Academy Awards are this Sunday

The 80th Academy Awards will be held this Sunday, February 24th and if you’re like me, you’ll be glued to your television from red carpet coverage to Best Picture announcement.   I have always been addicted to the Oscars.   I enjoy watching all the pretty-people in their Oscar-best, telling stupid little anecdotes about how hard it was to pick out just the right dress.   Like we all believe it’s really hard to  be rich  and beautiful.

Here are the films up for Best Picture:

Atonement

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country for Old Men

There will be Blood

 I have seen and reviewed all these films on this  blog,  with the exception of No Country for Old Men.   We had planned to see it last weekend, but opted for The Diving Bell & the Butterfly instead.   Now, with a very busy week and weekend I’m not sure we’ll actually see it before the Oscars air this Sunday.

So I am going to share my  pick for Best Picture (without seeing No Country for Old Men).   First, I think the Best Picture category was depressing this year – not in quality, but in content.   Even Juno dealt with some depressing themes.   Most of these films left me wanting to watch a Steve Martin movie, just to get my mind on something besides the utter darkness in the world.   So on that note, my pick for Best Picture is Michael Clayton.   The acting and writing were superb.   A legal-thriller film this good has not come around for a long time.   I don’t think Clooney will walk away with Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis was too good in There will be Blood), but I do hope Tom Wilkinson receives the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This movie dealt with dark issues and the dark side of human nature, but I didn’t walk away wanting to throw myself off the nearest cliff – the story had a redemptive quality sorely  lacking in several of the other Best Picture nominees.  

Lastly, I’m not so sure Juno is Oscar-quality.   It has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Lead Role, Best Directing and Best Original Screenplay.   I like this film a lot  and I might give it Best Original Screenplay  but Michael Clayton is also a nominee in the category.   I don’t like it for any of the other categories.   How hard can it be to play an agnst teenager?   After all, we’ve all been one.   That said, it’s interesting a comedy has been nominated for Best Picture two years running (last year it was Little Miss Sunshine).   I like the Academy recognizing comedies takes talent too, but is Juno really Oscar material?   Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

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