Best Picture

The montage linking the nominees to thematically similar earlier films is cool -- despite the summer stock quality set, half-hearted choreography, insanely bad idea to have previous winners introduce this year's nominees, the ceremony has had some very nice touches.

And, of course, it ends as expected, with the coronation of Slumdog Millionaire. I actually quite liked the film although I don't think it's Boyle's best or that it would have stood a chance last year, which gave us one legitimately great film -- There Will Be Blood -- one challenging if troubled (not troubling) film -- No Country for Old Men -- one quite good film -- Atonement -- and one that would have competed with it for indie cred -- Juno.

That said, Slumdog is a film that deserves its inspirational reputation. Boyle is working in genre these days, and he isn't as interested in subversion or deconstruction as the Coens are, hence some of the critiques of Sunshine that it was little more than a riff on Alien or Slumdog that it romanticizes its impoverished characters (who speak perfect English which indicates a middle class upbringing). But Boyle uses these conventions to explore his interest in the power of faith, a belief in the potential for us all to do good, to put higher ideals above our individual interests. Fate in effect writes the questions that reflect Jamal's troubled upbringing. In Sunshine, the astronauts always act to finish the mission (even if those decisions turn out to be bad in the short term) and unquestioningly sacrifice themselves to further this goal. Jamal's joyous trust that his final answer is correct and the final dance at the end is a more populist version of the universe showing itself to Capa at the end of Sunshine.

Anyway, I liked Slumdog and am glad to see that it won over Oscar bait like Benjamin Button (which I actually liked) and The Reader.