Filling out my Oscar ballot tonight I was struck by the few nominees I actually bothered to go see this year. I mean, I heard of all of them, but honestly, few really sounded like escapist fun with a side of popcorn. Let's be honest: Do a character portrait of a desperate oilman, a chase flick with a sadistic killer in need of a coif, a tale of twisted lawyers, a weepy chick flick and an ode to teen pregnancy really make your pulse race?
I will probably get around to seeing Juno because at least it seems to have a sense of humor, but seriously, when did Hollywood decide that pure escapism was out? It almost makes me pine for the Celine Dion drenched cliche that was Titanic.
The show itself was clearly a breezy writers' strike-induced hybrid of what could have been. With tons of montages edited down from the picket-line alternative version, and a pared down monologue, the show actually benefited from less production time.
With the exception of the usual odd symphony shoo-out, the show hummed along quickly, even with a few solid laughs. We may yet see Jon Stewart grow into this role: It seemed to fit him more comfortably.
All in all, it was not the most memorable year for me in movies. You can tell, because I barely found a reason to hit the multiplex.
That's sad, because there is very little that thrills me more than a theater packed with people expectant of escapist entertainment.
