Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

I liked the show overall. The "hero" montages were a fucking waste of time though.

The show itself was probably a bit better than in the last few years. Less boring, I'd say. It's true that the "hero" montages were terrible, not only because they were shallow and predictable, but also the idea itself - such a basic, superficial conception of cinema. And cinema - even American cinema - is so much more than that. Can you imagine hero montages at Cannes, Venice or Berlin? And the Oscars are the most important film award in the world. Embarassing, really (and why two? Maybe I missed something, it was very late here).

But at least it was rather fast-moving. The problem is that the show seems to be made by people who don't know much about cinema - or at least don't really love it. And then, of course, there's the lack of surprises. I am obviously glad that Gravity didn't win Best Picture. And Oscar Guy is glad that his predixtion was right - understandably so.

But sorry - I will be honest: I don't like an Oscar which follows Oscar Guy's predictions. And at least Oscar Guy HAS seen most of the nominees (though how can one into Oscars NOT watch the Foreign Film nominees? This makes me think). So let's say, more generally, that I don't like an Oscar which follows the general bloggers's predictions - bloggers who don't even care about the movies, maybe don't even see them, but try to impose their own theorical predictions, which aren't based on the real value of the movies themselves, but on shared, and often banal, algorithms. When the Academy members blindly follow them - and really, yesterday there was NO exception - they deprive the Academy Awards of any real personality, of any real substance. They only become a sort of seal - of a precursors's season, and of internet boards discussions. It's not the blogs trying to predict the Oscars anymore - it's the Oscars perversely following the blogs - and how shall I put it, it's not like Sasha Stone or Tom O'Neil are the most profound thinkers in the world - or even, I hope, in America.

And you feel it. You feel it even in the nominees who are there, and who, with few exceptions, don't look especially anxious or especially disappointed when they lose. The tension which used to be there has gone, and I believe that it's gone forever.

Not a bad show. It was long as usual, but Ellen kept it moving. It was good that no one leaked which presenters would be doing what which made for some nice surprises. When Pink, not Bette Midler, sang "Over the Rainbow" I half expected Midler to come out singing a medley of Shirley Temple songs.

I could have done without those lame "hero" montages. I knew Reza would lose the bonus "in memoriam" question in the contest as soon as they showed Peter O'Toole blowing out the match in Lawrence of Arabia. They wouldn't have shown it twice in the same evening. But for once in a long, long time the best things were the speeches - all four acting winners, John Ridley and even Alfonso Cuaron, despite his rambling, all had something new to say in addition to hitting the notes they've been hitting all season long. What more can we expect?

Thought Ellen did a very good job as host...10x better than Seth last year.

I think the ratings share should be higher than last year also.

This year was great. I have quibbles but for the first time in a decade? Decades? They finally centralized the show to what the Oscars should always be about: the movies. Chalk it up to myriad uncertainties in upper echelon categories (which all went pretty predictably) but it was a corker too.

I don't think Damien would have liked American Hustle, Gravity, or 12 Years a Slave but I think he would've liked this show a lot.

The statues on stage looked like giant Oscar gummies.

After watching most of the last two shows (switched off in disgust when La Streep and Lawrence won), I didn't bother this year as I knew the only two people I had any passion for had no chance of winning.

Spent a nice day up in the mountains driving around and having lunch - doesn't sound like I missed anything.

So there was the stage, looking like a recycling center filled with all those empty transparent plastic bottles. And it was very fitting for an evening with not a trace of originality, freshness or any kind of novelty. There were more embarrassing Oscar ceremonies, but were there any as boring as this? Everything and everybody looked tired and disinterested as if they've been there and done that before countless times. Oh, wait – they have! As for Degeneres – I’m sorry Damien, I still prefer wit over good nature. And it’s not going to get better in the future, isn't it? Should we throw in the towel? I know it’s pathetic, but I’m really having this sense of lost.

both screenplay winners get standing ovations...

Ok I think we've all lost out on the bonus point on the standing ovations. This audience is itching to get up at the drop of a hat.

Friends with little kids are complaining that the Oscars waited until after 11pm (EST) to program the "Let It Go".

the heroes montage are really lame

So far, the best thing about this broadcast have been the acceptance speeches.

Please. The ovation wasn't for U2. It was for the images of Mandela posted behind them.

mlrg wrote:actually the twitter photo thing was funny

My step-mother said she tried to re-tweet it but Twitter was overloaded.