Post-Oscar Toothache.

Reflecting any pains that Leonardo DiCaprio (might) endure(d) while filming The Departed, particularly in the scene where Jack Nicholson punches Leo's gripped arm, it is politically incorrect that I almost shared the same pains upon knowing that the film in the spotlight won this year's Oscar for Best Picture.

While the film is a highly watchable flick, I wonder if this signals the decline of American cinema.
Has the land become extinct due to the drought of fresh ideas and compelling stories?
Has the land been busily sharpening its sophisticated look with the help of CGI, without at once feeding the brains?

And all that deserving winners (Alan Arkin, Helen Mirren, Marie Antoinette's Costume Design) do not make up the fact that this year's Best Picture is a remake of a Hong Kong instant classic film. Isn't it ironic that one land suffers from dry-spell of stories is conquering other land suffers from dry-spell of box-office takings, yet still abundant with interesting ideas?

Try to read between the lines of what IndieWire (as taken from Associated Press) reports below:

"The Hong Kong director of the gritty gangster flick that Martin Scorsese adapted as his Oscar-winning hit "The Departed" heaped praise on the man he said inspired him to make films. "It is an honour to have been able to help Martin win his first and long overdue Oscar," said Andrew Lau, whose 2002 film "Infernal Affairs" provided the story for Scorsese's movie set among the gangs of Boston. "He has always been my hero, his films were why I got into making films." AFP

What does this mean?

With all due respect to Scorsese, whose "The Age of Innocence" is a very personal favorite of mine, and whose "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "Mean Streets", "Casino" and "Good Fellas" are, IMHO, considered works of art, I can only wonder whether he has entered his swansong years.

If yes, then let him bask in his belated glory, while we, appreciative audience, will continue wondering and searching a very few good, compelling, original films that make us proud to watch them.

Writing the above sentence gave me a bump. For a few seconds, I completely forgot about my tootache. Darn my teeth!