Mr O

So it's the day after the Oscar's and I am going to write about them because I stayed up late last night to watch them, despite the fact that my alarm went off at 3:50 this morning so that I could be at work at 5. I didn't know Starbuck's opened at 5:30 when I was hired. I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I usually don't think too far ahead. And I curse myself for that on days that I have to open. Anyway, I earned the write to babel about them because I sacrificed my deep sleep in order to finish them so that I could see the happenings live and not hear about who won from a customer...speaking of Babel...it brought home the Oscar for music score. I am not going to elaborate any more than to say this: Watch It. Rent It. DO what you have to to see it. I think I may have been tired and emotional the night I saw it, but nevertheless, I was moved. I cried all the way home from the theater. When I got home I tried to tell my mom about it and she said that she was worn out just from listening to me explain it. The director last night said he started out making it to portray how disconnected we all are, and upon completion of the film, he realized that it was about how we are all connected...that we are all the same. I am not sure that it necessarily deserved any more performance Oscars (Brad Pitt could have been nominated for supporting, and the film probably deserved an editing nod, maybe) but the film as a whole speaks volumes of what we all, as human beings that inhabit this earth together, need to hear.

Yes, Forrest and Helen both deserved their Oscars for their leading roles, in my opinion. The only film I didn't see for the Male leading role was Venus, and though I am sorry that Peter O'Toole is 0 for 8 in his run for the oscars, I am pretty sure Forrest gave the best performance...and that is difficult for me to say because I am a recently converted Leonardo fan...and as much as I wanted to see him on the podium, I knew it wasn't meant for him. Helen won it, hands down. I could say more but I am choosing not to.

More about my conversion to admirer of Leonardo Dicaprio (I didn't say fan becuase if sounds so juvenile) - I came to this place after seeing The Departed. Hands down, the best made film, in my opinion (and the Academy's) of the year. His performance freaking blew me away. I was never attracted to him when he was a teen idol, or in the midst of the Leonardo craze of the late 90's. I didn't even like Titanic that much. He seemed like a little boy. But friends, I am here to tell you that nowadays, he is indeed a man. The performances in the film...all of them were so graceful and fluid...the directing was genius (the Academy agreed with me there too), the writing was, as others have said, flawless (if that's possible) and the editing, musical score, and mixing are what made the rest of the film hold together so tight...I just simply cannot say enough about the execution of the movie. Watching it made me see what movies can really be like. I went out and rented Raging Bull and Good Fellas just so that I could soak up every ounce of Martin that I could. So, in a nutshell, I was jumping and clapping at the TV when the best director and best picture awards were announced.

I think Ellen did a great job hosting. Her presence in the show was not invasive or obnoxious, and she has such a lighthearted sense of humor. She could be telling you something horrible about yourself, and because of the way she delivers it, the way it rolls off of her tongue, you would probably thank her.

I was talking to my buddy Jesse at work and we were discussing that another aspect we appreciatedabout last nights show is how much diversiity was represended in the nominations...age...color of skin...language...sex...genre...Ellen hinted on that in her opening monologue, and we agreed.

I am extremely tired right now, for serious. I have that lingering headache, apathetic attitude, and fogginess of brain that comes when I go more through more than one night of little sleep. But it was worth it. Oh, and a shout out to Pam for singlehandedly winning the JBU talent show. Maybe not single handedly, but it may as well have been. She's a rock star.

I will leave you with my top three must see films of the year...in not-necessarily consecutive order...

The Departed (a strong R, but so so so much more if you are one of those people that can look past that)
Little Miss Sunshine (an unexpected stream of sunlight during an unbelievably gray day)
Babel (amazing supporting role performances by all of the cast...diverse and interesting to watch, with an underlying message that everyone needs to hear and is said without anyone ever actually vocalizing it...subtle enough to not be shoved down your throat but strong enough to move you from your otherwise comfortable zone)

And one more thing...Gwyneth Paltrow is my pick for best bressed last night...she made a splash in Oscar de la Renta when she won for Shakespeare in love, and I thought her dress last night was indicative of how her life has evolved from that youthful pink dress to a wife and a mother and a child who lost her father...someone that has grown and learned and lived...so much from just a dress...