Attend a Free Screening of 'Eddie the Eagle'

Hugh Jackman's latest movie doesn't hit theaters until February 26.  Some free screenings of the movie will take place next week and in early February. Go here to see if a showing is taking place near you.

Oscar-Themed Food: 2016 Edition

The Academy Awards are a little over a month away. At the viewing party that I hosted last year I served chicken drumsticks in honor of 'Whiplash.' For dessert, I served courtesan au chocolat, inspired by the movie 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.' 

I am going to continue my tradition of having Oscar-themed food for my viewing party next month. If you're looking for some inspiration, take a look at my menu below:

Appetizer

Cheese Danish Girl

recipe: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/cheese-danish/

Main Dish

Bridge of Chicken Pot Pies

recipe: http://blog.dollhousebakeshoppe.com/2014/11/mini-muffin-pan-chicken-pot-pies.html

Dessert

Princess Leia Cupcakes

recipe: http://paintbrushesandpopsicles.com/star-wars-princess-leia-cupcakes/

Another Oscar-themed dessert is to make bear claws in honor of the movie 'The Revenant.' Here is a recipe I found: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/crescent-bear-claws/6a06b3f6-be64-4b92-8f10-062a16b2cd5d

How to Watch (some of) the Oscar Nominated Movies for Free

Catching up on movies for the Academy Awards can get expensive. Here are a few ways to watch some of the nominated films for free.

'Ex Machina'

The science fiction movie 'Ex Machina' received two Oscar nominations last week: one for Best Visual Effects and the other for Best Original Screenplay. You can currently rent the DVD or Blu-ray from Redbox. If you don't feel like spending the $1.50 to rent the film, it's not too hard to find a code online to reserve the movie for free on the Redbox website. I would suggest following Redbox's Twitter account because they occasionally will post codes for free movies. One thing I recently learned is that some of the codes they advertise for their video game rentals also work for movie rentals.

'The Martian'

'The Martian,' which landed seven Oscar nominations last Thursday, is available to rent through Google Play. One way to watch movies for free on Google Play is to sign up for Google Opinion Rewards. I have the app on my tablet and the surveys they send to me are very easy to do and have given me lots of Google Play credits. Here is my referral link.

'The Revenant'

'The Revenant' leads with 12 Oscar nominations. Leonardo DiCaprio's latest film is still in theaters. Instead of buying a movie ticket at the box office, you can purchase it through Fandango. One way to get a Fandango gift card is to use Bing Rewards. I mostly use Bing Rewards to get Amazon credits, but you can also redeem your Bing Rewards for Fandango codes. Here is my referral link.

A Few Silver Linings to Yesterday's Oscar Nominations

Yesterday I wrote about how all the Oscar nominations in the acting categories were given to white actors. I mentioned that it reminded me of 2011 when all the acting nominations went to white performers as well. What I didn't realize until today is that this is actually the second year in a row that this has happened. Although the lack of diversity is disappointing, I want to point out a few silver linings to Thursday's Oscar nominations.

1. An action movie is nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. Action movies don't get enough love from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The critically acclaimed ones sometimes get nominated in the tech categories ('The Matrix' is a good example), but are usually ignored for the Best Picture and Best Director slots. I'm still complaining about the snubs of 'The Dark Knight.' Was 'Frost/Nixon' more deserving of a Best Picture nomination over one of the most exciting action movies of all time? When was the last time you ever had a conversation with someone about 'Frost/Nixon'? The cultural impact of 'The Dark Knight' is far greater than most of the other movies nominated in 2009. 'Mad Max: Fury Road's spot in the Best Picture category was a really big deal because it was the first action movie since 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to get a Best Picture nomination. Thursday was also the first time since 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' that an action movie was nominated for Best Director. 

2. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' did not get nominated for Best Picture. I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' on the Best Picture list yesterday. I was worried that its huge box office success and Disney's campaigning skills would have landed the film a spot in that category. I had quite a few issues with the sequel. All the fun bickering in the original movies between Leia and Han Solo was completely gone in this one. The chemistry between actors Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher was wasted in episode 7. There was also not enough build-up to the fact that Kylo Ren is their son. The revelation about Luke's father was so exciting because the truth was revealed after about two movies (this scene happens 1 hour and 52 minutes into 'The Empire Strikes Back'). Kylo Ren's identity felt like a cheap twist. That being said, I'll still go see episode 8 opening weekend. I'm looking forward to watching a movie that actually has Luke Skywalker in it.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio will finally win that Oscar. I think it's pretty obvious that Leonardo DiCaprio is the front runner in the Best Actor category for the drama 'The Revenant.' It's hard to believe, but he has yet to win an Academy Award, despite being the lead actor in two Best Picture ('Titanic' and 'The Departed') winners. He's been nominated six times (five for acting and one for producing), and in my opinion, he's been snubbed twice. The Academy should have nominated him in the Best Supporting Actor category for 'Django Unchained.' I also think that he should have received a Best Actor nomination for his work in the movie 'Revolutionary Road.' The internet will miss making fun of Leonardo DiCaprio over his lack of Oscar statuettes, but it's probably time that he gets one.

Oscar Nominations: Not Much Diversity 

This morning's Oscar nominations were pretty interesting. Just like last year, only eight movies were nominated for Best Picture, even though there are ten slots. Looks like voters weren't too interested in nominating 'The Hateful Eight' or 'Carol.' But I couldn't help but notice the lack of diversity in the acting nominations. This also happened back in 2011 when every single actor nominated was white.

Best Actor/Actress

Best Supporting Actor/Actress

A Few Oscar Nomination Predictions

The Oscar nominations will be announced in a few hours. I think plenty of expected names (Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Revenant') will be called in the morning, but there will probably be a few surprises as well. Not a lot of people expected Bradley Cooper to get nominated last year for 'American Sniper.' He was ignored by the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild for his portrayal as Chris Kyle. Remember when Demian Bichir out of left field got a nomination for the movie 'A Better Life'? It will be interesting to see who will be picked on Thursday. Here are a few of my predictions for the 2016 Oscar nominations.

Walton Goggins for 'The Hateful Eight'-Best Supporting Actor

It's too bad that 'The Hateful Eight' wasn't that successful at the box office. I thought it was very entertaining and well acted. I was lucky enough to catch a 70 mm roadshow presentation of the film in Brookline, MA last month. I thought Walton Goggins was perfectly cast as Sheriff Chris Mannix. Jennifer Jason Leigh's name will most likely be called tomorrow for her role in the movie, but I think Goggins' name will be read as well.

Roger Deakins for 'Sicario'-Best Achievement in Cinematography

It's hard to believe, but legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins has never won an Oscar, despite being nominated for twelve of them. I'm predicting he will be nominated for best cinematography tomorrow for 'Sicario.' I haven't even seen the movie yet, but if he shot it, it probably looks fly as hell.

Tom Hardy for 'The Revenant'- Best Supporting Actor

The internet is going nuts over the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio might finally get an Oscar for the first time in his career for his work in 'The Revenant.' But there's been a lot of talk about Tom Hardy's performance as well. I'm predicting that the British actor will get his first Academy Award nomination tomorrow for his role as John Fitzgerald.

How to Watch (some of) the Nominated Movies 

& TV Shows for Free PART II

Last month I wrote a blog post about how several of the movies and television shows that received SAG and Golden Globe nominations can be viewed for free. Since the Golden Globe Awards will be airing in a few days, I thought I would go ahead and write a second blog post on other ways that some of the nominated content can be seen for free. Check out my suggestions below:

Thanks to HBO Now, you can now watch HBO content without any kind of cable service. If you go to their website, you can sign up for a thirty day free trial. A membership will let you watch 'Show Me a Hero,' which received a Golden Globe nomination for actor Oscar Isaac.

Like HBO, Showtime now lets people view their content without a cable subscription. You can sign up for a free thirty day trial by clicking here. An account gives you access to the drama series 'The Affair.' Maura Tierney received a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the second season of the show.

A membership to Amazon Prime allows you to have free two-day shipping on select items. Amazon Prime members also have access to Amazon's original content, like the television series 'Transparent.' The second season of 'Transparent' got nominated for three Golden Globes. You can sign up for a free thirty day trial of Prime Video by clicking the banner below:

Free Redbox DVD Rental