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The Observer, February 29, 2008

Volume XL, Issue 19

Oscar ceremony proves film has not lost importance to society

Naveed Ahmad, Assistant Focus Editor

I overheard a professor one day telling a colleague how pathetic it was that all kids talk about these days is movies and pop culture. Does she have a point? A black man and a woman are fighting to become President of the United States. Civil unrest and violence plague Pakistan and Kenya. The dollar is weak, foreigners are taking our jobs, and the Olympics are coming up this summer. Yet it seemed our entire country was gripped by an event that would transpire at Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. As it came and went, the same problems exist and life goes on. Was there anything to take from it?

On Feb. 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the 80th Annual Academy Awards, honoring the best pictures of the year, along with the stars and teams behind them. As the red carpet was rolled out and the stars made their way inside, I couldn't help but notice how ridiculous the entire situation was. Beautiful people awkwardly answered questions from reporters clamoring just to rub up against them. In one cringe-inducing moment, 76-year-old Regis Philbin lifted both hands of 15-year-old pop and TV star Miley Cyrus into the air, screaming at fans to "get loud" for her. I was ashamed that I had furiously read, seen, and researched for this four-hour marathon celebrating movie stars. But I decided to keep watching.

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show was the host for the evening and eased into the opening monologue. Talking about the category of Best Picture, he cited the dark, rather tragic nature of many of the films nominated that night. There Will Be Blood depicts the life-long mental breakdown of an American oil business man in the early 20th century. A sadistic, unstoppable killer seeks revenge on a drug deal gone wrong in No Country For Old Men. Corruption and murder lace legal thriller Michael Clayton. "Thank god for teenage pregnancy," he said to numerous laughs, referring to the bright film nominated for Best Picture, Juno, a feel-good tale that has won over most of America.

Jokes aside, the popularity of mainstream film has never been greater. The summer of 2007 generated the first $4 billion plus revenue in the history of Hollywood. Websites are solely devoted to critiquing, dissecting, and categorizing film. The Academy Awards are the grand finale, the Super Bowl of the film season. The lowest viewership of any measured Oscar telecast was 33 million, set in 2003. So in a year of blood, terror, pain, teenage pregnancy, and a writer's strike that almost wiped out the entire show, is there anything positive to cite in such vast interest? Does film and the awards given to it belong in our minds, hearts, and discussions? Yes. Film is a form of artistic expression, meant to be shared and interpreted in all sorts of ways. For some, it brings anger and bitter remorse. For others, it inspires hope and pushes them to change something within. Most just see it as entertainment, a mechanism for relaxation and something to chat with others about. It is adaptable and a part of the fabric of our society. While politics, science, literature, and real-world experience should shape our undergraduate careers, art, specifically film, can only assist in helping us discover who we are and what we wish to do on this earth.

So, as the 2008 Academy Awards came and went, I was able to listen to the story of tattooed, emotional former stripper Diablo Cody, screenwriter of Juno and winner of Best Original Screenplay, as she thanked those who got her to this point. I was able to hear Spanish-born Javier Bardem, Best Supporting Actor in No Country for Old Men, speak to his mother in his native tongue, honoring her in front of millions. I saw directors Joel and Ethan Cohen, two brothers long lambasted for never being able to cross over into mainstream Hollywood, finally win an Oscar for Best Picture with No Country for Old Men and simply state, "We have nothing to say. Thanks for letting us play in our corner of the sandbox," signaling not the end of their journey as artists, but rather the beginning. I saw 99-year-old Robert F. Boyle win an honorary award for constructing movie sets in Hollywood for nearly a century, a job he got only after losing his original job as an architect during the Great Depression. The people, the stories, the films, and the awards all give us lessons and examples to grow from. So while some may be quick to discredit the industry and shake their head at America's gargantuan interest, I honor it, and appreciate being given the best Hollywood had to offer at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Who Won:

Best Film – No Country For Old Men

Best Director – Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen, No Country For Old Men

Best Actor – Daniel-Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress – Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress – Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Original Screenplay – Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay – No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen

Best Documentary – Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney, Eva Orner

Best Cinematography – There Will Be Blood, Robert Elswit

Best Foreign Language Film – The Counterfeiters, Austria