The Oscar Rush

So, around this time every year, I scramble to see as many movies that have garnered major Oscar nominations as I can. Because Oscar Night is practically a holiday in my household, and I like to be well-informed. Nothing makes me happier than hearing a list of nominees being read off and having an informed opinion based on seeing all of the movies listed.

Hi, I'm a big nerd.

So the other night, I watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The movie didn't get such great reviews, but never you mind, the marvelous Cate Blanchett got a Best Actress nomination, so I didn't have much choice, right?

Anyway, the movie was a lot better than I thought it'd be. It was entertaining enough, and full of plot, including the arrival of the dashing Walter Raleigh (a man with perfectly white, straight teeth in 1585, but whatever, Clive Owen is gorgeous), the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (who arrived at her beheading in a fabulous red dress -- love her), and the growing threat of the Spanish Armada (led by the fanatical King of Spain, who was oddly hot in a psycho-religious-fanatic kind of way). The problem is, it didn't seem to be about anything, or at least nothing I could discern. In the "making-of featurette," the director says that the film is about the responsibility that comes with great power, and apparently no one told him that Spider-Man has the same theme, so ... sorry, Shakur -- been there. Still, it was lovely to be reminded that over four hundred years ago, the most powerful head of state in all the world was, in fact, a woman. (And for those who have difficulty reading between those lines: Go Hillary. I haven't given up on you yet.)

Predictably, Cate was amazing; she's an actor with an almost annoying habit of being amazing in nearly everything she does, but I'm still rooting for Marion Cotillard for the win.

Over the weekend, I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Casey Affleck is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this movie, which still wins the exclusive 2008 Red Seven Award for awesomest title ever.



And the title is even more awesome once you've seen the movie. No, seriously.

A couple of things add to the awesomeness of the title. The first is that the title totally gives away the ending. It's not like the movie begins with Robert Ford bumping off Jesse James and the rest of the film deals with the aftermath of the killing. Rather, the movie takes a long time to explore Jesse James both as a man and as a legend, and to chart the path that Robert Ford takes -- starting off as an awkward boy who loves Jesse James above all other things to someone who is not only able, but willing, to kill the outlaw superstar. And the other piece of awesomeness about the title is in that word "coward." The movie plays a lot with this notion of cowardice and bravery. Whether or not Ford really is a coward is very much up for debate. On the one hand, turning a gun on Jesse James takes what Grandpa once called "guts," and on the other -- well, I won't ruin it for you. You already know the ending, and that's enough for now.

As for Casey -- he hasn't got a chance in hell. He's very deserving, but Javier Bardem is totally going to win; it's the closest thing to a sure thing in the entire slate. However, he's very good in this movie, even if he was nominated in the wrong category (how his role is deemed a "supporting" one is a bit of a mystery to me, although I suspect it has much to do with the facts that a) Casey is better known for being someone else's little brother and b) he's sharing the screen with Brad Pitt have a lot to do with it). His portrait of Robert Ford is complex and specific, and not one I'll soon forget. I am surprised that Brad Pitt didn't get more kudos for his work; the "Jesse James" of this movie is a lot more human than legend, and Pitt moves back and forth between proud and humbled and larger-than-life and paranoid and charming and sleazy in a way that defies reason and still makes sense. It's a great performance. Plus, he totally dyed all the blonde out of his hair for this movie, which is practically the same thing as standing on a box and begging to be taken seriously for once. Poor, poor Brad.

Unfortunately, I'm Not There (Cate again, Best Supporting Actress) and In the Valley of Elah (Tommy Lee Jones, Best Actor) are not yet available for viewing on DVD, so I'm not sure I'll get to see them before the Oscar ceremony on the 24th. There Will Be Blood (Daniel Day-Lewis, the favorite to win for Best Actor) is still in theatres, but oddly I still haven't worked up any desire to see it. However, Persepolis (Best Animated Feature) is still playing at my favorite little art-house theatre, so I hope to get to it soon.

In closing, thank God the writers' strike is over. Not only has it been way too long since my Ugly Betty fix, but there will actually be an Oscar ceremony this year. Now, the question is ... do I throw a party, or spend the evening live-blogging the whole thing? Decisions, decisions ...