Dead Wise Guys

Well, the Oscars were relatively satisfying this year. Yes, that's right, relatively. You were expecting me to gloat, right?
First of all, they could have easily cut 90 minutes from the show. Yeah, those involved in every aspect of the industry need to see the "best" of the best, but we don't. I don't need to see 3 or 4 people kissing Al Gore's ass. What a tremendous waste of time. He's not Jesus or Ghandi people! He made a movie that presented a very passionate view on global warming. Well, that's great. They made it sound like he's the man who realized the concept. The praise was of the same magnitude you might expect for someone who cured a certain common type of cancer. Come on. It's global warming...you needed a film?

And that Melissa Etheridge song. Good gravy! That was a terrible song. Yeah, you better thank Al Gore, Melissa. Your association with his film is the reason you won your Oscar, it wasn't that damn song.

Alright, you have to remember, the Departed hadn't gotten much attention at this point in the ceremony. I was extremely pleased that William Monahan won for best adapted screenplay. He deserved that Oscar almost as much as Scorsese deserved his. Really. The script is fantastic. And Thelma Schoonmaker...the thing is she won for the Aviator the last time around and for Raging Bull during that fateful year when the Academy was apparently struck retarded during the selection of the winner for Best Director.

But then the moment arrived. When I saw who was presenting the award for Director, I knew who was going to win. I mean, the Cosa Nostra of Directors walked out on that stage together like they were getting ready to "make" the newest member of the mafia. Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg. 3 men widely recognized among the best directors of all time in film history. How could they not be presenting for Scorsese. Those men were chosen on purpose. A way of telling Marty, "Hey, look, this award is way overdue, but who better to deliver the good news then some of your closest friends and colleagues?" Then they announced it. And as much as I predicted the winner based on the feeling I got from seeing the presenters, nothing could have prepared me for the complete elation I felt when they said the name.

I mean, how many times have they overlooked the ridiculous amount of talent that Scorsese has? Seriously! And no, this doesn't make up for all those times. Even giving The Departed Best Picture doesn't make up for all that. But these things are a good start. Yes, when I was 28...it was a very good year. Now if only they would have completed this year's justice by awarding Best Supporting Male to Mark Wahlberg (or, at the very least, Djimon Honsou), instead of that inside the box acting by Alan Arkin, that would have made it a much more complete year.

Then again, why should they ever do anything completely right at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?