Post Mortem

I think it’s time for a recap on my feelings regarding the Oscars. Speaking of which, did anyone watch them? I was over at Gabe’s house briefly on Sunday night with Josh, Gabe, Micah and Alex, but we just watched some of our Matter of Chance films. (We also watched the new 48-Hour flick and some basketball.)
Hence, I didn’t get to see any of the Oscars until I got home around 8:00 or 8:30…which is fine with me. The award ceremony itself bores me. I’m merely interested in the ramifications of who wins.
It was a no-thrills bunch however. In fact, I’m not shocked that Scorsese was duped again, or that Eastwood pigeonholed the top awards. And yet, I can’t say that I’ve seen all of the movies and performances entered in this year’s races. But the choices seemed logical enough, if uninspired.
In face-offs like Best Supporting Actor, the only thing I can really offer is my support of Alan Alda. And the only reason I’m offering such support is because I haven’t seen Morgan Freeman’s performance in Million Dollar Baby. But hey, it’s Morgan Freeman. He’s earned that Oscar and I’m greatly interested in seeing the film that earned it for him.
Cate Blanchett’s Supporting Actress Oscar was noteworthy to me however, simply because her performance was unbelievable. I really enjoyed her lucid tenaciousness in portraying Katherine Hepburn.
And then we had Jamie Foxx’s unrelenting portrayal of Ray Charles, earning him his first Best Lead Oscar. Was it deserved? I think so. His ability to mimic Ray Charles, right down to the nuance unseen by his peers and contemporaries, is uncanny. Leonardo DiCaprio also deserved, but he can’t compete with a performance like Foxx’s. Interestingly enough, I was relieved that Depp didn’t win. I mean, come on, he deserves to win, but not for one of his most understated, autopilot performances. No, an actor like him who crafted a career out of performances the Academy shied away from should win on the basis of such bizarreness. Depp deserves recognition for one of his future freak performances, like Willy Wonka or Edgar Allen Poe.

Finally, we had the best director and the best picture, neither of which I can comment upon. I would have chosen The Aviator, but I haven’t seen Million Dollar Baby yet. I’m unsure of what I would think after such a screening, but I’m betting that I’d be satisfied with Eastwood’s sweep. As for Scorsese? Well, he never needed an Oscar to vindicate himself anyway.