Oscars -- A Mixed Goodie Bag

The 84th Annual Academy Awards were a mixed bag for me. An example was Meryl Streep’s third Oscar win for her wonderful portrayal of U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” I am glad that Streep broke her 29-year Oscar drought. I’m disappointed, however, that it had to be at Viola Davis’ expense.

First, I think that the Academy takes Meryl Streep and her acting prowess for granted. I think she should have won for playing Karen Silkwood in “Silkwood” (1983) or for “Out of Africa” (1985) or “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995) or “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) or “Julie and Julia” (2009). Streep inhabits almost every role she plays. She’s a chameleon. But I believe Academy members, while awed at her acting ability, tends to believe she’ll be nominated later or tends to give someone else a chance.

After Davis’ Screen Actors’ Guild win for her role as housekeeper/nanny Aibileen Clark in “The Help,” I thought she was a shoo-in for best actress, becoming only the second African-American female thespian after Halle Berry to take the statue. I saw “The Help” and noticed in Davis’ eyes and her posture her transformation from an oppressed maid with small dreams to a woman with hope, even in the dawn of the civil rights era. Davis was the heart of that movie, which was nominated for best picture while “The Iron Lady” wasn’t. But I will give Davis credit for being gracious in defeat to her friend Streep. As my sister Black Woman Blogging said, “Davis is kind, smart, and important. And inspirational.”

I saw “The Artist” on Saturday at the Varsity Theater in Davis. I liked it. The dog Uggie tugged at my heartstrings. While it deserved its five Oscars, I thought it was a good film but not a great one. A great film, in my opinion, is one where you see it numerous times and find something new in each viewing. “The Artist” had much breadth, with its homages to “A Star Is Born,” “Citizen Kane,” “Singing in the Rain,” and some Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals, but it lacked depth. Yet it was good enough to be the Academy’s flavor of the year.

I’m glad Christopher Plummer finally got his long-awaited Oscar for “Beginners.” I’m happy that Octavia Spencer won for best supporting actress for “The Help.” While her role as Minny could have been written off as another sassy maid, it was her compassion and conviction buried beneath her tough exterior that carried the performance.

As for Jean Dujardin, his best actor win ranked with Roberto Benigni’s win for “Life Is Beautiful.” I doubt that I will see Dujardin in another film shown in the United States. Frankly, I think George Clooney should have netted his second Oscar for his tragicomic portrayal of Matt King in “The Descendants.” I think the Academy felt it needed to award an actor along with its flavor-of-the-year film.

With the technical awards, I was off my game. I expected the Harry Potter finale to take some awards. Instead, four technical Oscars went to Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo.”

Host Billy Crystal did a “pretty good” job. At least he wasn’t the awkward couple that was Anne Hathaway and James Franco. I’m not sure if the Oscar producers will invite Crystal back next year. It is difficult to have a host who is funny yet respects the acting audience.

So, what did you think?