Before I printed out the list of Oscar nominations, I thought that I had seen many of the films up for nomination. Instead, looking at the list, I felt woefully out of the loop. What were these movies? Why hadn't I seen them? Why hadn't I even heard of them (in the case of "The Wrestler")?
Sure, I've heard of "Slumdog Millionaire" because it absolutely swept the Golden Globes and everyone was shocked that the epic "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was edged out by a movie about a young man in India who wins a game show. I saw "Rachel Getting Married" and "The Reader" because they came to Eveningstar Cinema downtown. I saw "The Dark Knight" this summer because if you didn't, you were ostracized from society by everyone over the age of 10.
But "Frost/Nixon"? "The Wrestler"? "Doubt"? I haven't had time to see these movies! Why does the Academy think that the American public wants their venerable opinions on what is worthy and what is not before these movies have even hit mainstream theaters?
I thought maybe it was my living in the Bowdoin bubble that kept me from knowing what movies came out until I talked to Technical Support Coordinator Thom Colkitt, a Bowdoin staff member who advises the Bowdoin Film Society and works in Alumni Giving. Colkitt, a definite film aficionado who also admits that he "has the strangest taste in films of anyone you've ever met," was disappointed that few of these nominated films had made it to Maine.
"So many of these films haven't been seen in Maine and it's frustrating," Colkitt said. "'The Wrestler'? 'Frost/Nixon'? 'The Wrestler' has been shown in two cities. And the five foreign films up for nomination have not been seen in Maine, at least to my knowledge."
However, Colkitt was refreshed by the Academy's decision to nominate smaller, more independent films for the big categories, instead of crowding the coveted Best Film, Best Actor/Actress spots with large productions and blockbusters.
"It's refreshing to see the great number of independent and small films, like 'Slumdog,' 'The Visitor,' and 'Milk.' Whether or not they win, it's still refreshing for them to make it in. Take Melissa Leo [nominated for Best Actress] in 'Frozen River.' I don't know if she deserves the Oscar, but it's just nice to see her nominated," Colkitt said.
With all these smaller films getting nominations in the big categories, one pauses for a minute to think if Hollywood politics is shifting for the better. Sadly, one only has to look at the other nominees in these big categories to see that some things will never change.
For one, the Meryl Streep/Philip Seymour Hoffman/Amy Adams mega movie "Doubt" is all over the place. Meryl Streep is nominated for Best Actress. Philip Seymor Hoffman and Amy Adams are nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, as is the lesser known Viola Davis. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"—the film hailed as an epic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story—covers the list, with a whopping 13 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Brad Pitt.
And then there's Heath Ledger, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in "The Dark Knight." I think we all know that he will get the Oscar posthumously, as Hollywood's "best" stand up together and applaud him and wipe invisible tears from their eyes to honor a fallen comrade.
Of course, "Wall-E" will win Best Animated Feature Film because movies about animals fighting the bad guys just can't compare to the story of a trash-compacting robot saving blobby humans.
As for Best Motion Picture, who knows? "Benjamin Button" won't win because "Slumdog," "The Reader," "Frost/Nixon," and "Milk" have more valuable social messages to impart.
Without watching all the movies nominated for this, the 81st Academy Awards, I feel that observing past Hollywood politics can give you a pretty good sense of who will win what. Maybe I'm wrong, but why else would Hugh Jackman be hosting if not for Hollywood's guilt over not nominating "Australia" for anything but Costume Design?