Countdown to the Academy Awards
Posted on 06 February 2008 by Ashleigh Holmes
I love the Academy Awards. They embody everything that's grand about one of my biggest passions – MOVIES. I remember, during one of the ceremonies, there was a montage of all the previous Best Picture winners, and for a girl of 16 or 17, I'd seen a LOT of those movies. I'll go ahead and add here that I'm also a huge fan of those AFI 100 Years 100 Movies specials. Pretty sure I've seen every one of them.
I have an alarming number of fond memories of past Oscar broadcasts. When Julia Roberts won for Erin Brockovich, I cheered, laughed and probably cried just a little bit for her. When Russell Crowe won for Gladiator, I was kind of amazed, and when he was snubbed for A Beautiful Mind, I was livid. I applauded producer Brian Grazer when he told the Academy in his acceptance speech that the film wouldn't have won Best Picture if it hadn't been for all of Russell's hard work. It was as close as I could get to actually thumbing my nose at those imbeciles.
I was irritated when Gwyneth Paltrow was not only nominated but won for her role as Viola De Lesseps in Shakespeare In Love, but Joseph Fiennes, who I thought was at least as spectacular as she, didn't even get nominated for his role as young Will Shakespeare. There have been some years that I haven't wanted to deal with all the celebrity, etc., but I've still waited with baited breath to see who wins. When Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won for Best Picture, I felt like the whole trilogy was being awarded for its immeasurable strides for the future of filmmaking. I participated in One Act Play in high school, and I remember there was one year that the Oscars fell on the night before a big performance.
My stomach was in knots just thinking about the upcoming competition, but I think I was just as nervous for the actors and actresses up for nomination. I'm pretty sure it was 1997, the year that Titanic, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential and As Good As It Gets were all nominated. At first, I thought Titanic was going to sweep every category, but then Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt won for Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, and I thought, "Wait a minute! Maybe As Good As It Gets actually has a shot." But of course, the grandeur of James Cameron's masterpiece, no matter how horrible the screenplay was, couldn't be denied.
There have been some years that I've seen every film that was nominated, and others when I haven't seen any of them. I still haven't seen Million Dollar Baby, and I've only just recently watched American Beauty. There are some times that I'm puzzled as to why something or someone was nominated, or if I haven't seen their performance, I'm perturbed that they beat someone whose performance I had seen and loved. For instance, when Robin Williams' portrayal of Sean McGuire in Good Will Hunting beat Greg Kinnear's role as Simon Bishop in As Good As It Gets, I was sorely disappointed.
I couldn't get Simon's reaction to his beaten and bloodied face out of my head, and I didn't understand how the Academy had overlooked it. But then I finally watched Good Will Hunting (spectacular film!), and I completely understood how Williams was chosen over Kinnear. Kinnear was good, but Williams was pure genius. There was no contest.
This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the Academy Awards. The Oscars will air on Sunday, February 24th at 7 p.m. CT on ABC. The nominees for Best Picture – Juno, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton and No Country For Old Men – are all still playing in the Metroplex. I've already seen Juno, Atonement and No Country For Old Men, and I'd recommend all three. Next week's blog will include brief reviews of Juno, Atonement and Michael Clayton. The week after, just four days before the Oscars, I'll be reviewing No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Stop back by if you want to make sure they'll be worth your time and your money. Happy watching!
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February 6th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
While I can appreciate you enthusiasm for the awards, I tend to aggree more with your frustrations. I personally can not stand the awards shows because I hate someone else telling me what is a great film. I rarely agree with the final choice and I am usually shocked at what movies gets left out.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I definitely agree with your enthusiasm for the Oscars. One of my favorite nights of the year! This year, I’ve only seen 1 nominated Best Picture, and that’s Juno. But I’ll be going to see all the films at the Best Picture Showcase at my local AMC. They show all 5 nominated movies back to back. So, 12 hour day of movies on Feb 23rd. Can’t wait!
February 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I concur….one added point that I would like to propose: There needs to be a category for Best Nudity. I can’t think of any movies that aren’t made better by skin. Even Brokeback Mountain offered up not 2, but 4 different actors/actresses naughty bits. Just saying….
February 7th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
That’s what the MTV movie awards are for
February 7th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Ashleigh:
I completely understand how you feel! I am such a movie fanatic and I get so excited to see what movies win awards and what actors get (and don’t get) nominated. I especially learn about those hidden gems in the movie business–mostly Indie Films–that didn’t get National exposure due to funding and budget constraints or overall movie politics.
I remember the 1997 Academy Awards and when I started reading this posting; that was the FIRST year I thought about when I began reading this. I remember Billy Crystal doing the skit where he played the parts to various roles from movies like LA Confidential and Titanic. I also remember him singing to it and it was hilarious!
Great article. Thanks for the read!!!