Thoughts on the Academy Awards 2011

This marks my 2nd year of reviewing the Oscars, and the second straight deal of being frustrated with the results.

In terms of entertainment, the opening montage was funny and current. Other than that, I found this year’s offering to be lacking, from the hosts to the gags. The Oscars need to get younger, as I mentioned last year, but that doesn’t mean they just need younger hosts. Franco and Hathaway didn’t mess anything up, but didn’t really have any charisma or connection with the audience. I enjoyed Martin and Baldwin last year, and though that they had clout, so when they made fun of the audience, it worked better. The Oscars seem to work better when they’re run kind of like a roast. I think James Franco was stoned, by the way.

What really bothers me about the Oscars is what ends up winning some of the awards. It makes me end up really bashing films that I liked, because the over-praise they receive (especially in categories that make no sense at all) is maddening. Last year, it was The Hurt Locker. This year, it was The King’s Speech.

So, The King’s Speech won best picture. I don’t agree. It wasn’t in my top 5, but if it connected with people and they voted for it as best picture, that’s fine. What I’m not okay with is when other big awards get piggy-backed on that don’t deserve it. Last year, I was pissed that The Hurt Locker won best screenplay. This year, it was The King’s Speech and best director.

There was nothing spectacular – nay – SIGNIFICANT about the King’s Speech direction. The camera was pointed at people and they talked. There was nothing noteworthy about it. The movie worked because of the great performances by Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth. That movie works with anyone directing it. It brings nothing to the table, direction-wise. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing....it’s just no thing.

Then, you have the Social Network, a film made interesting because of a great script, editing, and direction. You have Black Swan, with incredible directorial choices by a visionary director. ...and you even have Inception, made possible only from the vision of a great director. It wasn’t nominated, by the way.

It’s as if the voters just pick the film they like best and vote for it in whatever categories it’s nominated, unable to break down the meaning of what they’re actually voting for. I think that part of the problem is that the AVERAGE age of Academy voters is 57 and they’re just not in touch with cutting edge film-making. They don’t appreciate trends. I don’t want to solely bitch about the Oscars, though. They have their bright spots. Most of the awards and choices are justified. I think that Bale, Firth, Leo, and Portman were all justifiable choices. And I was very happy to see The Social Network win best adapted screenplay and some of the editing awards.

I’m a little bummed that the Oscars don’t seem to be consistently moving in the right direction. They do some things I like, but then seem to strangely regress in other areas. Here’s to hoping they figure it out eventually.