Questions in the Shadows

Awards Season will wrap up this coming weekend with the spectacle and ceremony of the grandaddy of them all, the Oscars. I mention them because a few of the nominated films have provided incredible food for thought lately.

Out of all the major Oscars contenders making the rounds, three have managed to lodge together in my head as almost a single entity: Argo, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty. While completely different in many aspects, the one major thread running through all of these is the spotlight on the United States government and the hurdles overcome, many times from within the government itself, to accomplish tasks of prodigious proportions. More to the point, all three were a narrative focusing on how the actions of individuals can impact the outcome of the system, thus altering national policy and even impacting foreign policy.

The two films of this group depicting the CIA, Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, form a syzygy with completely different tones and outcomes. While both offer a sobering view of the image of Americans abroad, Argo was a bit more comfortable to watch while Zero Dark Thirty was a film that needed to be seen but not necessarily enjoyed. While Argo maintained some character exploration and left the viewer with a bit of warmth in their heart, Zero Dark Thirty almost used the hunt for Osama Bin Laden itself as a main character to bleakly accentuate the question, "Where do we go from here?" I will long remember its final scene, and as far as endings go, it is one of my all-time favorites.

As for Lincoln, Spielberg delivers the genius and vision of Abraham Lincoln, no matter the slight massaging of actual history that was used to tell the story. The film was an incredible portrayal of the ultimate power of the American presidency combined with its most humbling limitations. At once an exegesis of Lincoln's personal life as well as an analysis of the workings of mid-19th century politics, Lincoln cast a microscopic view of a pivotal point in our nation's history.

In this sense, Argo, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty all combine to provide the United States of America a long look at itself in the mirror. The questions of "how did we get here?", "who are we today?", "what is ahead of us?", and "how we are perceived by the rest of the world?" all may be in the background as the Oscars wash around us this week. But as awards season flows away, as the lights turn off and the red carpets are put away, these reflections will linger, if not loom. Hopefully we, both as a people and as individuals, can confront these ideas: digest them, be encouraged by our successes, acknowledge our failures, and help create a better world to live in.

Should Have Been a Contender: Overlooked by the Oscars

Kimberly Elise as Denver in Beloved

On January 10th, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the Oscar nominees, and unless this year is any different from years past, there will be amazing performances, songs and movies that are overlooked. Below are some of the past omissions that made me think: What's wrong with you people?!

In 1998, much of the Oscar buzz around the movie Beloved centered on Oprah Winfrey's performance. Oprah was excellent, but it was the performance of Kimberly Elise as her daughter, Denver, that left me thinking: ok, they should just give her the award now. Although not as showy a role as those played by Oprah Winfrey and Thandie Newton, Denver's fear, pride, pain and intelligence are all on display in Elise's expressive face. The moment when I thought, ok, just give her the Oscar: when she forces herself to leave her home and seek out work--and help--a tear sliding down her cheek as she tells a stranger: "My mama. She don't feel too good."

Another supporting actor I thought gave a wonderful performance was Bill Pullman in The Accidental Tourist. Full of charm, his eyes sparkling with mischief, Pullman plays Julian, the boss and editor of Macon Leary (William Hurt). Julian is fascinated by Macon and his eccentric siblings, particularly Macon's sister Rose, whom he falls in love with in spite of their very different lifestyles. I left the theater thinking, "Who is Bill Pullman and why isn't he in more movies."

Finally, until I looked it up, I was certain that Do the Right Thing had at least been nominated for Best Picture. But no. Although the controversial movie received nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Danny Aiello) and Best Original Screenplay (Spike Lee), it won neither. The Academy snubbed Lee's masterpiece about racial tensions that explode on a hot day in Brooklyn in favor of safer fare, such as Dead Poets Society and Driving Miss Daisy. (The latter won Best Picture.)

Other masterpieces that weren't nominated for Best Picture include The Wrestler and Vincent and Theo. The Academy also overlooked the former's title song by Bruce Springsteen, the best song he's yet written for a film, and Tim Roth's amazing, understated performance as Vincent Van Gogh in the latter.

The good news: it's never too late to check out a classic movie or performance on DVD. All of the above can be obtained through the library. (And so can the books Beloved and The Accidental Tourist.)

What other great performances or movies have been overlooked by the Academy? Who should be nominated this year?

The Oscars - This Guy's Perspective

Possibly the most asked question today might be "Did you watch the Oscars?"

In the past, if someone asked me, I would reply, "yeah, kinda". This year, I watched snippets of the 81st Academy Awards through commercials of the Blackhawks tilt against the Minnesota Wild then flipped over to it fully after the end of the Blackhawks game (to my wife's relief). Much as it is for my wife when she watches hockey, it was always difficult for me to stay focused on all the shenanigans going on during the Oscars. But through all the song and dance routines (I wasn't sure of Hugh Jackman's singing capability, but I thought he certainly hit the end of the show tune menagerie pretty well) and strange "homage to comedy" skits, there were a few things in this year's presentation that resonated with me.

Firstly, I'm always impressed to see people who can only speak a little bit of English brave the treacherous waters of the most difficult language while they are standing in possibly the biggest spotlight of their career. A great example of this was Kunio Kato accepting the award for the Best Animated Short Film (La Maison en Petits Cubes), plus his reference to the Styx song by quoting the line "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" reminded me that a good sense of humor transcends any language barrier.

This leads into something else that impressed me: in the good portion of the show that I saw, I did not notice anyone going on longer than the allotted time in their acceptance speech. For me, there is often an uncomfortability inherent in watching these speeches, much akin to when I watch ice skating once every four years in the Olympics. I always feel horrible for the skater when they fall, ruining all the long hours that they trained for this one moment, and I always feel bad for the individual(s) who run out of time recognizing those who brought them to this pinnacle of their enterprise (though I also recognize that sometimes people can take advantage of the opportunity). I thought Heath Ledger's family handled the situation perfectly as they accepted the award on behalf of Ledger's 3 year-old daughter, Matilda - they were grateful, yet understated; they let the achievement of their beloved family member speak for itself.

A quick note, I'm almost always impressed with Will Smith's charisma when he's forced to ad lib. Could we see him host an Oscar night sometime in the future, maybe?

I really enjoyed the personal recognition of the nominees for the Best Actress, Best Actor, etc. I thought this was an excellent way to recognize everyone who was nominated. You could see that even though most of the nominees didn't win the actual hardware (the statues are made in Chicago, by the way), many would take away fond memories of peer recognition from the ceremony - and in the film industry, peer recognition can be an excellent consolation prize. I realize all of the nominee blurbs were scripted, but the pathos that was lent to the situation by the words of the former winners and the nominees' reactions was touching (ie. Shirley MacLaine speaking to Anne Hathaway). On a personal note, I enjoyed seeing Ben Kingsley and Michael Douglas, two of my ageless favorites.

To sum up, I liked this year's Oscar presentation. I thought Christopher Walken looked a bit disheveled, but that's all part of the fun. I also really liked the clips showing winners of the past - a reminder that watching the Oscars is watching history in the making. Also, with the awards honoring everything from art direction to sound mixing to best director, plus the annual remembrance not only of the actors and actresses, but of all the publicists, camera operators, and other unsung heroes of the movie business that have passed on, it is a humbling reminder that hundreds, if not thousands, of real people have contributed hard work and valuable time to provide a 2-hour escape for the rest of us on a Saturday evening.

Oh yeah, one more comment from the show last night: I'm sure going to miss Paul Newman.