end up watching ALL the time because they’re on TV. As you can see, they are a weird range/combination of films:

Mrs. Doubtfire
Sideways
Blackkklansman
Horrible Bosses 2
Game Night
The Birdcage
Inception
The Departed
The Holiday
John Wick 2

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