Well, for the first time in years, I'm working on Oscar night (until 12:00 a.m.). So I guess I'll be missing it this time... unless there's somewhere online I can stream it live (or close to live). Anyone know if that's possible?
Ah well, I mostly just want to see it because I enjoy Billy Crystal as a host. I find the nominated films themselves to be a mixed bag.
Most seem to think that The Artist will win Best Picture, and I'm fine with that; it's a delightful, highly entertaining film. I was also quite charmed by Hugo, and certainly wouldn't mind if that took home the top prize (I don't expect it will, however). The Descendants is a fine film, effective as both a comedy and a drama, but it seems like a bit too much of a safe choice to me. The Tree of Life is... ambitious. Admirable. I didn't find it entirely satisfactory, but I can't deny its artistic merit. It definitely deserves some accolades, but I wouldn't say it's quite Best Picture-worthy. I haven't seen the other BP noms.
I must say, though, I'm flabbergasted that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (which received rather mediocre reviews) was nominated, but films like Drive, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Melancholia (to name a few) were shut out. I suppose not having seen EL & IC, I can't really judge fairly, but I'd wager the above films were much more deserving of a BP nod.
Then there's the performance awards. I can't, for the life of me, fathom how Tilda Swinton did not get a Best Actress nomination for her work in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Ditto Michael Fassbender in the Best Actor category for Shame.
Ah well... in any event, I still look forward to seeing who emerges victorious.
