The Crotchety Old Fan sure was crotchety today,  cheering Avatar’s loss at the Oscars.

What especially intrigued me was his reminder that an sf movie has already won an Oscar for Best Picture.    

Back in 1956, Around The World In 80 Days took best picture. Does anyone need a reminder that the movie (with David Niven) was based on the novel by JULES VERNE?  and that the novel itself was just as much a speculative fiction of speculative technologies when written as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was?       

Hey, that’s right! Now tell me, am I allowed to call something “steampunk” if it was written when steam power was the state-of-the-art technology?  

Crotchety adds that a mythopoeic fantasy film has already won Best Picture, too. It’ll come to you in a moment. Or if it doesn’t check his little list of genre nominees to jog your memory.