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Oscar Reflections 2010

March 7, 2010 by B. Daniel Blatt

I am less interested in the Oscars this year than in any previous year since I moved to Tinseltown.  Most years, I would try to see all the nominees for Best Picture as well as those films whose directors and leading and supporting actors got nods.  This year, I might have seen all the Best Picture nominees had the Academy not decided to up the number of nominees to 10 (perhaps so as to include two pictures with the adverb/preposition, “up,” in the title).

(I agree with Roger Simon on the expansion of the number of nominees:  “It’s kind of like movie business ‘grade inflation.’ And like most ‘grade inflation,’ it waters down the results.“)

Given that I’ve only seen two of the movies with best acting nods (Crazy Heart and The Hurt Locker), three with best actress (Julie & Julia, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and The Blind Side), one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Inglourious Basterds), two for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Crazy Heart and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire), perhaps I am not the best guy to comment on all this.

Of all the performances I’ve seen, any of the performers could honorably take home the Oscar.  I’ll be pulling for Sandra Bullock, largely because, among this talented group, she is the eldest who has not yet taken home a statuette.  And, well, because I like her.  I saw Crazy Heart this weekend and absolutely loved Jeff Bridges‘ performance, but then I always love him, so I’m pulling for “The Dude.”

Maggie Gyllenhaal was, as always, wonderful and particularly charming, but, well, I’m pulling for Mo’Nique.  She spent the entirety of Prccious, well, almost the entirety, playing an unloving bitch, a domineering mother who couldn’t show the least bit of maternal affection for her daughter, then, in the penultimate scene, reveals the vulnerable human being behind the bitch.  It is a heart-rendering scene and well played, very well, played.  While this comedienne (excelling in a dramatic role!) had more screen time than Beatrice Straight when she won the same award for Network 34 years ago, like that late great actress, it’s one scene where she just blows her competition out of the water.

Now, save for Mo’Nique’s performance, I’ll be pulling for actors as much because of my affection for them as for their on-screen performance.  I’ve long liked Bridges and Bullock.  To be sure, each deserves the honor.  It’s just my affection that tips the scales.  And I wonder if such factors also play a part in the votes of the Academy Members.

To show you just why I like Sandra Bee, take a look at her accepting her Razzie for Worst Actress in All About Steve:

Baby, she’s got it.

Via Entertainment Weekly.

Filed Under: Movies/Film & TV

Comments

  1. PatriotMom says

    March 7, 2010 at 12:44 pm - March 7, 2010

    My choices are:
    Jeff Bridges
    Sandra Bullock
    I know Monique will win, but I would love Maggie G to pull it off
    Do not care about supporting
    Best Song: Weary Kind from Crazy Heart
    Best Picture – The Blind Side
    Avatar was just gimmicks and too much controversy over Hurt
    Locker
    I would love to see Kathryn Bigelow take Best Director

    Guess we will see

  2. Pat says

    March 7, 2010 at 1:52 pm - March 7, 2010

    Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to watch the Oscars tonight. The two selfish crybabies, also known as WABC-NY and Cablevision, have made it so that WABC is not airing as of 11:59 last night. Will try to find alternate viewing possibilities.

  3. American Elephant says

    March 7, 2010 at 5:50 pm - March 7, 2010

    Unlike last year, or even the year before, when I dont think I saw ANY of the movies Hollywood presented as their best, this year I have actually seen two (District 9 and Up) with plans to see at least one more (The Blind Side).

    Hollywood and I usually have very divergent ideas of what makes a good movie.

  4. American Elephant says

    March 7, 2010 at 8:41 pm - March 7, 2010

    …and I think that’s the way it is with most Americans, which is why they now nominate 10 movies instead of 5, so that they could be sure to at least nominate some movies that normal people actually like.

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