81st Academy Awards Post-Mortem: Suckdog Millionbore

[derby378]

God bless Hugh Jackman - he did the best he could with what he had. But the Oscars this year were a big fat mess. Why is it so hard to just read the names of the nominees and announce the winner? Or to display the names of those in the entertainment community who died over the past year without having to compete with either a live vocalist or cutesy camera edits?

And there wasn't a whole lot of drama at the Oscars, either, thanks to the cult of Slumdog Millionaire. And yes, I do want to see the film - it looks like a very poignant and jarring film at times. But this was all so much overkill.

At least Kate Winslet got her Oscar. As did Sean Penn, who will probably get another award from The Advocate for his acceptance speech. Even Wall-E grabbed an Oscar, bless his shiny metal ass. But were there any real surprises?

I dunno. Right now, I've got In Slaughter Natives in the CD player and a kitty in my lap who demands my full attention, so I leave the rest of the debate to you.

[Lex]

1. It's just a TV show.

I enjoyed it.

[NYC Liberal]

2. I actually loved the way they did it, with the past winners.

But personal preference I guess.

[Lex]

3. Yes, that was kinda cool.

I agree.

[Hello_Kitty]

33. Did like that.

Slumdog winning everything got to be a little old, though.

[begin_within]

36. They need to do that with the directors too.

Hey, and why not the sound guys (just kidding)

[Fran Kubelik]

4. I enjoyed it.

[PBS Poll-435]

5. "...bless his shiny metal ass."

I really LOLed.

:D

[derby378]

7. I couldn't help it...

It's just hilarious to consider that Wall-E might have this lovable lugnut in his family tree:

[Jeep789]

6. Cult? Now those of us who liked Slumdog belong to a cult?

I wonder which cult I owe my allegiance to, the Obama or the Slumdog cult.

[derby378]

8. Oh, come on...

I want to see Slumdog, too. It's just that this much hype can jinx a movie's historical legacy no matter how good it really is.

[Jeep789]

12. Oh, I get it now - you're slamming it to keep it from getting jinxed. nt

[derby378]

16. Not slamming the movie, just all the damned hype

Yes, Slumdog Millionaire was rescued from the burning wreckage of Warner Independent by Fox Searchlight. Yes, this movie almost wound up in the "straight to DVD" bargain bin at Blockbuster Video. I get that. This looks like a wonderful movie. But there's no need to hype it so much that some people get turned off by it.

[Jeep789]

20. Okay, now I am ticked

You mean I could have bought it at a bargain and now I am going to have to pay full price. dagnammit

[derby378]

23. You just made me do this...

:spray:

G'night. I really have to turn in now. :hi:

[Jeep789]

27. Good night. Hope you don't dream about Slumdog all night. nt

[SoCalDem]

9. Outside the "industry" ,people don't give a crap about editing, screenplay, director, etc..

The need a wing-ding party for insiders ,and have the broadcast show for what people want to watch:

Best:
actor
actress
supporting actress
supporting actor
movie
song
and
who died

That would all fit nicely in a 2 hour format, and allow everyone to actually thank the people they wanted to.

No dance numbers, no fakey, scripted small talk..

[begin_within]

11. Well I for one am very aware of cinematography, editing, directing and all that technical stuff

[derby378]

14. Not interested in screenplay? Bite your tongue!

Sorry, but every Oscar-winning movie has a damn good screenplay as its foundation. Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender shared a Best Original Screenplay award for Pulp Fiction a few years ago, and that's the only Oscar that the film won, so that's pretty damned important. Forrest Gump would simply have to carry on without that particular statue.

[fishwax]

18. the heck with that

I like all those other awards. :)

[OmahaBlueDog]

25. No...some of us care

Some of us outside the greater LA area know who folks like Irene, Edith Head, James Wong Howe, Irving Thalberg, Dalton Trumbo etc. etc. etc. are/were/influenced the business.

I don't entirely disagree with you. Here's what I propose:

Move this to a Saturday. Start around 11AM Pacific. Take what are currently the technical awards, and add to them the awards for sound, costume, f/x, cinematography, etc. and show it on "E!". Then have a hiatus/cocktail hour , during which the stars show up. Then continue along the lines you propose starting about 6 Pacific.

I think your list definitely needs to add best picture (which I'd like to see split, like the Golden Globes, into Comedy/Musical and Drama), best animated feature, director and screenplay.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

26. I'm not in the industry, and I care about those categories.

Movies wouldn't be possible without them.

[Wetzelbill]

45. I do!

I am not really in the industry either.

[Sequoia]

51. Editing is very important.

And so is sound. I hate to watch a movie I can barely hear and then the volume gets louder.

[Danger Mouse]

10. Wall-E was the best picture of the year, and if you disagree, EVE will ionize your ass.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Best film of the year, absolutely.

[Jeep789]

19. Really enjoyed Wall-E too.

In fact, there were quite a few good movies out there this year (some I have yet to see).

[Hello_Kitty]

34. THANK YOU!

Wall-E was magnificent.

[JCMach1]

41. Bring it on... average animated fare AT BEST

We liked it, but not our favorite of the year by far... my daughters (10 and 13) also agreed with this...

[Danger Mouse]

49. That's your opinion, which you are entitled to.

You are simply wrong, that's all.

[JCMach1]

55. We preferred Kung Fu Panda and

even Bolt...

[Danger Mouse]

56. Kung Fu Panda was surprisingly good. I was impressed.

I hate Jack Black, too, so that's saying something.
It wasn't quite as good as Wall-E, but it WAS very good.
I haven't seen Bolt yet.

[EastTennesseeDem]

15. Let's not act like this is something unheard of

Gone with the Wind, From Here to Eternity, On the Waterfront, My Fair Lady, Gandhi, and Amadeus won eight Oscars. Titanic, Ben-Hur, and The Return of the King each won eleven. West Side Story and The Last Emperor won ten. Gigi and The English Patient won nine.

[derby378]

17. I have no issue with the number of awards won...

...just the misguided notion that it was taken for granted that SM would win all those awards. It had some pretty strong competition, y'know.

[IGotAName]

22. Exactly- REALLY strong competition. Stronger.

Surprising...

[EastTennesseeDem]

24. Its best competition as the best film of 2008 wasn't even nominated

All four of them.

[IGotAName]

28. Agreed- surprised the hell out of me.

Know just the one you're talking about, too.

The one I had to practically run out of the theater for while the credits rolled I was losing it so bad.

[EastTennesseeDem]

29. Hell, I probably would've only kept one of the Best Picture nominees

Milk or Frost/Nixon. Flip a coin. I liked all of the Best Picture nominees (except the Reader, which was about as bad of a movie as I've ever seen), but like I said, there were three movies this year that hit me like a ton of bricks. And then you have Let the Right One In, which hit me like a fucking avalanche.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

30. What movies hit you like a ton of bricks?

I'd like to know.

I saw The Dark Knight -- SUCKED BIGTIME

Hancock - was much better than a plain action story, had a plot to it.

Wall-E, good but not as good as the hype

Milk -- excellent excellent excellent

Defiance -- Quite good true story of kickass Jews in WWII killing Nazis.

[EastTennesseeDem]

31. Here ya go

1. The one you thought sucked bigtime.
2. The one that wasn't as good as the hype.
3. The Wrestler

Don't be mad! It's just me opining! :hide:

[IGotAName]

32. Good picks.

Frost/Nixon was good too.

Didn't even see Milk- but I imagine it's excellent.

[Hello_Kitty]

35. It is.

Milk was awesome.

[begin_within]

37. Gigli?

Oh, Gigi. I need to go to sleep.

[AlCzervik]

21. The top hat and tails routine was paired with the wrong songs imo

Mashups gone horribly wrong.

[kwassa]

48. Baz Lurhmann was responsible for that mess. What do you expect?

Beyonce's dress was terrible in that number, too.

Luhrmann changed a lyric from "New Orleans" to "Moulin Rouge" in the Lady Marmalade song. A little self-promotion?

[JCMach1]

38. I don't agree that Winslet's role was 'starring'- Melissa Leo was by far the best performance

in 'Frozen River'...

So Winslet wins for an average performance... same old Academy...

[blueraven95]

39. I really liked the show this year.

I thought they did a pretty good job with it.

:shrug:

[JCMach1]

40. Here are my top picks and opinions of the year (not that anyone cares)

1. Slumdog Millionaire (Best and most completely satisfying movie of the year)
2. The Wrestler (Rourke was robbed)
3. Frozen River (see this movie... Melissa Leo WAS robbed)
4. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood's best movie ever...; Now tell me why he wasn't nominated for best actor or director?)

Honorable Mention: Milk, Mama Mia, Dark Knight, The Reader

Both Dark Knight and Mama Mia should have gotten Best Picture nods (if not the Win)

Overrated Movies this year: Wall E (average animated fair; my daughters also agreed with that assessment, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (designed as Oscar fare, but serves-up boring tripe)

[underpants]

43. Check out Melissa Leo's imdb page-45 movies or TV since 2005

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502425/

She has TEN movies either "in the can" or announced.

[JCMach1]

44. Busy Lady... Frozen River was definitely an over-looked Movie

[underpants]

42. I thought it was classic. Understated and I love the 5 past winners giving personal remarks

yes they were written but I liked that

Jackman's musical bit was horrible but DAMN that guy looked GOOD in that tux

[Wetzelbill]

46. I liked that too

It was different, and they said some nice things. It was a good changeup.

[ScreamingMeemie]

47. Robert Pattinson...

mmmMMMMMmmmmmMMMM

[KamaAina]

50. Suckdog Millionbore!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[KamaAina]

52. Plus they gave an award to Jerry F'n Lewis

:puke: :puke: :puke:

http://tabloidbaby.blogspot.com/2009/02/whod-protest-academy-award-for-jerry.html

Los Angeles, CA - Disability community leaders from across disability advocacy will protest the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to grant Jerry Lewis the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this Sunday's Oscar Awards ceremony. Lewis has described disabled individual is "half a person" and referred to a wheelchair as "a steel imprisonment."

For more than two decades, disability rights advocates have objected to Lewis' portrayal of life with a disability as tragic and pathetic. In response, Lewis snarled, "You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!"

Dismissing the disability community's objections, the Academy has decided to proceed with the award. In a letter to the activist group The Trouble with Jerry, Academy director Bruce Davis compared Lewis' insulting, outdated attitudes to "some scratches in the paint job... of a Lamborghini."

"To outsiders, Jerry Lewis may be perceived as a humanitarian, but to us Lewis personifies one of the biggest barriers facing people with disabilities: outdated attitudes," said author and activist Laura Hershey, a protest organizer. "While the Motion Picture Academy has chosen to award Lewis the Hersholt award due to the money raised on his MDA Telethons, we counter the cost is too high. Money can't buy respect." Said Hershey, "we experience the side-effects of Lewis' pity-mongering every day, when people see us as victims rather than as contributors, as recipients of handouts rather than equal citizens. Every dime raised has been at cost of our dignity."

Not only that, only the French think he's funny. :P

[LibDemAlways]

53. Hated the Seth Rogan/James Franco bit. Stupid and

unfunny. Also, WTF was with Ben Stiller and his ridiculous, out-of-place Joaquin Phoenix impersonation that he simply wouldn't let go. He kept it up through the entire presentation of the cinematography award. I kept hoping someone would walk on and boot his ass off the stage. There's a time and place, and that wasn't it.

Many people at home have little idea what roles the actors were nominated for. I always enjoy seeing a small snippet of each performance and really missed that.

Also the camera work on the tribute to those who have passed on simply sucked.

This wasn't the worst Oscar telecast I've ever seen, but it was far from the best.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. The banter was vomit inducing.

It's like you could practically hear Bruce Vilanch slacking off.

[tigereye]

57. Millionaire was a very good film, and a nice change from the types of films

that usually win IMHO.


Milk was great, Doubt was great - there were so many good films to pick from this year, though.