Oscar Fever!

Tonight is the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, and this blog would be remiss if it did not stick its nose in along with every other blog in the world.

The most important category every year is, of course, Best Picture; and who better to discuss some of the films nominated for this honor, and others, than someone who hasn't seen a single one of them (that would be me)?

   In "Letters from Iwo Jima," Clint Eastwood plays the title character, a Japanese soldier in World War II, whose love of correspondence is only matched by his love for his country. Through his haunting letters sent back home to his loved ones, we are treated to the most unique of perspectives -- that of the warrior poet -- one of literature's most touching dramatic icons.The climax of this tragic story comes when Iwo learns he will be flying a kamikaze mission, and must find a way to tell his family in friends, via the prose of a single letter, that they will never be seeing him again. This film is sure to be a favorite of the Academy for its big name producers, its heart-wrenching tale, and its cunning use of subtitles.

   
    Another contender for Best Picture is "The Queen," a storybook fantasy adventure set in the imaginary land of Eng (or "England"). A beautiful princess has died tragically in a chariot race, and all of Eng is saddened deeply. It is up to the stoic Queen of Eng to break a maddening curse placed on the Englandian people by the evil wizard Blair, and to restore the country to its former glory. The breathtaking special effects, the enchanting imaginary creatures, and the pure-hearted love of the Englandian people for their royal family captured the love of "The Queen's" audience, and will be sure to captivate the Academy's, as well.

    In a Hollywood increasingly filled with dark, violent, and sexual imagery, "Little Miss Sunsine," is a lone bright spot (pun intended!). This fun, family romp takes both parent and child alike on the ride of their life, as they follow Olive, daughter of the Sun God Ra, through a mystic adventure taken from the pages of the Necronomicon itself. When Olive discovers that she is not truly mortal, but the reincarnation of Sekhmet, an ancient and powerful Goddess, she must take her entire family with her to the shores of the Nile, where she must perform a blood sacrifice at the top of a pyramid dedicated to her true father, Amon-Ra. Along the way, she and her family meet with challenges and obstacles nobody could have predicted, and must learn to love each other for who they truly are before the Great Falcon Re-Horakhty can take his revenge. This light-hearted frolic of a film is not likely to win the nomination (you know how the Jews Who Run Hollywood feel about the ancient Egyptians), but its recommended viewing for all!