Oscar Gets It Right

The 82nd annual Academy Awards last night in many ways one of the most predictable in recent memory. But for many there was a shock at the top.

Many, including me were ready to attend the James Cameron - Avatar coronation, thinking he was going to need a pick-up truck to take home all the hardware he was going to collect in three hours. Such was not the case. His nine nominations turned into three wins, all in the categories he should have. Most of it for techno stuff, and they were well deserved. But his nomination for Best Picture came and went, and thankfully did not come to bear fruit. The crown jewel of the night went to The Hurt Locker, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

No one is blind to Avatar's success. It has been a gigantic windfall of praise and cash. Avatar is visually spectacular, and at times highly imaginative. But to be fair, Avatar is not very important. The actual story at its root, has been told a thousand times before in various other movies. For me, this was the weak link. All great movies start with a great story. The Hurt Locker was a story you had not seen before- told brilliantly.

As far as Avatar was concerned, if you're going to spend 500 million give us something more than a story line that's been overused in movies for decades. The Hurt Locker over time will retain it's relevance and importance. Avatar will not. As the technology catches up and surpasses Avatar, (and it will) we'll be glad it doesn't carry the Best Picture trophy. As visually stunning as it is, it's just not relevant. I want Oscar to be relevant. It carries the label forever.

Honestly, my choice was Up In The Air. I knew it had no chance to win, but I was moved by it as much as any movie this year. The Hurt Locker was not far behind. Then came the acting awards.

Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock both were terrific in their roles in Crazy Heart and The Blind Side respectively. Bridges I felt was the runaway performances in his category. Bullock conversely was in a dog fight with Meryl Streep, but in the end, Bullocks willingness to completely reinvent herself on screen was the separator.

Chistoph Waltz and Mo'nique were fabulous and I was thrilled to see them carry home the Oscar. We may have seen one of the greatest supporting performances ever in Inglorious Basterds from Waltz.

Congrats to all the winners. This year, Oscar got it right!