MUSIC (SONG)
“Accidentally in Love” - Shrek 2
“Al Otro Lado Del Rio” - The Motorcycle Diaries
“Believe” - The Polar Express
“Learn to Be Lonely” - The Phantom of the Opera
“Look to Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)” – The Chorus
Will Win: “Learn to Be Lonely”
Should Win: ANYTHING from the Garden State soundtrack
Usually the Academy skews cheesy on this one. Think any major song from any Disney film in the last ten years. Last year was a fluke because LOTR couldn’t lose and the year before that the Academy, amazingly, not only nominated but gave the award to one of the best songs from that year – Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” (the rhyming of “pied piper” with “Mekhi Pfeiffer” notwithstanding). But usually this goes to schmaltzy crap.
Plenty of that to choose from here. Now “Believe” is uber-cheesy. Maybe even too cheesy for the Academy (there’s something you never hear). They like their cheese a little classed up. Perhaps with some legit thee-ay-ter? So you get the sole award Phantom has a shot in hell at winning.
I will give the Academy snaps for nominating a song from The Motorcycle Diaries. I didn’t think the movie was all that, but it’s a very hip gesture. I also kind of like the “Look to Your Path” song. Though it’s got a cheesy title, the actual choral arrangement sounds cool. (Plus, if you change “chemin” to “chien” which sounds almost exactly the same, the title reads “Look to Your Dog.” Six years of French, ladies and gentlemen, and that’s what I have to show for it.)
I actually kind of like the Counting Crows song, and if I had to pick one of these that’d be it. However, none of these hold a candle to virtually any of the songs on the Garden State soundtrack. And I’m not even saying that was the best soundtrack of the year. I’d have been happy to see “The Blower’s Daughter” (hee) from Closer in the fray. Hell, I even liked that damned Train song from Spider-Man 2 more than these five.
I get that the Academy can’t vote for songs that weren’t written specifically for the film (hence “As Time Goes By” getting the Oscar diss). However, could we change that rule or have another category called “Best Use of a Song in a Film?” Cos’ that’s what it’s really all about. How well did you marry the music to the image? Then all sorts of artistic achievements can be recognized. From the incredible soundtrack work of in GoodFellas and Pulp Fiction to the brilliant Portuguese versions of David Bowie numbers in The Life Aquatic. I mean the Tonys recognize revivals, and that’s a whole entire show being recycled.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
I have always found the Foreign Language category a poor measure of world cinema. In fact, the approach of having the country of origin submit a film itself is dumb, closing the door on many other fine films, and leaving it open to politicking.
Fix yr italics, David - nice post