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When I was a kid, I loved to watch the Oscars. I really enjoyed the pageantry and glamor, and I thought that watching somehow connected me with Hollywood. As I got older, I watched them more to inform me about movies, actors, and directors. The last several years, this fascination with the Academy Awards has turned to interest, to indifference, until recently it has finally moved into complete disdain. These people work four months a year, doing a job they love, getting paid extravagant amounts of money, have adoring fans, and they expect us to watch as they pat each other on the back in fancy dress? Ugh. All that being said, of course I still watched the awards last night.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the format change. They somehow managed to blend a star-studded spectacle with a feeling of intimacy. The opening number was rather lame, but other than that I found Hugh Jackman a great and clearly talented host. I liked the decision to have a showman as a host rather than a comedian. As Mr. Jackman said in the Barbara Walters' special before the awards, "It's time to have more show, less biz."
The gimmick of having five past Oscar winners come out to announce the nominees was interesting. It was very cheesy, but for some reason it worked. And sometimes, the actors actually sounded sincere as they described the nominee. I vastly preferred it to the standard method of clips from the film.
As for predictions, I made them, but I didn't post them here or anywhere else. I generally have a pretty good track record, but I just find it annoying. It bothers me that so often the best predictors have nothing to do with the performance. For example, I correctly called Sean Penn for Best Actor, though I know many people thought it would be Mickey Rourke. The reasons have nothing to do with their skills as actors. Hollywood hates Mickey Rourke. The Academy was afraid of what he might say if he won. And despite all the movies to the contrary, Hollywood itself does not like underdog stories or comebacks. A studio's success depends on the cult of the new. Add to that the political guilt felt by the passing of Proposition 8, and Sean Penn playing a gay activist is a lock. And if anyone didn't pick Heath Ledger, they just weren't paying attention.
Without going through every category, here are some more thoughts:
- I was disappointed that Slumdog Millionaire came away with so many awards. It was a good film, but not that good. It didn't deserve a sweep.
- I was very pleased that Man on Wire won, as I feared Trouble the Water might slink in for political reasons.
- I didn't understand why Hugh Jackman made a big point of saying "the musical is back!" Because of Mamma Mia? Seriously? Where was he when Chicago won in 2003? Hairspray, The Producers, Dreamgirls... any of these ring a bell? I think the musical has been back for a while.
- The gowns were very elegant and nostalgic, which was nice. Penelope Cruz even had a vintage dress, which was beautiful.
3 comments:
Watched the whole thing--except for the blessing of TiVo to zip through commercials and some of the acceptance speeches. I thought Jackman was great, including the opening number. I had the opposite feeling about the cheesy intros the actors awards. As great as it always is to see those stars, I thought it just dragged. It was like the eventual winner was being invited to a club (like the old 4-timers club for SNL hosts). I prefer the clips.
Speaking of clips, I always enjoy seeing the clips of the people that passed away during the year, and this time we didn't get to see all of those. Queen Latifah's singing was wonderful, but that could've bookended the clips and played underneath them on my screen.
I only saw three of the Best Picture nominees (F/N, Slumdog, and Benjamin Button), and though I liked them--in that order--I didn't think any of them were Best Picture material. Really sorry I've missed Doubt and Milk, but hope to fix that before long.
For once, I'd seen a nominated documentary, and it was even the one that ultimately won. That was fun.
Maybe Jackman's bit about the musical being back is due to MM and HSM3, so that's a pair of movies that shows a gathering wave? Maybe we just had one big musical in recent years, and none for many before that?
People seem to be split on the clips vs. intros debate. It's very much a love it/hate it thing, it appears. I liked it because it gave a little more context to why that role was nominated, which you don't often get with just a clip. But I definitely see your point regarding the old-timers club (Elliott Gould?).
I completely agree about the "In Memoriam" segment. Latifah's song was beautiful, but surely they could have had her as an inset or split screen so that you could see those being remembered.
Speaking of strange framing, how about the incessant Kung Fu Panda loop at the bottom of the screen? I was fortunate to be watching on a wide screen. I can only imagine how annoying that would have been every time they showed a nominee.
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