Sparkplug

Yes, it’s Oscar night again.  If I sound less than enthusiastic it’s because I am.  Again, like last year the Best Picture line up is a collection of quality films, but I am still in a snit because The Dark Knight did not make the cut.

So here are my picks.

Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire - what can I say about a heartwarming story about mutilating children.  Still this rag to riches film captured a spirit that the audience responded to.

Best Actress

Kate Winslet (The Reader) -  she played herself on Ricky Gervais Extras last year and joked that if you want an Oscar nomination be in a holocaust film.  And her she is.

Best Actor

Sean Penn (Milk) - I know that I am swimming against the tide here by not picking Micky Rourke, but the thought of Rourke’s acceptance speech gives me the creeps.

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) - The one aspect of The Dark Knight the Academy couldn’t ignore.

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis (Doubt) - with less than ten minutes of screen time she turns in an incredibly nuanced performance.

Best Director

Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) -  Boyle has moved from outsider cinema (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) to the “A” list.  What’s next, a Bond film?

Best Documentary

Man on the Wire - Inspired and inspiring.

And some others…

Best Foreign Film

Waltzing With Bashir 

Animated Feature Film

Wall-E

And that’s all I have the heart for.  Of course, tonight Lemming-like, I will be glued to the flatscreen watching the 2009 Oscars unfold like a slow motion auto accident - in rising horror and dismay.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 at 9:49 am and is filed under Peter McGarvey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.