TCM will kick off 31 Days of Oscar beginning April 1. Now in its 26th year, the annual specialized programming showcases a month of films recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences worthy of the golden statuette, or in the very least, a nomination in one category or another. Use the picture below as a link to the YouTube posted promotion, and you'll get a sampling of what you can expect from the best of the best.
The selection of films reflect nominations in many categories. There are Best Picture nominees and winners, but you'll also have the opportunity to see films with nominations or wins for Make Up, Cinematography, Sound, etc. and maybe even for all of them. There's always a nice menagerie of from which to pick and choose. I'd like to watch all of them, but it's simply impossible.
Every year has a theme by which to organize the scheduling, and this year TCM has decided to present the films alphabetically from A to Z. There have been far more creative themes in the past, but the juices have seemed to lowered to just a simmer. It's almost as if they threw up their hands and landed on the simplest idea. After twenty-five years it must be challenging to come up with something new, and I honestly can't say whether TCM has gone this route before. However, one has to wonder if the chosen method might just present a few hours, if not days, of clunkers. After all, how many good films can there be that start with the letter "O". Sure, they have to have some virtuous quality to receive recognition, but that nomination or win maybe the only good thing about an otherwise bad film.
To make the best. of your viewing time you can go the the TCM website to download a schedule. You can even go to the TCM curated channel on Spotify to listen to Oscar nominated and winning songs and snippets of scores that have received the same honor. It's really is quite multi-platform party this year. Be sure to check out TCM on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook too (if you still use that). Fans tend to post about the upcoming films on all of these platforms. Fan's will even post during movies. Join the conversation if you're into that, or just eavesdrop like a clandestine voyeur. Just don't miss out on catching an old favorite that never pops up until this time of year. And be sure to check out some new films with tantalizing titles - that's how I make my picks.
The 93rd Oscars will be televised live on ABC, Sunday, April 25 at 5:00pm (PST). No doubt, some of the winners and nominees from that night will appear on a future presentation of 31 Days of Oscar.