The oscars.... a really big thing for me since I was a small child. Some people will poo poo it and say it's just a spectacle blah blah blah, but I am moved by theatre, I am moved by a story, I find humanity in all of it and I love humanity, I love my fellow man and I love the nakedness and the honesty of film. I stayed home from school a lot when I was a kid; I absolutely hated school and didn't learn anything whilst there. When I was home, I watched movies. Tons and tons of movies. Also documentaries because there were only two channels when i was little and there was just good quality programming on them, not endless reruns and crap. I had parents who had a very broad knowledge of actors & actresses and stars and they informed my views of cinema in general and the gifted people in the industry. I was a huge fan of stories in any form really; I read voraciously and there are still movies from when I was little and becoming a teenager that I know helped create my world view. Guess Who's coming to Dinner helped me to understand bigotry and prejudice and be aware of it. The thing is, in my family we didn't talk about black and white. We talked about people's characteristics and their values etc. So, it was somewhat shocking to me to find that there were huge prejudices out there. The movie "The trial of Billy Jack" was a moment I'll never forget. It opened my eyes to the vast gulf between settlers and indigenous peoples and the triumph of love over hate. I watched it at home in my room when I was 14 and my Mom walked in to find me sobbing harder than I ever had in my life to that point. Painful crying for all the pain of everyone in the world ever.
Gone with the Wind, Funny Girl, What's up Doc, The Pink Panther movies. 2001 A Space Odyssey, Singing in the Rain, Apocalypse Now, Paper Moon, Amadeus, Bladerunner, The Fisher King, Tous Les Matins du Monde, Gladiator, Empire of the Sun, LA Confidential, An American in Paris, Oliver!, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, The Piano, Titanic, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider... the list is endless.
I love movies. I love being in a movie theater, I miss sitting in a car in a drive-in theatre - Aristocrats, Peter Pan, Grease, etc.
I love what Penelope Cruz said about art being a universal language and I loved that they brought out five award winning peers for each nominee, I think it was one of the classiest things I've ever seen and the moment of legacy that that afforded the nominee gave much more credence to the fact that they deserved to be in that company of actors.
I loved that Kunio Kato said "Domo origato Mr. Roboto" Seriously, that was just good fun.
I loved that I got to feel wholehearted about Heath Ledgers win for Best supporting Actor. I am all for my favourites and for the gesture, but I also want the best person to actually win, and I was blown away by his performance in that movie and I hate that it was his last one and I approve completely even as a movie snob that he won.
I love that Kate Winslet finally won an Oscar and I also think that she has grown into it with grace and talent, so it was probably exactly what she should have won one for.
I kind of wish that Richard Jenkins had won for best actor, but that's just because I would have loved to see the look on his face. It's fantastic that he even got the nom, but I would have loved the moment of having a seriously hard working character actor get a lead actor award.
And I loved that Slumdog won so much simply because I have a deep deep love of India and it's people and that culture touches my heart and makes me want a better life for all of them. Yes, that was very satisfying.
I think that this was one of the best produced Oscars I have seen in years and it looked to the naked eye as though it was actually enjoyable for all gathered there instead of just a painful debacle to sit through.
Bravo all of you, bravo.
