The following article was written by Matt Mottl, a Public Service Assistant at the Manitowoc Public Library.
One of my favorite things to do is to have a good discussion about anything and everything movie related and this time of year in particular is perfect for that. The Oscars—or more formally, the Academy Awards—have always been one of my favorite times of the year. The Best of the Best in film are honored and everyone can have discussions on their opinions of the nominees in all of the categories.
I love talking about the Oscars so much that I thought why not create a program at the Library where I can discuss all these great movies with fellow coworkers and have an open discussion on the topic of film. So, having its premiere on Thursday, February 29, will be the first in a three-part program series titled “Whatcha Watching?” It is going to be a virtual movie program where I and others will be discussing movies. I am proud to announce our first get-together will be focused on discussing the Oscar nominees and, more specifically, several of the Best Picture noms and the acting noms associated with those films.
Everyone has their own opinions and thoughts on films. One person can absolutely love a film and someone else can positively hate its guts. That’s the beauty of discussing them! I love to hear people’s thoughts on movies and one of my trademarks that my friends and family have come to expect is that when we watch a movie together, as soon as it ends I immediately turn to them and ask them “So, what did you think?”
This is why I think “Whatcha Watching?” will be very engaging. Because you never know what thoughts and opinions will be brought forth and who agrees and disagrees with what. The announcement of the Oscar nominees brings forth countless discussions and that’s why I think it’s the perfect topic for the first “Whatcha Watching?”
In the program, my coworkers—Karen Hansen and Tim Gadzinski— and I are going to dive into six of the Best Picture nominees which will be Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, The Holdovers, Oppenheimer, American Fiction, amd the opinion-generating Barbie. We will share out thoughts on each, as well as the acting noms from those films and see if we agree/disagree or are neutral if they deserved to be nominated or not. At the end of the program we will share our final thoughts on who we think will win and who we want to win in the end.
I would love for everyone to come join us on February 29 at 6 PM on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/manitowoclibrary) and YouTube channel to watch a lively discussion on film. We would love to hear your thoughts, too, so we encourage people to post what they think of the noms and who they would like to win in the comments section on either platform. We are going to have a grand old time!
Stayed tuned for the topics of the next two programs, as well. Happy viewing, my fellow movie lovers, and may the Best of the Best in film win!
And the Academy Award goes to . . .
