Oscar Round Up

The Oscars, despite its overblown grandeur which everyone always complains about yet still watches devotedly, is always a worthwhile venture that can usually affirm film’s importance in our culture. It is difficult to watch, as a fan of film, and not be happy for Martin Scorsese, who finally got over the hump and was able to join his fellow directors from the "New Hollywood" of the 1970's as a recognized winner of an Oscar. When Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas, three of Scorsese's close contemporaries read his name, they were as excited as the rest of us, for their longtime friend had finally done it. He'd finally gained acceptance into the most mainstream of film academies. After all, isn't that what we all hope for? That our favorite artists are acknowledged by the general public as being visionaries, as being masters, as being the best? Deep down, even the most hardened, cynical art house fans had to love the moment.

Sure, this wasn't Scorsese’s best directing job but it was one of the best directing jobs of the year, hands down. As Patrick Goldstein so eloquently pointed out in his column today in the LA Times, Scorsese took the type of film typically ignored by the Academy and went to town, creating a piercing, sharp witted crime thriller with a sizzling script and wonderful performances. This is the type of film that normally would be overlooked by the Oscars, shot down in favor of the more politically minded and timely Babel, a film more likely to look dated 20 years from now. The Departed, on the other hand, is the type of film that tells a timeless story of good and evil, wisely updating the Warner gangster films of the 1930's to our new era. It deals with topical themes yet never overly so, slipping in sly remarks about the Patriot Act instead of drumming its meaning into our heads. This is not to dismiss Babel, which is filmmaking of the highest order, magnificently balancing its interlocking narratives and themes with stunning precision but merely to praise The Departed, which is more sly and subtle than people realize. Sure, its violence is over the top and the profanity flows eloquently but in terms of sheer entertainment, in terms of overall filmmaking, there are no scenes that don't soar, that don't feature a moment that makes an audience in the know grin. Of the nominated films, it is a great choice for the best.
Other thoughts on the night:

-Jennifer Hudson once again proved with her performance in the Dreamgirls medley that her Oscar is well deserved. Years from now, people will not be talking Mirren in The Queen as the performance of the year. It'll be Hudson's star making role that will continue to turn heads.

-Those dance numbers were cool and all but by the time midnight was rolling along, one couldn't help but feel like it was starting to become overkill. I feel like the show would have better served by placing all the numbers into one segment, leaving the end of the show solely for the awards. The major categories (Lead Actor/Actress, Director and Picture) didn't come around until the midnight hour on the East Coast. Even the presentation of the Best Picture seemed rushed and an afterthought after Marty's magical moment.

-If there is a better ambassador for film history than Martin Scorsese, I don't know who that would be. He is knowledgeable and seems genuinely excited when he speaks of films past. One needs to look no further than his expansive A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies or My Voyage to Italy to see and hear his vibrant views into what has been and what will be. The man is a genius and he finally got his due. Kudos to Marty, he's earned it.

-George Clooney is today's equivalent of Cary Grant, a personality so magnetic and charismatic that everything seems so effortless. He has an impeccable and daring taste in film and over the past 10 years (Batman and Robin excluded) has established himself as one of the greatest talents in Hollywood. Even his off the cuff joke about Al Gore was a hit. He’s the type of guy you would want to hang out/go out drinking with.

-Clint Eastwood is as gracious and humble a star as I have ever seen. He has become the industry’s finest director and his attitude doesn’t represent it in the slightest. He seems approachable, grounded and most of all, thankful for all that the industry has afforded him. Years from now, the 2000’s will be looked upon as the decade that Clint Eastwood went from superstar to bona fide genius. His legend grows with everything he does.

-Quite frankly, I find the discussion around the violent end to The Departed to be tiresome. Why go see a Scorsese crime thriller if you are so put off by violence? And why does a film being violent make it less worthy of an award? Isn’t violence, however unnecessary and unfortunate, a part of society and should it be explored like any other cultural ill?

-Forrest Whitaker seems like a great guy who has the utmost respect for his peers and his craft. His speech was eloquent and moving. Glad to see him get recognized.

-Disappointed that Jackie Earle Haley didn’t pick up a win. I feel like his speech would have been interesting seeing how this is basically the first work he’s done in years and it was phenomenal. Let’s hope his career stays resurrected.

-Few people could completely shave his head and get away with it. Jack is one of those people. At least, I think he is.

-Good to see Pan’s Labyrinth walk away with some wins, but was very surprised to see it lose Best Foreign Film. Its truly magical and demands to be watched.

-Speaking of which, The Lives of Others win for Best Foreign Film may have been the upset of the evening. I think pretty much everyone and their mother was expecting a win out of Pan’s there.

-I had forgotten how wonderful the score to Babel was and am glad that won. Its final scenes are heightened infinitely by its sweeping melodies.

-The montage of the great foreign films of the past was spectacular, reminding the American viewers of the cinemas outside our borders. Every single one of those films mentioned are worthwhile. Get those Netflix queues going and watch some of those classics. You’ll find some filmmakers that are giants of the medium. I’m ready to go watch 8 ½ again and get swept away by Fellini’s touch.

-Michael Mann’s montage of America/Americans throughout history was slightly disappointing only because he hinted at something far greater. I love how he used racial portrayals that today are deemed antiquated and ignorant. There is no point in sweeping US Cinema’s racial past under the rug. However, it didn’t seem as if those clips built towards anything, but just sort of appeared. Maybe it was the time constraints but knowing what Mann can do, especially with montage, I was hoping for more.

-I finished my blog last night by saying it was a good show and by that I meant I could agree with most of the awards: I felt like the right people were honored. Overall, the show was kind of slow and as it neared the fourth hour, even the most devoted viewer’s patience was being tried.

-Ellen was kind of blah to me, never really getting going. The crowd seemed to like her enough merely because they were never being truly made fun of.

-Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly killed their musical number, bringing the house down with their entertaining and sharp jabs at the ceremony. It’s always much more fun to see Hollywood have a sense of humor about themselves. I just wish Steve Carell had come on. That would have been truly amazing.