Every Oscar night, I'm reminded why living on the East coast is a disadvantage. The show starts at 6 pm in California, which means 9 pm here. This program is never noted for its brevity so in order to see the top awards, one must stay awake until 12:30 or 1:00 am. That sucks when the alarm clock is set to go off at 5:30 am.

Outside of seeing what everyone is wearing, I'm not that interested in the show itself this year. What compels me to watch for three hours plus is the hope that Martin Scorsese will finally receive a long overdue Oscar.

You either love his work or you hate it. Personally, I think Scorsese is a genius. I haven't seen "The Departed" yet, but his body of work overall is unmatched. I remember the first time I saw "Taxi Driver," I felt disturbed and physically uncomfortable. The voyeuristic quality of the film itself (Travis as voyeur and we as voyeurs watching Travis) was like a frightening dream you can't disengage from. We're taken into a hard and gritty world. So many films from the 1970s had that same quality, to be sure, but the raw gutsiness of this film is on a whole separate plane.

It would be easy to suggest that Scorsese stays within one genre or theme, but he's made some diverse and interesting films. He directed a film version of The Band's final concert at the Winterland Ballroom ("The Last Waltz") which was the very first film I ever saw on VHS. "New York, New York" is a charming and overlooked gem and in which Liza Minnelli belts out the title tune (this was well before Sinatra recorded his popular version). "The King of Comedy" is another dark and clever film, featuring a surprisingly effective turn from Jerry Lewis. "The Last Temptation of Christ," for all the brouhaha it sparked, is a visually arresting and thoughtful work. "The Aviator" is remarkable intimate for such an epic opus.

His best films, though, are some of my personal favorites. "Goodfellas" is one of those films I can watch endlessly. I think it's a totally satisfying film experience. "The Age of Innocence" captures the sumptuous detail so inherent in Wharton's novel in breathtaking visual splendor. This film is like candy for me; I could write a whole discourse on this work alone. Finally,"Raging Bull" is nothing short of a masterpiece. The innovative camera work, the complexity of the characters, the transformation of LaMotta in Robert DeNiro's capable hands...it's almost the perfect film.

I admit I don't like all his films. "Cape Fear" didn't work for me because I liked the original with Robert Mitchum too much. "Gangs of New York" disappointed me for reasons I can't explain. I wanted to like "Casino" more, but perhaps I was expecting another "Goodfellas." They're still far away better films than most of the dreck in the theaters anyway, but compared to the superior quality of his handiwork, they don't totally work.

Scorsese, like the preceding film auteurs that he holds so dear, has taken film to a new level. For "Mean Streets" alone (his first film), he deserved the symbolic accolade of the Academy Award. For his body of work over the last thirty years, he more than deserves to take it in hand tonight.