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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Sunday's Oscars promise typical glamour but few surprises

With the Oscars fast approaching, anyone writing about the awards show must make a heartfelt decision: Do you jump on the bandwagon or prepare to get hit? Unlike in recent years, the major awards seem to have already been doled out for the 2011 ceremony.

For example, most critics have already anointed "The King's Speech" as winner of the coveted Best Picture award. Due to the influence of the Academy's backroom politicking, I suspect that the rumors that the movie will win the top Oscar prize are correct.

However, I believe there are numerous films more worthy of Best Picture than the run-of-the-mill Oscar bait that is "The King's Speech."

Granted, "The King's Speech" is a good film perhaps even a great one. Emotionally compelling and gracefully rendered, the movie hits all the right notes. Colin Firth gives a performance that is certainly Oscar-worthy, portraying the stuttering Prince Albert with striking realism. In the film, Albert is thrust into the spotlight when his brother, King Edward, abdicates in order to marry his American lover. Albert's transformation from an overlooked duke merely an afterthought in the British royal family to a powerful king is nothing short of stunning. Geoffrey Rush also delivers an Oscar-level performance, playing the speech therapist tasked with curing the prince of his impediment.

However, despite these strong performances, "The King's Speech" is hobbled by its cliched storytelling. Like so many past Oscar winners, the film follows a tried and true model perfected over 30 years ago in the "Rocky" films: The underdog defies the odds with the help of a wise assistant and a few cheery montages added in along the way. "The King's Speech" is like so many Best Picture winners of old precisely because it was created for the very purpose of winning awards.

What film is worthy of the Best Picture statue, then? "The Social Network" is widely considered to be the greatest competition for the top prize. An alleged behind-the-scenes look at the founding of Facebook (though the accuracy of the film's storytelling has become a point of contention), "The Social Network" is already being hailed as "The Graduate" of our generation. Although it may be too soon to start placing director David Fincher's film on such a high pedestal, "The Social Network" would be a respectable choice for the top prize at the Academy Awards.

But what about the dark horse candidates? "True Grit" appears to be running a distant third. Featuring Jeff Bridges as the loveably gruff Rooster Cogburn and the young Hailee Steinfeld in an extraordinary debut performance, "True Grit" is yet another masterpiece in the Coen Brothers' canon certainly worthy of Oscar consideration.

By contrast, "127 Hours" the story of a nature enthusiast trapped against a boulder for several days before amputating his own arm and escaping is under consideration for the coveted gold statue almost entirely because of James Franco's unparalleled performance. If Colin Firth was not shoo-in for the Best Actor prize, Franco would almost certainly acquire his first Oscar this Sunday night.

While all of these films are worthy of Best Picture, one of the best films of 2010 is not even included in the Academy Awards' top category. However, this slight is not an anomaly among all the great films released in a given year, one inevitably gets shafted when the list of Oscar nominees is announced each winter. But considering the recent expansion of the number of Best Picture nominees from five to 10, it is truly a shame that the remarkable "Blue Valentine" has been overlooked for Oscar consideration.

A snapshot of a couple at the beginning of their courtship and at the dissolution of their marriage, "Blue Valentine" uses interweaving timelines to explore a couple's experiences falling in and out of love. The specific events that lead to the marriage's dissolution are not shown precisely, nor are they relevant. Neither husband nor wife is responsible for what eventually transpires. Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) simply grow apart as marriage comes to mean different things to them. The film probes the question of whether marriage is the beginning or the end of a relationship. With the help of unparalleled performances from Williams (nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance) and Gosling, "Blue Valentine" deftly explores universal questions about the nature of love and relationships.

While the Oscars already appear to be pre-determined, the ceremony is still a must-see for anyone even slightly interested in movies. For one night each year, Hollywood comes together to honor the art of filmmaking and not the dollars and cents of the entertainment industry. Dressed up and decked out, the Oscars present Hollywood at its most respectable and most gaudy. Plus, hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway promise to keep the ceremony light and entertaining.

The 83rd annual Academy Awards ceremony will be telecast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., airing on ABC at 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 27.