A Day Late - Films Oscar Forgot...Or Ignored More Than Logic Would Dictate

I fucking hate the Oscars. It's 3 1/2 hours of AFI-style clip shows and Jon Stewart making occasionally humorous remarks, with alot of crying (from nominees, not Jon Stewart...usually.) Oh, I watch them every year without fail, but they still irk me. The criteria for what makes an "Oscar" movie is so laughably predictable than any reasonably knowledgeable film goer can figure out the nominations in the summer just from looking at the goddamn trailers.

I get so annoyed at knowing who is going to win that I cheer for an upset or a surprise even if its for a movie I didn't watch. (Thank you, French Chick From La Vie En Rose!) This year's winners were actually pretty good to great flicks, so I don't really have too many qualms, but there were a whole host of Oscar-bait movies I've only recently had the chance to watch and I felt that some of them were sadly cast aside. Here, in Top 5 style:

1. IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (elah...elah...ayy...ayy..)

Tommy Lee Jones got his deserved Best Actor nod, but what about director Paul Haggis' script? The film is far from flawless, and its gets a little inconsistent about midway, a problem with alot of the better movies out this year, but Haggis should get some cred for turning a fucking magazine article into a dramatically effective amalgam of A Few Good Men and Chinatown.

2. 3:10 TO YUMA

Action movies are always relegated to the editing categories, but Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were both amazing in this pitch-perfect western. Didn't super-love the end, but overall, a very enjoyable, well-crafted piece. At least give Bale something. A handjob if not a Best Actor nod. He was this year's Matt Damon, delivering awesome performances in this and Rescue Dawn and getting zilch, like Damon last year with The Departed and The Good Shepard.

3. THE KINGDOM

Another action movie that didn't even get any Best Editing love. The script is tight, the acting is superb (although a little too "popcorn" for the Oscar crowd) and the camera work is stunning. Peter Berg, as a director, is really coming into his own. Between this and his work on Friday Night Lights (the show and the movie) he's definitely one to watch. The last thirty minutes or so of this film were every bit the thrill ride The Bourne Ultimatum turned out to be, but Oscar is only allowed to slum with one semi-political action thriller per year, and Paul Greengrass looks more directorly.

4. RENDITION

Not a perfect movie, by any means, but the acting was fantastic. Not the kind that stands out and gets applause, but that cohesive, quiet ensemble feel that more movies need. I guess my qualm here would be with the SAG Awards, but I also felt like Dion Beebe should've gotten a Cinematography nod.

5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

Since they don't have a category for Best Uselessly Long Title, and the Best Actor category was too crowded for my man Brad Pitt, who delivered a top 5 performance in his career. I'm glad Casey Affleck was recognized. The kid is eerily good in the movie. The rest of the cast stands out as well, particularly Sam Rockwell. Roger Deakins got his deserved double Cinematography nod for this and No Country For Old Men but I still felt this movie was overlooked. I guess I feel like Andrew Dominik should've gotten Jason Reitman's spot in Best Director. I loved Juno but we all know* Reitman's nod was a "pat on the head" nomination, to encourage future work. He did a damn good job and definitely deserved it, but watching the oddly fabulist lyricism of Dominik's post-modern, western ballad, its hard not to want to give the Aussie his own pat on the head.

Also, what the fuck? Nick Cave and Warren Ellis get screwed for the score? It's like all the composers in the Academy got together and were like "Fuck those rockers, trying to horn in on our territory." I just know John Williams had something to do with them and Jonny Greenwood getting the shaft. Overpraised prick. While we're on the subject of music...

BONUS ROUND

ONCE

I loved this movie, and I'm glad it won Best Original Song. If one of those insanely vapid songs from Enchanted had won, I'd've turned the telecast off right then and there. This movie was the real little indie that could of the year, so for it to have one song up against three bullshit tracks from that wouldn't make the cut on a straight-to-DVD animated Disney sequel was kind of pathetic, but what a live performance.