One more award for "The Hurt Locker"

If the movie wasn't so good, I'd say it was becoming numbingly predictable. "The Hurt Locker" won the Chlotrudis Society's Best Picture Award last night, and though I wasn't disappointed, I must say that I would not have been saddened had "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" had beaten it out. It was nominated for several awards by Chlotrudis but won nothing! It was "The Color Purple" of Chlotrudis nominees. One of the best movies of the year and the only award it got was the "Where's Whitey?" Award for Best Animal Performance, and that one is a figment of my imagination.

Otherwise -- and I've said this every year for around the past five years -- the show was ten times better than the turgid, overlong. and unfunny Oscars. The "Hidden Treasure" number alone might be the best production number I've ever seen. (Not that I have seen many stage musicals, the last being "Les Miz.")  But if the woeful "Nine" is supposed to set the standard for this kind of thing, than this was ten to the tenth power. A singing, dancing, video and multimedia extravaganza set to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," it was a showstopper. Fittingly, the "Best Hidden Treasure" award went to "Bronson," whose star Tom Hardy kind of looks like a shaven-headed Freddie Mercury.

Finally there was the terrific character actor Beth Grant ("Little Miss Sunshine," "No Country for Old Men," "Donny Darko")  as the Award-So-Far winner. Her acceptance speech was hilarious, moving, and inspiring. And her daughter's bravura singing introduction shows that she's a chip off the old block.

You've got to attend this show next year. There are no excuses. It will restore your faith in cinephilia.