Oscar Ennui

I'm sure some of you have been wondering where my annual comment on the Academy Awards nominations has been. (OK, probably not, but I need to prop up my ego any way that I can in these dreary winter months.) Here it is, a week late.

I had planned to write about the awards last week. I watched as much of the live announcements as I could before I had to leave for work. I dutifully printed out the full list of nomimations and approached it with a yellow highlighter poised at the ready. And then...

Ambivalence. Apathy. For the first year that I can recall, I have very few opinions about the Oscars race. Even after thinking things over for a whole week, I honestly don't care who wins what this year for the most part. That's quite a change for someone who got drunk on cheap champagne and threw things at the television when Forrest Gump beat Pulp Fiction in pretty much every category back in 1994.

There are a few nominees that I'm rooting for. Charlie Kaufman is long overdue to win a screenplay award, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the mostly-overlooked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the Original Screenplay category. I'm also pulling for The Incredibles, stuck in the animation ghetto of the Best Animated Feature. (While it is nice to see non-live action movies get some recognition, adding the category of Best Animated Feature pretty much guarantees that there will never be an animated film in the running for Best Picture.) And I'd like to see Virginia Madsen win for Best Supporting Actress, sheerly for the fact that she seems to be down to earth and reportedly jumped up and down in her living room when she heard her name read. I'd probably react like that if I was nominted, too.

And then there are the "anyone but..." awards. I was so turned off by Annette Bening's acceptance at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) that I am avidly hoping that she loses. I'm pulling for Kate Winslet or Imelda Staunton here. Catalina Sandino Moreno was fabulous in Maria Full of Grace, but she doesn't have a chance. (So what about Hilary Swank, you ask? I'm getting to that...)

I think the main reason why I can't get excited about this year's awards is that most of the favorites seem to be movies that I'm sure are very good but I have no interest whatsoever in seeing. The Aviator? Meh. Being Julia? Double meh. Closer? I saw and enjoyed the stage production at Playhouse in the Park, and from what I've heard, the screen adaptation isn't all that different. (Plus there's that Julia Roberts thing. Ick.) I want to see Hotel Rwanda, and I've been meaning to see Sideways and Kinsey for weeks now, but I haven't been motivated enough to brave the crappy weather and venture forth to the Esquire for a matinee.

And speaking of Sideways, what's with the Paul Giamatti Best Actor snub for the second year in a row? Is it because he previously portrayed a character named Pig Vomit? Is it because his father banned Pete Rose from baseball? Not that anyone stands a chance against the Jamie Foxx juggernaut, but I certainly would have preferred to see Paul's name on the Best Actor roster rather than Clint Eastwood's.

Which brings me to Million Dollar Baby. Every year there seems to be a movie that I actively dislike for no reason at all. Usually it's a movie that receives a lot of critical praise and media hype. Last year, it was a dead heat between Mystic River and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. This year, it's Million Dollar Baby. In the last week, I've seen Hilary Swank on several talk shows. Morgan Freeman is making the rounds as well. Entertainment Tonight and other gossipy entertainment shows won't shut up about it. I'm sure it's a good movie, but I have no explanation why the mere mention of it causes my eyes to roll uncontrollably.

There's been a lot of talk about the "snubbing" of Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ. Um, whatever. Michael Moore purposely pulled Fahrenheit 9/11 from the Documentary competition; he rolled the dice on the Best Picture nomination, and he lost. End of story. (I'll just be anxiously watching the Razzies results to see if George W. Bush wins for Worst Actor.) The Passion of the Christ got the nominations it deserved: Cinematography, Score, and Makeup. The fact that it did not receive a Best Picture nod is no more a snub against Christianity than saying Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle not getting nominated is a snub against fast food or Asian-Americans. It wasn't what the Academy deemed a Best Picture-quality movie. End of story. (I personally didn't care for The Passion, but it is very deserving of the Cinematography award.)

Given my indifference towards most of the nominations, I've been giving some thought to changing the annual Chez Myo Oscars soiree. Maybe we could start the party earlier and watch movies that were ignored or underrepresented by the Academy. All I need is a snappy name for it - the Should'ves? The Notscars? (Of course, for those that are still interested, I'll still be watching the awards, if only to ridicule the fashion faux pas and root for Charlie Kaufman.)

I'm also thinking about holding a "predict the winner" kind of contest for all of my readers (you know, all five of you), but I need to figure out the logistics and decide on what kinds of fabulous prizes to bestow upon the winner. I'll make that decision in the next day or so. Until then, watch this space....

So yeah, the nominations this year may be lackluster, but the party is still on. Films, fancy dress (optional but encouraged, as always), and fabulous hors d'oeuvres. (Two words: evil cheeseball.) Who cares who the winner is?