I'm finding it increasingly difficult to care about the Oscars. I've watched the annual telecast every year I can remember, dating back to watching with my Mom was a kid. We've always loved movies and this is unlikely to change. But while I will undoubtedly tune in again this Sunday night, I have mixed expectations. So many awards seem predetermined as to rob any potential suspense. Colin Firth is a lock for best actor (deservedly for his work in The King's Speech), while Christian Bale is a good bet for supporting actor for The Fighter (in the best performance of 2010). Toy Story 3 locked up best animated feature back in July, while the screenplay awards will go to The Social Network (adapted) and The King's Speech (original), unless the wildly inventive Inception pulls off an upset. The King's Speech will likely take best picture, but may lose director to Network's David Fincher. So what's left? The actress awards are less certain. Best actress will probably go to Natalie Portman (Black Swan) over Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), but why wasn't her castmate Julianne Moore nominated again? Supporting Actress is the only wide open category, but I expect an upset win for True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld, ironically a lead performance. I'm not all that psyched for James Franco & Anne Hathaway as hosts (call me traditional, but I'd rather see Billy Crystal up there), but maybe they will surprise. The rest of the evening is comprised of insufferable red carpet interviews, multiple montages (as always I look forward to the Memorial Tribute, even though it often disappoints), several speeches from behind-the-scenes technical category winners, and a multitude of musical numbers.
Rather than an endless prediction thread that will take 10 hours to write, I've decided to list my personal top 10 of last year, as well as the year's 5 worst films, and a few very guilty pleasures. 2010 wasn't a great year at the movies, but it was a solid one with many films that will eventually find their way onto my dvd shelf. One of the major perks of my job is access to free rentals, which I'm proud to say I took full advantage of. I watched 68 movies released in 2010 (about 1/2 of which would at least merit a recommendation), which averages to roughly 136 hours spent in front of the tv or in a dark theater. That represents slightly more than 5 full days of the year, which is actually lower than I would've guessed. I watch far less tv than I used to (living 20 straight months without cable will do that), but factoring in reruns, sporting events, and old movies, I'm sure the actual total is closer to 10 days, still not too shabby. 10/365 is only 2.7% of my breathing time, which to some might sound high, but I think I deserve a pat on the back. :) But enough with the unofficial statistics . . .
THIS SUCKS! It's 11:30 AM Oscar Sunday and I have to leave for work for most of the afternoon. I really need to work on my planning. Because it makes little sense to post the top paragraph after tonight's show, I'm gonna have to split this into a 2-parter. Sorry. The best films of 2010 will be forthcoming in part 2 (this week I swear). It will also provide an oppurtinity to criticize any particularly awful choices tonight.
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