Give the man what he deserves

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2003)

After viewing 'The Return of the King' it is clear that one character has been the heart of each movie, and that is Samwise (played by Sean Astin). Now that wouldn't be that big an accomplishment if this were an ordinary movie or movie's. But these are 3 of the biggest movies of all time, and the only thing keeping them from being solely wonders in visual effects is the emotion felt in each movie. Sam is the hero in ROTK and carries the film. So the Academy should give Sean Astin what he deserves and nominate him for the Oscar for supporting actor. Anyone who has seen the film know the reasons why he has earned it. It must be difficult to play an emotional character like Sam, but imagine doing so when nearly all of your scenes are against computer generated images. Whereas Frodo would not have succeeded without Sam, Elijah Wood would have been nothing without Sean Astin. So let's do the right thing this time Academy and not the the crappy Golden Globes dictate what you do. It's time to honor Lord of the Rings with the Best Picture Oscar, Best Director Oscar and Best Suppporting Actor Oscar for Sean Astin. Lord of the Rings should have won in 2001 and 2002. Peter Jackson should have won both years also. But instead the less than mediocre 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'Chicago' won just like the Golden Globes. The Academy also had a chance to do something original at last years awards. They could have been the first awards show to nominate a cgi character (Gollum played marvelously by Andy Serkis). But instead they opted to follow the Golden Globes and nominate 4 out of the 5 that were nominated for the globes. So what will the Academy do this year? Are they simply going to give the award to 'Cold Mountain' since it got the most globe nominations? Or maybe Peter Jackson will be snubbed again by the Academy since one nomination 2 years ago was enough. Is Sean Astin a big enough name for the Academy to honor (Seriously, William H. Macy in Seabiscuit. I liked the movie but it's not nearly his best work)? It's time for the Academy to step up and show why their award show is taken seriously and the Golden Globes are simply a joke (Anything that nominates Billy Bob Thornton for 'Bad Santa' or Goldie Hawn for 'The Banger Sisters'(2002) should not be considered anything but a joke). Honor the cast and crew of the greatest trilogy ever made with a victory. Nominations aren't enough anymore. It's time for a 'fantasy' type movie to win. If far below average dramas (A Beautiful Mind) and very mediocre musicals (Chicago) can win, then there is no reason why a nearly flawless in every way fantasy movie can't win. I guess it's time to see if the Academy Awards should be taken seriously.