Suave Insight

And the Oscar goes to…. Is it worth it?

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The nominations have just been announced. But we here at suave are eager to know what makes a good nomination with all the current crop of films which came out last year. One of the most promising Best Picture this year is No Country for old men. This is tailor made for the progressive thought which the Oscars really need. It has taken a long time for the Oscars to have an opportunity to have films which are extremely dark in their radar. The dark choices this year are Sweeney Todd, There will Be Blood and 4 months 3 weeks and 2 days which will change the face of cinema for good. This change in vision has been happening only in the last couple of years. They have stopped many American directed films to take center stage. Thereby letting smaller produced films to be recognized.

But does all this matter when some of the very unpopular films are feeling the pressure of competition from big banners and good promotions. One of those films in this category is the beautiful and touching The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The film chronicles the life of man who writes his own biography by the blinking of his eyes. It has some extremely strong emotionally charged performances. Another film which wont be getting too much mileage is the beautiful and memory changing Away from Her.

One of the choices which the Oscars will be forced to make is Juno. This is because of its universal appeal something which the Oscars having been looking for every time. This trend has been changing in the last couple of years by not having movies of such caliber in the list. Last years two big winners were Pan’s Labyrinth and Little Miss Sunshine. These were surprise winners and allowed small directors to get the necessary leverage for their films. But this has made the Oscars more polarized by allowing such movies to enter into competition there is a lookout for such movies every year.

This year saw one of the strongest movies miss out totally from the race. For example 4 months 3 weeks and 2 weeks looked like a solid contender which totally missed due to sparse promotions. This has been a cause for concern for many small films. Many films n the past also didn’t get necessary mileage for instance most Todd Haynes collections never made it to the Oscars. It took so long until he made a movie on an icon like Bob Dylan for him to get recognized.

Then there is the lis of films which didnt deserve the Oscars. One of the noticeable ones in this list is non linear Crash. It had nothing new to offer but was still given the honor for its cliched social commentary. It was in competition with a strong movie Brokeback Mountain which deserved the award. Crash won due to its creators influence on the voters. But this sort of thing happens only once in a while. For example last the film which deserved to take the Best Picture home was Clint Eastwood personal war film Letters from Iwo Jima. But instead the Oscar was given as charity to a not so remarkable movie called The Departed. Another one of Paul Haggis films come out last was comparatively weak was In the Valley of Elah just got two nods mirroring his inconsistency as a director.

Another film which has been highly nominated this year is Michael Clayton. Why has this happened maybe its a deja vu for George Clooney. They want him there at the Oscars it liven ups the place. But the film is not as strong as his previous ventures. But this one has come here as a default entry. Another huge sign for progress is Lars and the Real Girl which got a nod for its screenplay. It is a film about a man who begins to live with a sex toy.

The next big drawing factor to the Oscars is the inclusion of Johnny Depp. His last nomination was for Captain Jack Sparrow. This time it is for Sweeney Todd a barber who takes revenge for what was done to his family. The film which is a dark musical might be the only competitor for the acting prize against the towering Daniel Day lewis. Daniel on the other hand has taken a role of an Oil tycoon who leaves his mark on the screening by burning it .

Two other sure shot winners this year are Julie Christie in the best actress and Cate Blanchett in I’m Not there for best supporting actress. This has been a trend with the Oscars in the last couple of years. The acting Oscars have been very predictable in the last couple of years. But due to the tight competition of these two Oscars. The Oscars might miss another top draw that is Angelina for her role in A Mighty Heart.

So this give us an image of Oscars as a coupling of both glamour and thought. Due to this unlikely marraige many good do get left out. But there have been necessary steps being taken in the right directions. but no award function can be perfect but only improvises can be the order of the day. But for such a big international platform to make it a truly international venue is really difficult. This task is taking its toll on its viewership with the choices of films in the last couple of years. But the Oscar still has a long way to go before it can be taken as a very brave establishment.