This year, I didn't care about the technical categories, the short films, or the documentaries. Same for the music categories, costume, art direction, and all that. Here's what I DID care about:
I didn't see "Affliction," but I wanted to see James Coburn win for Best Supporting Actor, and he did. I liked him a lot in "Payback," and I figure, he's certainly paid his dues. Judi Dench was excellent in "Shakespeare in Love," but her role was so small, I'm not sure if she shoulda been listed as a supporting actress. Still, it was great to see her win the Oscar.
Then there's Best Actor, which went to Roberto Benigni. Many thought that Nick Nolte would get it. Again, I didn't see "Affliction," and I'm sure he did a great job, but I was really glad to see Roberto Benigni win that award (more on Benigni in the next paragraph). And yes, Best Actress went to Gwyneth Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love." The day after the Oscars, I read a lotta people dissing "Little Gwynnie." There are some who found her performance in "Shakespeare in Love" as overrated (mostly pretentious idiots who love a movie until it finds success), and worse, many were complaining about her speech. Her speech was touching. It was a very moving speech and she showed true appreciation (for her family, as well as the award). Some people are grateful for being awarded for a job well done, so those who keep making fun of her speech need to pull that stick outta their asses and stop being so freakin' judgmental (ignore the fact that I referred to those same people as "idiots" earlier).
Best Foreign Film went to "Life is Beautiful," and Roberto Benigni was quite happy. I LOVED "Life is Beautiful," and it brought me great joy to see Benigni win. I hadn't seen any of the other Best Foreign Film nominees, but I'm sure that "Life is Beautiful" deserved it. As for Roberto Benigni's behavior, many thought he was annoying. Me personally, I thought he was one of the highlights. He was so happy when he won for both Best Foreign Film and Best Actor, and he was just as happy when the composer of the movie won Best Score for a Drama. He was overjoyed by the whole experience, and there's nothing I love more than when someone shows true appreciation for being awarded (like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck last year when they won for Best Original Screenplay, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. the year before that when he won Best Supporting Actor). Sure, Benigni was a little over the top, but he made me laugh that night. He was the very best thing about the Oscar telecast.
Yes, Steven Spielberg deserved that Oscar for Best Director. "Saving Private Ryan" was incredible, and he made a war movie unlike any other. This year, I saw every movie that was nominated for Best Picture, and I must say, "Saving Private Ryan" deserved the Oscar for Best Picture. Still, I was very happy to see "Shakespeare in Love" win. It was a wonderful movie, and I'm sure they didn't expect to win. I dunno, I'm happy for them even though they may not have really deserved the award.
As for the Elia Kazan controversy, I don't know. The way I see it, he's a rat who got others blacklisted because they simply believed in a different way of life. No, I don't support communism, but why would I care if someone else believes communism to be an okay thing? Then again, it's easy for me to say all that. The USSR no longer exists, and I wasn't alive during the height of communism being a threat. Would I have applauded Elia Kazan that night? Sure. This was a night to honor Elia Kazan the filmmaker, not Elia Kazan the snitch. Then again, let's say that Elia Kazan was a rapist and a murderer, THEN would I be so willing to applaud Elia Kazan's work in film? Hell no. Realistically, this isn't a big issue to me. If people wanna applaud him, applaud. If people refuse to applaud him, don't applaud. That's it. As it turned out, many gave him a standing ovation, while others sat and applauded, and others didn't applaud at all (most notably Ed Harris, Mare Winningham, and Nick Nolte). I WILL say this, though: I think that Elia Kazan shoulda apologized that night. I dunno, a couple of people I know think he's almost a national hero for snitching. Everyone's got an opinion.
As a whole, it was a decent show. Whoopi Goldberg was funny, but she was no Billy Crystal. It was a night of surprises, controversy, and a manic little Italian guy. In other words, it turned out to be the event that it usually is. I'm glad that I watched it, and I'm sure that I will in the years to come. One thing, though: I think they should go back to Mondays. I dunno, maybe it's just me.