A Night at the Oscars

Let me begin by stating my dislike of awards show. I haven't tuned in to one in... well, probably more than a decade. It was bad enough that the music awards (Junos in Canada, Grammy's in the U.S.) rarely if ever recognized my favourite and very talented bands (mostly metal and progressive rock, stuff like Metallica and Rush in the old days). In more recent years it's turned around only slightly, but jeez, just look at how things transpired for both Megadeth and Metallica at the latest Grammy's (I only watched highlights of those two incidents on Youtube). It's as though someone has it out for the metal community. In a word... clueless.

But today I want to talk about the upcoming Academy Awards. First off, I won't watch them. I have long felt that my favourite movies have been jilted at the Awards and that has soured the whole experience of sitting through hours of "and the winner is so-and-so!", leaving me squirming through the remainder of the show. It doesn't help that my tastes run toward the genre stuff that isn't as popular with the voting board. But the choices of the Academy over the decades set a precedent that has prompted film-makers to aim at churning out "Oscar Bait"... tailoring their movies - with stories and themes and actors that'll win the hearts of the voting Academy - to the Oscar-winning ideal. Good commerce but not necessarily good art.

I look at the nominees for this year's Oscars and though I've watched about a couple dozen 2016 movies, I'm certain extremely few of them will be properly recognized by the industry. It seems that films like Moonlight and La La Land, both critical favourites, will be raking in the awards this time around. Both are movies that I did not see, and simply did not want to see. Just not interested. The Academy generally chooses winners from the more mainstream dramas, an area I don't often check out. As a result, I've seen precious few of the 2016 films that are most highly regarded for this Oscars ceremony. Director Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge, a contender in several categories, is one I missed but may give a look sometime soon.

So... here are my thoughts on the Oscars, based on my somewhat limited knowledge of the 2016 film nominees:

Manchester by the Sea is up for Best Picture, and I did make a point of watching it the other night. A very fine film, and I suppose I should root for it to win, since I know full well that my true favourite (of the nominees), Arrival, will be snubbed. If Arrival wins Best Picture, I will eat my socks. And enjoy it.

I'd love to see Michael Shannon get Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his offbeat sheriff character in Nocturnal Animals, a movie that impressed the socks off me. Again with the socks.

I was seriously lacking in the animated feature films department last year, but one I did see, Zootopia, was a clever visual feast.... I can root for that one even though I haven't seen the competition, right? Piper, Disney-Pixar's Animated Short Film is cute, funny, and beautiful - could it win?

My favourite films may collect some of the technical awards (that's usually the case). Arrival looked stunning and I pray that it'll at the very least take the Best Cinematography, Editing, and Production Design categories. Perhaps Arrival could take the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing Oscars, too, though it's got Rogue One, La La Land, and Hacksaw Ridge to contend with there. 

Though I'm not familiar with Arrival's fellow nominees in the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) category, I have a feeling Arrival may take this one. It's a helluva story, originally appearing as a novella, and now expanded into a feature length picture. As for Writing (Original Screenplay), The Lobster boasts an amazingly bizarre and imaginative story. Manchester by the Sea is also up for that award, and it's very good in a more staid fashion. I have no strong opinion either way. 

Watch the skies... Amy Adams in Arrival

I really feel that The Witch, which appeared at Sundance Film Festival in 2015 then in wide release in 2016, should have appeared in the Oscar nominations. This is my true true favourite film of 2016. From the exceptional acting to the detailed and imaginative story to the taut direction and eerie and unsettling cinematography... and the countless creative and technical aspects, The Witch simply dominated me as I watched it - twice. No other movie did that so powerfully. Sing Street also won me over, though in a lighter, less imaginatively striking manner; still loads of fun, but not quite Oscar-winning material.

As I said before, I will not watch the Oscars, though on Monday, I'll check the newpapers and the web for the results. For me, the awards show is not worth investing an entire (late) evening to... so I'm satisfied just checking the "box scores" the next morning. Good luck, Arrival!

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If you'd like to read more about my favourite films of 2016, click here