The Oscars

[Ash]

Well, for the first time in years I actually sat through the entire show.
I must say that Jon Stewart's turn as host was great!

I predicted several of the winners.
I knew Ang Lee would win for Best Director and I figured that Reese Witherspoon would win for Best Actress.  She definitely deserved it.

As for Best Male Actor...I had no clue because it was a pretty close race.
I was rooting all the way for Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow".
If you haven't seen it yet, go rent it!
It was awesome awesome awesome!
At least it won for best original song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp".

As for Best Film...Crash.
Well, I thought the film was just ok.
To me, Crash was a racial rip-off of Magnolia
.
Magnolia is a much better film in my opinion.
I think Crash was so hyped up but not nearly as good as the academy and critics made it out to be.  It was kind of a let down for me...I was expecting it to be so much better than it really was.
Don't get me wrong...Crash does have its moments...but while I was watching it, I could not help but draw comparisons to Magnolia.

Anyway...I had a good time watching the show this year.
It was much more fun and the laughs were genuine!

Any thoughts?

[ulthar]

My comment to my wife about the Oscars was: "this is just a big old Hollywood Self-Love fest."

I told her I have no problem with the industry having awards; most do. But WHY OH WHY does it have to be this mega gala multi-hour affair on TV?  To me, it is another example of Hollywood types pushing themselves off on the rest of us as some sort of self-proclaimed aristocracy.

And we have so darned many:  Hip Hop Awards, MTV Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Country Music Awards and I'm sure I'm missing some.

But really, to the extent that I care best actor, best picture, etc, I'll read about it the next day.  It's not like the Dental Assistant awards, or heck, even the Nobel ceremonies get televised.

Where's Teacher of the Year?  How about Military Decoration ceremonies?  You know, award shows for jobs that MATTER.

I was also wondering "who watches this?"  Now I know.  ASHTHECAT!  

[dean]

As a cinema studies student I guess I'm interested in the Oscars from that angle.

I'm glad Crash won.  I haven't seen much of it myself, but a large majority of the film professionals who talked at that summer film school I did a few weeks back were all raving about how well made it was, so that must lend it a bit of credit.

Anyways, I didn't really care too much about the Oscars other than that cinematic interest, for the simple fact that I rarely watch any of the Oscar nominated films.  I'm still interested in seeing Crash, but frankly couldn't care less about Brokeback, Capote and Walk the Line [and most of the other big nominees.]

Anyway, it's screening on TV here tonight, and whilst I don't think I'll watch much, I do want to see how Jon Stewart goes as host.

[daveblackeye15]

I didn't watch it but my mom did.

I just hope Kong got at least one.

[plan9superfan]

1-I don't get it why so many people hate "Crash". I guess it's the "in" thing to hate "Crash", just as it's the "in" thing to love "Brokeback Mountain".

It's a wonderful, superb films that deals with a very powerful issue (racism and racial discrimination) in a beautiful, wishmical way.

2-"March of the Penguins" (the winner for Best Documentary) wasn't released in my country yet. I'll watch it when it is,  and I guess it's much better that that Enron or crippled basketball players crap.

3-"Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" (the winner for Best Animated Movie) totally deserved its win. It was cute, nice funny, has that British humor that makes it so great, and it was DEFINETLY better than the other choices.

"Corpse Bride" it's an overrated, annoying piece of s**t and "Howl's Moving Castle" was too long and complicated for me to like.

4-"Tsotsi" (the winner for Best Foreign Language Movie) wasn't released in my country either, but I will watch when it is.

[Mr_Vindictive]

I watched a good portion of the oscars last night, but ended up going to sleep after Reese Witherspoon's win.

As for Plan9's post, I must say that I didn't think Crash was the best film of the year.  It didn't do really anything new, and was overrated in my opinion.  It's not that it's a bad film, just not the best one this year.

I didn't much care for the choices for best picture.  Crash was meh, with Brokeback Mountain only being a bit better in my opinion.

I've yet to see Capote, but I can't wait to pick it up on DVD.  I'm a huge fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  Anyone who doubts the man's abilites should immediatly rent Owning Mahowny, Love Liza, Magnolia, State And Maine or Happiness.  The man is a genius and deserves the award.

I haven't seen Walk The Line yet either, but I'm sure I'll pick it up on DVD sometime soon.

Tsotsi though is one that should be seen.  It's about a thug in South Africa who carjacks a woman who is quite rich and takes off only to realize that there is an infant in the back seat.  The movie is extremely powerful, and as I said is one that should be seen, but as it is foreign I doubt many people here will see it.  Hell, my means of finding the film and watching it were not exactly...moral.

[raj]

I didn't watch.  I did flip through the channels for a while, and actually caught Jessica Alba on stage.  Yum.

[plan9superfan]

1-Now I can't wait to see "Tsotsi"!

2-"Crash" sheds some light on the issue of racism, and that is a very important, meaningful subject, wether it's new or not.

[plan9superfan]

It was the mosdt important event for ccinematography students and movie lovers, AND YOU MISSED IT!?

[ulthar]

plan9superfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was the mosdt important event for
> ccinematography students and movie lovers, AND YOU
> MISSED IT!?

When you consider one's presence on THIS board as B-Movie lover, watching the Oscars might be time better spent watcing Plan9, RoboChic or Mankillers; after all, it's not like Troma had a contender for Best Picture.

[raj]

I'd like to see the Razzies televised.

[Dunners]

Thought Felicity Huffman did a better job than Whitherspoon did. I didnt think Jon Stewart did too bad a job myself, the first hour he was kind of tepid, but as the night continued he got better and better. To be honest though I have issues with Rap and Hip Hop being nominated and winning at the Oscars, its really butt ugly music that doesn't have anything going for it (IMO), where as a lot of the other stuff has actualy singing, long periods of time are bein gspent on writing the music itself, and uses all kinds of instruments.

I dont considar a few decent beats, misc sound mixing, and two or three guys cursing and yelling at the camera music in any way.

[The Conqueroo]

My Only Real Complaints:#1:Jauquin Phoenix shoulda got it for "Walk the Line".#2:Larry McMurtry Looked Like A Slightly Tipsy Former Kid's Show Host.#3:Basically,"Hustle and Flow"Was A Rehash of "8Mile".(Which The WB Showed That Night.).

[LH-C]

The Oscars used to be fun. Then by the mid-late '80s they began to fall apart. (1989 was the worst ever.)

[BoyScoutKevin]

Well, let us see what I can add to this thread.

Actually, it is not so surprising that Hoffman won for his role in "Capote." Most people who are in the know, said he was the odds on favorite to win. There was a surprise winner, which we will get to later.

"King Kong" won three Oscars. All in the technical categories. Unlike the year that "Return of the King" swept almost all the awards, no film this year won more than three awards.

There was an award show for teacher of the year. It was called something like American Teacher Awards. For awhile, it was on the Disney Channel, then it was on Lifetime, but I haven't seen it for a few years, so I don't know whether it's still being broadcast or not.

The surprise winner was "Crash" for best picture.

This is not to take away from "Crash," which was one of the better films of the past year, but for once the Oscars could have awarded the Oscar to the best film of the year, "Brokeback Mountain," but instead it awarded it to the lesser "Crash."  Actually, looking at the nominess for Best Picture, any of them would probably have been a better choice than "Crash."