Oscar ads, Oscar ads, you've come back to me!

Some people may not be aware of this but I have a pretty extensive collection of Oscar advertisements that goes back to the mid-90s. Again, it must be my obsession with photography and cinema, but for nearly 15 years I have spent awards season ransacking every issue of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter I can get my hands on. And it doesn't end there. When a lovely little invention called eBay entered my life, I really went crazy. While it may be a bit sad how much money I have spent on Oscar ads retrieved through magazine purchases and eBay auctions, I stand by the addiction. To me Oscar ads are moments frozen in time. Not to get all 'cinema is magic' on your ass again (because I know it can get a little nauseating at times) but the Oscars really are the highlight of my year as a film buff. I look at my Oscar ad collection the same way I do my photo albums. These are the times and the people and the movies I want to remember for the rest of my life.

So here are some of my personal favorites from the crop of ads that have been released so far this year. I consider the ones that are pimping Cinematography to be the most beautiful and eye-popping so if you're skimming this post, as I imagine you might be, do at least give those a look.