Good ole Oscar

This post too is late, but I'm catching up and after I post my SXSW report, I'll be current.

So the Academy Awards have come and gone. Much like Sundance, the scale of this treasured cinematic event was called into question in light of current economic…I’m going to say “trends” (this too shall pass after all). Like many things, when money is tight and extravagancies inappropriate, a renewed focus on the core of the matter is often enjoyed and I felt this was true of this year’s show.

I especially liked that they invited past winners to announce the nominees, introducing each announcer with an archival clip from their acceptance speech. It had much the same effect of the pre-show reels at Sundance in that it reminded us of the history and tradition of the thing, thereby contextualizing and justifying its greatness instead of just assuming that we all remember and understand why the Oscars are so important.

When in years past I may have grumbled at the predictability of the winners, I found my peace with the Academy this year, realizing that it is what it is, nothing more and nothing less. The nominees and winners reflect the opinions of a group of highly qualified individuals who clearly look for particular qualities that may or may not be what makes an achievement “important” within the current dialogue of cinema, but is nonetheless notable if for no other reason than the process has endured and honored many a great film, performance, song, and technical feat.

Some of you may be thinking that its rather convenient for me to sit here and act as though I knew all the winners now that everything is said and done, however, if you had come to our Oscar watching party at the Modern and sat close enough to hear me mumble my predictions under my breath so no one could accuse me of being wrong if such a rareity should occur then you would know that I was calling them like it’s my job, which it sort of is, so I guess the point is I'm doing my job, which, is good because they're paying me.

Anyway, all of this meditation on the role of the Oscars is a result of Slumdog’s rise from humble beginnings to Hollywood ending. It’s just too hard not to believe that at a certain point, as the film snowballed through the festival circuit and crashed into the awards season, all those responsible for its ultimate triumph weren’t caught up in the story, sealing its Cinderella fate. This is not to say that Slumdog Millionaire isn’t a good film, even a great film…but the best film of 2009? Among a category of contenders that was conspicuously lacking The Dark Knight, a film that broke ground artistically, technologically, and financially?

We have our doubts, but that’s okay. The Academy speaks, we listen, we accept that some voices aren’t meant to challenge boundaries, and we move on.