Alexander Stuart

Terrence Malick's Tree of Life. I was thinking about last year's Oscars and how my main interest in them was whether British street/guerrilla artist  Banksy  might make a surprise appearance (given that he doesn't "do" appearances) at the ceremony to collect the award I was certain he would win for his documentary  Exit Through The Gift Shop  (as so often with my Oscar predictions, I was wrong about the award - and the likelihood of his presence). This year, I just wish there were some kind of potential controversy that could enliven the proceedings. There are some good films among the crop of Oscar nominees - and one great film in Terrence Malick's  The Tree of Life , but there is nothing  that I can get really excited about, other than the possibility of it winning, which somehow doesn't seem as sure a thing as it should. Maybe it's a reflection of the state of the industry, or my tastes - or both - but I long for the days when more movie