First, I must congratulate myself on my predictions!!!
And now, before we let the judging of judges begin, I must make a note that this post-Oscar review will (unfortunately) have to be split into 3 parts so that my readers will not be overwhelmed with the vast amount of information I am about to disseminate. The 3-part series will comprise of the following:
- PAPD scoring card
- Reviews of the 5 best picture nominated films
- Conclusion on winners: best actor, best actress and best picture
As I had mentioned in my first Oscar-related post, most years, the audiences and the Academy disagree on who should win the little golden statue. Fans go on rampages over the arbitrary selection of winners that seem to suggest the Academy judges are like the trophies they dole out—old, bald and mostly stiff. Last year, I almost gagged on my own disbelief as I watched “No Country for Old Men” take home “Best Picture.” I saw that movie and—trust me—it’s called “No Country for Old Men” for good reason… because the film was so boring that everyone would have shot themselves after enduring two hours of onslaught and diabolicalness if not for the hope that some picture more deserving would win “Best Picture”. Granted, Javier Bardem played a great diabolical character, but the film moved at such a slow pace that my friend and I were elated when the credits came on! I felt that “There Will Be Blood” was a much better representation of what “Best Picture” should be: great plot, great actors and great pace. Needless to say, I was poised and ready for a grand battle with the judges this year. Luckily, the Academy and I agreed…
Before I delve into why I chose those specific winners, let me provide a little background into my decision-making process. In any type of judging, one must have a clear set of criteria. For Best Actor/Actress, I did not have one. In order to be completely fair, I would have had to watch all the movies in which these actors/actresses had been nominated. I’m sorry, but HELL NO! I love movies, yet one can only take so much drama, agony, desperation, over-acting, and somewhat heavy plotline in a short time span. So, instead, I chose the actors I felt performed the best in the films I had seen. For Best Picture category, I gave a much fairer judging. Here is my rating system, aka the PAPD scoring card (1-5, 5 being the best):
- Plot: Was the plotline intriguing? Did it capture my attention? Was it different from what I had expected? Did the plotline provide a deeper meaning?
- Actors: Were they believable? Did they capture the essence of what the film wanted to depict? Did the cast complement each other?
- Pace: Was the film paced adequately? (i.e. Did it start too slow/fast? Did the plot feel rushed or overly extended?)
- Direction: Did the structure of the scenes help the film tell the story it wanted to tell? (i.e. Did the camera angles provide the necessary “umph” to jolt me into excitement? Did the Director do a good job in joining scenes?)
