Dear Swami, they’re putting out the Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning. Who’s in; who’s out; what’s the best picture you’ve seen this year? Signed: Lt. Sugar Plum. (that’s Leftenant, buster)
Dear Sugar Plum
In our never-ending pursuit to outthink Big City Mucky-Muck Critic Roger Ebert, we think this may be the first year they’re actually won’t be a Best Picture. They’re all sort of dudleys when what you really want is a doright.
Even the best pictures which seem to be still lives.
“There will be Blood” is compelling, but really a downer if you think the species is worth saving, and “Juno” is a not as dreary as you’d think. OK, so we liked it but if “Little Miss Sunshine” can’t win, how can a movie subtitled “Little Miss Sunshine Gets Preggers” have a chance?
“Atonement” will be in there somewhere but it’s one of those movies you like less and less in the intervening times after you’d seen it. Like all the Jane Austin inspired bodice rippers to which it owes so much, “Atonement” seems like serious drama where you’re sitting in a dark room with a big sack of popcorn. It's so relentlessly British. But in the cold light of a day, it doesn’t leave much protein in the blood stream.
But Swami still is hoping that “Transformers” gets a Best Movie shot ( a BM, as they say in the biz) , but on the other hand, we thought “1941” was an underappreciated classic and were shocked to learn the rest of the world thought the film should have been turned into a guitar picks.
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