The Oscars (2009 Edition)

Every year a bunch of self-important people get together and proudly tell us, the ignorant general public, what the best movies, actors, and actresses of the year are. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don't. All too often the Academy Awards are given for the wrong reasons (often political). Anyhow, here's my take on the 2009 Academy Awards:

They said:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

I say: Wrong choice. Although convincing as gay politician Harvey Milk, Sean Penn was NOT this year's best actor. That award should have gone to Mickey Rourke for his incredible acting in The Wrestler. Here is a case of an award being given for political reasons, rather than simply picking the best actor of the year.

They said:

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

I say:

Good call. Although it might seem somewhat suspicious that an Oscar is given to a beloved actor just after he dies, this one was well-deserved. And that's saying a LOT because this year's supporting actor category including tremendous roles from P.S. Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr., and Josh Brolin.

They said:

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

I say:

Honestly... I have not seen any of the above movies. I'll get back to you on this one when I have watched all five.

They said:

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
• Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

I say:

As I earlier admitted, I have not seen "Doubt", so I have no way of judging that movie. I have, however, seen the other in this category. To me it was a tossup between Cruz and Tomei. I'm fine with the Academy's selection.

They said:

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
• “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

I say:

Sure. Sounds good. Real competitive category. I'm being facetious. Kung Fu Panda was not a close second. It wasn't a distant second. It (and Bolt) were just thrown in there to make it look like there was actually a competition here.

They said:

Achievement in directing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

I say:

Best director, Danny Boyle. Hmmm. Don't get me wrong here. I think Slumdog was an excellent movie. However, quality of movie and quality of director are not necessarily the exact same thing. I would have given the award to Ron Howard for his superb work with Frost/Nixon.

They said:

Best motion picture of the year

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
• “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, Producers
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

I say:

Given those five films, Slumdog was the correct choice.

They said:

Original screenplay

• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
• “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
• “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

I say:

COME ON ALREADY. Enough with the Milk bullcrap. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who has seen In Bruges knows that this movie should have won this category EASILY. Once again, a political WRONG choice.

There are many other categories that I could go on about, but let's be honest: nobody cares about those.