February 2010
Thoughts on the Oscar nominations
For those of us who have grown increasingly appalled at the idea of Avatar winning Best Picture -- pick your excuse: horrible dialogue, 2-D character development that is subordinate to the 3-D action, the truly discomforting idea that these big blue people are all fine and one with nature, but a white guy pretending to be one of them becomes their chosen one, or whatever he was -- there is some good news.
Oscars rehash: ’01, Year of What Could Have Been
One of the richest years of movies in recent history, the year when former stalwarts of the new independent film like Steven Soderbergh and Ang Lee began to bring art to the mainstream, this is also the year of one of the most frustratingly illogical movie moments. No, not that Gladiator won Best Picture, but that was pretty bad, too.
Oscars rehash: ’02, Year of Hard Lessons
While some tried and seemingly true formulas fell flat -- 
Julia Roberts in romantic comedy? Gold. Angelina Jolie running around in tight clothing and a bad British accent? Can't miss. Disney in a magical underwater world? Jackpot. David Spade in a mullet? Genius — we learned some very important lessons in what turned out to be an educational year in audience taste and a very blah for year Best Picture.
Oscars rehash: ’03, Year of Big Cities
In a few days, the Best Picture will be chosen from 10 movies rather than five. The move was made to try to include more movies the average moviegoer might have actually seen, but the end result -- other than the inclusion of The Blind Side — was more movies like the original five. It's a solid group, certainly varied in its subject matter, scale and intended audience, but it's not the best collection of 10 movies one could imagine. If the Academy had been picking from 10 movies in 2003, the list would have been much more substantive even with the inclusion of Gangs of New York.
Oscars rehash ’04, Year of Movies from Good Books
While Peter Jackson took a few well-placed liberties with the stories as he brought three much-loved books to the big screen, he stayed true to their spirit. Anthony Minghella brought another much-loved -- if slightly less well known -- book to the big screen and botched it by missing the point entirely.
Oscars rehash: ’05, Year of Second Efforts
The lesson of the year is to try, try again. Clint Eastwood misses an Oscar for his best film? Don't worry, he'll get another chance. The Harry Potter movies suck? Don't worry, give them to someone who understands that childhood isn't always bright colors and wide-eyed wonder. Bourne too comfy in his new identity? Don't worry, just ice his girlfriend.
