Monday, February 25, 2008

Conventional Wisdom Check

Is it just me, or does it seem from the Oscar winners this year that the Academy's voters are trying to pick the things they each thought were best in each category, and not engaging in the various strategies and lifetime-award plans that the Oscar-watchers always predict?

(The pre-Oscar predictions always say things like "And Ruby Dee will win because She's Due, and Marion Cotlard has no chance because she's French and this is her first nomination..." and they all seem to have been totally wrong this year.)

Or am I just saying that because "Falling Slowly" is clearly the Best Song of this or any other year?

2 comments:

Omar said...

I heard the song for the first time last night during the Oscars and thought it was boring. Do you think that's because it was live and that the version in Once is better? Or do you like it mainly for the lyrics (which I tend to ignore unless I like the music)? Maybe it's just not my cup of tea.

Andrew Wheeler said...

Omar: It's probably a matter of taste, though I didn't see the version at the Oscars, so it's possible that it came off badly there.

It's a quiet but powerful song, driven by two excellent musicians, that builds to an emotional crescendo -- and it's only one of about eight equally great songs in a movie all about music.

But taste is taste -- I'm not going to say that you're wrong, just that I thought it was great.

Post a Comment