The Snubby Awards: 2009 Oscars

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if one was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award!

This time we'll be taking a look at the 2009 Oscars, which was a mostly fine field with one exception.  The nominees were: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and The Reader with the winner being Slumdog Millionaire.  Did Slumdog Millionaire deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!

#5. The Reader

I hated The Reader.  Apart from The Tree of Life, this is probably my least favorite Best Picture nominee.  While the acting and the music are very good, the problem is the story itself.  It involves a 15-year old boy being taken advantage of by an older woman, played by Kate Winslet.  That itself isn't the problem.  The issues is their relationship is treated like a romance and viewed that way by the actors and the director.  This is statutory rape and it is never treated as such.  I can think of another Best Picture nominee, An Education, which is similar, but the gender roles are reversed and by the end of the film, we see the man for the creep that he is.  To make matters worse, the film expects us to feel bad for Winslet's character because she can't read.  And she was also a Nazi.  So, let me get this straight; we're supposed to feel bad for a rapist Nazi because she doesn't know how to read?  F**k off and f**k this movie.

 3/10: Really Bad 

#4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I like the rest of the films and let me say there is a massive gap between 5th and 4th place.  The story of a man who is born an old man and ages backwards into a child, Benjamin Button is a very interesting film that reminds me of Forrest Gump and hits some existential and emotional moments.  I understand that for its time, the CGI is very good, however, I found it extremely unsettling.  It also doesn't go as far as it could have with its premise, but it is still an interesting watch.

 8/10: Really Good 

#3. Milk

A biopic about the first openly gay man to hold public office in America, Milk tells an important story in U.S. history and does a good job of handling a lot of the complex character motivations.  The acting is fantastic, especially from Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.  The movie just never hits that powerful emotional moment I was hoping for.

 9/10: Great 

And now for the Top 2 in no particular order.

Frost/Nixon

This film tells the story of Richard Nixon doing a series of interviews with journalist, David Frost after his resignation.  While our main protagonist, David Frost, is underdeveloped, I loved the rest of the movie.  Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell, Michael Sheen, and Oliver Platt giver terrific performances and the interview showdowns between Frost and Nixon are like watching a boxing match.  This is Rocky, but with interviews and the climax is a thrilling ride.

 9/10: Great 

Slumdog Millionaire

On it's surface, this movie is about a poor man competing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but there is a lot more to it.  This is a love story, a family drama, and a crime movie as well.  It blends several narratives together with excellent nonlinear editing.  It's incredible how invested you get into this silly game show, and the story we're told along the way is an excellent ride.  The direction, acting, cinematography, and music are all top notch.

 10/10 Amazing 

And the Snubby Award goes to...

                                              

No one!  Slumdog Millionaire was 100% the right choice to win Best Picture.  It blew everyone else out of the water.  No Snubby Award is given out because no one got snubbed!

Next time I'll be looking at the 2008 Oscars.  Did No Country for Old Men deserve to win or did somebody else get snubbed?  Stay tuned!