And the Best Picture Oscar Goes to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Is this the worst year ever for "Oscar" movies? And by Oscar movies I mean the movies that are made to try and win Oscars and are released at the end of the year and send out screeners. Cause I've watched a bunch of them and they all suck.

Tonight I saw "Carnage". Sucked. Last night I watched "Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy". Sucked. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"? Extremely sucked and incredibly sucked. "War Horse"? I don't give a crap about a horse. "Tree of Life"...fuck you!

Maybe people weren't that far off when they were touting "Drive" as a Best Picture candidate. I didn't like it, but in comparison it's looking pretty good. Same goes for "Young Adult".

I'm seeing "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fine, but it feels a bit anti-climactic since Sweden already made a pretty damn good movie out of it. "The Descendants" was okay at best. So what are we left with?

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol.

Should it win Best Picture? No...not in a normal year. But this year it should be considered. It should definitely get Best Screenplay. Why? Because who could think of that shit?

I don't understand why people who write small, intimate character studies always win the awards. That just doesn't feel that hard to do. But a robot/computer that can simulate a hallway so Tom Cruise can sneak around behind it? Not too many people are coming up with that. That is creativity. That is good writing.

Of course, 20 different people probably rewrote it a thousand times, but still...

The only drawback I can think of in the movie is Michelle Monaghan's bangs. The one thing they don't fix with CGI! Huge mistake.

I was trying to think if there was anything else I loved. The past couple years, I had a dark horse candidate that I thought were perhaps the best films of the year that weren't considered for anything. Both happened to be Russell Crowe movies - State of Play and The Next 3 Days. But I think Russell sat out this year doing Weight Watchers, so I have to look elsewhere.

"Bridesmaids"? I guess that's up there for me. And "Crazy Stupid Love". But those are comedies, so they must be spat upon by the Academy.

It's gotten so bad that people are even starting to act like "Midnight in Paris" was a good movie. It sucked! Stop it with that lazy ass crap.

But then I remembered there was a beacon of light. A ray of hope that dazzled me at the theater this year, perhaps more than all others.

So without further ado, my 3rd annual/Russell Crowe dark horse, would be considered for Best Picture if it was released later in the year is...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

This was a pretty great movie. And I say that as a man who hates apes. And I'm not just referring to James Franco.

I don't know how they pulled it off, it should've been terrible. It had every right to be. And yet, with apes and James Franco's lack of any discernible talent holding it back, it was awesome. More people should be talking about it when it comes to awards. And also Ghost Protocol.

In any other year, there would be no way. But this year? It's hard to believe there are 5 other movies that are honestly better than those two.

Let's just hope the serious films can get their act together and not ruin our holidays next year.