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THE OSCARS
What an odd year for film it was. Normally I can look at one film and say that it is by far the best picture and it will never win because it is lumped in with safe choices. Let's be honest, you'll find most of the recent Oscar winners in next weeks bargain bin (Crash and A Beautiful Mind anyone???). Most of the winners aren't even good films in a bad year.
However, this year was spectacular. I can't even begin to start with how many amazing films there were. Below is a list of the films I thought stand out in some way or another. Yes, Hot Fuzz isn't a work of art, but it is instantly likeable and infinitely re-watchable. Below are merely my favorite films of last year. There are some great films that just didn't resonate with me (The Savages... and pretty much my need to see again list). I didn't spend too much time on this list (it is a cut and paste from an old e-mail with some minor updates), but it should give you an idea into how strong of a year I thought it was.
So far in no order (without giving it too much thought and probably missing a few):
There Will Be Blood, No Country, Atonement, Persepolis, The Orphanage, Black Book, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, Once, La Vie En Rose, Hot Fuzz, King of Kong, Bourne Ultimatum, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Zodiac, 3:10 To Yuma, This Is England, The Host, Superbad, Knocked Up, Eastern Promises, Rescue Dawn, The Mist, The Darjeeling Limited, Charlie Wilson's War, The Lookout
Need to see again before I can decide whether I love them or just kind of like them:
Assassination of Jesse James, Diving Bell, Into The Wild, Lust, Caution, Michael Clayton
Didn't see:
I'm Not There, Sweeney Todd, Margot At The Wedding (fell asleep in the first 5 minutes), Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, The Lives of Others, Gone Baby Gone, Lake of Fire, Offside, My Kid Could Paint That, No End In Sight, Control, Terror's Advocate, Taxi To The Darkside
My point is this was a fantastic year. How often do you have a year that could lend you a list with that many films that you absolutely enjoyed? In fact, on that list are some true masterpieces that will stand the test of time and will be added to the AFI list in a decade or so (as well as hopefully the Library of Congress vaults). A truly great and remarkable year.
That being said, in the back of my mind I had this small horror that the Academy is going to mess up and give Juno a sweep while shutting out truly fantastic films. However, this year the Academy got it pretty right. I am going to ignore the documentary, animation, and short film categories for various reasons. In the Foreign Language film category they didn't nominate 4 Months, Persepolis, Black Book, or The Diving Bell based either on their stupid rules or their bad taste. In the Documentary category, the Academy is usually plain stupid (Hoop Dreams not being nominated in the year of its release, Michael Moore films being thought of as Documentaries, and King of Kong getting snubbed). Beyond that, I didn't see anything on that list save for the notoriously fictitious Sicko. Animation is a category I don't think should exist as there is usually a maximum of 2 almost worthy films and some years go by without one truly remarkable animated feature. This category usually lends the highest grossing film as the winner. The short subject categories are wrong for me to comment on as I have never seen any of them. I'm also going to kind of speed through the more techie categories as well as other more specific categories as not many people don't care about the winners of those (not that they aren't all important elements to a quality film).
I love Bourne and I am glad it snapped up the wins it did (editing and all the ever so elusive sound awards). It truly deserves them and I like seeing a fantastic popcorn film get some love. Costume went to Elizabeth, a film I didn't see, but the costumes I saw in the commercials sure looked great. Production Design went to another film I didn't see (a 3 hour musical isn't really my cup of tea, plus I'm not a Burton fan... sorry, I have taste) but seemed to rely heavily on its design, Sweeney Todd. I will say the big disappointment for the night was La Vie En Rose (a film I adore) beating out Norbit in the ever so exciting make-up category. Now it's not that I saw Norbit let alone think it is all that great of a make-up achievement (they probably recycled the same fat suits from The Nutty Professor 3: Even Klumpier), I just want to see a DVD box for Norbit boasting that it is an Academy Award Winner. Yes, I find humor in that.
Then comes the musical awards. I'm sure the Enchanted bunch knew they were dead in the water when they had 3 songs nominated. Luckily enough, this probably split the vote and the amazing, wonderful "Falling Slowly" from the criminally fantastic Once took the statue. I have attached a lot of fond memories to that film, so I actually was ridiculously excited to see this song win. Jumping up and down with my girlfriend as that song won, I could feel the power true heartfelt filmmaking can cast upon even the most jaded and cynical of viewers (in case you couldn't tell I'm talking about myself). It was rather classy that after they pulled their usual "cut off a speech after the winner says thanks" (I don't understand why they can't give a person another 30 seconds when they have just received the highest honor in their profession) prior to Mark�ta Irglov� getting her turn at the mic. When they returned from the commercial break it was nice to see Jon Stewart bring her back up so she could get her "Hi Mom!" moment. Oh and by the way Glen Hansard's speech was extraordinarily good. Worth YouTubing if you get the chance. Is it me or is the Academy been atoning for letting the South Park song lose years ago and are actually giving good songs the Oscar lately??? Speaking of atoning (HA!!!!), Atonement's fantastic score (one that truly complemented the movie and made it better) took home the best musical score statue.
Now for the big awards.
Javier Bardem took home Best Supporting Actor for No Country for Old Men (totally deservingly so), while Tilda Swinton ran off with Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton (a film that didn't quite click for me but that takes nothing away from her pitch perfect performance).
Cinematography could have justifiably gone home to any of the nominated films as they were all spectacular, but I was extraordinarily excited to see Robert Elswit take it home for one of the best films in decades There Will Be Blood.
Even though I was pulling for PT Anderson to run off with the Best Director award, I was happy none the less to see the Coen Brothers win just as I was when they won for Best Adapted Screenplay (an award I wanted to go to PT Anderson, but in actuality the better adaptation was No Country For Old Men). While I'm talking directors, can someone please tell me what Jason Reitman was doing on the list for Best Director? Were they trying to slum it down a bit? Any of my top films listed above featured directing vastly superior to Reitman's pedestrian return to the plate (I seem to be resorting to Baseball a little too much). Quirky titles set to odd tunes isn't a unique style. I swear his "style" reminds me of what a "hip" 14 year old obsessed with her Bedazzle would do upon purchase of her first camcorder and iMac.
I need a new paragraph for me to scream in anger at how pissed I was that I was right that Diablo Cody (who looked like she was trying to bring the cool to the Oscars but instead appeared to me like a lil' trailer park princess who found some luck in the Lotto on her way to seeing her primo play stand up bass at the car show) won for Juno. I know the Academy tends to give the "darling" film the best screenplay trophy, but when will this trend end???? This script didn't even have the illusion of depth (like some morons found in Crash). It was the embodiment of trite meaningless vapidity, just like Diablo wanting so hard to be cooler than she really is. Wow, they gave the award for Best Screenplay to a script whose sole purpose was to tell the world that even though I am turning thirty I am still relevant.
My other 2 favorite wins were in the top actor nods. The best working actor in the world Daniel Day-Lewis took it home for his brilliant turn in There Will Be Blood and Marion Cotillard took it for her fantastic job in La Vie En Rose. Marion Cotillard's performance was one of the best female performances I have seen in years... on par with Ellen Burstyn in Requiem. I was truly ecstatic that they didn't do their usual love of the old established people and give it to Julie Christy or the new underage "it" girl Ellen Page. Besides, Marion deserved it and I want to see her work more... and wasn't her speech just precious????
As you already know by now, No Country For Old Men is the Best Picture of the year according to the Academy. I'm ok with that. I think in a year that There Will Be Blood and Atonement didn't exist I would have been ecstatic to see it win. Instead my reaction was slight disappointment followed by a "Humf, it really does deserve the statue". I think There Will Be Blood will emerge as the new Citizen Kane in that it didn't win that many awards, but in the future it will be regarded as one of the most important American films ever made.
That's all. I should note that they need to drop the montages (save for the death one... speaking of which we lost a ton of amazing contributors to the cinematic world last year). Jon Stewart was good. Better than Billy Crystal, Whoopi, or Steve Martin. So ya, let's hope for a good year to come and Jon Stewart hosting again.
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