Oscars Eve

Sunday night. The Oscars are tomorrow morning. Or, tonight, depending how you look at it. Although tomorrow, today's "tonight" will be last night here while it's still tonight there, but for now, it's tonight here, so the Oscars that are on today there are on tomorrow here.

And boy am I excited!

I love the Oscars even more than I love time zones! Being in Korea has seriously cramped my style as far as seeing all the nominated flicks goes, but I will just state right now that my main opinion based on what I have seen is: down with Brokeback Mountain! I hope its predicted sweep is upset by Munich, Munich, and more Munich!!!

That's right, I said it. I saw Brokeback on Wednesday (conveniently a national holiday here, Independence Movement Day, and we had the day off), on the big screen and everything, and I even got to watch the credits -- take that, Korea! -- and my main reaction was: "OK." My other reaction was, "What gives?! It is set in Wyoming, but they filmed it in Canada? What?! It not only takes place (mostly) in Wyoming, but Wyoming is central to the story! Wyoming is practically a character in the story! The Annie Proulx short story it was based on is from her book Close Range: Wyoming Stories. I have that book. (It's back in the U.S.) I love Wyoming things (more than time zones, slightly less than the Oscars). That's my home, man. Casper (my birthplace) is even mentioned in the movie! Wyoming is where it's at. And they filmed it in Alberta?! Come on."

Even the Canadians I work with, when we were discussing Oscar noms, said, "Hey, that was filmed in Canada. " SO wrong. You are so, so wrong, Ang Lee. I don't care if costs less to film in Canada, you cheap swine. Maybe I'll make a movie about the American Revolution and film the Boston Common scenes in Central Park. Ang Lee gets on my last nerve anyway, ever since the Crouching Tiger, Interminably Long & Boring Dragon year. That year Gladiator won far too many awards and the only one it really should have won was score, and stupid Tiger/Dragon won for best score. Gag! I bet it happens again, this year. I bet Brokeback wins best score even though its score was like, three notes. Only this year, it's even worse because Ang Lee's going to win, too, this time, as is his overrated film. Blah! I WANT MUNICH!

You see, Munich is, quite simply, the superior film. And it would be rather nice if Mr. Spielberg picked up another Oscar for Directing, as well. Now, I do feel bad that I haven't seen Good Night and Good Luck, especially because I really want to see it! but also because I can't really say who should win for the Best Picture and Best Director categories. Maybe GNaGL deserves it; it surely might. But Munich was fantastic! And Crash--please. Although at least if Crash won it would be an interesting upset. But I'd rather have Munich be the upset!

Now about that Original Score...it's actually the category where Munich has a chance, because it's John Williams. Problem is, he wrote two scores this year, so he might split his vote. Even if he doesn't, his other one might win, Memoirs of a Geisha, because of the Yo-Yo Ma factor. But if his vote splits, that leads us to--you guessed it--Brokeback Mountain. Ugh.

The supporting actor categories are superhard to call this year. I roll my eyes at the thought of Jake Gyllenhaal, both because of the quality of the performance and the old nominate-one-of-the-lead-actors-for-supporting-so-s/he-can-win trick, but he has a chance. I'd rather see Heath Ledger win for Lead Actor if any Brokebactor is going to win, but he won't; my money's on Philip Seymour Hoffman from Capote, with Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line having an outside chance. Anyway, back to supporting actor: will it actually be George Clooney from Syriana, which would be cool, or will it be Paul Giamatti from Cinderella Man? I saw it; he was quite good. And thank God it was him nominated from that, not Russell Crowe (see Gladiator rant, above) nor Renee Zellweger (see nominate-one-of-the-lead-actors-for-supporting rant, above) nor Ron Howard and/or his little friend Akiva Goldsman (see my can't-let-go bitterness in just about every conversation I've ever had about the ridiculous A Beautiful Mind 2001 lovefest).

And speaking of the annoying Ron Howard-Akiva Goldsman-Russell Crowe trifecta, and yes, I'm coming out of the parentheses for this, I saw a preview for The Da Vinci Code here in Korea the other week, when I saw Firewall and I was slightly less disgusted by it than the one I saw last August back in the U.S., but I'm still over The Da Vinci Code. Or maybe I was never under it. I was the first person on my block to read it, and I watched its rise to fame, and I can't seem to muster up any shock and outrage about it. Didn't my girlfriends and I in the BYU dorms used to philosophize about such possibilities and religious theories? So not a big deal. So not.

All right, back to the present. I have to predict, so here goes:
Brokeback Mountain will get best director and picture, much to my dismay.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon will get best actor & actress.
Supporting--yikes--this is hard--maybe Paul G. but I guess Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel Weisz? Oh, I so want it to be Amy Adams from Junebug for best supporting actress, though. I really do. If Matt Dillon wins for Crash I'm turning it off. Except I won't have turned it on yet...I should be receiving that info via text message from a kind friend while I'm teaching preschool!
I think Brokeback will take Adapted Screenplay even though I want Munich to, and I think Crash will take Original Screenplay even though Good Night, and Good Luck probably should.
I think Memoirs of a Geisha will win some of the "pretty" awards: costume design, art direction, but King Kong should take both sound awards plus visual effects. The Chronicles of Narnia totally should NOT, but I think it might take the make-up award away from Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.
The one place Good Night might emerge victorious over Brokeback is Cinematography, but I'm not even sure about that one anymore, because I'm starting to feel resigned to a Brokeback sweep. Whatever, nice sweeping beautiful glorious shots of ALBERTA's grandeur.
And with any luck, Munich will win Film Editing. (Although I fear Crash...) 'Cause Brokeback Mountain's not nominated in that category! HA! I tend to like how that category turns out, like when my good friend Black Hawk Down triumphed over A Beautiful Mind or when Traffic snatched it away from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon *and* Gladiator, although I was livid when Chicago beat The Hours. Whatever, Chicago.
As for the others: let's hope Munich for score but I fear Geisha, song "In the Deep" from Crash, foreign Paradise Now, animated Wallace & Gromit, documentary March of the Penguins, shorts animated The Moon and the Son, live action Our Time is Up or Six Shooter, documentary I'm still rooting for my man Norman Corwin, but God Sleeps in Rwanda might get it.

And now, I must go to sleep so I can wake up, teach preschool, and then race home to watch the ceremony! And hope it doesn't go too long and run into my afternoon classes. It feels like Christmas Eve, when I was so excited to go to sleep so Santa Claus would hurry up and come!