Out of Focus

THOUGHTS ON OSCAR: HEADLINE -- UNDERDOG STEALS "MOST OVERRATED" TITLE FROM CAPOTE

Oh sure, I've been hemming and hawing for months about how overrated I think Capote is, but that film gets a reprieve from my venom henceforth because the only award it won was the only award it deserved. Meanwhile, I had this horrible feeling as the night wore on that Crash was somehow going to take the Best Picture award. It started with all the Memoirs of a Geisha love and intensified when the eventual Best Picture winner took home the Best Editing prize. It was at that point that I said, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis!"

Look, I don't hate Crash as much as some; I even like parts of it a lot and would not have been disappointed at all had Matt Dillon won the Supporting Actor award (which he did do at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday). But the film was probably the least deserving of all five Picture nominees (along with Capote), and to my mind, its win puts this year's awards right up there with the horrors of Driving Miss Daisy winning, or even Rain Man; or, as time goes on, the continued disbelief I encounter at the very thought of Kevin Costner and Dances With Wolves (a movie that is easily 30 minutes too long) beating Martin Scorsese and GoodFellas (a movie that is nearly-perfect) for director and picture.

I have to give credit where credit is due. IMing with Karina (the now-former editor of Cinematical) last night just before Director and Picture were announced, she nailed it. She said Ang Lee would win the Director prize but Crash would take home picture. I had that nervous feeling myself, but I didn't really believe they would split this year. But I guess what this proves is that Hollywood really isn't as liberal as everyone makes it out to be. In many ways, Crash was the safe choice, which is often the case with Best Picture winners.

In other news ...

HI! HERE I AM! DIDN'T FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH ... YET

It's a bit odd that the last post I wrote here (over a month ago) was apparently the 666th one. If I wasn't a Jew and therefore pay no attention to the Book of Revelations, I might think that means something. But it doesn't.

Rather, I've just had that dreaded combo: dearth of inspiration and (more importantly) busier than shit. Basically, on Feb. 6, I started back to work at Tribeca, i.e., the film festival. My job this year has been bigger than ever and will continue to be bigger still -- in both good ways and some maybe not so good. However, I am super-excited to be working again and especially to be working there with people I really like.

This last week was pretty much hell, however, as we've been scheduling the festival. One of these days, once the schedule has been officially announced (in a couple weeks) I may post some pictures I took of our slotting room and talk about it in more detail. (For now, confidentiality and all that shit has to take precedence.)

In the mean time, I've seen a ton of movies, but nothing that's been out in release. I'm way behind on my 2005 films; I never had a chance to do my Top 10 list, and I totally forgot (for the first time in a decade) that the Spirit Awards were yesterday.

So now here I sit, watching films in this year's festival as I wait for the Oscars, and no ... you're not getting a prediction post or anything like that because I still just don't really have time. But I am going to try to start posting on some sort of regular basis again this week because believe it or not, as much as I hem and haw and complain, I usually enjoy it. So for those of you (I think I count two, maybe three?) who actually care about my ramblings here, I have not left nor forsaken you. No, really.

Here's hoping Jon Stewart is amazing tonight, and just in case you're curious: I'm rooting for Good Night, and Good Luck, I'm rooting against Crash and Capote, and I'm betting that Brokeback Mountain is going to be the first film to win both the Spirit Awards and the Oscar for Best Picture. However, I am scared that it's somehow going to be the immensely overrated Crash and that like Lost in Translation, even though the voters are mostly a different pool, that the Spirits would be Brokeback's big night.

But I guess we'll see. Until (hopefully) tomorrow ....