I don’t know how the Academy did it, but they must have gotten a hold of my article following last year’s Oscars. Last year’s Oscars, for those of you who forgot or didn’t care, were a serious disappointment. This year, though, it looked as though they took my every criticism to heart and put together a fantastic awards show, the best to date.
They got rid of the experimental format of last year, for one thing. Last year they gave out “minor” awards in the audience, not even inviting the winners on stage. Other times they had every nominee for an award up on stage, and the losers just had to stand there and applaud as the winner accepted his Oscar. This year it was back to the basics-every winner had his/her turn at the mike, and no one was terribly embarrassed. Except, perhaps, the couple of winners whose speeches were cut off prematurely.
The music performances were decidedly better. Although the performance of “It’s Hard Out There for a Pimp” (which won Best Song) was a little odd, it still beat last year’s Oscars, when Beyonc‹¨ sang almost every nominated song. I couldn’t have imagined a stranger juxtaposition, with the set looking like the glorified living room of the Jeffersons with girls dressed as prostitutes dancing about as the song was being sung. In the audience, scads of glamorous people watched. It struck me as particularly funny to imagine what was going through Dame Judy Dench’s mind as she watched the performance.
John Stewart, though not at all a typical Oscar host (think Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg), performed the task with ease and casual cynicism, which avid watchers of “The Daily Show” love about him. There was a definite tongue-in-cheek “Daily Show” feel to the Oscars, especially when they ran mock campaign videos of the Best Actress nominees, with the beautiful Keira Knightley accusing Charlize Theron of “hagging it up” in her big roles.
A distinctly political tone was threaded through almost every facet of this year’s Oscars. This was partly due to John Stewart’s hosting the show, and partly due to the fact that the majority of nominated movies had distinctly sociopolitical themes. Many snubbed this year’s Oscars for that very reason, but I was impressed by the subjects and issues addressed by everyone. The actors were diplomatic, open-hearted and intelligent in discourse.
Stewart opened the floor by saying those in Hollywood are criticized for being detached with the real world, that they are too liberal and try too hard to challenge society. He added that the nominated movies were about politics, terrorism and homosexuality, then quipped, “We go to the movies to escape.”
George Clooney was handed the first Oscar of the night, Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Syriana.” In his acceptance speech, he drew directly from what Stewart had just said. He agreed Hollywood is a bit out of touch but said this isn’t a bad thing. He said: “We were the ones who talked about AIDS when it was just being whispered … I’m proud to be part of the [Hollywood] community and proud to be out of touch.”
Clooney’s acknowledgement justified the material addressed in the nominated films. Hollywood doesn’t make sociopolitical movies for shock value, but rather to reflect our changing world. “Syriana” dealt with terrorism, “Transamerica” discussed transexuality, “Crash” addressed racism and “Brokeback Mountain” discussed homosexuality.
Ang Lee didn’t direct “Brokeback Mountain” with the idea he was going to stir things up and spur outrage in society. In his acceptance speech for Best Director, he clarified that the movie was not just about “the greatness of love that is denied by society, but the greatness of love itself.” The director of “Tsotsi,” winner of Best Foreign Language Film, said in the same vein, “We may have different stories, but they are all the same stories-about the human heart.”
There was even a montage of movies that challenged conventional society, like “Norma Rae,” “Philadelphia” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” in which Atticus Finch makes the poignant statement, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
The statement was made that “Modern-day storytellers have much to say.” In a cinematic world where it seems like all we’re being fed are terrible remakes (think “Dukes of Hazzard,” “The Honeymooners”), it often seems like this isn’t the case. The truth is innovative films are out there, but the innovative ones usually fall under the radar because they are often independent or low-budget, like many of this year’s Oscar nominees. We should obviously be paying more attention to these films. They are the films that are attempting to change the world.
Movies are our history. Do they romanticize? Yes. Embellish? Yes. Entirely accurate? Not usually, but they do encompass the sentiments of our day, sociopolitical or otherwise. Movies change with time just as we do. Hollywood might seem to be running out of ideas, but as long as people continue to change, to grow, to feel creative, there will always be movies.