Oscar Guilt and the Current Film Diet

Coraline: Eerily Adorable

Before the Oscars, I decided I was going to, for the first time ever, see all of the best picture nominees before the actual ceremony. I made this plan knowing that Oscars are a crock. I like pretty dresses as much as the next person, and better still pretty dresses with pretty people in them. But I'm perfectly aware that the Oscars are just arithmetic. Regardless of merit, they are handed out to whatever best solves an algorithm of buzz, Academy guilt, star power, pretension, and Issues. Every Oscar is an honorary Oscar.

That being said, I always feel like a bit of a fraud for opining about the awards during the ceremony when I haven't bothered to see the annual Ron Howard For Your Consideration project or what Meryl Streep has been up to. This year I managed to see four of the five, before getting hung up on my utter indifference to The Reader. Does anyone else feel like they just threw it in there to make a nice five, and it was the most pedigreed of the other contenders? Holocaust, check, adapted from a novel, check, tastefully shot, check-check. No one seemed to be particularly enamoured of the film, discounting Kate Winslet's performance. These were the thoughts that went through my mind as I invariably chose food, sleep, Milk, or watching infomercials on TV over The Reader. But I know eventually the guilt will get to me and I'll rent the damn thing.

In other movie news, both new and vintage, I saw Coraline last night and rented Beat the Devil (1953). Coraline was lovely, the kind of movie parents think will be too scary for their kids, but will be the only one they'll love and remember when they're the age of their parents. The animation was beutifully down as well particularly the perfectly miniature sweaters. Although stop motion and cell animation are increasingly rare because of the flexibility and power of CGI, I think they're still better for telling certain kinds of stories, ones where wonder is tempered by fear and fragility. At least for now. And having a curious and competent female protagonist is never a bad thing, although I feel like one character was written in partially so that boys wouldn't be alienated. Still, check it out. You'll get a fetching pair of 3D goggles at least.

Beat the Devil is a fun little movie. Truman Capote did the rewrite, and it shows, as the lines and the characters have a kind of nasty cleverness to them. John Huston directed it, and it shows too. Just when you think you're smarter than the movie, it shows you up. I particularly enjoyed Jennifer Jones as a chatterbox who's either cunning or just bezerk. She gets the best line of the beginning (and of Hollywood's deeply sexist past) "Harry, we must beware of these men. They are desperate characters... Not one of them looked at my legs!"