Oscars are the Superbowl of the media crowd. Everyone has their input and picks their teams before the big game. Oscar nominations have been out for nearly a month but I have not been on the ball so here goes.
The Oscars for the most part are stupid; leave it up to other actors to congratulate their buddies on a job well done. There are so many rules and restrictions that a lot of good films cannot even qualify.
It is impossible for me to see every movie so I am just judging based on what I have seen and other audience and critic responses for those that I haven’t.
I will go in the order of the official release so here goes:
Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood can attribute all of its success to the buzz around his performance. Sadly, this is the first performance I have taken notice of him though I have seen him in many other roles. Viggo Mortensen comes in second for his role in Eastern Promises.
Actor in a Supporting Role: This vote is based solely on bias. I have not seen a majority of the films in this category except No Country for Old Men. Javier Bardem was fierce as Anton. That character was very intense and made me want to curl up into a ball and lock all my doors.
Actress in a Leading Role: I missed this category entirely. I saw Juno twice and although I love Ellen Page and thought she was stupendous, I don’t think she has a chance of really winning.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Cate Blanchett, Cate Blanchett, Cate Blanchett! She was really fun and did a great impression (encompassing attitude, sound, and personality) as Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. I think Ruby Dee might win because the Academy often likes to give the nod to people they have missed over the years as a gesture of “well, we owe you one”. Ruby was only in American Gangster for a total of five minutes. I really hope they take that into account. This is a tough category because Saoirse Ronan did well in Atonement. I think the Academy is apprehensive about giving awards to child actors so she will get passed over. But, good luck to her in ten years!
Just a bit of trivia the youngest winning actor was Adrian Brody at age 29 for The Pianist. Keisha Castl-Hughes was the youngest female to be nominated at age 13 for The Whale Rider.
Animated Feature Film: This was not a good year for animated films, which I am generally a big propionate. I would rather see the Oscar go to Persepolis though I have yet to see it than see Ratatouille win. Ratatouille was a cute movie but it really did not have any lasting qualities.
Directing: This is really a toss up between No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. As long as both movie receive a million awards, I will not be disappointed with either choice.
Best Picture: I might as well copy what I said about directing. I can not believe the Micheal Clayton is even in this category. I think my favorite review of that movie is “it is like entering on the third act of a play”. The story started after Clayton was a star lawyer, after he lost his family, after all the big important plot details already happened. It was Erin Brockovich without the tits or the personality.
Writing (Best Original Screenplay aka not a book first): I think this is where Juno could get its recognition. The writing was witty and it is not up against many hard contenders: There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men were both adapted a play and a book respectively.
The Media Junkie 