and the oscar goes to...

I am a big fan of the movies. On average I see about 50 movies a year in the movie theater. Despite the crowds the screaming kids the cell phones going off and the rude people it is still one of the best games in town. For 8 dollars you can totally immerse your self in another world. This experience has not only the power to entertain but to enlighten, inform and inspire. It is no wonder that in this struggling economy people are flocking to the movies. For less then 20 dollars you can get 2+ hours of entertainment, food, drink, and a shared experience. The Oscars is one of the few award shows I watch. I could care less about the red carpet, who is wearing what, who is dating who and all that other nonsense. I watch because I watch movies. At the time I am writing this article I have seen all the pictures nominated for major categories (I have not seen “Happy go Lucky” at the time of this writing but I will see it by the time I see the Oscars). I think that it is fun to evaluate art. We can all agree that art has value but to say that one thing is better than the other can be interesting particularly because there really can’t be a definite right opinion. The criteria used to evaluate art vary from person to person. The criterion I use to evaluate is the skill level that the artist uses to create his art. Many times the picture being painted is not a pretty one but I think the way the artist paints it is important. I hope that we can appreciate when a picture is skillfully drawn even when we don’t like the content. With that being said here are my picks

BEST PICTURE - Slumdog Millionaire
The most well written movie I have seen in a few years. I have been a growing fan of Indian cinema for the last few years so I may be a little biased. This movie is not only well made but the message it conveys is very inspiring. In addition to this it is enlightening and informative. This movie does everything I expect art to do. It entertains, it informs and most of all it makes us question ourselves and the world we live in.

BEST DIRECTOR - David Finchner – The Curios Case of Benjamin Buttons
I love the way this movie was made. This director had a lot of challenges to overcome. The most obvious challenge is to make a nearly three hour movie without making it seem like three hours. The varying locations and time periods this director had to create is another thing to admire about this director. To capture Louisiana in the 1920s Russia in the 1930s, the Pacific Ocean during WWII in the 1940’s as well as many 21st century locals truly takes a skilled director. The range of performances is also an impressive thing. Capturing the entire lifetimes of a group of people was something neat to see.

BEST ACTOR - Frank Langela - Frost/Nixon
There were a lot of great nominees in this category. You can make a great argument for Mikey Rourke. You may even say that he was born to play that role in “The Wrestler”. You can make a great argument for Brad Pitt because of the range that his character demanded. I loved Langella because he became Richard Nixon, not only the look but the mannerisms the speech and the conviction. I was not alive during the Nixon years but from what I have seen from history Langella’s performance both was what I expected from Nixon and at the same time made me question how I viewed Nixon.

BEST ACTRESS - Kate Winslet
This category is traditionally hardest one for me to have an opinion on. I have to balance the size of the role the woman is asked to play vs. how well they play it. I just don’t think that leading ladies get the same amount of “facetime” as leading men. It just seems to me that the leading actress role is to often subordinate to the male role. Maybe I am paranoid or maybe women don’t get big parts written for them. This year Angelina Jolie in Changeling and Christina Leo of Frozen River were the center of their respective movies. I didn’t feel that way about any other female roles this year. So I am left with two huge performance and three other extremely well done smaller roles.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Heath ledger – The Dark Night
Nothing to say here. The joker was freakin’ out of control!!!!!! I wish he were here to see it and it is a shame that Mr. Ledger won’t be making any more movies.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Amy Adams – Doubt
Not only did I LOVE this movie and think it should have been nominated for best picture but I thought Amy Adams was great. I like her in just about every movie I have seen her in. In addition to her performance the character she plays is a very important one. The reason this movie works is Amy Adams’s character presents the counter argument to Meryl Streep’s Character. If these 2 arguments are not equal then this movie cannot be effective. Having the believability of a movie rest on the shoulders of a supporting actress is in my opinion rare and Oscar worthy.

BEST ORIGIONAL SCREENPLAY – Courtney Hunt -Frozen River
This movie is about very troubling subject matter. The way this is written generates sympathy for the characters and at the same time generates shear outrage for their actions. It paints a picture about what people will do and say they will do in desperate situations.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Simon Beaufoy- Slumdog Millionaire
It was based on a book called Q and A that I really want to read now. The way that this story is told is just as impressive as the story itself. It gives you just enough information so that you are not lost but at the same time still leaves you hanging.

We will see how right I am. Last year I only got one movie right. The year before I got them all right. In the end it doesn’t matter. The thing about art is that everyone can have an opinion. Who is to say whose opinion is right or wrong? There are many times in our lives when opinions differ but are not necessarily wrong. I am not a movie expert I am just a guy who sees a lot of movies. I'd love to hear what movies you saw this year and why you liked them. See you at the movies.

I wrote this article super fast so i know there are stupid mistakes all over it!!!