Scavenging for Oscar

I just watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a Woody Allen film about two friends who go to Spain and fall in love with the same painter who is still entangled with his ex-wife. Light and sparkly and somewhat classic Woody Allen, it's an entertaining film with beautiful people who are fun to watch. But I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have ever watched it were it not for the Academy Awards.

For some reason I think of the Academy Award nominated films as homework. As soon as the nominations come out, I get this obsessive need to check off as many as I can on my "seen it" list.

I don't know when the Academy got this kind of control over me, but I get more obsessive every year. It's almost like a scavenger hunt. Okay. Which ones can I pick up in theaters, which ones sneak in at The Broadway, which ones can I pick up on Netflix, and which ones can I talk friends into pirating for me. (Although I'll deny that last one if anyone in a suit asks me.)

So far here is where I stand:

Seen it:
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Doubt
5. The Visitor
6. Tropic Thunder
7. The Dark Knight
8. Revolutionary Road
9. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
10. Australia
11. Kung Fu Panda
12. Wall-E
13. Man on Wire
14. In Bruges

Hope to see it before the Oscars:

1. Milk
2. The Reader
3. The Wrestler
4. Rachel Getting Married
5. Changeling
6. The Duchess
7. Waltz with Bashir
8. The Baader Meinhof Complex
9. Happy-Go-Lucky
10. Frozen River

Not bad I guess. I've seen more than half of the ones I want to. I'd give you my review of each of them, but I'm sure you aren't that patient or interested. And really who cares what I think about them? Although I'm sticking with my favorite so far: Slumdog Millionaire.

Wish me luck on my quest. Looks like I have just over three weeks to get them all in. Am I alone in this little obsession?