Anticipation and Atonement

I love movies. I grew up loving movies and my love never wavered. I use movies to laugh, cry and learn. I use them for emotional release and emotional numbing. They are my favorite escape and I'd rather watch a good movie than do almost anything else.

So it goes without saying that when the Oscars come around, I get giddy. I get so giddy that I have to restrain myself because if something prevented me from watching the Oscars, the disappointment would be unbearable. Or rather, I would be unbearable to be around. Take away my TV for the other 364 days, but give it back on Oscar night.

Every year I try to watch as many Oscar movies as I can to build on the excitement. I never get very far unless most are already out on video, but I try nonetheless. This year, I've been most successful in catching the performances of the nominees for Best Actress. This is my favorite category because I love watching women act. I love that they don't have to hold back emotion as they are required to in real life. I love watching the dramatization of unmedicated reality.

This year I've seen four of the five best actress performances. I haven't seen Laura Linney in The Savages, but I'm anxiously anticipating it. Here are my mini reviews of the other leading ladies:

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
She was the first I watched, so my memory is not as sharp, but she did well. She's so spectacular in everything she's in, that the expectations are high. Unfortunately the rest of the movie wasn't great, so I think it dulled her golden performance.

Julie Christie - Away From Her
Christie plays a woman who is losing her mind to Alzheimer's. She is convincing, absorbing and lovely. She made me grateful to have my mind intact (most of the time) and even more grateful that my husband is still all there. I think losing your spouse to dementia would be worse than losing them to death.

Ellen Page - Juno
I suppose for a girl her age she did fine. She was given an ingenious script and was perfectly cast. I was more impressed with Jennifer Garner as the adoptive mother.

Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
In my post about La Vie en Rose I didn't go into much detail about her performance, simply saying it was brilliant. But now that I've seen the other contenders, I believe it was more than that. Cotillard put her soul into Piaf and pushed the boundaries of exertion to bleed her life to us. She deserves to win.

Of the Best Pictures I've only seen Juno and Atonement so I can't make any comparisons, but I have to say Atonement was one of the most precisely directed movies I've ever seen. I thought for sure it was nominated for Best Director, but it's not. The flow and pace made beautiful love together. There is one long, uninterrupted scene of hundreds of WWII troops on the beach that is drawn out with such perfection and attention to detail that I was completely blown away. Even Keira Knightley was directed away from being annoying. Bravo.

I want to see the dresses and the perfect skin. I want to hear the cheesy pre-show interviews and the commentary. And HELLO Jon Stewart! I've already stocked up on the salami, cheese, dip, crackers, champers. Bring it on.