Oscar Night Open Thread

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Glancing over the nominees, I see that I have once again failed in my duty as a movie fan. Or the Academy has once again failed to interest me. I’ve seen one of the animated films, none of the Best Picture nominees and two of the Best Supporting Actor films (including the dead guy and the one film certain to win nothing). I will look at photos of the gorgeous actresses in their beautiful gowns tomorrow, otherwise, fffft to the Oscars. I’ve been boycotting them since Spring of 1970 when they passed over Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman to give the Best Actor award to John Wayne. Bah, humbug!

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177 thoughts on “Oscar Night Open Thread”

  1. I used to enjoy Billy Crystal’s opening musical numbers where he “sings the Oscars”. But he doesn’t host any more.

    When they had teh Oscars right after the writer’s strike ended, Jon Stewart had some funny clips to show, and he said there would have been more if the strike hadn’t ended when it did. One of the clips was called “Oscar Wakes Up”, and was a montage of clips from movies of people waking up, sleepily, alarmingly, whatever. It was funny, actually. I wish there were more of them.

  2. Billy Crystal IMHO was the most entertaining of the hosts–great movie pastiches and clever lyrics delivered with gusto.

    There’s a tremendous irony built-in to the Oscars which really grates on me and that concerns the category scripts written for the presenters and how they are delivered.
    Either the scripts are overblown with maudlin hyperbole or their ‘humor’ is simply feeble and either way most of the presenters deliver their few lines of dialog like rank amateurs overly-keen to hit their marks and cues, or as put-upon professionals forced to debase themselves with utter tat (without the incentive of a wage).

    There’s just something weird about an actor who can’t bring him or herself to act for just the briefest time during this ultimate celebration of their own profession. :D

  3. Good Morning youngster’s, think I will pass on the big event…Haven’t watched it in year’s…Would rather watch the rain drip off the window’s these day’s…LOL..P.B.& J

  4. Oscars?

    I still think Dustin Hoffman should have gotten Best Actress for “Tootsie.”

  5. It’s difficult to get interested in the awards when the only film I’ve seen is The Dark Knight — and I am sure Heath Ledger will get the sympathy vote (and he was terrific and sooooo creepy as the Joker). If I thought they’d show clips of Kate Winslet nekkid, I might tune in, but they never go for the good stuff in the clips.

  6. Oscar night is hell no doubt about it—a lot of tat involved.

    Lead Actor:
    I haven’t seen any of the candidate movies. Of all of them I’d be least interested in Benjamin Button—some artful fantasies can be too artful.

    Supporting Actor:
    I’ve seen Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight and Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder.
    Ledger was very, very good in a really well scripted and well-directed movie but actually Downey may have had the more ‘difficult’ role. Ledger will get the prize though.

    Lead Actress:
    I haven’t seen any of these either. I though Jolie deserved an Oscar for A Mighty Heart (2007). I wouldn’t be surprised if Melissa Leo gets it (who?), because… just because!
    Otherwise Kate Winslet, because it’s about time!

    Supporting Actress:
    Again, I’ve not seen any of the movies. No idea.

    Animated:
    WALL-E without a doubt! Never mind the “message” it’s just completely brilliant!

    Costume Design:
    The Duchess?

    Best Picture:
    Seen it. Slumdog Millionaire!

    Writing (Original Screenplay):
    I’ve only seen two in this category, one being Wall-E and the other being ‘In Bruges’. I’d go with ‘In Bruges’ out of these two.

  7. Zooey… the red-carpet interviews are undoubtedly the effing worst aspect and the “who are you wearing” is surely the worst question of all.

    Of all the people who watch the proceedings surely most of the people who give a ‘practical’ shit about “who you are wearing ?” are those who can consider buying such clothing—and half of them are going to be attending the show or the exclusive shindigs after! ie. point-0001 percent of the viewership.

  9. 5th State, it looks like we have similar taste in films. Heh. Tropic Thunder was hysterical and Downey’s part — playing a white actor playing a black soldier alongside an real black actor playing a black soldier — was terrific. He was also superb in Iron Man, which apparently got dissed completely (no surprise). I was amazed to see him listed for BSA, though; I figured Tropic Thunder would be Oscar-toxic.

    • 5th,

      The screaming and slobbering of the “have nots” in the bleachers, over the “haves” on the red carpet is what finally drove me away from what used to be an entertaining evening. Such an embarrassingly ridiculous display, and it means absolutely nothing.

      “Oh my god!!! I was 27 feet away from Brad Pitt!!!” **faint**

      Stupid.

  10. Gummitch, I loved Iron Man. He was great in that.

    About the dresses, I could care less who designed them. We just have fun see what everyone looks like, and who is wearing the coolest dress. Some people come looking so ridiculous..

    We watch a lot of movies, and we turn it into something fun trying to see as many of the movies nominated before Oscars, and then try and guess who is going to win. Even Sean keeps score writing down all the winners..

    It is hilarious watching the acceptance speeches as well. Every once in a while they are really good and heartfelt, but more often than not they are lame.. Feigned shock and humility.. I know I am being harsh, but in my head I always hear Sally Fields in one of her older films saying “You love me! You really, really LOVE me!!” ;-)

  12. Oh, and there was the time that Marlon Brando refused to show up to accept his Oscar for The Godfather and sent a fake Indian woman to pick it up and speechify. And at least one occasion when a streaker ran across the back of the stage . . .

    • gummitch, those are the totally scripted gimmicks that turned me off the Oscars, and then the crowds started irritating me. Geez, I’mfeeling cranky this morning…

  13. gummitch… :D

    Iron Man… fun movie, acting-wise it was best with him as prisoner, with Gwyneth Paltrow and with Jeff Bridges.

    His character in Tropic Thunder is a stroke of genius however and few others could have done it: He wasn’t just a white actor playing a black actor, he was a supposedly multiple-Oscar winning Australian actor (Russel Crowe) who was playing a black American actor, who was and is actually a white American actor!.

    Re Russel Crowe imitations there’s a hilarious clip I have to look up for you… I’ll see if I can find it. .

  14. Zooey and nwmuse…
    What staggers me most is how ignorant most of the TV red carpet interviewers are about their subject(s)—MOVIES!

    .

    • 5th, it’s because for the most part they are absolutely shallow and superficial – and self-absorbed. There are only a handful that manage to escape getting sucked up in that.

  15. For all…French and Saunders, doing a better job of the Academy Awards than the Academy Awards does…:

  16. Pseudo Russell Crowe appears at the 40-second mark…. other impressions of other famous actors follow…(Ronni Ancona is stellar!)

    http://tinyurl.com/d4wbbl

    IMHO the best line is : “Let us show how angry we Antipodeans can be!”

  19. “And at least one occasion when a streaker ran across the back of the stage . . .”

    The late great David Niven was on stage at that time. I wish I could remember his comment after the streaker ran by, it was some sort of put-down about the streaker’s ‘size’.

  20. I’m watching a marathon of NCIS today and loving it, when this is over will switch to NYPD Blue season 2 0r 3…The rain drop’s are wonderful and it’s been a great day of bird watching, walking the dog and happy for the warm breeze….My tree’s are trying to bud, spring must be on the way….Happy posting youngster’s…Blessings

  25. nwmuse
    February 22, 2009 at 10:49 am · Edit

    And gummitch, Halle Berry would look good standing up there in a potato sack.. I hate her.

    Careful, muse. You’re talking about the next Mrs Wayne A. Schneider there. ;)

  28. Muse,
    I’m glad you said that, it’s been a while since I watched one of these and I have little to compare to.

  29. I like them to muse. Unfortunately I see most of the movies after the awards. Taylor gets free passes to all of them from SAG because she gets to vote but you have to be in LA to go to them. Sometimes they send DVDs but this year only Batman. The leanest year ever.

  30. Good job by Jackman.
    BTW if the magnificient Meryl Streep has the record number of nominations ( 15) does that mean she’s aslo LOST more times than anyone else? :D

  32. Would someone let me know if I win for my smashing performance in:

    Not fainting while watching my wife’s Caesarian…

  38. nwmuse… Brad ‘n Jen, oh yeah, of course….. that whole thing kept a lot people in work—stupid pointless work but what they call work anyway.

    Slumdog’s going to get Best Picture–and to anyone who hasn’t seen it. it’s worth seeing.

    • I’m not going to blog on the smaller winners.. (Art Direction, etc..)
      Wrong description.. Not small. Just not the most discussed…

      5th, I agree.

  43. Hey. you know what is a GREAT movie that never got a nomination ? “Catch Me if You Can”/ from a few years ago.

  50. man I hate it when the presenters screw up on the name of foreign actor or movie title

    SHPEEL-ZOYG- LAND! Easy!

    Fucking lazy and insulting if you ask me.

  53. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory v Oscars? Easy choice…

    ….”and if I don’t get it, I’m going to screammmmm!!”

  54. nwmuse…. you know, maybe if they gave the actors more time to actually talk then maybe every acceptance speech wouldn’t be just a thank you list of obscure names, mum and dad, spouse/partner and God, as it usually is. .

    • Bill Maher? (He’s talking about his own film..) He is presenting for best documentary. Winner is? Man on Wire.

      Wow, the guy is up there doing magic tricks.. Never seen that before..

  55. If anyone hasn’t seen Religulous, please do so. It’s actually a very thoughtful piece of work.

  58. house…. uncomfortable, yeah, I guess so.

    Though in the Best Supporting bit, Cuba Gooding Junior was just…. ummm… well, I never though he could act from the get-go. Sad.

    • 5thstate, did you ever see “Boyz in the Hood”? That was one tough film to watch, but it changed how I see a lot of things. It gave me a glimpse into an an entirely different reality. Fantastic acting.

  59. Another Cuba Gooding Jr. movie you might not have seen is “Daybreak”, with Moira Kelly. It’s a future society with a disease like aids, where an underground group tries to help people stay out of government-run asylums where they are doomed. Pretty edgy.

  60. thanks for the Gooding tips…I thought he was good in MacGuire, then everything else I;d seen him in was just a reprise of the character as far as I could tell… haven’t seen the ones you’ve both mentioned, I;ll have to look out for them,

  61. HEY! Button got Make up and then got Visual Effects, which was effectively “Makeup”?!!
    Doesn;t seem fair. .

  63. I’ve lost count, but they’re ahead, right?

    Tribute to Jerry Lewis. That’ll be interesting.

  64. Slumdog’s got what, four now?
    There’s only one Jerry Lewis effort that matters to me–The Nutty Professor! :D

  67. nwmuse—I second that!.I didn’t realize that’s what he was going to get ( I’m hopping between PC andf TV with headphones so I’m missing some bits.

    And…. the Non -Humanitarian Award goes to…..Chuck Heston and his cold dead hands!

    • Winner for Best Original Song goes to Slumdog Millionaire! “Jai Ho”

      WOW! He said “All my life I have had a choice of hate and love. I chose love.”
      Wow…

  72. I wonder if any of my neighbors have seen Slumdog yet. I’ll have to ask them tomorrow ( I live next to ‘Bombay Square’ )

  78. That’s the one:

    “we are the music makers,
    and we are the dreamers of dreams”

  81. Well Muse it was throat cancer. Crichton wrote a lot of good stuff, popularizing cutting edge science in exciting stories. He had a few duds, like Timeline and the one about the environmental/climate terrorists…..

  87. If the choice of Milk was guided at all by politics/human rights, well damn right!
    Mickey Rourke can blame the Mormons and the Republicans for not getting the Oscar.
    Im really motivated to see Milk and The Wrestler.

  88. They didn’t have real stars, so they didn’t really compete for the actor awards, but they nearly won everything else, didn’t they?

    Pricewaterhouse Coopers counts the votes. That must be the only honest accounting they do!

  89. Jeeze, I finally started a thread that got more than four comments. I rock!

    Did Kate Winslet keep her clothes on? Anne Hathaway? No point in watching at all.

  90. Uh oh, a big homo won best actor (well, it was about a homo) and a “eco terrorist” cartoon won as well. This just verifies everything that conservatrons have said about Hollywood. Damn commies.

  91. Muse, I’m fond of John Carpenter. Vampires and Big Trouble in Little China are probably the greatest films of all time.

    Srsly, I can’t answer the question without exploding. When I lived in Portland in the early 70s, Sunday nights are the 5th Street Cinema were filled by double features from the 30s and 40s (complete with newsreel and cartoons during the break). When I moved to Berkeley some years later, I lived two blocks from the University Theater, which had a different double feature every night. Then I lived near the Grand Lake Theater right when new prints were released of Hitchcock’s films and Lawrence of Arabia. There’s virtually no great film (and some stinkers) up to at least the 90s that I haven’t seen, many of them on a real screen.

    I can’t even begin to list them in any priority.

  92. gummitch…. the question is, what other movies from this years crop will they co-opt as being “conservative”?
    I’m guessing Slumdog, because it has millionaire in the title.
    Oh, and Kate Winslet must be a liberal because she just played a fascist in The Reader, and an unhappy 50′s subarban housewife, so that makes her a commie–Revolutionary ROad! :D

  93. Oh, you’re gone Muse? I’ll save my list ’til you have time to stick around.
    Well, Good Night. Your enthusiasm was a lot of what made me stick around and watch the whole thing. I bet I haven’t done that in years. See you on the morrow.

  94. He missed Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, Zooey. I had to Google to find what his picks were. He picked Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn won. He picked Taraji P. Henson and Penelope Cruz won.

  97. muse,
    Paul Newman passed away last year. Your name was on his lips as he drew his final breath. :evil:

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