The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1910 A Crack in the Door

Oscars, Oscars, Oscars—the Oscars are a love-hate relationship. Every year, people are both constantly criticizing and complaining, yet also closely following and discussing them.

However, Oscars have never been related to Anson.

Literally.

Not only was he not nominated, but he also did not attend, yet the world's premier film event remains conspicuously absent from Hollywood's current top spot.

Ridiculous?
Indeed. But that is the truth.

The most surprising and amusing thing is that even the three major European film festivals, which have always been aloof and arrogant, have extended an olive branch to Anson. "The Elephant" won the Palme d'Or, and this year Cannes solemnly invited Anson to return. They, who hold high the banner of art, also warmly welcomed Anson.

And what about the Oscars?
For a moment, I didn't know whether to call the academy arrogant or foolish.

However, this situation finally collapsed this year, and the Oscars finally opened their doors to Anson.

Wait, the main door? Or just a crack in it?

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a masterpiece of the year, unsurprisingly made it into the Oscar nominations, receiving nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

On the one hand, people praised the Academy's discerning eye and once again recognized Charlie Kaufman's brilliant screenwriting talent and boundless imagination.

On the other hand, people are criticizing the college for its self-congratulatory attitude, revealing its hypocrisy.

Kate Winslet starred in two works, "Finding Neverland" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," but the Academy Award nominations for Best Actress were concentrated on "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which once again proves that "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is the work that deserves to be seen.

Ironically, the Academy ignored Anson's groundbreaking performance as the male lead in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," instead choosing to reward Johnny Depp's lackluster and regressive performance in "Finding Neverland." Not to mention comparing him to others, "Finding Neverland" doesn't even rank among Johnny's own works.

This is truly both laughable and infuriating.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" deserves full recognition for its excellence and outstanding performance. It is more deserving of praise than "Finding Neverland," a more predictable award-season theme. It deserves nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and other awards.

The results of it?
"Finding Neverland" garnered seven nominations, tying with "Million Dollar Baby," but ironically, it lost the Best Director nomination, making the seven nominations seem like a joke.

And then, the scene before us appeared.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" has received two Oscar nominations, which is cause for celebration. Judging from the reactions of the media and the general public, it is even more popular than "The Aviator". It is undoubtedly the most popular film on this year's nomination list and has received rave reviews.

However, at the same time, comments included: "Only two nominations," "Does Anson not deserve a Best Actor nomination?" "The Oscars are too highbrow to appreciate such a talented work," "Isn't the film more worthy of recognition than 'Finding Neverland'?" and "Two nominations are not a regret for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' but a disgrace to the Oscars."

He kept swearing and cursing.

Incredibly, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" won an Oscar nomination, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was still heavily criticized.

Fortunately, Anson had more than one representative work in the past year, with the sudden emergence of "Spider-Man 2" becoming the last glory of popcorn commercial movies.

The nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing were no surprise, which is a strength of commercial films.

But that's not all—Best Editing. Best Original Song. These two nominations were the real surprises and took the Spider-Man 2 craze to a whole new level.

Best Editing, often referred to as the "mini-Best Picture," is also considered a direct indicator of the best picture award each year. This is because filmmaking is an art of editing, and Best Editing and Best Picture are often awarded together to the same film, making it undoubtedly the most important award in the technical department.

However, in recent years, especially during Frank's tenure, the Oscars have been recognizing and rewarding commercial films, and editing is undoubtedly the soul of commercial films.

Four years ago, "Black Hawk Down" was nominated for Best Editing, breaking the mold and setting a good precedent for genre films, proving the Oscars' changing nature; and this year, "Spider-Man 2" also won a Best Editing nomination, even going a step further than "Black Hawk Down," because it's a standard popcorn flick—

The crowd erupted in excitement.

No wonder The New York Times, while seemingly praising, subtly criticized, saying, "The nearly eighty-year-old Academy has put all its courage into a Best Editing nomination."

The implication was that the Academy was being unfairly criticized for its opportunistic approach. If it weren't for "Spider-Man 2" breaking box office records, the Academy probably wouldn't have even given it a nomination for Best Editing. Furthermore, Anson's performance in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was clearly more deserving of recognition, yet the Academy chose Johnny Depp instead.

Ha ha.

Nicholas Flynn's commentary showed absolutely no mercy to the Academy, thoroughly humiliating Frank from every angle—

He ruined his reputation in his later years.

On the surface, they maintain a welcoming and accepting attitude towards commercial films, but in reality, they are just using these films to boost ratings, while still despising them.

Isn't this just trying to have your cake and eat it too?
However, Nicholas ultimately did not completely break off relations, because regardless, the Academy had taken a step, a crucial small step.

Best Original Song Nomination: “Sunflower”, Anson Wood.

boom! Boom boom boom!
It caused a sensation across the United States and shocked the world.

After "Friends" won a guest Emmy Award and "The Elephant" won the Palme d'Or, Anson finally received his first Oscar nomination.

Although it was for Best Original Song, not acting, a nomination is a nomination, and this is the first time Anson's name has appeared on the Oscar nomination list.

Finally! After three years of farce and chaos, Anson's name has finally appeared on the Oscar list for the first time.

Objectively speaking, were people really that much expecting Anson to win an Oscar nomination?
Not necessarily. After all, in the eyes of the general public, Anson is still far from being an "acting superstar." Even if Anson hadn't won a nomination, it wouldn't have caused so much discussion. The problem is that, putting aside whether Anson deserves the nomination for now, Anson undoubtedly should attend the Oscars. However, Anson has been "excluded" by the Oscars. The academy, high and mighty, is so aloof that Anson can't reach them, which is truly frustrating.

So when Anson's name actually appeared on the nomination list, everyone was thrilled.

Moreover, whether it's "Sunflower," "Spider-Man 2," or Anson, they all deserve it. This nomination is undoubtedly the biggest favorite this year. Even though it's an unconventional nomination, it still gets everyone excited, and the heated discussion just won't stop.

So, the Oscars finally opened the door to Anson—no, not the door, but at most a crack, a narrow, tentative push that barely allowed Anson to squeeze in sideways, and only for a nomination for Best Original Song, not for acting but for being a singer.

However, Anson eventually managed to squeeze in.

(End of this chapter)