Gran Torino's exclusion from last year's Oscar ceremony wasn't just an oversight - it was a kick square in the nuts to the Academy Awards' legitimacy as an accurate barometer for cinematic artistic endeavor. Yeah, Clint Eastwood's Changeling (which received a few noms) is the more decidedly Oscar-bait picture of the two he released last year, but if you haven't yet seen it, mark my words: Gran Torino is the real deal.

This writer first saw the picture in a crowded multiplex in suburban Seattle, and not only did I find myself absolutely rollicking in response to the film, I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone else in the theatre respond the same way. It's a sin, I tell you: Gran Torino not only got great reviews, but it was an audience favorite and ended up being a giant box office success - and it now officially has as many Oscar nominations as Carrot Top.

I'll try to curb my bitterness toward the Academy and instead focus on the film and how expertly constructed it is. This tale of an aging war veteran (Eastwood, in what he claims will be his final performance) adjusting to the increasingly ethnic inner-city world around him is the kind of curmudgeonly earnest movie that simply doesn't get made any more. Some have bemoaned the film's simplicity as being precious and naive, but go ahead and ignore all that: Gran Torino is mainstream entertainment at its most volatile, at its most impressive.

And while the experience of watching the film on my home theater didn't replicate the thrill of seeing the picture with a receptive audience for the first time, it nevertheless continues to play fantastically. Eastwood's performance is air-tight - every Clint fan loves it when our guy gets cranky, and he's cranky the whole time here - but even more notable is his subtle, nuanced direction. Gran Torino looks and sounds like a straightforward, predictable melodrama at its start, but it quickly careens off the beaten path to forge a narrative of its own.

Mark my word, Academy: In five years, people may still mention the dramatic power of Slumdog Millionaire, but they'll be watching Gran Torino. Just you wait...