The Oscars

Well, faithful readers, it has been a bit of time since my last post. I apologize for the delay, but the fact is, there just hasn’t been much to write about recently. However, several of you have mentioned it to me, so I at least wanted to post a few thoughts to keep things moving.

Awards season is drawing to a close, with the Spirit Awards last night, as well as the Academy Awards tomorrow night, and I am almost ready to make my final predictions. Of course the award that means to most is Best Picture, and I’m still not sure how I feel about the expanded category this year. While I appreciate the idea that more films can be included, (films I loved, like District 9 and Up, which would normally not be nominated), I’m not sure how this will affect the voting process. However, we are dealing with 10 nominees, and as of this writing, I have seen 9 of those 10. (I have a copy of Precious, I just have to find the time between now and tomorrow night to watch it.) My vote is still firmly behind The Hurt Locker, but I’m afraid that because of the changes in the system, Avatar may walk away with an award that it clearly doesn’t deserve. We shall see.

But aside from the anticipation of who will be the big winners on Oscar night, awards season always brings to mind all of the things that I love about good movies as well. This week, I’ve caught bits and pieces of Dances With Wolves on television, and this movie has always held a special place with me. Special, because seeing it when I was young, it was the first time that I understood what a “good” movie was. I remember going to see it in the theater when I was a young boy, and all I understood going in was that it was a western, and I had always loved westerns. But until I saw Dances With Wolves, my idea of a “good” movie was Ghostbusters or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Don’t get me wrong, I still love those movies. But they didn’t win Oscars.) It was the first time I was able to grasp the concept of “Best Picture,” and my life as a movie-lover hasn’t been the same since. “You mean they give out awards for movies?” It was a big moment for me. (It was also one of the few Best Picture winners of that time you could take a young kid to. I also remember wanting to see Silence of the Lambs the following year because it had won Best Picture, and my mother very emphatically forbidding it.)

So here’s to another big night for movies and the people who love them. I hope you’ll all be watching with me.

I'm Danny, and I love the Oscars.