I used to be such an avid award watcher back in the day. Now that I think on it that is very amusing since a lot of the movies that were nominated were Rated R. And I don’t mean the good “Rs” like Porky’s Revenge (1985), Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and Friday The 13th: Part II (1981). The Oscars would gab about Ghandhi (1982), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The English Patient (1996). I’m chuckling now. Why on Earth was I watching awards being given to films I had no interest in?

Eventually, I got bored with the Oscar ceremonies. I realized that I was a better of judge of films then the snooty old Academy of Snoozefests and Prune Products.

Then Hugh Jackman was announced as host. Many of the films I saw in 2008 were nominated. And, being an amateur movie critic, it seemed like I was obligated to watch the telecast and see which films the Academy would award.

And most importantly……Hugh Jackman was hosting!

Ever since he donned that leather bodysuit in X-Men (2000) Hugh Jackman has been a recurring star in my dreams, um, as well as some really cool films such as The Fountain (2006) and Australia (2008). Despite what some of my fellow critics say Jackman is more than a guy who runs around with metal claws. And now he can add “Oscar host” to his glowing resume. Overall, I think he did okay. Jackman looked gorgeous in the tux, his smile could win over the rowdiest crowd and his Aussie accent could soothe the most nerve-wracked nominee. While he excelled in the musical numbers I felt he needed a little work in the joke delivery department. The opening number was outstanding. The opening monologue was kind of jittery. I’m guessing a mix of nerves and not having a proper cool down time after the Anne Hathaway duet killed his punch line delivery a bit. Otherwise, I would definitely consider inviting him back.

I have never seen the actor and actress awards presented in such an endearing and sincere way. It had to be the first time in a decade when being nominated felt just as spectacular as winning the statue itself. Maybe it was a little scripted but the concept was very moving to behold. It would be like Lucy Lawless telling me I had a superb roundhouse kick or Freddy Krueger sharing how inspired he was by my fear inducing tactics with bratty children. Unfortunately, this is a format that could only be done about every ten years. If it was done annually the authenticity would quickly lose its value and mass melodrama would ensue. They would have to make a new category for the “Most Over The Top Nomination Presentation” award.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won big and I was happy. Now I still stand by my opinion that Slumdog Millionaire wasn’t the best movie of 2008 but I definitely acknowledge that the film was a good urban fairytale. I was also encouraged to see the predominantly Indian cast and crew get some spotlight. Though this is not an official Bollywood production Slumdog Millionaire could be the foot in the door that allows for more aspiring Indian actors, directors and screenwriters to cross over to the mainstream industry.

Sean Penn won Best Actor for Milk (2008) and that was great. Yeah, the subject matter is close to my heart but Penn did a phenomenal job of portraying Harvey Milk as a human being rather than a cliché. Dustin Lance Black nabbed the Best Original Screenplay for successfully weaving news footage and accounts from Milk’s closest friends into a powerful tapestry.

Pixar won another Best Animated Feature Oscar for WALL-E (2008). Shocking! Well, actually not really. I mean did you see the competition? Bolt (2008) and Kung Fu Panda (2008)? Kind of like Schindler’s List (1993) versus Super Mario Brothers (1993).

Best Supporting Actress was awarded to Penelope Cruz for her role as a psycho girlfriend in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). I respect that Cruz has overcome a lot to flourish in this industry and I did enjoy her performance in the film. But if it were up to me I would have picked Viola Davis. Davis had about five minutes in Doubt (2008)and in that brief moment she showed concern, fear, sorrow and pride. Isn’t that what supporting performers are supposed to do? Make the most out of a small role? I think Davis did that quite well but Cruz, not so much. It reminds me of Halle Berry’s Best Actress win for Monster’s Ball (2001). I acknowledged the award as a tribute to Berry’s career thus far rather than the so-so role she played to get the nomination. Likwise, Ms. Cruz has starred in a variety of films and has paved the way for other actresses with strong accents and unconventional features. Personally, I thought she rocked in Sahara (2005). And isn’t it ironic that both Cruz and Berry have Oscars and both starred together in Gothika (2003) together? Hhmmm, fascinating.

Is there anything more tragic than a musical tribute to musical films that turns out flat? Yes, but that musical film medley was pretty darn shameful. I’m talking a hot mess in fast forward. Not even Sasha Fierce could save this segment from asphyxiation. The act consisted of five second salutes to a multitude of movie musicals. In one brief moment the performers did 1978's Grease (You’re The On That I Want) and then instantly swapped to 2006's Dreamgirls (One Night Only) and so on and so forth. Hugh, Beyonce and an army of dancers did their darnedest to work this gig. They even tossed in Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgins from the High School Musical franchise and Dominic Cooper & Amanda Seyfried from Mamma Mia! (2008) to help prop up the bulging dance number but it was no use. God bless Baz Luhrmann, the mastermind behind the musical tribute. I guess he figured that if this was going to be a mess then it was going to be the grandest and most fabulously gawdy mess ever. I still love ya, Baz. Just don’t ever, ever, evah do that again.

Heath Ledger’s win was a double victory. His posthumous Oscar punctuated his thespian legacy. It was also a historic win for the sci-fantasy community. Ledger nabbed a nomination for a performance in a summer blockbuster based on a comic book. Usually, the most a film like The Dark Knight (2008) could hope for would be a nomination for visual effects or sound mixing. But there was Ledger added to the list of Supporting Actor contenders for playing a deranged psychopath with really bad make-up. When was the last time a sci-fantasy film got acting props from the Academy? Lord of the Rings instantly comes to mind. The novel based trilogy had so many outstanding performances that the Best Picture award seemed the best way to honor the huge cast of elves, dwarves and hobbits.

My cynical side wonders if the Academy would’ve still nominated Ledger had he not unexpectedly passed away? It’s not a secret that the Oscar judges love honoring the dead or soon-to-be-buried. I guess sentimentality is potent ratings booster. I would love to believe that Ledger won for playing a great villain but there will always be that part of me that suspects Ledger’s untimely death was milked for publicity. Jack Nicholson was brilliant as the Joker in Batman (1989) and he wasn’t nominated. Ian McKellan acted his hiney off as the Master of Magnetism in X-Men (2000) and not even a wink from Oscar. ‘sigh’ Well, whatever the alterior motives Ledger won and he won for his role in a sci-fantasy film. I hope and pray that future fantasy films whether based on manga or comic books or video games will take things beyond the bar that The Dark Knight has raised.

So that’s about it. I could gab about other things like the surprise at learning that Sophia Loren was still breathing and standing on her own (and she still looks good). Or Ben Stiller’s cheap imitation of Joaquin Phoenix (kudos to Natalie Portman for playing an expert “straight man”. Guess she learned how to stuff a chuckle from reading those Prequel scripts). Or Whoopi’s clever nod to her and Amy Adam’s shared nun heritage or Steve Martin & Tina Fey’s surprisingly amusing podium jokes (they probably wrote their own lines, thank gawd).

Yeah, I could just go on and on and on some more. Honestly, there are a plethora of other sites that have all this news except its written better and they have pictures. But I’m glad I was able to share these thoughts with my beloved captive readers. Now I can go back to my kind of Oscar caliber entertainment; schlocky horror bombs and poorly acted comic book adaptations. Ahh, sweet bliss.