Chris Is a Nerd, Pt. 7,381: Post-Oscar Thoughts

Overall, not a bad show. Hugh Jackman was a surprisingly strong host, it seemed like they did a good job expediting the "smaller" awards (sorry, I understand the significance, but I really couldn't care less about excellence in costume design), and the whole production seemed much more tastefully done than in past years. Also: thank god they decided to condense the Best Song nominees into a medley. I always hated sitting through those damn things.

One thing the Oscars can never seem to change, though, is how eminently predictable they are. Of the six categories I discussed a few weeks ago, I predicted five of the winners correctly. That's not too bad, honestly. Were I of age and in Vegas, I'd have probably made some money tonight. Not too much, though. The odds in favor of my predictions were probably pretty high.

Most importantly, however, I spent the evening in good company. A good time was had by all.

Let's break this down.

Best Picture:
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire
Comments: Let's face it: in recent years, the Academy has had a very good track record for rewarding the best film. Each of the last four years, the best film of the five nomimated has gone home with the statue: Crash in 2005, The Departed in 2006, No Country for Old Men in 2007, and now Slumdog Millionaire for 2008. And Slumdog WAS the best of the five films. You could argue with me, of course, but I imagine you'd be wrong.

Best Director:
Winner: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Prediction: Danny Boyle
Comments: Boyle's a very good director, he's responsible for a fantastic film, and by all accounts he deserved to win. He wasn't my personal preference (Fincher was), but he seems like a pretty nice dude and I'm glad he's finally gotten his chance to shine. It's been a long time coming.

Best Actor:
Winner: Sean Penn (Milk)
Prediction: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Comments: Or, Sean Penn Jacks the Award from the Underdog, Pt. 2: Oh My God, He Actually Deserved It This Time. (Sorry. I still think Bill Murray should've won back in '03.) I predicted Rourke with some confidence, but I can't honestly say this surprises me. Penn is a perennial favorite, he played a very politically important character, and he did an excellent job of it. Despite agreeing with everything he said, I do think his speech was a bit too soapbox-ish. But he's Sean Penn. He's Mr. Hollywood Humanitarian. So, eh, whatever. Milk is a better film than The Wrestler, Sean Penn did a better job than Mickey Rourke, so I'm happy.

Best Actress:
Winner: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Prediction: Kate Winslet
Comments: I keep returning to Winslet's 2005 appearance on Extras where she, as a foul-mouthed version of herself playing a nun in a World War II drama, admitted to Ricky Gervais that she was only doing the Holocaust drama so she could win an Oscar. Funny, to say the least, but prophetic. I didn't see The Reader. I didn't have much desire to. Winslet's a fine actress and I'm glad she finally won, but this feels so much more like a "we should give it to her because she hasn't won" than a "she was so great in this particular film, so let's reward her." But hey, that's the way it goes sometimes.

Best Supporting Actor:
Winner: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Prediction: Heath Ledger
Comments: Surprised?

Best Supporting Actress:
Winner: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Prediction: Penelope Cruz
Comments: Good. I'm glad she snagged this one. For my money, she was better than everyone else she was up against. This was one of the few awards of the evening where there was breathing room for some of the other nominees, but ultimately the Academy decided to be predictable and award the frontrunner once again. Justice is served, at least in this case.

The best moment of the evening was when that one dude balanced the Oscar statue on his chin. That was badass. The worst moments were the ones where I had to look at Adrien Brody's hair. What the fuck.

'Til this time next year! Who knows what'll take home the awards for 2009? I don't yet, but I place my early bets on Paul Blart: Mall Cop.