Are movies getting better?

The last two years have shown an incredible leap upwards in the quality of movies. While it is not true of every film, as 2007 did give us the shining piece of cinematic crap that is I Know Who Killed Me and 2008 has seen the continuation of the [Genre] Movie series, the movies that appeared on the "Best" end of the spectrum seem to be significantly better than those produced in and before 2006. Every year does have it's standout films like that of 2005's Crash or 2006's The Departed but in the final two years of the Bush administration the competition has become much thicker for Best Picture contenders. For the first time since Beauty and the Beast there is an animated film (WALL-E) allegedly slated for entry in the Best Picture catagory thanks to unparalleled effects, a documentary (Man on Wire) which showcases no death and destruction--or depicts an angry Michael Moore--is the frontrunner for an Oscar, and the race for Best Picture is set to go to the foreign-produced Slumdog Millionare which aside from critical hype is likely one of the greatest cinematic achievements of a decade.

The phrase "its an honor just to have been nominated" has become a justified reaction for nominees of the past two years as the catagories have consistently be comprised of remarkable performances and technical achievements, all of which would be worthy to garner Oscar wins. With award season upon us I am relieved that for the second year in a row I am able to truly look forward to the ceremony with a great degree of hope for some nominees but an exciting sense of uncertainty about who will take home the actual prizes. From what I've read and heard about some of this year's most anticipated releases I have a great feeling that 2009 will show another score of amazing movies, and I hope the trend will only continue from there!