And the Oscar Goes To...

This is a very entertaining documentary on Turner Classic Movies that deals with the history of the Academy Awards. Quite a few clips of past Oscar telecasts and many interviews with the lucky people who have won the Academy Awards. Angelica Huston narrated this documentary and does a commendable job. I really loved the part where the winners were announced and the audience roars with excitement. I wish that the Academy Awards organization would put the older Oscar shows on DVD. Iwould gladly buy a set without question, but for the time being, the Oscars have a channel on YouTube and have been putting out various clips from Oscars past.

This is about what you'd expect, for the most part. Do you like montages of many of the great (American mostly) films of the 20th century and some of the 21st? Do you like interviews with the people who made the Oscars what they were (and the movies themselves) in ALL categories (not just acting but costume too)? The filmmakers give you the story of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awards, and a little other history too (like how AMPAS actually used to be set up to strong-arm *against* the industry, but the union strength in the 1930's made it into a different beast), and also a tour through the various categories and winners and nominees over time (mostly winners).

Industry main-stays like Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and Helen Mirren also share space with costume designers, cinematographers, editors, make-up artists, and many others for a look at what makes the art form the art form... in 90 minutes. If this had been longer, and looked at even more in-depth at the history, it might actually have been great instead of just... good. It is good, it has enough depth and history through the films that made the Oscars the Oscars to justify its existence (and of course getting clips like the Sacheen Littlefeather 1973 Godfather speech, or Jane Fonda's win for Klute, or the Damon/Affleck jubilant win for Good Will Hunting is always fun to see). I just wish it didn't skim over certain parts of Hollywood history like how the industry changed when the studios collapsed in the 1960's (there is some stuff on the blacklist though, if only briefly).

"And the Oscar Goes To..." is a documentary about, naturally, the Oscar. However, if you are looking for an exhaustive film about the awards or one that is chronological, then you might be disappointed. Instead, the film mostly consists of some living Oscar recipients talking about their experience receiving the award along with a few clips of past winners. The past winners are mostly from the 1950s on--which isn't surprising since that is when they started showing the ceremony on television. And, many recent recipients aren't interviewed as well--making me wonder how they picked who would be on the show.

While the film isn't perfect, it is enjoyable and gives you many nice little vignettes about the film and the craftspeople who make movies.

Documentary about the Academy Awards. It covers how and why they came into being and how they evolved and changed over the years. It consists of actors, producers and directors talking about getting nominated and getting (or not getting) the award. It also shows footage from Oscar TV telecasts and some of the more memorable acceptance speeches. The most amusing were seeing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon winning Best Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" and Michael Moore winning Best Documentary for "Bowling for Columbine". They even cover the technical awards. All in all I was entertained but wanted more. They totally ignore the Best Song category and (for some reason) go into detail about animated films being recognized. So it's worth seeing but is lacking.

This is a power packed 90 minutes. Granted the whole history of the Oscars should be a mini-series, maybe produced by Ken Burns, but for a quick historical perspective and a look at the glamor of the whole thing, this isn't bad. We get to see a multitude of stars, a few acceptance speeches, features on the different categories, all done in snippets, and there is a friendliness and honesty here that isn't usually present in these kinds of shows. I always look forward to the Oscars and ever time I'm bored and disappointed because the show is often so dull (the first five minutes is usually the best with a great production number) and endless. The other problem lately is that it's like watching election coverage where all of the races are already called before the show starts. The internet and the press usually tell us who all the winners are ahead of time. Granted, in close races, there are some surprises, but you immediately know that three of the five nominees don't have a chance. Anyway, I thought that for a little insight into the Academy Awards, this was a nice job.