The Golden Road to Oscar

 

My Oscar Moment

Oscar fever is about to explode. Since the Golden Globes, speculation has run rampant and there have been a few surprises. The few nominations of the Dark Knight, a film done in Chicago was a surprise except for Heath Ledger’s performance and Leonard DiCaprio’s performance in Revolutionary Road and the film itself were just two. Though Chicagoan Michael Shannon’s nomination for supporting actor in Revolutionary Road is nice.

Films that were part of the Chicago International Film Festival in October were recognized. It is always nice to see films usually before wide release in the Film Festival. Films like Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, Happy Go Lucky were recognized at the Golden Globes and have gone on to capture Oscar nominations as well as SAG and Director’s Guild honors.

Year after year the Film Festival showcases films, directors and actors who have gone on to great acclaim. Each year I seem to have the knack for spotting the ones that go on to do well. When the film Sideways was featured at the Film Fest, I wanted to check it out as I hadn’t seen Thomas Hayden Church’s work in sometime and Paul Giamonte’s characters are always diverse. Needless to say, Sideways went on to capture several awards. Yes, most films have been on the festival circuit by the time the get to the Chicago International Film Festival, it’s our way of making sure we’re not left out of the hoopla to come.

When I saw Mickey Rourke was in The Wrestler, I had to see it. There were low rumbling of this being his comeback film. The rumblings got louder and he got a Golden Globe and is now up for an Oscar. I have been a fan since The Pope of Greenwich Village. The bad boy they made him out to be and for whatever reasons, he didn’t do too many films. It was hard for me to watch The Wrestler. The character was hard and soft at the same time. It was a good story. Marissa Tomei has to be mentioned not because she’s a best supporting actress nominee, but because she doesn’t do that many films and th ones she chooses to do shows how she’s matured and grown since her first Oscar in 1992 for My Cousin Vinny.

Slumdog Millionaire has been the delightful surprise for film goers. The name sort of threw me but twenty minutes into the film, the cinematography, the colors and the story had me. I left the film with a good feeling and wondered how many others would have the opportunity to experience this film. Needless to say, it has exploded and the Bollywood ending is the talk of the film. The buzz got loud and now it is an Oscar contender. It is one of those stories that you don’t see that often.

I get excited seeing films from the Festival go on to Oscar glory. It’s as if it was our secret we let others in on later. Though some films enjoy time on the festival circuit before getting distribution or going on to wide release, the word of mouth is usually what gets them on the map.

I will be watching as I always do to see the frenzy that is Oscar. Not as much Hollywood pomp and circumstance as there used to be but it’s always a good time to see who wore what and who is with who and who was noticed by their absence. They are promising a few presenter and other surprises, but we’ll just have to watch to see.

It’s a good feeling knowing that I got to see a few of these films before they were totally discovered by everyone else. And it also lets me know that the the films I choose to see during the festival go on to be recognized on a higher level.