2018 Nominee Watch – December 7th

Well, since I've been posting these weekly nominee watch updates, I think this is the first time there haven't been ANY wide releases hitting theaters all week. There were not big releases on Wednesday and nothing tomorrow so I decided to hitch the image for this post to the biggest movie that will be on screens this weekend.

Yes, you see that correctly, Schindler's List is getting a 25th anniversary re-release for one day this weekend. It is limited so not in thousands of theaters across the country, but chances are there may be one or two theaters in your area showing it tomorrow.

Why should you see this film that's a quarter century old? Because it's still a moving look at the history of the Nazi exploitation and murder of the Jewish people during WWII. Arguably one of Spielberg's best films, it was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning in seven categories including Best Picture, Best Director (Spielberg), and Best Original Score (John Williams).

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I have only seen Schindler's List once before, I believe around the time I was in high school and studying the holocaust. I know it didn't have the effect on me then as it will now when I re-watch it, especially given the hate and torture that still goes on in the world, something I was largely blind to in my teen years.

This is a long one. If you're planning to check it out at the theater tomorrow, be prepared to sit tight for more than three hours! It's not going to be fun, in fact it will probably be emotionally draining, but this is a film that people still need to see. If you do see it, use the time in the theater to reflect on the world we live in today. Think about how it is different than the one Oskar Schindler lived in but also how some things haven't changed on bit.

I also urge you to check out this short Variety article from April 2018 with quotes from Spielberg and Liam Neeson (Schindler) about the film after seeing it in full for the first time since the original release.

Alas, Schindler's List is not eligible for any Oscar nominations since it is a re-release.

Limited Releases

• Asher – An aging hit man (Ron Perlman) looks to leave his assassin profession behind and run away with the woman he loves (Famke Janssen).
• Back Roads – A father whose wife is in prison fights to keep a roof over his daughters' heads as he deals with a new relationship.
• Ben is Back – Julia Roberts stars as a mother trying to help her addict son Ben (Lucas Hedges) who is home from his treatment program for one day on Christmas Eve.
• Central Park – An executioner bent on revenge plans to kill off a group of friends spending the night partying in Central Park.
• Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes – Documentary look at television executive Roger Ailes, longtime leader at Fox News and recent adviser to the Trump campaign. Submitted for Best Documentary Feature for 2018.
• Dumplin' – Jennifer Aniston stars as a beauty pageant woman with a daughter who wants to follow in her mother's footsteps, but doesn't fit the traditional pageant mold. (Netflix)
• Great Great Great – A woman deals with her parents separating (but remaining roommates) and her deadbeat husband.
• Hospitality – A woman who runs a remote boarding house finds trouble at her door from an old fling.
• Mary Queen of Scots – Sisters Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) vie for the English throne in the 1500s. With two recent Oscar nominees in the lead roles, I imagine at least one will receive a nomination for this film. Directing, adapted screenplay, and Best Picture are also possible here.
• Swimming With Men – A group of men trying to find a purpose in life find it in each other as they join forces to form a men's synchronized swimming team.
• Vox Lux – Natalie Portman stars as Celeste, a teen pop idol who grows up to have struggles with her family and relationships just like everyone else.
• Delaware Shore – A grandmother raises her grandchildren in a house by the ocean. (December 11th)