For the past three years, I have meticulously sought out every last Oscar-nominated film, seen each one, read professional reviews of them, compared those assessments to my own opinions, and eaten roughly $6 million worth of popcorn.  All of this served two primary aims:  1)  Entertainment, and 2) It enabled me to win each year’s Oscar pool amongst my friends.  And for the past three years, I have emerged victorious in that pool, winning not only the cash, but also the even more valuable bragging rights that go along with it.  This year, in an upset as unforseen as Hillary’s last gasp, I lost . . . by one lousy point!

Over the years, the pool has grown into quite a little knot — the ‘buy-in’ is low, but at last count, we had over 75 participants, in locales as diverse as New York, Santa Fe, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Palm Beach, Philadelphia and Grosse Pointe (As I write this, it occurs to me that I might be admitting to a large-scale interstate gambling ring, so somebody please have some cash at the ready for bail money).   Because I’m living in a new city, I felt the stakes were especially high:  I had recruited a goodly number of San Franciscans to our little competition, and I was keenly aware of the pressure to demonstrate my movie-going prowess and competitive leadership.

As we sailed through the first two hours of the ceremony, I held an easy lead; scoffing at those who even thought to choose anything other than “Falling Slowly” for best song, and laughing scornfully at those who thought any film could beat out “Ratatouille” for best animated feature.  Confident of my victory, I began spending all that money in the pool . . . a trip to Barney’s loomed on the horizon . . . that new watch I’ve been eyeing at Chopard starting looking good on my wrist in my mind’s eye . . . maybe even a vacation in the spring was in the offing. 

But then the Academy dealt me a series of brutal blows:  Best Actress did not go to Cate Blanchett as it rightfully should have; and in the most shallow decision ever taken by that now Loathed and Despised entity, the Academy conformed to expectations and chose “No Country” over “There Will Be Blood”  — which was clearly the better film from both technical and artistic standpoints.   I left my Oscar party both disgraced and impoverished.

Despite all that, I will say that this year’s crop of movies was far superior to last year’s.  Every single film that was nominated for Best Picture delivered on all the important scales:  “Atonement” with its epic sweep, artfully layered plot and refusal to conform to expectations; “Michael Clayton” with its satisfying-to-the-masses plot that belied an intellectual complexity and rich existential angst; “Juno’s” playful, earnest sophistication; “No Country’s” almost allegorical symbolism enshrouded within a riveting plot; and “There Will Be Blood’s” magnificent treatise on the elements of interpersonal power interwoven with a Sinclairian take on industrialized morality . . . it was an exceptional year in film, particularly for us jaded movie-goers who are too smart for our own good (as my dear mother reminded me when she called to gloat over my loss). 

Of course, this is little consolation, now that I’m plunged into abject penury. 

Posted on February 25th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: San Francisco