does it really matter?

We can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the Academy Awards are out of our hair until next year. Apparently this was the lowest rated Oscars in twenty years, which is unfortunate because some truly great performances and films were awarded. It's curious that the general public may not be familiar with the winners or the films recognized, when in fact they speak very intelligently and loudly about America right now. "No Country for Old Men", "There Will Be Blood", and "Michael Clayton" propose that we live in a greed obsessed world where consumption and the quest for monopolizing and claiming territory is as essential as brushing one's teeth. The precocious teenager in "Juno" is the everygirl, with her whip crack smarts and woman-child vulnerability, learns how to deal with pregnancy in the face of her peers, parents, pro-lifers, and the baby's daddy. The rise and fall of Edith Piaf, so wonderfully and skillfully rendered by Marion Cotillard, could be the rise and fall of any hard living American rock star. All of these issues and concerns are on the pulse of who and what American has become in this juncture of history, but perhaps that confrontational, vague definition is off putting to most Americans. They would rather see Shia LeBeouf chased by CGI created robots from some popular cartoon in the '80s. (which in a way, says tremendous things about politics, gender, generational divide, and so on) When Chris Rock hosted the show a few years ago, his comic and astute observation that most Americans don't bother to see the prestigious echelon of films nominated, played out in the form of a man on the street style interview with actual moviegoers who all seemed clueless at the mention of a film like "Vera Drake" or "Maria Full of Grace." What does that mean? Are the Oscars irrelevant?

I have faithfully tuned into the big show ever since I can remember and each year as I become more and more film literate and invested in "the best films of the year", it is crushing to watch the films I'm rooting for not win in their respective categories. How is a big, audacious, punch of a movie like "There Will Be Blood" only win two awards? Let's not forget the "Crash" debacle or how films that seem like a thing of the past, such as "Shakespeare in Love", "Gladiator", "Titanic", and "Chicago", have won best picture. Are these the films we'll remember in ten, twenty, fifty years time? I'm still thinking about Clive Owen desperately trying to save the 21st century Madonna in "Children of Men" or Heath Ledger remorsefully clinging to his lover's bloodied shirt in "Brokeback Mountain" or the sensational bathhouse brawl in "Eastern Promises." Whether or not the Oscars are always accurate in who they select as the best actress or best cinematographer, they remain a cornerstone of American entertainment and a bit of a national treasure. It is the last major film awards of the season, and certainly one of the first in the world to acknowledge the achievements of its artistic community of players and craftspeople. To not watch such a prime spectacle is almost unAmerican. I'm sure I'll be tuned in next year and probably gasp loudly when an unexpected winner takes the stage (such as I did when Tilda Swinton's name was called), but hopefully those damn Coen brothers won't hog all of the awards again.