"Man on Wire" is so exhilarating, so riveting, so breathtaking, that when you're finished watching you won't believe the events actually took place in New York City, 1974.

If you've run out of Oscar-nominated films to watch in preparation for Sunday's Academy Awards, be sure to check out Magnolia Picutures' documentary about a young Frenchman Phillipe Petit's quest to tightrope across the then-newly constructed Twin Towers.

With Petit's personal footage, the documentary chronicles how Petit and his friends illegally rigged a wire across the Twin Towers. The buildup is spell-binding. The dramatic conclusion when Petit tightropes for almost an hour reaches its zenith when the Frenchman decides to relax by laying down -- on the tightrope!

"Man on Wire" is not a hidden gem, however. It has been nominated for best documentary feature, and is likely the favorite to take home the Oscar.

I plan on seeing Frost/Nixon and other Oscar favorites before Sunday, but one viewing of "Man on Wire" has me convinced there might not be a film from 2008 more worthy of an Academy Award.

- Mark Podolski