Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year: Best Picture Showcase. AMC plays all the Best Pictures nominee films in a row, split into two days. Tomorrow there are four movies, and next week there are five. I have no real way to explain to you exactly why this event is so fun, but it just is. I mean, you get a lanyard. Come on.

My friends and I have been looking forward to this year’s BPS literally ever since we left the theater last year. When the Oscar nominations came out in January we were excited, in part, because we knew that the BPS schedule was going to be released the same week. Yes, we are insane. But we are not alone! We had 4 people in our group last year, and this year we have 14, so that should demonstrate to you the degree to which we all have been relentlessly proselytizing. 

If you are interested in going to a BPS where you are, you can see a list of all the participating US theaters here, along with more information on schedule and tickets.

If you are planning to go, below the read more is some terrifyingly detailed information about BPS that you might find helpful (we have this down to an obsessive science). This will only be useful to you if you have your tickets in hand and are ready to go:

First of all, here is the complete schedule for both weekends (with breaks calculated and suggested arrival and dinner times - yes, yes, we are obsessed):

Some tips from the BPS vets: 

  1. GET THERE EARLY. You are gonna be stuck with those seats all day. 
  2. WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES. And think in layers, you never know if your theater will be hot or freezing and you are there all day, friend. 
  3. DONT FORGET THE FREE CONCESSION GIFT CARD. Everybody gets one.
  4. THERE IS OFTEN AN OSCAR TRIVIA PORTION OF THE DAY. Prepare yourself.
  5. DONT TRY AND SNEAK A SUPERSIZE MEAL INTO THE THEATER. Like our friend Matt (the world’s foremost Hugo expert) did once.
  6. GET EXCITED. Because you have a lanyard, a film program flipbook, a poster, and a day of fun ahead. Shit I love the movies. 

And I don’t think anyone in the world will be interested in this, but if you are, we’ll be live tweeting from the event @notveryravenofu