Random Noise

Oscar Time: Best Motion Picture of the Year

[Originally posted on MySpace]

Well, it’s the last installment… I’m posting a bit late tonight (spent the evening snowboarding again) because we had to drop Striker off at the hospital. He landed on his wrist when trying to land a jump. Hopefully it’s not broken and he can keep playing Geometry Wars… =)

In any case, back to the Academy Awards, here are my picks for best motion picture, in reverse order:

#5: Good Night & Good Luck

There are number of things I’m looking for in a movie, to get my pick as best film. One of those qualities is ‘repeat watchability’ - do I want to see this film over & over again or is one time enough? For Good Night & Good Luck, one time is enough. It just doesn’t seem like I’m going to learn anything new about the characters or their story. And the movie isn’t going to evoke any of the original emotions you feel when watching it for the first time. These are important to me, so this film goes on the bottom of my pick list.

#4: Munich

On the contrary, with Munch I feel there is something more to learn about these characters. But, the story is very linear… The movie doesn’t require any mental horsepower to figure out what’s going on - at no point is the viewer left in suspense - well, longer than one scene that is. I enjoyed the varied action in this film - from scenes of intense action to much calmer, even comedic scenes when planning the next hit. Mixing it up like that makes me think that I would enjoy this film if I saw it again. =)

#3: Capote

Picking #3 was really difficult for me. I really can’t say enough about Philip Seymour Hoffman, I’ve always been a big fan of his and I think I would really enjoy watching his films over & over again. But, this film doesn’t quite have the emotional punch that Brokeback Mountain has… So if I were to watch Capote again, I think my primary reason would be to appreciate Philip’s abilities, not to experience the story for a second time.

#2: Brokeback Mountain

That means that Brokeback Mountain is my #2 pick. This is a film that is told with such patience and grace - I think you can reconnect with these characters many times over. What’s also amazing is how this film sucks you into the story - it pulls you away from your everyday reality. That gives this film a real lasting quality…

#1: Crash

Crash is the movie that exceeded all of my expectations for a good film, and is the movie I would pick for Best Picture. As I’ve mentioned before, the unpredictable intersecting plotlines are wonderful, and the acting is multidimensional yet not overt. I liked how there wasn’t a single dominate character - the film relied on the entire cast to make it good. The story also significantly varies how you feel when watching. This movie will make you angry, laugh, cry, depressed, hopeful, frustrated, wide-eyed, sympathetic, and a whole slew of other things… Also, I imagine the subject matter will remain relevant for quite awhile - it’s something you can’t help but talk about after watching.

Of course, I have no idea who’s going to win on Sunday night, it will be interesting to see where the Academy and I align & where we diverge. I hope the academy members actually saw all of these films, they were all great - their nominations were all deserved…

On a side note - I’m not headed to Dubai next week after all (office politics - hmph!), but I will be in Eugene on 3/13 to try and get rid of a speeding ticket, and I’ll be in Las Vegas 3/16 - 3/20 for an extended bachelor party.. Woo!

Later.