---

advertisement

Will the Oscars be a grouch?

As the writer’s strike drags on and after the lame Golden Globes “News Conference,” this year’s Oscar nominations were met with ho-hums by cynical pundits. Nonetheless, strike or no strike, the Oscar nominations were announced. As usual, they were for small indie films that mass audiences never viewed.
This year, as in the recent past, the chasm between the mass appeal movies and the Oscar-worthy films has grown much wider. In other words, mainstream moviegoers just can’t relate to the Oscar nominated films because of the sophistication gap between mass audiences and lovers of quality product.
The truth is–cinema as art has given way to McMovies that appeal to the moviegoers who want nothing but gratuitous violence, cheesy horror, non-stop action, car chases and explosions. In contrast, the films that receive Academy Award nominations feature quality screenplays, acting, and direction – movies that the 5,000 Academy members and critics’ groups appreciate. And, we insiders applaud the indie film companies and writer/directors for not pandering to mediocre tastes–there’s plenty of that schlock in theaters.
For 2008, the Oscar nominees are a select bunch. The nominated films are penetrating works that appeal to quality cinema devotees. The nominees for Best Picture include some remarkably fine work by directors, writers and actors. Michael Clayton is a gripping and intriguing film with a memorable performance by George Clooney, who has a scene that will live on in movie history as a classic performance. It takes a viewer’s breath away. Other nominees for Best Picture are equally worthy–Atonement, Juno, No Country for Old Men, and the unforgettable There Will Be Blood. Anyone who sees Blood will never forget Daniel Day-Lewis’ overbearing, psychotic protagonist, and how he changes from a sympathetic character to a greed-addled lunatic.
Best Actor nominees do not necessarily reflect the Best Picture nominations–George Clooney Michael Clayton, Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood, Johnny Depp Sweeney Todd, Tommy Lee Jones In the Valley of Elah, and Viggo Mortensen Eastern Promises. Maybe 20 people in the world saw In The Valley of Elah – well, perhaps more than that. But Tommy Lee Jones was great in it. He was also great in No Country for Old Men. Just give Tommy a statue, please, before his face falls off.
Of course, the Best Actress category had no relationship to the Best Pictures except Ellen Page for her delightful performance in Juno. Cate Blanchett got a nom for her older Queen in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and she got a Best Supporting Actress nom for her bizarre gender bending role as Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. Julie Christie was nominated for her role in Away From Her. Marion Cotillard received a nom for La Vie en Rose. And, Laura Linney, who is one of my favorite actresses, was honored for her role in the quirky The Savages.
The Best Supporting Actor included some of the Best Picture noms including a personal favorite: Into the Wild, adapted and directed by Sean Penn. Casey Affleck was nominated for his role in The Assisination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Hal Holbrook has a short segment in Into the Wild, but the Academy went gaga and gave him a nom for his acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman was tapped for Charlie Wilson’s War. And, Tom Wilkinson received a nom for Michael Clayton.
Supporting Actresses are an eclectic group. Cate Blanchett I’m Not There, Saoirse Ronan Atonement, Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone, and Tilda Swinton Michael Clayton. I’m Not There has not opened here.
Finally the directors, who are the real creators of the film medium – Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jason Reitman Juno, Tony Gilroy Michael Clayton, Joel and Ethan Coen No Country for Old Men, Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood.
Screenplays–original and adapted – follow the directors noms closely. And the rest should be awarded outside the ceremony, if there is one. Indeed, the writer’s strike has gone on long enough to put a world of financial hurt on both sides. For the television and movie moguls, losses are staggering. Writers are taking fast food service jobs just to pay their bills. It’s time for the two sides to sit down and swallow their pride and hammer out an agreement. If the strike has not been settled by Feb. 24th, then there will be no Academy Awards ceremony. Please, let’s not have another repeat of the Golden Globes debacle. Just mail the Oscars to the winners and publish the results in Daily Variety.