Some Very Late Oscar Notes

Obviously, the show was a disaster. I hated Hathaway and Franco before the ceremony, and I hate them more after it. There was just no reason for that. But this is what happens when people get offended by comedy and want to keep things safe.

As for the actual awards, I saw every Best Picture nominee except for Winter's Bone. Social Network was the best movie of the year. King's Speech was a nice, solid movie, but it was not great. It took a boring subject and made it slightly less boring. It's a well made, well acted, by the numbers film. Nothing special. If it was made with good looking people with American accents, it wouldn't have even been nominated.

Moving on, I have never been a big Russell Crowe fan. However, he has gone from being totally overrated to totally underrated. For the second year in a row, he was in one of my favorite movies of the year that was completely ignored.

Last year, it was State of Play. I still say that was the best film of that year, criminally ignored. And this year, it was The Next Three Days.

Now, I'm not saying The Next Three Days was the best film this year, but it was pretty darn entertaining. I was uncomfortable the entire time watching it, but in a good way. Mostly because I did not want him to go through with the plan at all. Just a bad idea. But, compelling.

I don't feel too bad for Russell though, because he did make Robin Hood.

One other thing. I was thinking about the Best Short Film category, and how no one sees those. Why isn't there a best trailer category? Aren't those short films? And aren't those just as vitally important as make up or special effects or anything else?

Two years in a row we've had two of the best trailers I've ever seen. This year it was The Town. And last year, no one would have seen Liam Neeson's Taken without that amazing trailer. There may have been some debate on Best Picture, but it's nice to have some clarity in the Best Trailer category.

That is all...