The Oscars were an incredible show this year! The New York Times was pretty critical and I think the Globe and Mail also made a few jabs about the way the awards for best acting were presented, but I thought it was the best in a long time. Not overly long, well presented, and a gorgeous set. The producers were after a feel of intimacy and it really seemed to work. The Swarovski crystals were breathtaking.
There were lots of worthy contenders this year for Best Picture, Acting, Writing, and I was able to see most of the nominees.
Slumdog was a fabulous film, but I am not sure it really deserved the sweep it got, running against films like Frost/Nixon, Doubt and Milk.
And what about Revolutionary Road? That didn’t even make the Oscar list. Winslet and DiCaprio gave amazing performances, reprising their roles as doomed lovers. The chemistry they shared in the Titanic ten years ago paled in comparison with the depth of their “Revolutionary” performances... It would be great to see them paired again, hopefully sooner than another decade.
Also had the pleasure of seeing this year’s winner of the Documentary Feature at Toronto Hot Docs last April. “Man on Wire”, was ingenious in the way it wove together news footage, found film and re-enactments to create a suspenseful piece. Interviews with the participants years after the event were juxtaposed with the historical footage to create something tender and bittersweet. The Director spoke at Hot Docs about how challenging it was to capture the energetic Philip Petit on film for his present-day interview as he seemed truly incapable of sitting still.
There were lots of worthy contenders this year for Best Picture, Acting, Writing, and I was able to see most of the nominees.
Slumdog was a fabulous film, but I am not sure it really deserved the sweep it got, running against films like Frost/Nixon, Doubt and Milk.
And what about Revolutionary Road? That didn’t even make the Oscar list. Winslet and DiCaprio gave amazing performances, reprising their roles as doomed lovers. The chemistry they shared in the Titanic ten years ago paled in comparison with the depth of their “Revolutionary” performances... It would be great to see them paired again, hopefully sooner than another decade.
Also had the pleasure of seeing this year’s winner of the Documentary Feature at Toronto Hot Docs last April. “Man on Wire”, was ingenious in the way it wove together news footage, found film and re-enactments to create a suspenseful piece. Interviews with the participants years after the event were juxtaposed with the historical footage to create something tender and bittersweet. The Director spoke at Hot Docs about how challenging it was to capture the energetic Philip Petit on film for his present-day interview as he seemed truly incapable of sitting still.
Need to get around to seeing Milk and Benjamin Button. I have to admit I was glad Pitt didn't win, even though I didn't see the movie... it wasn't exactly an informed reaction. I was hoping Rourke would get it for the Wrestler, he played the part so well.
I wish Oscar worthy pictures were released more regularly during the year, instead of launched just prior to Academy voting time. You tend to get treated to a lot of these fabulous films in a big Holiday cluster.
Oh well, Hot Docs is coming up soon....
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