The Oscars

It’s the day after the Academy Awards, and some of my predictions came true!

Philip Seymour Hoffman won in the best actor category for his role in Capote, and Reese Witherspoon won best actress for playing June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Both acceptance speeches were sweet (Philip thanked his mother, and Reese said she just wants to do something that matters).

Best picture to my delight was Crash, and it also took in best original screenplay. Brokeback Mountain received some adulation, as Ang Lee won for best director, and it also won for best adapted screenplay, and best original score.

Rachel Weisz won for best supporting actress in The Constant Gardener, and George Clooney for best supporting actor in Syriana.

March of the Penguins won for best documentary feature, probably well-deserved. The filmmaker accepting the award commented that the legislation protecting Antarctica will need to be renewed in 2041, and so he hoped many children would see the film and protect the penguins for years to come.

Other wins of note were three for Memoirs of a Geisha in the areas of art direction, costume design and cinematography. I wish I’d seen it on the big screen.

Speaking of the big screen, there were some references made to nothing coming close to the experience of seeing a film in the theater compared to a DVD rental for at home. I had heard that revenues were down for films this year, and the industry seems to be wondering why.

Personally, I agree that nothing takes the place of sitting in a darkened theater with a bunch of people watching a story unfold before our collective eyes. People I’ve talked to lately about why they don’t go to movies much say it is too expensive, then they launch into a diatribe about how much the popcorn, soda and candy costs. Hint: Don’t buy the concessions! Movies typically only last about two hours; I think you wouldn’t starve if you didn’t eat or drink anything for that long, right? Then the movies, at least in Albuquerque, are $6.25 or $9.00 at night, well within my meager entertainment budget.

Something else I wondered about was the choice of Jon Stewart. Was he chosen because it was a more serious year for the movies? All in all, I was entertained. I like the montages, and my motto for awards shows is not to expect too much, and then you won’t be disappointed.

Let me know your thoughts on the awards and the night. And onward to another year of good movies!