The 81st Academy Awards will be held this Sunday and for the first time in many years, I have actually seen more than two of the movies nominated for best picture.  I think the last time this happened was ten years ago, the year Shakespeare in Love won the top award.  I was (pleasantly) surprised at that win, as I was almost positive that the top award was going to go to Saving Private Ryan.  After all, the Academy seems to love epics.

This year, the buzz is Slumdog Millionaire.  There’s been a lot of buzz about the film since its Golden Globe win last month. But whether it is able to beat The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another contender, is another story.  So far, people love Slumdog, but it has had a lot of criticism as well.  Many people in India, for example, have been upset at the movie’s title, and some people have criticized the producers for setting up a trust fund for the child actors, one which they cannot access until they reach the age of majority. After all, they say, the kids live in poverty.  As for Benjamin Button, many believe that it too, is overrated. 

The Academy is also known to love stories about real people.  In the past several years, several biopics have received some sort of top nomination, including Ray and Walk the Line.  This year, two films fit this category.  First is Frost/Nixon, about the David Frost/Richard Nixon interviews in the 1970s and the other is Milk, about Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay politician.  Out of these two nominations, Milk probably has the upper hand due to its tragic story.  The fifth nominee, The Reader, a film which takes place in post World War II Germany and starring Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet is probably the true underdog.

Personally, I would love for Slumdog to win.  The story, about a young man who grew up in poverty, is a plot which the Academy loves.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, on the other hand, while an interesting story, does not, in my opinion come close.  Of course, there are probably tons of people that think differently. At the end of the day, the Academy voters will decide.