Oscars

Believe it or not, a couple of my correspondents have asked for my opinion of the Oscarcast. Alas, I'm not sure what to say. Despite my film buff past, I did not see many films in 2005. Ticket prices have risen, and I was not prosperous.

I did catch Munich, a film nearly everyone seems to have misunderstood. People who hate Israel took it as pro-Israeli propaganda, while neocons despised it for portraying the Palestinians as human beings. I saw it as a film about the meaning of family -- which was also the theme of this year's other Spielberg film, War of the Worlds. I'm fascinated that he would overlay that theme on such unlikely subject matter, twice in the same year.

I'll have much more to say about Munich soon, perhaps tomorrow. As always, there is a little-known backstory which has gone unaddressed by the "experts" pontificating on the film and the real-life events which inspired it.

I did not see Crash or Capote or Brokeback Mountain. I'm not sure I want to see a love story about gay cowboys, but only because I'm pretty bored by all love stories these days, no matter who the participants might be.

The montage of previous "gay" Western moments was inspired. In case you're wondering, the hilarious final clip -- the one depicting Gregory Peck and a bare-chested Charlton Heston -- was from an epic called The Big Country.

Jon Stewart started off a tad awkwardly. He had trouble finding the right pace. (Many have observed that his monologue worked much better in the house than on the tube.) But he warmed to his task as the evening progressed; I would like to see him do this job again.

In his acceptance speech, George Clooney hit precisely the right note, injecting a hint of political commitment without alienating the audience. This is the way to win over those who've had propaganda injected into their craniums by daily exposure to the radio right.

I sure wished that the Enron documentary had won. On the other hand, I like penguins.

Frankly, I never cared for the work of Robert Altman. Three Women struck me as fetchingly strange and rather moving, and Secret Honor is catnip for Watergate buffs. But his visual style -- an eye-level camera swaying back and forth, occasionally going in for a sloppy zoom -- always repulsed me. I've seen surveillance footage with more creativity. The improvisatory acting in his films (brilliantly parodied by Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep during the ceremony) may seem exciting and innovative to some, but I never lost my mind over it. Even so, I am looking forward to Prairie Home Companion.

By the way, it's no secret that Altman was one of the biggest stoners in Hollywood. During his acceptance speech, he seemed pretty damned alert and spry for a guy in his 80s. Those looking for evidence of marijuana's deleterious health effects will have to search elsewhere.

Is there anything else to say?