And the Oscar goes to.....

I doubt I have much to add to the hundreds of thousands of words being written and broadcast about the Oscars, but here goes.  I do love movies and have to admit that I'm a sucker for award shows.  I had the incredible pleasure, along with my wife, to actually attend the Screen Actors Guild awards earlier this month.  The SAG Awards have always been billed as the best party among all the awards shows and Char and I can now attest to it.  Of course, we have no pictures since they are pretty picky about taking cameras in to these awards gatherings.

We had a wonderful weekend and want to thank our great host, Lisa Paulsen, president of one of our Barkley clients, the Entertainment Industry Foundation.  It was amazing to see hundreds of familiar faces, none of which you knew personally of course.  The fun part was seeing all those character actors that you recognize at a drop of a hat, but couldn't name them if your life depended on it.

So now back to the Oscars.  I think it was a great year for movies.  Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker turned in world class acting performances and are sweeping every award in site.  And perhaps Martin Scorsese will finally win the Oscar for his masterful direction of The Departed.  Of course he should have won for Raging Bull, Goodfellas, or Taxi Driver just to name three.  When you look at Scorsese's entire body of work, it makes you wonder why he hasn't won two lifetime achievement awards already.  He has to win this time.

Best film?  What a diverse and wonderful category it is this year.  I loved The Departed and have already made my case for Martin Scorsese for best director, but I have to say that my vote for best picture this year has to go to Babel.  This was simply one of the most intense and interesting films I have seen in a long time.  It is a movie I look forward to watching again and again because it was so intricate, that I know there will be things I missed the first time.

My second best picture vote would go to Little Miss Sunshine.  It was unique, funny, poignant and satirical all at once.  That isn't easy to do.  Plus Alan Arkin is simply one of the finest actors ever.  If you have never seen the original movie - The In-Laws - with Arkin and Peter Falk, you are missing one of the all time classic comedies.  Burn the remake that Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks did a few years ago.  And I think the world of both of them, but that is another remake that should have never happened.

There is my take on the 79th annual Oscars.  But as an added bonus this year - please enjoy this jog down memory lane.  It was the 61st annual Oscars and the opening of the show is one for the ages.  Enjoy this.  If it doesn't make you laugh, nothing will.  And watch to the end.  It's worth it.

Comments

[Piper]

Mike,

Have not seen Babel so I can't weigh in on the impact that has made. I think there is no doubt that Mirren and Whitaker will walk away with the best Actor/Actress awards.

I can however say that I have seen Little Miss Sunshine and although it was a fun movie to watch, I don't believe it deserves top honors. And have said as much in a post.

I do so hope that Scorsese pulls down the Oscar he has has earned so many times before.

I have spent the week beating up on Oscar, but just recently wrote about how, in the end, I love it because it is the top honor to which everyone strives. And like you, I do love award shows. After all I am a creative in advertising.