Academy Award show loses interest again

I only caught a glimpse of the red carpet when there was a commercial on the Bravo cable network.

The Academy Awards have become too predictable for my taste. "American Beauty" took home many awards in several different categories, but I have one question: Is this really the best film that American cinema has produced in 1999?

Kubrick's film or he should have gotten an award. He deserved a lifetime achievement award for all of the great films that he has made over the years. Such films include "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange" and "Full Metal Jacket."

Good and interesting films are ignored and it keeps happening year after year. Other films that were ignored this year by the academy include Milos Forman's "Man on the Moon," a great film with solid acting by Jim Carrey, who deserved to win in the best actor category.

I do give the academy credit for giving the film "The Matrix," numerous awards, which it definitely deserved.

And another category in which the academy did make a good choice was the best supporting actress category, which Angelina Jolie won for her unforgettable performance in "Girl, Interrupted."

If you want to watch an awards show that truly respects art and filmmaking at its best check out the Independent Spirit Awards on Bravo. Most of the films in that awards ceremony are low budget and artsy. The main focus of the independent filmmakers is making quality films unlike the big budget action movies from Hollywood.

I suppose that's another reason why the good films are never going to be nominated ­ the small studios spend all their money on making the films, while the bigger studios spend the majority of their money on commercials and other shameless promotions to be nominated for an award.

Until the academy starts to give awards to people who actually deserve them, I will only glance at the red carpet of the Shrine Auditorium in commercials. The results I can get the next day.

Patrick Fujiike is a staff reporter for the Daily Forty-Niner.