One Category at a Time: Original Song

Not gonna lie: This doesn't promise to be an especially enjoyable Oscar telecast from a musical standpoint. These five tunes don't exactly form a chipper playlist. Only this time the music branch can't be blamed, as they were clearly starved for choice. On the one hand, it's guaranteed to keep me in suspense until the envelope is opened. On the other, it's also guaranteed to reveal a winner that I'm not all that excited about.

Auld Acquaintances

The eve of the New Year is inevitably a time to cherish old friends, and for the last two weeks movie audiences have been taking that cue by turning out in droves for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For fans of the original trilogy, it plays like a long awaited reunion with cherished characters from the past, whilst introducing a new roster of charismatic heroes for the younger generation.

The whole thing unspools more or less as an affectionate retread of the 1977 mega-hit that spawned the series, with enough slight variations to satiate the geeks. And if there are plenty of earnest nits to fondly pick (and there are), at least they never feel outright dumb or insulting, which can't be said of another franchise rehash which earned serious bank this year.