#51
Posted: 3/6/06 at 10:38am
I'm with Craig on this ceremony... a snoozefest. Jon Stewart's was terrible... and I'm a big Daily Show fan. About the best thing I can say is that he didn't tank as badly as David Letterman in his infamous turn. He was better than Letterman, but not as good as Chris Rock... which still puts him close to the bottom of the heap of recent hosts. His opening "jokes" were weak and "off"... and his timing was way too slow. He only slightly made up for it later in the evening when he relaxed enough to improv some one-liners a bit. That's when he came off the best, which isn't saying much. But I agree that the entire tone of the evening (not just from the host) was funereal.
Dolly Parton is a goddess. She can still strut around the stage with scary face lift and all, and knock an audience dead (which wasn't very far off from where they started) with her talent. I have nothing against a rap song winning for Best Song... but I'd prefer a good one. Still, I think this is a sign of the future, as movies and music forge ahead. I don't think it's such a bad thing. I do believe that their acceptance speech had more energy, surprise and genuine gratitude than the rest of the evening's winners put together. It was refreshing during such a stale ceremony.
As far as the other awards, they were predictable and predicted by most in the industry... with the exception of Best Picture. While I was a bit disappointed that BBM didn't take home the top prize, there is a part of me that's always glad to see an upset. It shows me that the canon of critics awards aren't always an indicator of what the Academy peers (not critics) will choose. (17 previous critics awards for BBM vs. 1 for Crash, yet Crash wins the Oscar.) The last time I recall a Best Picture "surprise" that big was when Braveheart won, with VERY few people predicting that as well.
I also hate evenings that are labeled "a return to glamour," somehow desperately trying to make this show special by proclamation, when every other previous Academy Awards show has also been "a return to glamour." Do they think we don't remember those? I don't recall the Beach Party themed Oscars... or the Toga Party, or Casual Friday Oscars. So, guess what? It ain't a return to glamour this year either. I wish just once someone would say... yeah, it looks like a slight variation of the same old sh*t we saw last year. At least that would be an honest response. I did think the opening graphic montage of all the famous iconic film locations and performers walking around while we panned through a sort of heavenly hybrid of a Cinema City was very well done and got me jazzed for the (otherwise dull) evening.
I'm hoping that next year there are a wide variety of films we (as a collective movie-going audience) are more passionate and excited about. I hope the crowd sitting at the Kodak Theatre wakes up (and has a reason to), and I hope they can find a better host that can start the show off with a bang, ala Crystal or Goldberg, and keep it there for the rest of the marathon.
EDIT: I will say that the absolute highlight of the evening for me was Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep's terrific and appropriate tribute to Robert Altman. Pure genius, by these incredible women. I kept thinking how much I wanted to see them in a film together, right now.
Dolly Parton is a goddess. She can still strut around the stage with scary face lift and all, and knock an audience dead (which wasn't very far off from where they started) with her talent. I have nothing against a rap song winning for Best Song... but I'd prefer a good one. Still, I think this is a sign of the future, as movies and music forge ahead. I don't think it's such a bad thing. I do believe that their acceptance speech had more energy, surprise and genuine gratitude than the rest of the evening's winners put together. It was refreshing during such a stale ceremony.
As far as the other awards, they were predictable and predicted by most in the industry... with the exception of Best Picture. While I was a bit disappointed that BBM didn't take home the top prize, there is a part of me that's always glad to see an upset. It shows me that the canon of critics awards aren't always an indicator of what the Academy peers (not critics) will choose. (17 previous critics awards for BBM vs. 1 for Crash, yet Crash wins the Oscar.) The last time I recall a Best Picture "surprise" that big was when Braveheart won, with VERY few people predicting that as well.
I also hate evenings that are labeled "a return to glamour," somehow desperately trying to make this show special by proclamation, when every other previous Academy Awards show has also been "a return to glamour." Do they think we don't remember those? I don't recall the Beach Party themed Oscars... or the Toga Party, or Casual Friday Oscars. So, guess what? It ain't a return to glamour this year either. I wish just once someone would say... yeah, it looks like a slight variation of the same old sh*t we saw last year. At least that would be an honest response. I did think the opening graphic montage of all the famous iconic film locations and performers walking around while we panned through a sort of heavenly hybrid of a Cinema City was very well done and got me jazzed for the (otherwise dull) evening.
I'm hoping that next year there are a wide variety of films we (as a collective movie-going audience) are more passionate and excited about. I hope the crowd sitting at the Kodak Theatre wakes up (and has a reason to), and I hope they can find a better host that can start the show off with a bang, ala Crystal or Goldberg, and keep it there for the rest of the marathon.
EDIT: I will say that the absolute highlight of the evening for me was Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep's terrific and appropriate tribute to Robert Altman. Pure genius, by these incredible women. I kept thinking how much I wanted to see them in a film together, right now.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 3/6/06 at 10:38 AM
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