So the party is over, the tears are all dried and the Kodak Theatre can call in the cleaners and restore its composure in time for next year.
“Slumdog Millionaire” was the rightful winner of the night’s big cajuna, scoring 8 awards out of ten nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ – which it was – and a well-deserved ‘Best Director’ for Danny Boyle. Which is not bad for a film every studio in Hollywood rejected unseen.
Slumdog is an original idea, made into an intelligent film that requires the same trait in its viewers, the Actors are hard-working people with perceptible talent, there’s no CGI or flashy effects and every dime of its minuscule budget is right up there on the screen.
…So you can see why they hated it. People always fear what they can’t understand.
Sean Penn deservedly won for his bravura performance in Milk, and his denouncement of Prop. 8 and the intolerant bigots who helped it succeed was both well deserved and well said. I applaud every word.
But one part of the evening fell way short of the mark; I said on Friday that Kate Winslet’s elevation to Oscar’s golden sisterhood was overdue and could be the highlight of the evening? Well, that was before the colo-rectal tonguing exam that Sophia Loren and her friends were forced to provide. It was nauseating, gushy and way, waaaaayy too long. And so was Kate’s speech.
As predicted, ‘Dark Knight’ garnered some gold and gave Heath Ledger the due validation his talent deserved. But that film only achieved its success because we lost Heath too soon and Warners re-released it to cash in on the fact. And they don’t give Oscars for exploitational avarice…Yet.
Overall, the show was all that we’ve come to expect, and what happens now is easy to guess: Everyone on that stage will double their fees, Angelina Jolie will deflate her lips and every movie released in the next ten-months will feature Indian kids and a game show.
For what’s supposed to be a creative business, sometimes prediction’s too easy.
