Oscar ... and the two winners

I've watched the Oscar today. It's been a tradition for me since forever that I'd watch the Oscar live. This year I took a day off from work. It's probably a bit too much for some, but for me, Oscar serves me good. I like to watch the usual stuff people like, the dresses, the glamourous actors/ actresses. But even more, I like to watch the show. In earlier days, they even had these stunning dancing numbers and exotic performances. Now that the show producers are trying to cut the show short, these great performances were cut off. But there are still some good bits, like this year's show of movie score nominations. This year it featured all 5 songs together played by the orchestra and Itzhak Perlman. Yes, the one and only violinist Itzhak Perlman who can shake you solely through his fingers. Boy, that was a great bit.

I also love listening to the speeches. I think Hollywood actors are best at giving speech. They always find the way to give moving speech. This year I like Reese's -- the part she talks about her mother, I like George's -- the part he talks about how he cannot compare art.

OK, enough about the Oscar. Now to the movies. I've only seen 2 of Best Movie nominations. Brokeback Mountain and Crash. Both are awesome, in a very different way. Brokeback Mountain was placed really close to my heart. It's so delicate, so tender, so dear, so moving. It's purely about feelings, so its effect is much deeper, and much more subtle. I like it simply because it tells an ill-fated star-crossed lover story and only that. This kind of forbidden love just kills me. And the fact that Heath's character just fell deeper & deeper into the relationship that he takes his life and everyone around him with him just breaks my heart. Just thinking about that scene when he wraps his arms around Jake's shirt really reminds me their story. Heath was so great. He was awkward, hard spoken, secluded, sad man.

And I just saw Crash tonight. And my... how great it was. It has an effect on me, big time, similar to the way I felt when I came out of watching Million Dollar Baby last year. And my friend told me later that the director is Million's writer. I was speechless, like someone putting something in my mouth. I was overwhelmed..by emotions and thoughts. The movie is so powerful. It hits you right in the face, and punch you, again and again. It talks about political and societal issues like intolerance, prejudice, insecurity, and eventually trust and redemption. What makes it so much greater is that it doesn't blame on a character, or a culture, or a nationality, a typical pitfall of this movie genre. It embraces every single character as to tell you that no matter who you are, you can be wrong by pre-judging people and that no matter who you are or whatever bad things you've done, you can always redeem yourselves. What's even greater is that it's got so many characters that are interrelated and doing so well at that. It's like watching Magnolia, only even much better.

So these two definitely go to my top ten list this year, along with Pride & Prejudice, which I will talk about later. Will need to watch a few more films, and I'll conclude my top ten this year.