Oscar: The Morning After/Remembering Bill Paxton

I know I said Friday that Moonlight may prove to be the spoiler for Best Picture, but somehow I didn't think it would play out quite the way things transpired last night. What a wild ending for an otherwise pedestrian and ultimately predictable Oscar telecast.

Granted, Casey Affleck's Best Actor win was a bit of a surprise (Denzel thought so, too) and some of Jimmy Kimmel's bits evoked a laugh or two, but the show still remains too long and devoid of any real reverence for the culture or legacy of cinema.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the American New Wave and groundbreaking films like The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde and In The Heat of the Night. There should have been packages put together on all those films. Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross should have been presenters. Sidney Poitier should have made an appearance. Sure we got a noble attempt at trotting out Faye and Warren at the end, but we all know how that turned out. I'm all for celebrating cinema's contemporary accomplishments, but let's not forget about its past.

That said, congratulations to both Moonlight and La La Land, two great films that deserve all the accolades and hardware bestowed upon them. It seems we've gotten past all the ill-feelings and contentiousness from last year. Here's to hoping it stays that way.

The other big news on Sunday was the sudden passing of veteran film and television actor Bill Paxton at 61 of complications from surgery.

Paxton's career spanned five decades and included beloved films like The Terminator, Weird Science, Aliens, Near Dark, One False Move, Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13 and Titanic, not to mention TV shows like Big Love and Hafields & McCoys.

Seeing Bill Paxton's name on a poster or during the opening credits always promised a little punch to a given film or series. No matter how big or small the role, he effortlessly went about his business and made every character unforgettable. His mischievous smile and dedication to craft will be missed.

Oscar Predictions

Below are my picks in the major categories for Sunday's 89th Annual Academy Awards. Damien Chazelle's La La Land leads the pack with 14 nominations and is pretty much the consensus pick to nab Best Picture, but I've got a feeling Moonlight may just prove to be the spoiler. We shall see. Enjoy the show.

Picture: Moonlight
Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Actor: Denzel Washington, Fences
Actress: Emma Stone, La La Land
Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences
Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea
Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Hasbro Unveils 40th-Anniversary Star Wars Figures

The annual American International Toy Fair was held this past weekend in New York and Hasbro used the occasion to unveil its plans for commemorating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars.

In addition to new board games and lightsabers, the company announced it will release the original 12 action figures from the popular 1977 film in the highly articulated six-inch format, on vintage-style cardbacks, starting in April.

And if that weren't enough, collectors will be able to purchase a retro-style display stand that can hold all 12 figures, just like the one released back in 1978.

The original 12 figures (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Obi-Wan, R2, Threepio, Vader, Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander, Sand People and Jawa) have always been the cornerstone of any self-respecting Star Wars collection. Hasbro re-released most in the smaller three 3/4-inch size on varying vintage cards from 2004 - 2011, but this will be the first time all will be made available on their original Star Wars cardbacks since the late '70s.

Re-living your childhood won't come cheap, though: figures will retail for $19.99 each. That's $240 for the complete set, not to mention tax and the added cost of the display stand. Better start praying for a deep-pocketed Jedi looking for a ride to Alderaan.

Ask & You Shall Receive II: The Hindenburg Now Available On Blu-ray

Well if I knew it was going to be this easy I would have spoken up a long time ago. Yes, another title on my recent Five Films That Still Deserve Some Love in 2017 post has finally arrived on Blu-ray: Robert Wise's The Hindenburg.

With no advance notice, Universal quietly dropped the 1975 disaster flick as a Walmart exclusive on Tuesday. No word yet on any extras, although with a $9.96 list price it's probably just the film and nothing more.

Kind of surprising that Universal released the 42-year-old film themselves, opting not to follow the growing studio trend of licensing deep catalog titles to a specialty label like Kino Lorber.

However it found its way to store shelves, this is great news for a film I've enjoyed since childhood. Looks like I'm headed to a Walmart this weekend. Two down, three to go.

I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of veteran televison actor Richard Hatch yesterday at 71. Hatch is best known for playing Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica series from 1978-'79, another one of my favorites from childhood.

Paired with Dirk Benedict's Starbuck, the duo's weekly galactic scrapes and tussles made for some pretty thrilling Sunday nights at my house. He'll be missed.

Update 2/10/17: It now appears The Hindenburg Blu-ray will go into wider distribution May 2, carrying a $14.98 MSRP (Amazon has it up for pre-order now). I actually picked up a copy yesterday at Walmart. No extras, just the film. Last two on the shelf.

Ask And You Shall Receive: Streets of Fire Coming To Blu-Ray In May

With the ink barely dry on my Five Films That Still Deserve Some Love In 2017 post last Friday, Shout! Factory announced this week that they'll release Walter Hill's 1984 rock-n-roll fable Streets of Fire on Blu-ray May 2.

Released through the label's Shout Select line, the film will feature a new 2k scan and an entire second disc of bonus content.

Way to go, Shout! I can picture that opening "Nowhere Fast" sequence stretched across my widescreen in beautiful high-definition already.

One down, four to go.