Ten Thoughts On The Academy Awards

1. Even with some major disappointments, this was the most satisfying Academy Awards for me since 1996 (the year of "The English Patient").

2. "Pan's Labyrinth," as my three or four readers well know, was my favorite movie of the year. The night started as well as it could. The opening montage of nominees featured "Pan's Labyrinth's" nominated score. Then, the movie wins the first two awards of the night (art direction and makeup). Next, it upsets "Children of Men" (even I would have voted for "Children") for cinematography. YEAH! That's three for three with three nominated categories to go! But then it loses for original score, mocking the earlier tease. It loses for original screenplay...this was fine, it had no chance. But finally, inexplicably, it loses for Best Foreign Film to some German flick. How can a movie with six Academy Award nominations (that's one more than the eventual Best Picture winner!) lose Best Foreign Film to a movie nominated for nothing else?! Nevertheless, "Pan's" ends up with three Oscars...second to "The Departed's" four for most of the night.

3. "The Departed" was my favorite movie among the nominees for Best Picture. It's the BEST Best Picture winner since "American Beauty." It is the first worthy winner of the decade.

4. I'm glad Scorsese finally got his Oscar. Very cool that his three buddies (Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg) got to present it to him. What is intersting about this win (and the Best Picture win) is how importatnt screenwriting is. Scorsese, himself, admits that "The Departed" is the first movie he has directed with a plot. This is not exactly true, but we know what he means. Scorsese cares primarily about interesting characters--that is why he selects the scripts he does. He does not necessarily care if what happens to those characters follows a traditional movie plot formula. But in "The Departed," what happens is at least as engrossing as are the characters, who are obviously (why else would Scorsese direct it?) remarkably interesting themselves. Scorsese has not suddenly become a better director. He just selected a script that is more tailored to traditional movie watchers than any of his previous choices. If "The Departed" wasn't so good, such a thing would make me a little sad.

5. Jennifer Hudson is an Academy Award winner. Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and Ralph Fiennes are not. If I saw Hudson with her Oscar, I'd spit in its face.

6. Ellen was great.

7. Leo is too cool for discussion.

8. Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black's song was hilarious. "Three-man-weave!" HAHAHA!

9. DVR is awesome. I was so glad to be able to fast-forward Melissa Etheridge, Celine Dion ("This song is for all the mothers...and also for the children") and all the boring tributes. However, I could NOT fast forward Ennio Morricone's priceless acceptance speech in Italian (translation by Clint Eastwood). Nor could I fast-forward the bizarre shadow dancers. Look away!!!!

10. You gotta love some Jerry Seinfeld! "I'm not pickin' up those three goobers that've been coke-welded to the floor since 'The Shawshank Redemption.'"