Reflections on the Oscars

Reflections on the Oscars
by Steve Finkelstein

The Oscar nominations just came out, and I’ll be damned if four out of the five Best Picture nominees weren't also to be found in my previous article listing the best films of 2004. Obviously, Hollywood bigwigs were impressed by my perceptive and trendsetting critiques and decided to agree with my picks. Since that’s the case, Mr. Spielberg, have I got a script for you!

Lest you think I have delusions of grandeur (or, in my case, delusions of adequacy), let’s cut out the kidding and get down to what I think about this year’s nominations and the Academy Awards in general.

There are always notable nomination omissions and snubs, and this year was no exception. The most egregious omission was writer-director Bill Condon’s fine film Kinsey. Only Laura Linney got a well-deserved supporting actress nod for that film. The film, Condon and Liam Neeson were also snubbed. The film was obviously too controversial a hot potato to nominate; for more details on why I feel this film was largely excluded, click here.

The Academy has a long history of either omitting worthy films or awarding the Oscar to unworthy picks. Examining the Best Picture winners over the last thirty years, one sees a slew of films that were unworthy Oscar recipients: Rocky, Chariots of Fire, Amadeus and Forrest Gump are ones that immediately come to mind. These dated and overrated films beat out a variety of fine films that are considered timeless classics: Network, All the President’s Men, Taxi Driver, Reds, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Killing Fields, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction.

Now that I’ve finished venting about what I thought were lousy Best Picture winners, this year the Academy is to be commended for, by and large, a very good selection of nominees. As usual, sometimes picking a personal favorite can be quite difficult, owing to the fact that multiple nominees are worthy of an Oscar. The Supporting Actor and Actress categories are particularly difficult this year, with six performers (Alan Alda, Cate Blanchett, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Haden Church, Laura Linney, and Virginia Madsen) all giving Oscar-worthy performances. Still, one has to winnow their choices somehow; with that caveat being said, what follows is my list of what I feel should win in the major categories:

Best Picture: Sideways

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray

Best Actress: Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Sideways

Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, Vera Drake

As noted above, this is a list of films I feel should win, not what will win; that’s another matter entirely. I have definite opinions on that also, but don’t want to divulge them, because I’ll be entered in two Oscar pools which could net me close to a grand and don’t wanna give my fellow entrants any clue about what the winning picks will be. However, for a nominal fee, if you want to know who I think will win, send me an e-mail c/o of this address and I will...NAH!

See ya soon.

Steve can be reached at steve@babblog.com.