Mondays with Mike: Oscars season

I rarely go to the movie theater these days, and Beth and I have never gotten into the streaming thing, so each year, when the Oscar awards are broadcast, I typically say, “Why botha’?” I don’t have any dogs in the hunt. And each year, I end up watching the Oscars. Somehow, I can’t look away.

I don’t know if it’s just a deep-seated habit, having grown up watching every minute of every Oscars with my family. Or that somehow, every year I am actually entertained. Probably a little bit of both.

I do get sucked into some of the acceptance speeches. And Bong Joon Ho, Parasite director, was pretty much worth the price of admission last night. (He may still be drinking in celebration.)

And the Oscars usually has it’s intended effect—that is, it gets me to get out and see some of these movies. So I expect to see Parasite, Little Women, and Ford vs. Ferrari sometime soon.

Oh, and also Hair Love, which took home an Oscar for animated short. And that one’s easy—you can stream it free. I learned about it—as I often learn about pop culture things—from Beth. She listens to lots of public radio, and she heard an interview on WBEZ with filmmaker Matthew Cherry  (Chicago native and former NFL player) and Karen Tolivar, the producer.

She said they were terrific and personable, and that he was inspired by his daughter to make the animated short. He wanted to show more African Americans in animated work, and to, as he puts it, “normalize” black people’s hair.

I’ve learned from our black friends that hair is a big, big deal for them. And unfortunately, it’s sometimes a big deal and (shouldn’t be) in the broader community.

Me, I just wish I had more hair in some places and less in others.

Meantime, congratulations to Hair Love, and enjoy.