Of those listed (nice to have the inla drop by), I've like West Side Story the best (but am halfway through Power of the Dog, and not sure where that will land). So much better than the original movie version, with knockout performances. Want to see tick tick boom but it hasn't passed through stixville. So might settle for small-screening it on Netflix. Also seeing Don't Look Up in near future, which I predict will be misunderstood by the many who don't get Adam McKay's brand of satire.

Hi Inla…..I’ve missed your annual Oscar picks. I haven’t seen enough of them to rate them. But here’s what I have seen:

Nightmare Alley…so many good actors in this. I watched the original with Tyrone Power and was impressed by the collision between the mentalist and the psychiatrist with the carny background. A unique noir. I even got the novel it was based on from the library but haven’t read it yet. Anyway, Guillermo del Toro took over. Everything dazzling. Plenty of bad weather and too much of everything: 2 hours and 20 minutes of darkness. What? A beautiful downer of a movie. The original was more concise and even more hopeful.

The Power of the Dog….amazingly well done. Intense. Suspenseful. Surprising. Not light entertainment. Benedict C. will definitely take the Oscar unless Denzel does.

House of Gucci…..kind of odd. I did think Lady Gaga has some chops that should be rewarded.

Spencer….Focus is on Kristen Stewart. Magnifying what Diana must have gone through emotionally. For some reason I felt a disconnect between the two. Maybe because Kristen Stewart is known for strength not tragedy.

Passing…I love black and white. This film conveyed a romantic era in Harlem. Although the subject of the film was anything but. I thought Irene was realistically portrayed. Clare more other worldly.

It’s so hard to keep up this time of year.. Next on my list: MacBeth and The Lost Daughter.

"Power of The Dog" I had to see twice to figure out how it got to that ending once, and then I was blown away by Ms. Campion's absolute control of the medium, and yes, Mr. Cumberbatch is the one to beat, although Will Smith and "King Richard" are being pushed really hard, and then, there's Mr. Garfied in "tick, tick." And Denzel. Always Denzel...

Had the same experience on first viewing of PotD. Making more sense of the boy's intentions, with protecting his mother pitted against some ambiguous affection for the step-uncle, and then his knowledge of germ warfare via rawhide strips, may call for a second viewing. Campion really believes in the ancient film school dictum of "show, don't tell." And brings that out in all her cast. As Befade says, amazingly well done. That movie is going to haunt me for a while.

I watched the beginning of The Power of the Dog again to understand the ending. Now I’m not sure I got the ending of Passing so I’ll watch the ending again.

I saw Mass once and was struck by how unusual and relevant for these times of school shootings. Is it an example of what’s known as resolution?

The only one of those I've seen is "West Side Story," but I think I'll love "Summer of Soul."

EDIT: And "Hulu" has it!

SPOILER for "Passing"

I really couldn't tell which scenario applied at the end of Passing. Irene clearly had some motive, given all the flirting by Clare with her husband, and Clare's statement that she would move back to the hood if John found out her secret. My main problem with the film was the writing and the awkward delivery of some lines. Also, I couldn't really see Tessa Thompson (Irene) as passing in any social context, so the early scene where John seems to see her as white confused me. Nor could imagine the doctor, Irene's husband, making lynching a regular dinner table topic with children so young. I have no doubt there's an age to have "The Talk" but I don't think it starts with vivid descriptions of hanging people from trees. I've had several friends describe The Talk to me, and it did not go down quite like that. But perhaps the 1920s were different and my sense of that historical period is off. That may be one where the book would have clarified matters better to a reader.

EtA: Happy 2022. Really hope voter suppression legislation backfires and motivates democracy lovers to get off their asses and VOTE.