| Well, alright, admittedly it's been a bad year once again for movies. For every Ghost World or Tenenbaums came a Freddie Got Fingered, a Glitter, a Tomcats, and a dozen other clunkers. Going into the Oscar season, I was clearly upset and generally uninterested, having a personal annual highlight demolished under the rubble of cinema sloth. But, then I got up to watch the nominations and all of this changed for the most part. Sure, A Beautiful Mind, the movie against which I am most prone to show outrage (come on people, it's processed cheese, good or bad it stills panders to the lowest common denominator using age-old formula schtick) is an early safe bet for best picture among other acting awards and such, but take a look closer as another best picture winner I hate urged only a few years ago and you'll see a vast field of lucky ducks, pleasant surprises, egregious oversights, and a general uncertainty which has me excited all over again. Alright, fine, so they left out most all of my top 10 list in categories I would have wished to seen them nominated for, but I've been around long enough to know the game and know that will never happen. So, given the rest of the pack, I'd say this year's Oscars are shaping up to be a pretty interesting affair to say the least. Look again at the many nominations as I have urged and there doesn't even really appear to be clear winners in any race, whatsoever (save for best supporting actress, which will indefinitely be going to the Lady of the Labrynth, Jennifer Connelly). And how about those surprise nominations, Gosford Park for Best Picture and Best Director, even after Robert Altman has been shooting his mouth out against American cinema. I even bet he has a chance to win, considering his elderstatesman/last hurrah status at this point. How about Renee Zellweger for Best Actress?! How about only 3 directors nominated out of the 5 best picture nominees. And as for the snubs, thousands abound, but cheif among them, where's Baz Luhrman and why did Ridley Scott take his place? A true shame. Check back here for more on my picks later. All in all, though, I advise you to look forwad to the Oscars this year, in spite of what's lead us here. It will really be a memorable race to the finish. |