We usually try to see all five of the best picture nominees. This year, so far, we have seen Slumdog, Milk, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. But The Reader likely won’t make it to Bozeman, and I am willfully skipping Frost Nixon. I like Richard Nixon too much to see him humiliated.
Milk is the best movie I saw last year (for my wife: Mama Mia). Sean Penn is magnificent as Harvey Milk – I forgot a few minutes into the movie that it was him. His performance was sensitive and nuanced, the movie was well-paced and interesting throughout. It adds insight into the gay rights movement of that time – we take so much for granted now, but coming out in the late 1970’s was an act of real courage.
On the other hand, in Benjamin Button I never forgot for a second that Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, acting. My God was it boring! Take away the fact that the central character was aging backward and you have a bland and uninteresting man leading an unremarkable life. How on earth he was tapped for a best actor nomination is beyond me – he didn’t seem to be suffering his fate much, wasn’t holding in any great pain, never much tried to understand himself. He never even raised his voice, not that there was any great unreleased energy behind the odd laid back man. There wasn’t a trace of anguish to be found in his knowing that he would eventually be a suckling to the beautiful woman he loved. He was just Pretty Boy Pitt.
The technology is fairly remarkable. Towards the end, before other actors take over, Pitt’s face has the sheen of a teenager, his body light and athletic. That’s an accomplishment for the technicians behind the scenes. Maybe the movie should win some of those awards they give away at the dinner the night before the formal ceremony. But best picture? Best actor? Please.
Piece of Mindful 
You didn’t see Milk here, did you? I really want to see it, but as far as I know it’s never made it to Bozeman.
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We saw it in Colorado. I just assumed it was here.
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Milk’s in Kalispell and not Missoula. I don’t get that.
This is the first year in a long time I’m not interested in watching the Oscars. What a lousy, boring list of nominees.
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Plus, Hugh Jackman’s the host? Zzzzzzzzzzz
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I agree that the Curious Case of Benny B was not that curious afterall. He was born, eventually got it on with the hot woman, an died. There was no twist. No longing. Pitt as Button just watched the world go by unpreturbed, aside from the lukewarm emotion he showed during the silly fights between Pitt and Blanchett– which were created just to prolong the movie anyway. Just goes to show that anytime an actor puts on makeup to look old or ugly (kidman in the hours), it’s nomination time.
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Don’t get me going on Kidman. She and Pitt are soul mates.
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