Movie marathon to screen all nine Oscar nominees

Do you need to catch up on your movie viewing before the biggest night in the entertainment world arrives? (That's Oscar night, Feb. 26, by the way.) Those Oscar parties are livelier when you've actually seen the movies.

If you're up for a marathon, AMC Lynnhaven 18 in Virginia Beach is coming to the rescue with a full two days - this Saturday and next Saturday - of all nine movies nominated this year for best picture. It's unique, and it's challenging - and this year, it's helpful because many of the Academy's nominations were not big box-office hits.

In fact, some of the best-picture nominations only got limited local release. Of the nine, only "The Help" can be categorized as a runaway box-office hit, with "War Horse" doing well.

Here's the rub: No individual tickets will be sold. You buy the package, and can come and go all day long.

For Day 1, Saturday, the price is $30 and you get four Oscar candidates. The films are "War Horse" at 11 a.m., "Moneyball" at 1:40 p.m. (featuring nominated performances by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill), "The Tree of Life" at 4:10 p.m. and "The Descendants" (George Clooney's bid for a second Oscar) at 7:30 p.m.

On Day 2 - Feb. 25, one day before the Oscars - you get five movies, and the price is $40. The films are "Hugo" in 3-D (nominated for 11 Oscars) at 11 a.m., "The Help" at 1:20 p.m., "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (a surprise nominee) at 4 p.m., "The Artist" (with 10 nominations) at 7:15 p.m. and Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" at 9:05 p.m.

There is also a special two-day ticket for $60. That's a bargain for nine movies, if you can meet the endurance challenge. With the two-day ticket, you also get a $5 credit at the concession stand. If you are a Stubs member (AMC's concession membership program), you get an additional $5 credit, leading to a $10 pig-out incentive.

The choice is yours.

Mal Vincent, 757-446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com