The View from the Hill on Sunday 7th March

It's Oscar, he's here!

For many years I would sit up all night to watch the ceremony live as I couldn't deal with waking up in the morning having taped it only to hear the results on the news all day. Even on holiday once, in Menorca, I sat up and watched it live.

I've grown up a little since those days, now I Sky+ it, on two separate machines, and then at 6am I shall rise and watch it without turning on the news so I can watch it as if it were live.

I think the acting Oscars are pretty much decided, Bridges, Bullock, Waltz and Monique are pretty secure. The big question is, has the initial momentum of Avatar lessened enough to allow The Hurt Locker to win?
It may well be that the Academy, in all it's glittery wisdom, gives Best Film to Avatar and Best Director to Kathryn Bigelow, thereby splitting the prize, the cowards way out in my opinion.

We will see tomorrow and I will obviously report back in my blog which will be delayed, as I will be watching the Oscars!

One film that will not be nominated for an Oscar is Legion, the movie I saw last night at the cinema.

There was just me and six other sad people sat in the dark watching a film about the apocalypse and angels trying to save the new messiah.

I have noticed quite a few films lately about the end of the world and armageddon and survival of a messiah or a bible - perhaps in these films we see the truth though for us atheists - we can't win.

Even if religious intolerance and fighting about whose god is best leads us to blow up the planet, there will always be one nutter with a bible or one pregnant ex druggie who claims to be carrying the saviour of the world.

In Legion it was a waitress at a diner in the Nevada desert, we don't know who the father is but her 'Joseph' is a devout believer who becomes her protector.

He is played by an actor called Lucas Black and he has the most amazing southern drawl, and it became quite hypnotic listening to him speak - we get so used to hearing that drawl in rednecks or oily pervs, so to hear it being spoken so quietly and beautifully was really shocking. I didn't recognise him but on looking at his IMDB listing I note he was a boy actor opposite Kevin Costner and then starred in the tv series American Gothic as a teenager.

I'll post the trailer for you - Lucas doesn't speak sadly, but you will see most of the best bits and it will save you £8 at the Odeon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGE_zSdCzDU&NR=1


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Steven Wright:

In school they said 'practice makes perfect' but then they said 'nobody's perfect' so I stopped practicing!