Critical Film Condition

Well, it was that time again: movie geeks from around the world get excited by the conglomerate of shenanigans that is the Academy Awards, or as the friends call it, the Oscars. In Germany, we have to endure the show starting at 2AM and, as expected, it went way beyond the expected schedule, with host Hugh Jackman wrapping it up at six.

Of course, Renny and Andi joined me with chips and beer, proving that the Academy Awards is the perfect way to replace our complete disinterest in soccer, and we were cheering for our favorites, something that thankfully wasn’t recorded in any way because it would have gotten us a safe place in the geek Hall of Fame. And in expecting the unexpected, we got something that left us with a bitter aftertaste, proving that the Academy will always be the Academy, no matter what.

The Oscars are about the show and not about the winners, everybody knows that. But believing in change is healthy. Hugh Jackman was not only fresh, he was so good that his limited screen-time was the biggest disappointment. His opener was nothing short of brilliant, toying with current subjects like the financial crisis and the lack of important nominations for comic book movies and his own “Australia”: “The Academy loves to salute range: In “The Reader”, Kate Winslet who is British, plays a German… Nominated. In “Tropic Thunder”, Robert Downey Jr. plays an Australian actor playing an african-american… Nominated. Whereas me, an Australian playing an Australian in a movie called “Australia”… Hosting. Because of the recession, everything is being downsized. Next year I’ll be starring in a movie called “New Zealand”.” What ensued was a display of Jackman’s multiple talents, using cheap props in a musical performance, not “good for an action star”, simply AMAZING. Anne Hathaway joined him on stage, also shamelessly showing a powerful singing voice. Jackman had to finish by remembering that he, the tuxedo-wearing dancer and singer, is in fact Wolverine. Talk about finishing with a bang… Or maybe not, since a second musical act directed by Baz Luhrman had him performing a duet with Beyonce Knowles and KILLING it. Amazing.

But unfortunately, that was about it for Hugh Jackman, who was limited to short descriptions of the events that followed. And it’s in these events and awards that the Academy shows that it is not ready yet to acknowledge that cinema has changed, over the last 40 years. It seems that they have a hard time fitting into newer trends, and when they do, they overdo it and time it badly. Bollywood has played an important role in worldwide cinema for the last twenty years (or much longer) and only now, with an Indian movie directed by a Brit they decide to recognize it. “Slumdog Millionaire” might be a remarkable movie, but it is obvious that all the accolades it got from the Academy, specifically, are results of the shame felt by not giving the REAL Bollywoodian productions in the past their due respect.

There were, of course, the obvious awards: never had I or anyone for that matter any doubt that Heath Ledger was going to win. Not only because his Joker was one of the most remarkable performances in recent memory, but because not giving him the damn thing would put the Academy in a very tight spot with both the press and the public. “Wall-E” was another sure winner. Then there were the surprises here and there, with Sean Penn being one of the few to beat Mickey Rourke in an award ceremony recently, something that Penn himself recognized at the end of his speech. Pennelope Cruz was another “surprise”, although she was my personal choice for supporting actress. Kate Winslet, like Martin Scorcese a few years back, was the “pity” Oscar. Kate is one of the best actresses in the World right now (“of her generation” is the right term, but that would be a serious understatement), and she should have gotten an Oscar a long time ago.

I don’t want this post to take forever, so I’m not even going to START talking about “The Dark Knight”. The Academy gave it two awards, and in their minds “this should at least appease some of the fans”.

But then there’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Again, I agree that “Slumdog Millionaire” might be an incredible movie (I haven’t had a chance to see it yet), but “Benjamin Button” is, both technically and as a motion picture experience altogether, one of the most incredible achievements ever. While “Australia” was hyped as the new “…Gone with the Wind”, David Fincher’s “Benjamin Button” managed to merge incredible technical innovations with the kind of dramatic storytelling that reminds us why we love movies… It’s up there, in my highly qualified opinion, with “Casablanca”, “Citizen Kane” and “Forrest Gump”. But still, the Academy wasn’t ready to acknowledge the talent of David Fincher, who shocked the World and helped shape cinema in the new millennium with “Fight Club”… Strangely, it instead acknowledged Danny Boyle, who directed “Trainspotting” and “28 Days Later”. Yes, you could say that rewarding a director like Boyle is a sign of change, but why does it always have to have a little political footnote to it. Boyle is a brilliant director, and in any other year I would agree with all these awards, but when you’re rivaled by something as amazing as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, it just doesn’t cut it.

In the end, it was the same story all over again. The Academy played it safe, and the least interesting thing during the night were the awards. Hugh Jackman is definitely the best host since Billy Crystal and is a welcome change for years to come… Let’s just hope he gets a little more working-time in the next round.

82nd Academy Awards in 2010: Jackman for pres… err… Host.

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