And the Oscar goes to...

My wall has been flooding with Leo DiCaprio's win of the Oscar. After so many years of waiting, finally, he has won one. And he won it big. It's just funny how a lot of memes and videos have been circulating about his quest for the Oscar award. But I think he deserves one.

I first encountered Leonardo DiCaprio in Total Eclipse. It was a stunning performance but he was still not that known then so I only remembered years later when I went through his filmography. The sad thing was that, I had a hard time appreciating the movie because of its adult theme. I was just 17 years old then and it was one of those movies you get to see at the University Film Center. Come to think of it, I think we were required to watch it for English I and had to write a reaction paper.

Then came Titanic. I thought the movie was just too... cheesy. And that left me with an impression that Leonardo was just an ordinary actor, after all. Another Tom Cruise wannabe.

During one of our get-together, Ni described how she was so fascinated with Leonardo and his performances, how versatile an actor he is. And I was like, ok if you say so... Thoughts of Titanic still lingered on my mind.

I watched Blood Diamond. And this time, I was impressed by him. The movie did, as well. Hmmm... interesting. Unfortunately, that didn't earn him an Oscar. I really though he had a shot. Too bad.

Then came Revolutionary Road. I didn't want to watch it at first because I thought it would be just Titanic Part 2. Not sure where I watched it, though, but at that time I guess I didn't have anything else better to do. Why else would I endure another cheesy Leo + Kate tandem?

Lo and behold! The movie tore me to pieces. This time, my appreciation for Leo's performance was just way over the rainbow. And the chemistry between them was just perfect. They brought out the characters, that at the end of the movie, I felt like I was really part of their journey.

And then Inception. One of the most mind-boggling movies I ever saw. The story line itself was gripping but the way Leonardo performed was just awesome. His determination, his confusion, his love for his wife and kids... He was really into the role.

Then Manong and I thought of doing a Leo marathon. We watched The Departed and it was a-oh performance, as well! Can I have some more Leo movies please? Then we watched The Beach and that was a little woooh for me... like feeling high on drugs! But I enjoyed the film, as well.

And finally Shutter Island, the movie that totally shuttered my Titanic impression of Leonardo DiCaprio. I think it was one of Leo's best performances. He made me go crazy, along with this character. I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't watched it yet but his expression at that final scene was like - What is that all about?!

After all these years of great performances on-screen, you'd get to thinking why did he win an Oscar just now? Ah well, that's one of the mysteries. I remembered someone had a theory (was it Ni?) that because he always had great performance, it sort of became expected of him. The ones who usually win delivered their performance in a surprising way.

So now I'm curious as to what made him win this award. What did he do to make his performance come as a surprise? I hope the movie will be available soon.

Congratulations, Leo!

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