I was surprisingly pleased with the results of last night’s Academy Awards. I was really concerned that Avatar was going to win everything, and I’m super happy that it didn’t. Yes, Avatar was slightly entertaining, but it lacked an original story line. This movie was made so that James Cameron could display his innovations in technology, which is why I’m glad that Avatar won the awards that it did. I was really surprised when the Hurt Locker won best picture, because I thought it would be Up in the Air. Although, I’m equally as happy with the Academy’s choice.
I watched the Hurt Locker a few days before the awards so it was fresh in my mind when it won everything. I’m really glad that I saw it because it was fantastic. It’s about time that someone has made a decent and popular movie about the war in Iraq. I think that Kathryn Bigelow did a great job show us the “real war” and how it is not a traditional battle like World War Two. For those of you who haven’t seen the Hurt Locker, the conflict that it shows is mainly disarming IEDs and suicide bombers. I won’t ruin it for you, but I enjoyed the fact that the ending left the audience thinking and that the story wasn’t completely resolved. For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie: go see it now, you won’t be disappointed.
I was also surprised that Meryl Streep did not win best leading actress. Although I haven’t see Julie and Julia, I heard that she played Julia Childs perfectly. Having actually seen the Blind Side, I was very happy that Sandra Bullock won her first Oscar for this movie. I’m a little biased because I am a huge Ravens fan, but I thought that the movie was wonderful and that she played the character of Mrs. Tuohy very well.
Of course I wanted George Clooney to win for best leading actor because I loved Up in the Air, but I haven’t yet seen Crazy Heart to saw whether or not I agree with the Academy.
I like that the winner of best picture has been a realistic movie since 2003, when Crash was the winner. Sure, I like movies like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Dark Knight but realistic movies that make a social statement are much more important to me and, in my opinion, are more deserving of an Academy Award. Last year’s winner, Slumdog Millionaire, was similar to the Hurt Locker in theme because of the statement each movie made about important social issues. I like this current trend of meaningful best picture winners and hope that it continues into the following years.
Heather Cassano 