oscar

Some first impressions...

I am currently reviewing most of the films that have been nominated for Academy Awards. Out of the Best Picture category, I have seen Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, and Milk.

I am almost willing to say at this point that Milk should win it all. Slumdog is a great picture, as is The Reader. But emotionally, I need to go with Milk. Especially given the profound disappointment with California this year and the Proposition 8 vote which was manipulated out-of-state by the Mormon Church this year. Fuck them.

Let's back up a minute and review the two nominees that I have not yet seen (and I might very well revise my opinions once I have seen them, which will be soon).

Benjamin Button sounds like one of those trite romantic fantasies that always seem to make into the finals, but never stands a chance. Frost/Nixon is a Ron Howard film. Ron Howard knows very well how to make inconsequential popcorn movies and nothing else. That "A Beautiful Mind" ever won Best Picture is an eternal blight upon the Academy Awards (eclipsing even the travesty that was "Titanic").

I will see both "Frost/Nixon" and "Benjamin Button" within the next few days. Unless either of them unexpectedly blow me away, "Milk" is my winner along with Sean Pean as Best Actor as he truly WAS Harvey Milk in this film. Despite the fact that I still have a really hard time seeing guys making out on film (I admit to averting my eyes), I feel strongly that gay rights ARE the civil rights issue of this day, and I feel personally offended whenever some idiot politician comes out opposing gay rights for lack of any other substantive issue in his platform.