Oscar Revisited

Alright faithful followers, the Oscars have come and gone, and it was certainly an eventful evening on the red carpet. Only a few minor surprises, but here are my thoughts on the "big 8" categories -

I accurately predicted 6/8 of the winners, and that was before the nominations even took place, so I was fairly proud of myself. The only miscues were Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. The remaining categories were hit and miss, but let's be honest, many of them are just too unpredictable anyways. Kevin O'Connell failed to win the Oscar in his 20th nomination for sound editing (Transformers) which is just a shame. The foreign and short film categories are just too obscure, and making accurate predictions (although decidedly difficult in all categories) is just too futile. Therefore, the "big 8" are the area of focus.

Best Picture - I was excited to see No Country for Old Men when I first heard about the cast, crew and story. I had to wait for a couple of weeks after initial release because it wasn't showing in my area, but I was there for the first showing in Seattle. When I walked out, I was blown away and knew that it was something special. It made an immediate impact on me as a cinemaphile and my only complaint was that I viewed it in a small, dilapidated movie house in Wallingford. My affinity for the film couldn't be contained, and I told virtually everyone I knew that they had to see it, and that fell on some deaf ears, and to some mixed reviews, but those with an appreciation for quality film loved it as well. After seeing it a second time, I was even more impressed with the non-conformist ending, and the cinematic bar that hasn't been raised since 2006's The Departed.

I am still disappointed that Into the Wild did not receive the recognition that it deserved in the form of a nomination, but that would have pushed Juno out of the category, and it seems that the recent trend by the Academy is to include an independent feel good dramedy into the mix. Politically understood.

Best Director - Joel and Ethan Coen did more this year to deserve this award than anyone except perhaps Paul Thomas Anderson and Tony Gilroy. Both of the latter wrote the screenplays and directed, which is an incredible accomplishment, particularly for Gilroy who wrote the original screenplay. The Coen brothers however, in keeping with their tradition, adapted the screenplay, directed, and edited under their alter-ego Roderick Jaynes. This award cements their place as eccentric visionaries who create films for more than just a cult following.

Best Actor - This was actually a weak category until Daniel Day Lewis entered the running. His penchant for choosing quality over quantity is a character trait that many actors should take a lesson from. Without Lewis, There Will Be Blood would have just been an average film created by an above-average filmmaker. With Lewis, it was the second best film of the year.

I am still upset over Brolin not receiving a nomination in this category for No Country. I constantly shifted my allegiance between him and Viggo Mortenson until There Will Be Blood came out. He had a resurgent year starring in three Oscar nominated films, and played an entertaining-as-hell doctor in the Tarantino/Rodriguez gore-fest Grindhouse. He has some meaty roles coming up in the next couple of years - including Gus Van Sant's Milk, Oliver Stone's Bush and McG's update on the Terminator franchise. Look for him in the Oscar nomination category for years to come.

Best Actress - This is the one I was disappointed, but not much. I chose Ellen Page as my winner, because her performance was very impressive in Juno, but I did not have the opportunity to see La Vie en Rose. This is where I spout some political opinions. There is a foreign film category. There should also be a best actor and best actress in a foreign film category. My reason for believing this is not xenophobic. My reason is quite the contrary in fact. Of the films that are released in the United States, most are American made English films. That is kind of the gold standard worldwide, which is something to be proud of as an American. International films that are released in the United States rarely have the impact (financially or number of screens) that even the most ridiculous films do. If Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Fast and the Furious, and Three Men and a Baby can all find their place in the top 200 domestic grossing films of all time, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon boasts the number 1 foreign film gross at number 230 (right in between Coming to America and Rocky 4), then maybe there should be a separate category for these great foreign made films, and the actors and actresses that live and work in a different culture and a different realm of expectation from the movie-goer. Alright, my ranting is done. Amy Adams should have been nominated for Enchanted, but she'll be around a long time and will receive plenty of awards in her career.

Best Supporting Actor - No surprise here that Javier Bardem won for the single most sinister character portrayed on the screen this year. It is a stretch to say that this was even a competition, although the other nominees ironically made this the most talent-ridden category of the evening. Any other year, any of the other four actors could have won, but this year, Anton Chigurh carved his place in villain history right next to Darth Vader, Hannibal Lector and Jack Torrance.

Best Supporting Actress - I had Tilda Swinton from the get-go. The scene where she sits down in the bathroom stall after giving her presentation is brilliant. The details from the heavy breathing to the sweat-soaked armpits to the crying absolutely exudes emotion. A lot of people had Blanchett or Ryan winning, but they just didn't carry enough of their respective movies to have the impact that Swinton did. Michael Clayton was a better all-around film anyway.

Best Original Screenplay - This was another one that I missed, but only barely. I thought about going with Juno, but didn't really think that it had a chance against Michael Clayton, or the "I can't believe it flew this far under the radar" Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. This was the best movie that nobody saw this year, by far. Read my review. I also liked the originality of Lars and the Real Girl, but didn't think that it had the stamina or timing to really connect with viewers. Juno just struck a chord with people, and not to take anything away from it because it was a great film with an outstanding cast, but the Academy doesn't tend to reward comedies very often.

Best Adapted Screenplay - This was another no-brainer until There Will Be Blood came out. I could have easily seen Anderson's masterpiece take the director and screenplay awards from No Country, but the buzz and all around marvel surrounding Old Men was just too strong. Besides, it was deserving of all the awards it received.

Another year in the books, and it's time to look forward to the Spring and Summer blockbusters. Keep reading the blogs, and I'll give you the straight story on what to see and what to pass on.

Send me your feedback, I'd love to know what you think.