My thoughts on the Oscar results

[rf_ucsd]

Being very arrogant and U.S.-centric, I refer to the U.S. Academy Awards below

Hi all:

For the first time in a long time, I actually had the Oscars on last night. True, I was doing other things (like finding out my new DigiCam was defective), but I got to hear all the awards and (sigh) the acceptance speaches.

The highlight for me was seeing Sean Penn finally get an Oscar, but the fact that he had to wait so long, along with RotK winning 11 awards, only makes me shake my head even more at the Oscars.

I think RotK should have won for Best Picture and Best Director as well as for many of the other categories for which it was awarded an Oscar. But when you see a movie win all 11 awards for which it was nominated in a year with so many great movies you have to wonder: There wasn't one, even minor, caegory in which RotK was not the best picture? It even had the best song?

To me, it spoke to the politics of the whole MPAA system where this bangwagon support for a movie can end up being the dominant factor in balloting, and while I certainly have no proof that happened in this case (as it did with Gladiator or Titanic) I just find it a little strange that in a year with so many remarkable movies Peter Jackson's routes the competition. Off thetop of my head, I thought adapted screen play and original song should have gone to other nominees.

Perhaps the MPAA was making up for a lack of recognition for the previous two movies.

But of the major awards, the only ones I disagreed wit were the female acting awards, though I can't give you a great argument regarding Charlize Theron since her performance was spectacular; rather, I think concentrating on Rene Zellweger winning will be suufficient: Huh? Was her performance as Ruby in Cold Mountain good? Sure. Did it compare with Marcia Gay Harden or the woman from House of Sand and Fog (who I won't spell out here for fear of butchering her name)? I find it difficult to believe unless comic characature is now to be valued over performances which better suit a part in a drama.

OK, just my thoughts. Overall, I thought the Oscars were better than the Grammies this year.

[MrsBerry]

I thought it was pretty obvious that ROTK would win all the 11 oscars..

And it was amazing to see the brazilian movie City of God nominated in 4 categories. It means that our cinema is really becoming good.

[rf_ucsd]

Yeah, it didn't surprise me, either. It just disappointed me. That said, when you have an awards show where s much of its popularity is contingent upon the reception of its on-air broadcast, you're going to have a show which strandles the lines of critical evaluation and popular appeasement.

[musiclover]

hey Richard!

actually, i usually do watch Oscars, but this time i missed most of the ceremony. I did catch the fag end of it, specially the best actor, actress, movie, and director, among others.

i thot Charlize deserved it. She's awsome :-)

and Senn Penn...I liked that someone had the guts to still slip in something about Iraq and WMD even after the mass informal gag order! I've not seen his movie, but he's a good actor...and i also liked that he hadn't made a speech out. for that matter, i really liked the way Charlize talked after her award... :-)

I was really dismayed though that Bill Murray didn't win it.

and actually, comedic actors are always somehow looked over in these awards. That's the reason Jim Carrie didn't win it for his great performace in Man On The Moon...or else, I thought he did a fantastic job in it, and no less trying compared to any 'serious' performance.

alas, all these awards are afterall, quite subjective.

some years, i've seen movies that've really touched me and yet they ended up not garnering awards. One recent one that comes to mind is Cyder House Rules. Toby Maguire gives a really good performance in that movie when he wasn't even known by most people.

On the other hand, I'm glad this time the awards weren't cornered by Harvey Weinstein and his Miramax! :rolleyes: :D

[weedy_gonzalez]

the whole show was rather boring esp when you`re watching it in the middle of the night *yaaaawn*

[rf_ucsd]

Definitely a little too high-brow.

[blangy]

the oscar have never been the best awards for me they're never fair and depend of so many factor besides movies themselves like they never nominate a lot of really good movies just the most commercial ones

and how come that after three movies which were filmed at the same time finally rotk got all the oscars?? that was unfair for the nominated movies beside it

the only thing that was special was seeing Sean Penn win eventhoug why waiting so many years to give him this award??? he's always been one of the best and he said something so true about the oscars being more a popularity award than anything

for me:
oscars = unfair

:rolleyes:

[musiclover]

I thought City of God, the movie from Brazil, should have won at least some award! :rolleyes:

[Hicksy]

it's a superb film - very very good indeedy :D

[musiclover]

you saw it? with English subtitles? wow

[Hicksy]

it's very popular here :D

[musiclover]

cool.

[Hicksy]

it's seen critically as the best mob film (crime) since godfather :smug:

and i agree, it's superb :D

[musiclover]

i also wanna see the one starring that 12-year old...i forget her name...but she got nominated for Best Actress...youngest person ever for such recognition! :stunned:

think the movie is called While Riders

[Hicksy]

Whale Rider :D

and it's ace

8/10 from Hicksy :D

[musiclover]

you must really watch quite a few movies! :o

[Hicksy]

indeed i do :D

i go through stages

none for a few weeks then 4 or 5 a week :stunned:

[LiquidSky]

Yes, I also watched "Whale Rider" and at the beginnging of the Oscars...well before arriving to the Oscars...she said that she wanted to meet "Johnny Depp" and when she met him he was like "Oh you are so great, such a greet actrees" and bablablab and she was all like "thank you, sir" :blush:

I thought it was funny! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[nanda]

i dunno if u know it, but there was a brazilian movie nominated for 3 awards, the movie is 'city of god' or 'cidade de deus'

it was sooo huge in brasil, that they are now showing here, but only for the oscars week, we didnt win though, on best director, we went agains sofia coppolar, and peter jackson, for best screenplay adpated, we went agains LotRs again, and for best cinematography, master and commander won..
=\\

we were happy enough just for being nominated, right my brazilain firneds?
heheh

[musiclover]

yep...i talked about that movie on this thread... :-)

[LiquidSky]

yeah already knew it was a brazilian movie...I wanna see it though....

[noni]

Ooooh, I'm dissapointed because 'Balseros' didn't win for best documentary (it's an spanish project, well, specifically it's from Catalonia, where I'm from and live :D ).
But... Tim Robbins won!!! Whoooooooa, he's amazing, I like him a lot!!! And Sean Penn, yeeeah!!
And I'm also dissapointed because Return of the King won all the candidatures!! There are more movies which deserve some prize!! :dozey:

And, in 15 minutes, I'm gonna see a summary of the ceremony because it was broadcasted last night in a pay-per-view channel... :dozey:

[soleil]

I'm glad that Tim Robbins and Coppola won.
I didn't see Monster, so I can't judge whether or not Theron was the best leading actress this year.
I saw Whale Rider - very good movie! But I doubted that the girl would win anything. And I thought it was a little innapropriate for that Billy character to have her meet Depp in front of everyone.
It surprised me that ROTK won all the awards that it was nominated for. Any of the other songs that were up for 'best song' were better.
I'm still laughing @ Crystal saying - everyone in New Zealand has been thanked!