How 'bout them Oscars? (SPOILERS)

I was quite surprised by Crash taking best pic. And by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s best actor – you don’t see many actors win that unless they have leading-role star power, which he doesn’t. I was pleased to see March of the Penguins take best documentary, too.

How was Jon Stewart?

Do not tell Erhu the results.
I accidently let the ‘best picture’ result out in the office. She went MENTAL!

Some people won’t watch it until tonight and like to be surprised. I sympathize, which is why I put SPOILERS in the thread title!

As for Jon Stewart, I probably wouldn’t have watched the show if it weren’t for his hosting it – I’m just not that into Academy popularity contests, and didn’t see that many movies this year. Hmm, maybe only one! (at first run, that is)

Stewart’s style, which is strongest when he criticizes sarcastically, is a dangerous thing to mix with the Oscars, and his humor also runs strongly political. But he toned it down a bit for the show, and made mostly movie-industry jokes, rather than political ones – a good choice. (I missed beginning and didn’t see the part where, acc. to the news, he referred to Bjork not making it – “She was trying on her Oscar dress, and Dick Cheney shot her.”)

The audience seemed to like him well enough, and he didn’t fuck up royally (you know how his stuff is sometimes hilarious, but sometimes a real miss…). I’d say he did okay. His two sidekicks from the Daily Show came out to present the makeup award, done up in pretty bad makeup, which was funny. And his team put together a lot of fake ads parodying the campaigning for Oscars, but done in political campaign style, with mixed success.

The Post writers said this about part of the broadcast which I missed (I tuned in late):

[quote]
Mr. Stewart saved his best prerecorded material for what he called “the elephant in the room.” With faux indignation, he said that “Brokeback” had “tarnished” the image of the staunchly heterosexual American western.

What followed was a montage that illustrated the kind of homoeroticism that has pervaded Westerns, and for that matter a half-century’s worth of buddy movies and all kinds of mainstream literature at least as far back as Huck and Jim: Cowboys, sheriffs, and ranch hands stripping down to their union suits, admiring and handling one another’s guns, winking, sweating, bunking down for the night, and asking, “Mind if I look at your Winchester?”[/quote]

Sez you. :raspberry: Others would disagree. I’ve thought for years – ever since the Talented Mr. Ripley – that he could easily carry a flick.

I watched the opening this morning. He was really funny. Just a tad political. I liked the way the started the show.

I didn’t bother watching it, I’m pretty sure I didn’t win anything.

Sez you. :raspberry: Others would disagree. I’ve thought for years – ever since the Talented Mr. Ripley – that he could easily carry a flick.[/quote]

Oh, I thought him talented enough to carry a movie to my satisfaction. That’s not what I meant by star power. I’m talking stardom in the sad Hollywood tradition of strong jaws and good looks. Great actors have often been overlooked for roles and awards due to their lack thereof. His win this time was a refreshing change. :wink:

Weren’t you best special effects?

After a stirring montage look back at earlier Hollywood “issue” films – given this year’s nominees – host Jon Stewart dipped into his “Daily Show” genius and said, somberly: “And none of those issues were ever a problem again.”

It was a very sharp telecast this year. Stewart was on top of his form all the way through, Ang Lee got in a good quip at the beginning of his speech, Hoffman’s acceptance speech was classic, and the South Africa film that got best foreign film, great acceptance speech for that too, as was the funny French act accepting the docu award for the penguin movie with all 4 of them carrying toy penguins (“Sorry for my English” said one of the guys up there…).

Clooney was class act.

But why can’t Jennifer Anniston pronounce ‘‘kimono’’ correctly? She said “kamono”… when introing the Geisha flick. I guess it’s saki and karriokey tonight for her!

CNN is calling the Best Movie award “one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history”.

Oh, Jessica Alba (center) looked pretty damn hot!

That one in the blue dress is really a man, right?

I can’t believe there were no protesters this year.

You won best international movie distributor, but since you didn’t turn up, they gave it to someone else (and the million dollar prize).

You won best international movie distributor, but since you didn’t turn up, they gave it to someone else (and the million dollar prize).[/quote]
Don’t tell me he actually found a sucker to buy something from him.

You won best international movie distributor, but since you didn’t turn up, they gave it to someone else (and the million dollar prize).[/quote]
Don’t tell me he actually found a sucker to buy something from him.[/quote]

And you won something called a Razzie Award, RichardM. Congratulations.

You won best international movie distributor, but since you didn’t turn up, they gave it to someone else (and the million dollar prize).[/quote]
Don’t tell me he actually found a sucker to buy something from him.[/quote]

And you won something called a Razzie Award, RichardM. Congratulations.[/quote]
Well, when you order the complete Star Trek videos and then when he delivers it, it’s just his home movie of him dancing around in his Uhura costume, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I don’t see why CRASH winning best pic is an UPSET. This is not a car race or a sports contest? The voting is secretive, unstudied and not easy to follow. People make films. Hollywood runs the Oscar show each year as a PR event to boost movie-going in the public. 5000 people in LA vote to their choices. It’s just voting, not really a measure of anything.

But all the newspapers tomorrow are going to lead with headline that says CRASH IS UPSET VICTOR AT OSCARS. Bullshit. No film is better than any other film. They are just movies. Commerical movies. The PR is pure hype.

By the way, Ang Lee thanked his film’s two lead characters, Ennis and Jack, in his ACCEPTANCE speech.

“They taught all of us not just about gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but most importantly the greatness of love itself,” Lee Ang said.

He’s a good actor. I don’t agree with the Oscar thing, but I caught some of it live this morning. The even seems a lot more hurried than it used to be from what little I saw.

It really is a bunch of BS though.

I was very happen to see Brandt win best actor.

“Well, Dude, we just don’t know.”

Ecaps

Why do you point this out? I mean: is it unusual in Oscar?

Thank you for your answer.