I'll whip up something "Oscary Review" later but the coffee injection is required first... a lot of it.
Things I Was (Mostly) Right About: I predicted that Pan's, Dreamgirls, and The Departed would walk off with the most Oscars. Dreamgirls didn't. The other two did.
Things I Was Wrong About: Lots of things (all the Oscar pages are updated)
Highlights: Finally seeing Martin Scorsese win. I was so completely nervous and thrilled
Low Points: Seeing Emmanuel Lubezki lose for cinematography (for Children of Men) to Pan's Labyrinth. I'd argue that Lubezki was the most deserving frontrunner in the entire building in any category. That was hard to sit through.
Ellen as Host: Yes please. Let's do it again.
Monday, February 26, 2007
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22 comments:
Why am I the first to comment. I made some after-show comments at my blog (plus a long winded rant about Al Gore and the worst win of the entire night, An Inconvenient Truth - documenting a slideshow isn't award worthy. And why did Gore get to go on stage?! ugh. HATE)
Ellen was great. I hope they ask her back. Loved the bit in her opening bit about living in cars (HI HILARY!) and then Forest Whitaker came out and said he never thought he'd be there. LOL. That opening nominees montage was really brilliant I thought.
The only two wins that I wasn't expecting that were disappointing were Cinematography (shame, really) and Score (very dubious win if you ask me).
Martin's win was great. So scared they'd read out Alejandro. eep. Why was Jack presenting Best Picture though? He did it last year AND he was in a BP nominee. Strange.
But, yeah, An Inconvenient Truth really gets to me. SHUT UP YOU CONDESCENDING GIT. "You can do something. Meanwhile I'm gonna go on my private jet all around the country thankyou buh-bye"
"Djimon Hounsou. Adriana Barraza. Rinko Kikuchi. Steve Carell. SUCH diversity." lol
Ellen was great. I mean Whoaaa!
I personally congratulate Laura Ziskin for producing one of the most memorable and fun Oscar show in ages.
Glen,
what the hell is up with your Al Gore hate? Since when does having money it's a deadly sin? Especially when you can use it for good causes?!
Melissa gave one of the best speeches during the night.
Marty's win is the moment that is going straight to History. His life-long friends joking a few seconds before giving him the award was priceless. So happy for him.
I usually enjoy the film montages -however...this year they were lacking in sentimentality (writers piece & Michael Mann's package). I'm 50 (Oprah says it's the new 30)...who the hello dolly is Jessica Biel?...why was she there....why is JLo always there? Bring on some real stars. At least Jennifer Garner wasn't on, yet again. Overall - too long & boring. Scorese, Hudson, Ethidge brought in some much-needed emotion.
Bruno, the Al Gore hate comes from the fact that "his" (as in, it's not actually his movie but for some reason people think it is) movie is a load of garbage. Noble, yes. Socially relevant, HELL yes. But that doesn't make the film any good. Maybe if Davis Guggenheim had done more than simply put a camera infront of Gore as he gave a speech, but he didn't. It's as if he didn't research, didn't investigate, didn't actually document anything other than a lecture.
And, no. I cannot reverse global warming. Big business can. I can't. Therefore I got pretty much nada out of the movie.
/rant
Ellen wasn't great. If this ceremony told us anything about the next host is that they SHOULD call Jerry Seinfeld. Forever.
The awards were OK. I love both Iweo Jima and The Departed, but, even with my Eastwood worship I have to recognize: enough!
-cal roth
I really liked Ellen. I haven't seen the audience so comfortable in years. Many of her bits worked last night.
I actually though Seinfeld was terrible except for calling the documetaries "depressing" which was funny.
Although I don't think "Truth" was a great documentary, I do think it woke a lot of people up. So I don't have any animosity against Al.
I wished Leo would have been able to do more than the "green" bit. But he's obviously very sincere about caring about the environment.
The most painful win was cinematography. Children of Men will be a classic in years to come and taught in film classes as an example of great filmmaking.
I was kind of glad Dreamgirls lost costumes and song. I think the filmmakers were expecting to win the most awards last night and they were slapped down fast.
The Marty win was amazing. I think the whole audience breathed a sigh of relief, releasing all the negative vibes that had been going on for years.
The Ellen bit with Clint was hilarious.
cal roth - Jerry Seinfield?! Sorry, but I cannot stand that bitch, fck him!
glenn - An inconvenient truth is a good documentary. Not the best one of the bunch (Jesus Camp was WAY better), but as you pointed out AMPAS tend to go with most thematically relevant documentary.
The fact that you mentioned that "we cannot reverse global warming" on ourselves, shows how truly important this film really is.
So happy for Marty and The Departed. The threesome that presented director was the highlight bit of the evening. Aside from her picture with Eastwood, Ellen was a complete waste. Her opening monologue was painfully dull. I'm not exactly sure what Oscar does to comedians these days (I picture something Clockwork Orange-ish) but they somehow managed to dumb down the already tame humor of Degeneres. Whoever put her in that red thing needs to be shot. Jodie looked gorgeous. Mirren was stunning; huge boobies. Nicole looked like a Barbie doll, can't decide if that's good or bad. Rachel Wiesz, always beautiful. Clive Owen... too hot. Jennifer... what happened to you baby? Al Gore with Leo was embarrassingly condescending, not funny and lame. The costumes presentation was terrible. I'm not sure what it was but all the pieces looked cobbled and cheap. HA!HA! Will Smith's spawn can't read. Barraza deserved it more than Hudson; Wahlberg more than Arkin. Was it just me or did Peter Parker and Mary Jane look as though they wanted to kill each other? Meryl's shot at Anne and Emily was killer, they were not. Let this be the last year of singing the nominated songs. Will Farrell and Jack Black get the fuck out of here, I am so over both of you. Those little dance company bits were silly and unnecessary. That bit before sound effect editing was cringingly bad. Celine... that was random. Children got nothing, what a jip.
wickedscorp
if they cut out everything you wanted all you would have would be reading names and speeches. ;)
speeches as the ONLY thing would only be thrilling if Meryl Streep was allowed to speak on behalf of everyone. Stay in your seat Forest, Meryl will be accepting on your behalf.
i personally thought it was the best show in years. funny, quick (yes it was very long but the pace still felt fast --they just included too many extras as usual. I don't even understand what that last montage was about '"america" --seemed very random and long. and then the CELINE thing. ugh. cut those two things and maybe something else i forgot that bored me and come in 15 minutes shorter and you have a great show.
The one indicator for me is the clock. Do I keep glancing at the clock when I'm watching the Oscars? This was the first year in a long time when I didn't look at it at all. Ellen gets the credit, I think.
MY FAVORITE MOMENT:
The fact that Meryl Streep continues to be the funniest thing about any award show, even when she doesn't say anything.
That frozen look was pure genious, and I laughed for minutes on!!
Yup, Meryl really is a goddess. I hope the next time Kate Winslet is up for an Oscar it isn't in the same year as Streep....
Just a quick question that someone more knowledgeable can hopefully answer...why was Al Gore on stage accepting, and furthermore, speaking best doc feature? I thought it was just the producers that went up on stage and accepted, which Gore was not.
Ellen grew on me as a host. At first, I was skeptical, but she stayed true to her own. By the end, I found her rather endearing.
I know it was scripted, but I looooved the Anne Hathaway / Emily Blunt / Meryl Streep bit for "Best Costumes." I'm further convinced that Meryl represents all that it is good and true in this world.
Loved the opening nominee sketch as well. Loved Steve Carrell. For once, loved Jerry Seinfield. Did not love the interpretative dancers (seriously???), the Dion bit, or the Mann America piece.
Maybe it was cause I was at a party in an apartment where I discovered I'm apparently allergic to cats, but this ceremony felt loooooooong. Couldn't figure out why (no one talked all that long, mercifully). Maybe axing Celine Dion or the Mann montage would have helped.
But having Scorsese win was definitely the high point in the evening. It says something that the entire room I was in - and most of the people there had not even seen most of the films nominated - broke spontaneously into applause when his name read.
I'm sorry about CoM losing cinematography, too - but not totally surprised.
Ellen: likable, but not particularly memorable.
So does this confirm the old saw that the movie that wins Best Editing always goes on to win Best Picture? Has that trend ever been broken?
There have been films that have won editing that don't go on to win Best Picture, such as Traffic. And then Million Dollar Baby didn't win editing but went on to win Best Picture.
It's more that you need to be nominated for Best Editing. Although that's still a crazy belief because why is the editing branch so powerful?!
Jerry Seinfeld? I didn't think he was that funny. Like, I just wanted him to present the award already. The "depressing" bit WAS good though.
The Meryl facial expression in the Costume Design bit was hilarious. God, she is a great actress.
Julia, I've been asking the same question about that. The nomination (and win) were for Davis Guggenheim. Not Al Gore. Not for the other two people up on stage. So I don't know why they were there. Especially in a time when producers of the BEST PICTURE winner aren't allowed on stage to accept their prize.
Bruno - it may be ignorant, but do you really think that ONE PERSON can reverse global warming? And by one person I mean someone like you or me. Global Warming isn't going to stop until big business pull their head outta their arse and cut emissions. Just because I use energy saving light globes and walk to and from work (things I actually do btw) doesn't mean the polar ice caps are going to stop melting. That's why I really didn't like the movie. Because Al Gore is talking down to me like if I do these things then the world will stop sucking. But, er, I am doing those things (and have been for years) and, hello, the ice caps are still melting. Droughts and floods are still occuring.
But no, Gore wants me to feel bad. Thanks a lot.
Plus, the film itself was lazy boring filmmaking. If Guggenheim had actually shown us first hand (as in not through stock footage!) the effects and gone to countries ravaged by GW and spoken to other people who it has effected and so on. But no. He plonked a camera down and filmed a powerful presentation. It's cinema. Show me, don't tell me.
There was an Alaskan woman on Oprah (of all things) the other day and she was discussing global warming and the waters have drowned villages and ruined fish crops. I'd have liked the movie more if there was a more personal face on the whole idea. Blah.
Wow, that was really long. Sorry. But discussing the flaws of An Inconvenient Truth brings out the ramblings within me.
re: The I can't change global warming thing. The target of the documentary is apathy.
It's not about "I Can't Change It". Clearly. That's why the documentary was marketed to everyone. It wasn't "Hey, Glenn, this is what YOU need to do." It's "Hey, everyone, this is what WE need to do."
And obviously big business shoulders the largest share of responsibility, but when that much money is involved there's no way they're just going to do it themselves. They need regulation, they won't self-regulate. And politicians won't legislate that regulation themselves either. Because of apathy and big business is where those donations are coming from.
So, the obvious target is the American people (America being the largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the only major power not on board with the Kyoto Protocol). Most Americans have an instinctive desire to preserve the environment, so an appeal to them is the most logical thing. Get them involved individually, it will, by extension, spread up through the ranks. If it's important enough to the voters, the politicians will listen.
So it's important in that sense. And more than a filmed slideshow. It's about the slideshow and the man behind it.
That said, I'm not sure it's the best documentary of the year. Tough competition with Jesus Camp and Iraq in Fragments. Hmmm.
i'm surprised to see such a visceral reaction Glenn I must say. I loved the movie and found it fascinating. Agreed that it's power is essentially in the presentation itself but still... i've seen filmed stage shows that i am really glad to have seen even if they weren't great "movies"
The two friends of mine I was watching the ceremony with didn't seem to mind one bit that Children of Men's cinematography lost to Pan's. It's not to shit on the latter, it was one of the best films of the year and (arguably) better in some aspects than COM.
But I mean, come on.
You can love your film to death and cheer for it all you want, but admit when it's been outdone. This was such the case.
And yeah, Streep was fantastic in that little moment of hers. I was grinning from ear to ear.
(And for my money, nobody anywhere aside from possibly Mirren looked better than Emily Blunt did last night. I fell out of my chair when she came onstage. Holy shit.
Where's the love/notice, Nat darlin'?)
Yeah, why did Children of Men deserve the cinematography award so much?? You do know that all those long takes were faked, don't you?
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