80th Annual Academy Awards
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OscarGuy
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For those interested in transcripts of acceptance speeches this year (including the ones in the press room), I have copies, so let me know and I'll send you any you might want.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Well, here we go with this year's homophobia controversy: the official transcript of acceptance speeches have deleted Best Picture winner Scott Rudin's thanks to his "honey," John Barlow. Details here.
Edit: it looks like it's not the Academy that is deleting this reference, but other sites re-transcribing the acceptance speeches; the official, official Academy transcript does include the thanks to his boyfriend.
Edited By Penelope on 1203963772
Edit: it looks like it's not the Academy that is deleting this reference, but other sites re-transcribing the acceptance speeches; the official, official Academy transcript does include the thanks to his boyfriend.
Edited By Penelope on 1203963772
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
I must admit that this year's choices are very respectable and give back to the Academy a much-needed (and hopefully not short-lived) prestige among film awards. This is after all the reason why we still follow the Oscars.Hustler wrote:Maybe I´m wrong, but given the fact of this year´s chioces I think that a new tendency is growing up in the academy, a new refreshing air is blowing around. At least, actors are chosen with a much more mature decision.
And Aakash, I agree with you - Cotillard IS gorgeous, so much that (I know that sex is a forbidden subject here, sorry) I was thinking yesterday that she's the kind of girl who could drive me back to that never-much-missed heterosexuality. But then of course the sight of Amy Adams singing made me realize that I've made the right choice after all.
(Now, I'm with you when you hate Blanchett's nomination for this unnecessary Elizabeth follow-up, but Amy Adams?! I should really rent Enchanted one of these days).
Oscar Guy, you are partly right about Loren. Her American movies before Two Women hadn't been memorable (and most of the American movies she made AFTER Two Women weren't much better), and only a few had been box-office hits - while of course she had been in some popular Italian films by then - still for some reason she was already a star, or at least very famous, and not only on my side of the Atlantic. So while she won for an Italian movie and for an admittedly surprising performance, she was already a familiar name in America. Cotillard is at a different stage in her career - and of course in a completely different time of film history - but of course, as I said, it's true that she has all the time to become a kind of icon, certainly in Europe and maybe, if she's lucky, in America too. She has the talent and the looks.
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Big Magilla
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OscarGuy wrote:I may not be the foremost film historian...matter of fact, I know a fraction of what other people on this board do, but from looking at Sophia Loren's filmography, I wouldn't really say she was much of a hit in the U.S. at least. None of the American films I saw even sounded familiar to me. She became the first foreign-language winner in the Best Actress category ever. She had about 50-odd film credits before that win. Cotillard has only around 40 and like Loren, most of her roles were in foreign-language production.
Au contrare. Loren was a huge star in the U.S. She was, in fact, the first performer, male or female, to be paid $1 million to make a movie, El Cid, which was released in December, 1961, the same year Two Women was released in the U.S.
Her 1954 Italian film, Bread, Love and Dreams was a huge hit in the U.S., which precipitated her Hollywood career. Her first American film, Boy on a Dolphin opposite Alan Ladd and Clifton Webb was a huge hit, as were Legend of the Lost opposite John Wayne and Rossano Brazzi, The Pride and the Passion opposite Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra, Desire Under the Elms opposite Anthony Perkins and Burl Ives, The Key oppoiste William Holden and Trevor Howard, Houseboat opposite Cary Grant, The Black Orchid opposite Anthony Quinn, That Kind of Woman opposite Tab Hunter and It Started in Naples opposite Clark Gable. Even Heller in Pink Tights opposite Anthony Quinn, A Breath of Scandal opposite John Gavin and Maurice Chevaleir and The Millionairess opposite Peter Sellers made money. And the version of Two Women that played in the U.S. was the dubbed version.
In additon her affairs with Cary Grant and Carlo Ponti were constanly in the news. Only Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, among actresses, got more ink at the time.
Cotlillard has made only a handlful of English language films, all in supporting roles including A Good Year in which had her biggest role as Russell Crowe's French girlfriend.
There is no comparison to Loren then and Cotllard now except that they won Oscars for films made in a language other than English.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1203962836
Elton John Is the Belle of Oscar Parties Source: AP
Posted: 02/25/08 12:24PM
Filed Under: Film
With Vanity Fair sitting out this year's celebrations, the belle of the Oscars parties was a piano playing Elton John.
The 60-year-old singer's 16th annual viewing dinner and after-party benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation topped other bashes Sunday, with 750 guests and a bevy of A-list stars who sipped cocktails and feasted on a four-course meal under the Pacific Design Center's red-draped tent.
Vanity Fair's lavish, celebrity-drenched annual affair, typically the top Oscar-night party, was canceled weeks earlier, before the end of the writers strike.
After greeting each table, John pounded out the first of 11 songs, the first time in several years that he has played a full set with an entire band at his own party.
John, who wore an ornate Yohji Yamamoto black suit, silver tie and black-framed eyeglasses, pointed at the crowd and banged on his piano. The crowd howled and clapped when he broke out hits such as "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer."
Patricia Clarkson waved her arms in the air. Calista Flockhart swayed next to beau Harrison Ford. Petra Nemcova jumped on a few chairs and shimmied. Faye Dunaway bopped her head.
Mary J. Blige sang a duet with John, as did Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, clad in a neon yellow-green suit, who jumped on John's piano and did the twist.
The party's second biggest belle of the evening was Marion Cotillard. Clutching her best actress trophy for "La Vie en Rose," she swept into the bash, rushing past reporters and bear-hugging her family and friends inside the party.
"I am a big fan of hers. I was very moved by her win," a teary-eyed Sharon Stone, wearing a white, tailored tuxedo, told The Associated Press earlier, when the room's dozens of enormous TV screens showed Cotillard tearfully receiving the honor.
Actors gushing over other actors continued throughout the festivities.
Penn, who snagged a best-actor win for 2003's "Mystic River," called this year's winner, Daniel Day-Lewis, "the greatest actor ever recorded on film." Lewis won for his performance in "There Will Be Blood."
Ellen DeGeneres, seated next to Portia de Rossi and Josh Groban, said Oscar host Jon Stewart was "doing a great job."
DeGeneres, who hosted last year's Oscars, joked: "It's better to host. It goes faster."
John and David Furnish shared DeGeneres' table during dinner, along with Blige and her husband. Nemcova, who arrived with Penn, sat with him and Kate Beckinsale, Chris O'Donnell and Larry King. Guests, who also included Billy Joel, Christian Slater and Russell Simmons, ate pear salad, risotto, beef tenderloin, cheese with walnuts and chocolate mousse.
Pink and orange orchids dotted the tables, with palm fronds lending a California dash of glamour on a patio outside. The party, co-sponsored by Chopard and VH1, raised $5.1 million.
However, the first post-Oscars destination for the night's winners and honorees was the Governors Ball, held in the Hollywood & Highland complex just upstairs from the Kodak Theatre.
The room was all red and gold, reflecting Oscars' red carpet and golden statuettes. Glass bubbles hung from the ceiling and red roses dotted each table.
The most blinged-out table was No. 303, where Joel and Ethan Coen and Javier Bardem proudly displayed their Oscar statuettes for "No Country for Old Men."
"Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody kept her Oscar close, hesitantly giving it up when a friend asked to touch it.
Other stars mingled about the ballroom. Cate Blanchett talked with Julian Schnabel, while Viggo Mortensen draped himself with the flag of his favorite soccer team.
John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, nibbled on food prepared by Wolfgang Puck, who chatted with guests while wearing his white chef's coat.
Back at a viewing party in West Hollywood, the Envelope Please bash at The Abbey _ hosted by Jennifer Love Hewitt, who wore a dazzling white Elsie Katz Couture gown _ housed more than 500 guests underneath a tent strung with hundreds of tiny yellow lights.
The event raised $500,000 to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. Attendees, who included Ricki Lake, dined on sirloin steak or pasta, and drank cocktails named after best-picture nominees.
Across town, guests at the annual Night of 100 Stars viewing gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel ate chicken, risotto and sorbet and guzzled energy drinks.
Mr. Blackwell, known for his annual worst-dressed list that skewers celebrities, wasn't impressed by the revealing outfits.
"Most are out to show their bosoms," he said, his throat hoarse because of laryngitis. "I've seen a few beautiful dresses, but there's nothing really original here."
Posted: 02/25/08 12:24PM
Filed Under: Film
With Vanity Fair sitting out this year's celebrations, the belle of the Oscars parties was a piano playing Elton John.
The 60-year-old singer's 16th annual viewing dinner and after-party benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation topped other bashes Sunday, with 750 guests and a bevy of A-list stars who sipped cocktails and feasted on a four-course meal under the Pacific Design Center's red-draped tent.
Vanity Fair's lavish, celebrity-drenched annual affair, typically the top Oscar-night party, was canceled weeks earlier, before the end of the writers strike.
After greeting each table, John pounded out the first of 11 songs, the first time in several years that he has played a full set with an entire band at his own party.
John, who wore an ornate Yohji Yamamoto black suit, silver tie and black-framed eyeglasses, pointed at the crowd and banged on his piano. The crowd howled and clapped when he broke out hits such as "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer."
Patricia Clarkson waved her arms in the air. Calista Flockhart swayed next to beau Harrison Ford. Petra Nemcova jumped on a few chairs and shimmied. Faye Dunaway bopped her head.
Mary J. Blige sang a duet with John, as did Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, clad in a neon yellow-green suit, who jumped on John's piano and did the twist.
The party's second biggest belle of the evening was Marion Cotillard. Clutching her best actress trophy for "La Vie en Rose," she swept into the bash, rushing past reporters and bear-hugging her family and friends inside the party.
"I am a big fan of hers. I was very moved by her win," a teary-eyed Sharon Stone, wearing a white, tailored tuxedo, told The Associated Press earlier, when the room's dozens of enormous TV screens showed Cotillard tearfully receiving the honor.
Actors gushing over other actors continued throughout the festivities.
Penn, who snagged a best-actor win for 2003's "Mystic River," called this year's winner, Daniel Day-Lewis, "the greatest actor ever recorded on film." Lewis won for his performance in "There Will Be Blood."
Ellen DeGeneres, seated next to Portia de Rossi and Josh Groban, said Oscar host Jon Stewart was "doing a great job."
DeGeneres, who hosted last year's Oscars, joked: "It's better to host. It goes faster."
John and David Furnish shared DeGeneres' table during dinner, along with Blige and her husband. Nemcova, who arrived with Penn, sat with him and Kate Beckinsale, Chris O'Donnell and Larry King. Guests, who also included Billy Joel, Christian Slater and Russell Simmons, ate pear salad, risotto, beef tenderloin, cheese with walnuts and chocolate mousse.
Pink and orange orchids dotted the tables, with palm fronds lending a California dash of glamour on a patio outside. The party, co-sponsored by Chopard and VH1, raised $5.1 million.
However, the first post-Oscars destination for the night's winners and honorees was the Governors Ball, held in the Hollywood & Highland complex just upstairs from the Kodak Theatre.
The room was all red and gold, reflecting Oscars' red carpet and golden statuettes. Glass bubbles hung from the ceiling and red roses dotted each table.
The most blinged-out table was No. 303, where Joel and Ethan Coen and Javier Bardem proudly displayed their Oscar statuettes for "No Country for Old Men."
"Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody kept her Oscar close, hesitantly giving it up when a friend asked to touch it.
Other stars mingled about the ballroom. Cate Blanchett talked with Julian Schnabel, while Viggo Mortensen draped himself with the flag of his favorite soccer team.
John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, nibbled on food prepared by Wolfgang Puck, who chatted with guests while wearing his white chef's coat.
Back at a viewing party in West Hollywood, the Envelope Please bash at The Abbey _ hosted by Jennifer Love Hewitt, who wore a dazzling white Elsie Katz Couture gown _ housed more than 500 guests underneath a tent strung with hundreds of tiny yellow lights.
The event raised $500,000 to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. Attendees, who included Ricki Lake, dined on sirloin steak or pasta, and drank cocktails named after best-picture nominees.
Across town, guests at the annual Night of 100 Stars viewing gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel ate chicken, risotto and sorbet and guzzled energy drinks.
Mr. Blackwell, known for his annual worst-dressed list that skewers celebrities, wasn't impressed by the revealing outfits.
"Most are out to show their bosoms," he said, his throat hoarse because of laryngitis. "I've seen a few beautiful dresses, but there's nothing really original here."
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
Maybe I´m wrong, but given the fact of this year´s chioces I think that a new tendency is growing up in the academy, a new refreshing air is blowing around. At least, actors are chosen with a much more mature decision.Penelope wrote:Well, I was overjoyed that Marion Cotillard won: it was a fantastic performance and her genuine, heartfelt joy when accepting the Oscar was the highlight of the evening for me.
And, yes, who's to say that Cotillard won't go on to become a beloved icon? She's only 32, she's only made a few films, she's clearly an extremely talented actress (she now has 2 Cesar awards, in addition to the Oscar, having won the Supporting Actress Cesar for A Very Long Engagement), and she's beautiful and charismatic.
All I can tell you is that this was the happiest Best Actress result for me in a long, long time.
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OscarGuy
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I may not be the foremost film historian...matter of fact, I know a fraction of what other people on this board do, but from looking at Sophia Loren's filmography, I wouldn't really say she was much of a hit in the U.S. at least. None of the American films I saw even sounded familiar to me. She became the first foreign-language winner in the Best Actress category ever. She had about 50-odd film credits before that win. Cotillard has only around 40 and like Loren, most of her roles were in foreign-language production.
Now, I could be completely wrong and Loren could have been an icon when she won her first Oscar at the age of 28, but not for American audiences...at least not general audiences. Cotillard is 32, so I wonder if in 30 years and she still looks smashing (if she does) and continues to deliver performances everyone can appreciate (she's "attached" to Nine where she may end up co-starring with the other foreign-language Best Actress winner, Loren), she could end up being the kind of legend Loren is now.
Now, I could be completely wrong and Loren could have been an icon when she won her first Oscar at the age of 28, but not for American audiences...at least not general audiences. Cotillard is 32, so I wonder if in 30 years and she still looks smashing (if she does) and continues to deliver performances everyone can appreciate (she's "attached" to Nine where she may end up co-starring with the other foreign-language Best Actress winner, Loren), she could end up being the kind of legend Loren is now.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Well, I was overjoyed that Marion Cotillard won: it was a fantastic performance and her genuine, heartfelt joy when accepting the Oscar was the highlight of the evening for me.
And, yes, who's to say that Cotillard won't go on to become a beloved icon? She's only 32, she's only made a few films, she's clearly an extremely talented actress (she now has 2 Cesar awards, in addition to the Oscar, having won the Supporting Actress Cesar for A Very Long Engagement), and she's beautiful and charismatic.
All I can tell you is that this was the happiest Best Actress result for me in a long, long time.
And, yes, who's to say that Cotillard won't go on to become a beloved icon? She's only 32, she's only made a few films, she's clearly an extremely talented actress (she now has 2 Cesar awards, in addition to the Oscar, having won the Supporting Actress Cesar for A Very Long Engagement), and she's beautiful and charismatic.
All I can tell you is that this was the happiest Best Actress result for me in a long, long time.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
I'm with Marco and Bog. I prefered Christie -- and even Ellen Page -- to Cotillard, but with the exception of Cate Blanchett (whose Lead spot should have gone to Amy Adams), this was an impressive Best Actress lineup. Cotillard is very much in the tradition of "pretty actresses undergoing a physical transformation for their art" that the Academy loves, but her performance is one of the better ones in that dubious list. One could say Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry is on that list as well, but few would argue that her performance was anything short of brilliant (objection noted, Penelope!) Certainly Cotillard is far preferable to Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, and Julia Roberts! My goodness, let's keep some perspective! And anyway, Cotillard's reaction was sweet and genuine and one of the best moments of the night. And -- this must always be said -- she's gorgeous!
That said, I was disappointed that Christie didn't win. Not because Cotillard was bad (she wasn't) but because Christie's performance was a thing of beauty and superior to any nominee in this category. But let's not forget the great acting travesty at the Oscars this year was the overlooked Gordon Pinsent. At least Christie's performance was recognized.
Ah, but my favorite moment for Best Actress wasn't even Cotillard's lovable reaction: it was after they showed Cate Blanchett's "Elizabeth: The Costume Pack-Mule" clip and then flashed to Blanchett in the audience who was visibly recoiling at -- and clearly embarrassed by -- that ridiculous scene. LOL! Does anyone else remember that? Even she couldn't stand it!
Edited By Akash on 1203966614
That said, I was disappointed that Christie didn't win. Not because Cotillard was bad (she wasn't) but because Christie's performance was a thing of beauty and superior to any nominee in this category. But let's not forget the great acting travesty at the Oscars this year was the overlooked Gordon Pinsent. At least Christie's performance was recognized.
Ah, but my favorite moment for Best Actress wasn't even Cotillard's lovable reaction: it was after they showed Cate Blanchett's "Elizabeth: The Costume Pack-Mule" clip and then flashed to Blanchett in the audience who was visibly recoiling at -- and clearly embarrassed by -- that ridiculous scene. LOL! Does anyone else remember that? Even she couldn't stand it!
Edited By Akash on 1203966614
I don´t agree with you. The Coens belong to the new generation of filmakers. It´s hard either to compare or to meassure their talent with the directors you´ve named.Sabin wrote:Don't get me wrong. 'I think 'No Country for Old Men' is probably the best movie to win this decade. But honoring the Coen Brothers isn't the same as giving an Oscar to Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson, Roman Polanski, Ang Lee, Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood again....these are guys who made this movie with absolutely no intention of winning an Oscar and would just as well sit around their living room and just be weird.
I don´t think t all that they filmed NCFOM with the explicit intention of winning an Oscar.
Bog wrote:I agree with you so much, Italiano, and glad to see you post here.
Thanks Bog, and thanks to those who contacted me privately for the nice things they have written to me.
It's just that when I read something totally absurd (and reverentially accepted by everyone here) I can't keep completely silent - I have to speak. This is me I guess. And I don't want this board to make the big mistake of dismissing a performance which doesn't deserve such a treatment, and the young, good actress who gave it. Comparing her to the great screen legends of the past is simply unfair - and anti-historical, because a Deborah Kerr, for example, not only belongs to another era - and so has an aura about her which modern actresses can't rival with - but had a long, amazing career, and starred in lots of films, while this French girl has made just a few movies, and only this last one was widely seen in the US. One can't put them on the same level - we will compare them forty years from now if we want to, and by then Marion Cotillard could have reached the status of a Deborah Kerr or, more probably, of a Danielle Darrieux - who knows?
I've also seen people here saying that she won because of vote-splitting (of course!). Vote-splitting between whom? And why? I don't get it.
And as you, Bog, rightly say, at least in this case they voted based on her performance - and not because she's a star, or she was felt to be overdue, or she's fashionable, or she could represent a "meaningful" social statement, or she can be used often in the future by American cinema (her accent will probably prevent or limit that). One is free to disagree with this choice, of course, but it's her performance which led her to the podium - it doesn't happen so often, and it must be appreciated. Of course she had the advantage of playing a beloved show-business icon, but I mean, this wasn't her fault! She had an important role, and she carried it - she's better than the movie itself by the way, and I think that she overcomes some of its problems.
In a perfect world, Julie Christie would have won, true. But we don't live in a perfect world, and as far as imperfections go (Oscar imperfections especially), this isn't a choice that should make us cry. So I hope that I will stop seeing her referred to on this board with some supposedly "humorous" epithets - she has a first name and a last name, and even if they sound foreign, we should try to learn them. It's the mature thing to do.
A few months ago I made a big mistake. I said that Julie Christie would have never won Best Actress - for many, simple reasons, she just wasn't the kind of actress that the Academy would have given a second Oscar to. And then of course the reaction by the so-called experts here was that I was wrong, that the Academy has a "heart" and for once it would have voted following its collective "pure" feelings and give it to Christie, etc. Well, we all can see what has happened yesterday.
But still, I WAS wrong. I said that Marion Cotillard would have been the perfect, most obvious winner EXCEPT that being foreigner, and not famous, would have made her victory impossible. I'm glad that I was wrong though - and while I don't know if I'd say now that the Academy "has a heart" (I'm too cynical probably to use such words), it certainly means that sometimes, in the right circumstances, it can vote without prejudices.
Edited By ITALIANO on 1203961502
I agree with you so much, Italiano, and glad to see you post here. I find the best thing about this and your comparison is that Marion Cotillard won an Oscar because voters saw the performance and liked it, enjoyed it enough to vote for it to win the Academy Award, regardless of competition. I don't and never will think that was much of the case for the Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry disasters, which the voting for their respective wins least of all factored in their performance.ITALIANO wrote:The typical, tiresome reaction by some ("Greta Garbo never won, Charlie Chaplin never won"...) - and, interestingly, by some who didn't say this when n Halle Berry or a Nicole Kidman won(where they better than Garbo?) is so obviously childish and useless that probably doesn't even deserve a comment. It's a way of playing with history that I don't find honest.
Sonic said (I think) the Cotillard haters will get the last laugh...and consider me one who definitely wanted Christie to win...but I sure wish I getting the last laugh with The Human Stain, Stepford Wives, The Interpreter, Bewitched, Fur, The Invasion, then Swordfish, Catwoman, Gothika, Perfect Stranger, but they still get huge star treatment
Finally, I wouldn't even go as far to say she didn't deserve the win, personally. But as I've said before, I feel an inconruency on this board with the lack of outrage or even opinion that Pinsent has been absent from square one. They at least went hand in hand, and in my humble opinion, Pinsent two notches above.
I think this year suffered from not having a genuine "event" movie that everyone in the culture was talking about. For me, that's not always about "box office" or a big studio picture. It's about the impact and significance of the film - there was no "Titanic" or "Brokeback Mountain."
"There Will Be Blood" had a quotable movie line that didn't even get used in a gag (although not sure how Jon Stewart would've made a joke about drinking milkshakes - I'm sure it could be done). I've seen some great spoofs on YouTube, so what's the problem with this telecast?
Now, the morning after, I have time to reflect and try to pinpoint what felt "off" about the entire evening. It probably is just the problem of rushing at the last minute to pull things together.
Highlights:
Jon Stewart giving one of the Original Song winners an opportunity to give her acceptance speech (I wonder if producers will finally take note that THIS is the main reason most of us watch).
The acceptance speeches of Bardem and Day-Lewis.
The surprise announcements of Swinton and Cotillard.
The Steve Carell joke about mixing up animation feature with documentary feature.
Low points:
the pointless montages (this was just a really bad sendup for the 80th anniversary telecast - I agree with someone else who said we should have had more past winners reflecting on what was going through their mind when their name was announced - better yet, what about a quick clip of one of the more memorable acceptance speeches in Oscar history, right before presenting the corresponding award?)
the "In Memoriam" segment left me cold: I mean, there were people I distinctly remember mourning when they passed (Heath Ledger, Ousmane Sembene), so I should have been moved. I was not. I attribute that to a badly edited montage, which did not use the right clips and the right music to take us in the mood.
The Judi Dench/Halle Berry punchline - I'm still scratching my head. I really don't get it.
The soldiers in Iraq presenting the documentary award: God, that was so cheesy! I know they were going for "support the troops" and all, but I think they would have been better served if they actually showed significant segments from those documentary films dealing with the subject (HERE is where a montage would have served the purpose).
I'm still smarting over The Bourne Supremacy winning in all the categories it was up for: sorry, but while I enjoyed the movie, I thought the sound effects and the editing were the worst parts of it (I distinctly remember the migraine I suffered from the fast-paced cut-and-paste job of the "action"). It clearly didn't deserve to win editing over No Country or There Will Be Blood (but maybe that's just me).
All in all, though, a pretty forgettable year.
"There Will Be Blood" had a quotable movie line that didn't even get used in a gag (although not sure how Jon Stewart would've made a joke about drinking milkshakes - I'm sure it could be done). I've seen some great spoofs on YouTube, so what's the problem with this telecast?
Now, the morning after, I have time to reflect and try to pinpoint what felt "off" about the entire evening. It probably is just the problem of rushing at the last minute to pull things together.
Highlights:
Jon Stewart giving one of the Original Song winners an opportunity to give her acceptance speech (I wonder if producers will finally take note that THIS is the main reason most of us watch).
The acceptance speeches of Bardem and Day-Lewis.
The surprise announcements of Swinton and Cotillard.
The Steve Carell joke about mixing up animation feature with documentary feature.
Low points:
the pointless montages (this was just a really bad sendup for the 80th anniversary telecast - I agree with someone else who said we should have had more past winners reflecting on what was going through their mind when their name was announced - better yet, what about a quick clip of one of the more memorable acceptance speeches in Oscar history, right before presenting the corresponding award?)
the "In Memoriam" segment left me cold: I mean, there were people I distinctly remember mourning when they passed (Heath Ledger, Ousmane Sembene), so I should have been moved. I was not. I attribute that to a badly edited montage, which did not use the right clips and the right music to take us in the mood.
The Judi Dench/Halle Berry punchline - I'm still scratching my head. I really don't get it.
The soldiers in Iraq presenting the documentary award: God, that was so cheesy! I know they were going for "support the troops" and all, but I think they would have been better served if they actually showed significant segments from those documentary films dealing with the subject (HERE is where a montage would have served the purpose).
I'm still smarting over The Bourne Supremacy winning in all the categories it was up for: sorry, but while I enjoyed the movie, I thought the sound effects and the editing were the worst parts of it (I distinctly remember the migraine I suffered from the fast-paced cut-and-paste job of the "action"). It clearly didn't deserve to win editing over No Country or There Will Be Blood (but maybe that's just me).
All in all, though, a pretty forgettable year.
That's true. If they had wanted to give out a lead acting award that early, it should've been Actor, so we would still have had some suspense to take us into the home stretch.The Original BJ wrote:Related point: whose STUPID idea was it to present this category so early in the evening? It practically killed the suspense for the rest of the night.