My Obsession with the Oscar

Yep, for some strange reason, I have to admit that I have had an obsession with that small little guy everyone calls Oscar. I’ve been watching the Academy Awards live for … who knows how many years, maybe as long as I’ve had cable TV. This could be dated back 14 years ago, probably since Forest Gump or Brave Heart. Earlier, the Oscar was usually held in late March when I would be during my summer vacation. So watching it live was no problem for me when I was in school. But since I’ve started working, I have this tradition of taking one day off from work to stay home and watch the Oscar. I like to see everything, the pre-show, the red carpet, the host’s jokes, the performances, the speeches of the winners. I don’t know why I’ve been so hooked to this. It’s like I am an insider of this film industry or something.

This year is no exception. I took time off work, stayed home and enjoyed the first half of the day watching as the ceremony unfolded. I like Ellen very much. I think she’s got many bold jokes. I like when she took picture with Clint Eastwood, asking Spielberg to be the photographer, when she handed the script of “Good Mama” (Think Goodfellas meet Big Mama House) to Marty for his consideration, when she said hi to Leo just becoz she thinks girls might wanna see him for a sec, etc. I like that they celebrated the nominees this year. I like Dreamgirls singing show very much (even though they didn’t win). I like Jack Black & Will Ferrell singing about being funny won’t get you Oscar. I like very much the montage of best foreign language films put together by Giuseppe Tornatore (Directed Cinema Paradiso) (no wonder why there are many Italian ones in there), much more than the montage of films that define America (put together by Michael Mann).

I was moved by the speeches of many this year; specially Forest Whitaker, talking about his childhood dream and how actor connects to the film. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve seen a couple of people in the audience shed the tears. I like Jennifer Hudson’s (so earnest), the guy who won short film (inspirational), and of course, the standing ovation for Marty.

I’ve watch 3 out of 5 best pictures this year. Not too bad, aren’t I. So I cannot do my Top 10 list yet. But so far (counting according to Oscar, not when I’ve seen the movies), I really like Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, Little Children, Blood Diamond, The Devil Wears Prada & An Inconvenient Truth. I think The Queen is a great movie, but it’s not my favorite. Dreamgirls is good fun, great songs, great voices, and some great performances, but not good enough. I haven’t seen, and really wanna see Babel, Letter from Iwo Jiwa, Flag of our Fathers, The Last King of Scotland, Pan’s Labyrinth & Children of Men. I also wanna see The Pursuit of Happiness, Notes on a Scandal, Volver, The Prestige, The Good Shepard & The Good German. I’ve already got DVD of United 93 & Marie Antoinette, so I’ll get to see those.

Of course, I’m disappointed Leo didn’t win anything in the year he played two awesome roles. Oh well, at least now people really really have no doubt about his talent. I also think (among the nominees this year), Kate Winslet is such a great actress who deserves one already. Hey, Reese Winterspoon got one last year. And I’ve seen Little Children, it’s one of those movies that dig deep into your dark self, into your id & ego & what have you. It strips off the ugly side of human being that we don’t want to admit we do have. It talks about grownups who cannot subside their desire so they’d just do it even though their consciousness tell them otherwise, just like little children. Well, what I wanna say is that it takes nuts & bolts to play these characters, and Kate did it so well. I haven’t read the review yet, but I wonder why it didn’t receive higher praise than currently.

Also I just watched Little Miss Sunshine, and what a gem! I love dysfunctional family plot, but this one is truly my top of the list. I mean, aren’t all families dysfunctional? We all can emphasize with the characters in this movie. They all appear to be so different, but deep inside, want the same thing – to be accepted, to be approved, to be judged that they’re winners. The underlying thought of this movie is so beautiful, so human, and it’s so appropriate in the world of ‘one beauty pageant after another’. Typically, you fall in love with one or two of the entire ensemble. For Ms Sunshine, I fell for every one of them.

I promise I’ll try to write about something else but movies. iPhones for one for sure. Marketing Goes Green. And How much does it cost to be a chic mom.