Oscar Reflections

[silverscreenselect]

For some reason, i'm quite angry Rourke didn't win. I thought his performance was just terrific, the best anyway, and I don't see him getting another chance.

Sean Penn is a Hollywood favorite- his win was pretty much in the bag.

There was a lot of sympathy for Mickey Rourke. Comeback stories always work well, and working against Penn was the fact that he'd already won once (Kate Winslet was helped out a lot this year because of the feeling that she had never won before).

[Jeemie]

For some reason, i'm quite angry Rourke didn't win. I thought his performance was just terrific, the best anyway, and I don't see him getting another chance.

Sean Penn is a Hollywood favorite- his win was pretty much in the bag.

There was a lot of sympathy for Mickey Rourke. Comeback stories always work well, and working against Penn was the fact that he'd already won once (Kate Winslet was helped out a lot this year because of the feeling that she had never won before).

The fact that Mickey Rourke was a comeback story probably helped him win all those other awards from the other organizations.

I have no doubt the vote was close- I just see that Hollywood likes Penn very much (his own assertions to the contrary)- I was reasonably sure he'd win. (Added plus that he was playing the type of character Hollywood also likes).

Too bad for Mickey...because, like Weyoun, I believe this will be his only shot at an Oscar.

[SportsFan68]

I was absolutely certain that Frank Langella would win right up to the second the wrong name was called.

I was equally certain that Heath Ledger would win; gave me some undeserved confidence, I guess.

[Bob Juch]

Sean Penn is a Hollywood favorite- his win was pretty much in the bag.

There was a lot of sympathy for Mickey Rourke. Comeback stories always work well, and working against Penn was the fact that he'd already won once (Kate Winslet was helped out a lot this year because of the feeling that she had never won before).

The fact that Mickey Rourke was a comeback story probably helped him win all those other awards from the other organizations.

I have no doubt the vote was close- I just see that Hollywood likes Penn very much (his own assertions to the contrary)- I was reasonably sure he'd win. (Added plus that he was playing the type of character Hollywood also likes).

Too bad for Mickey...because, like Weyoun, I believe this will be his only shot at an Oscar.

Award or no, he's working again. He's the lead in 13 and will start The Expendables next month.

[secondchance]

Random observations:

6. .... Of course Seth Rogen proved himself to be a dolt by snickering at the title of the winning movie he presented (live action short) because it was in German. It's what they speak in Germany, idiot.

I absolutely agree. The bit was unfunny, tacky and boring. And if you are a presenter, rule #1 is LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE ALL THE NAMES!!! You've had rehearsal time, you jerk! This is very possibly the only time the nominees will hear their names at the Oscar ceremonies. They've put in a lot of work and dedication to get to that point. You owe them the respect to learn how to pronounce their names and the titles of their work correctly. If you can't make that minimal amount of effort, stay home and watch it on TV with the rest of us.

Seth Rogan deserves a break here... it's Franco who's the dolt. I just played it back, and saw that Rogan took the effort to learn and pronounce the name of the film and the filmmaker's name flawlessly (easy for him, as it was pre-recorded). He laughed when Franco butchered both badly.

[T_Bone0806]

Can somebody tell me why Queen Latifah doesn't rule the world and Beyonce is just some vague C-list singer somewhere?

My guess is that it's because Beyonce is "hot" and Queen is "plus-sized". (Personally, I think one would have a much more fun and interesting life with the Queen as their main squeeze than they would with the likely high-maintenance Ms. Knowles, but I digress).

Beyonce also has a more "contemporary" style (although in my book, a crappy one..I'll never forgive her for unloading the detestable "Single Ladies" on my poor tortured ears), while Queenie often reaches into a more traditional bag.

One never knows completely how "real" a public persona is, but Queen Latifah certainly comes across as a warm, funny, and all-around cool person. Not that I have heard of anything in particular that painted Beyonce as a witch, but she seems a lot more aloof.

[silverscreenselect]

There was a lot of sympathy for Mickey Rourke. Comeback stories always work well, and working against Penn was the fact that he'd already won once (Kate Winslet was helped out a lot this year because of the feeling that she had never won before).

The fact that Mickey Rourke was a comeback story probably helped him win all those other awards from the other organizations.

I have no doubt the vote was close- I just see that Hollywood likes Penn very much (his own assertions to the contrary)- I was reasonably sure he'd win. (Added plus that he was playing the type of character Hollywood also likes).

Too bad for Mickey...because, like Weyoun, I believe this will be his only shot at an Oscar.

Award or no, he's working again. He's the lead in 13 and will start The Expendables next month.

Rourke will also be the villain in the next Iron Man movie which translates into a good paycheck.

[secondchance]

Not that I have heard of anything in particular that painted Beyonce as a witch, but she seems a lot more aloof.

I think she comes off aloof, but she actually just doesn't have much of anything interesting to say.

[secondchance]

BTW, I liked Hugh Jackman's stuff.

[T_Bone0806]

Sean Penn is a Hollywood favorite- his win was pretty much in the bag.

There was a lot of sympathy for Mickey Rourke. Comeback stories always work well, and working against Penn was the fact that he'd already won once (Kate Winslet was helped out a lot this year because of the feeling that she had never won before).

The fact that Mickey Rourke was a comeback story probably helped him win all those other awards from the other organizations.

I have no doubt the vote was close- I just see that Hollywood likes Penn very much (his own assertions to the contrary)- I was reasonably sure he'd win. (Added plus that he was playing the type of character Hollywood also likes).

Too bad for Mickey...because, like Weyoun, I believe this will be his only shot at an Oscar.

My feeling is also that it was a squeaker, but I think Penn pulled it off because (a) some were not ready to forgive Rourke quite yet for his past indiscretions, (b) some were making a "political" statement re: Proposition 8, and (c) the Academy often likes those portraying a real person. I'm not saying Penn didn't deserve it, I'm just thinking that these factors might have tilted the scales in his direction in atight race. These are the thoughts I was having when I was struggling with the idea of changing my Bored Pool pick.

[clem21]

a) Where do you get that Phillip Seymour Hoffman is in any ways sexy? I hope that was a joke.

Ledger's family had every reason to be serious. What did you expect, jokes?

Oh dear lord. Some people just don't get it.

To paraphrase one of my favorite lines from the TV "M*A*S*H" - "Clem go for laugh. No get."

I wasn't going for a laugh. I was quoting a movie that you obviously didn't see. So when you chose to question what I was saying when you clearly had no idea what I was saying, you, quite literally, didn't get it.

[T_Bone0806]

Has Jerry Lewis had a stroke recently? He looked good, but sounded terrible.

No, but some people on the JL message board I frequent noticed that too. One of the news pieces I saw from the AP had this quip: A relaxed Jerry Lewis joked with photographers backstage before accepting Oscar's annual Jean Hersholt award for his humanitarian work. But Lewis' presenter, fellow comedian Eddie Murphy, was silent, apparently concentrating on what he would say about the man he called one of his inspirations. Afterward both men were all smiles. As Murphy chatted with singer John Legend, Lewis climbed into a waiting wheelchair. "It's so good to get old," the 82-year-old comic joked.

I don't think he's had a stroke; it looks more like ALS or M.S.

I have not heard of anything like that. He certainly has had his share of health problems..for one, pulmonary fibrosis neccessitated the use of prednisone, which caused his weight gain of a few years back. He's weaned himself off of it, and his weight has gotten back to normal. He has also suffered for YEARS with chronic back pain, caused by all the physical stunts he had done in his career. He had some sort of procedure (can't recall what it was) that has allieviated a significant amount of pain. I'm sure that he still walks with discomfort. On the telethons these days, he spends most of his time behind a desk.

Also, he's 82 years old.

[KillerTomato]

My own thoughts, FWthey'reW:

- I liked, but wasn't thrilled with, Hugh Jackman. He's a talented guy, no doubt, but all that "_____, ladies and gentlemen!" schtick was tiresome.

- I, for one, LOVED the Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen/James Franco "Pineapple Express" redux. The bit showing Franco smiling while watching himself kiss Jeff Spicoli was priceless. It was reminiscent of the story I heard that Rogen prepared for "Pineapple Express" by watching Spicoli over and over, whereas Franco prepared by KISSING Spicoli over and over.

- I also liked the pacing, with one exception. The grouping of awards was good, and it seemed to flow well, but the tribute nomination announcements for the acting categories was long and pointless, and just seemed like Hollywood patting itself on the back rather than an appreciation of the performances. The lack of clips for the nominated performances was sorely missed, especially for those performances that no one saw (like Jenkins and Leo).

- Did someone ask Jack Nicholson not to show up this year? This is the first time in recent memory that he wasn't mentioned ad nauseum.

- I can't really fault anyone for voting for "The Dark Knight" over "WALL-E" for Sound Mixing (or was it Editing? I can never keep them straight), but that just means they weren't paying attention to "WALL-E". Ben Burtt pretty much invented every noise you hear for the entire movie, and it was magical.

- Ditto "Jai Ho" over "Down to Earth". But both would have (and SHOULD have) lost to "The Wrestler".

- I agree that having Queen Latifah singing over the "In Memoriam" segment was a stroke of genius, and I hope they keep that idea.

- My favorite line of the night was Natalie Portman's comment to Ben Stiller: "You look like you work in a Hasidic meth lab." Nearly everything said by Tina Fey and Steve Martin came in second, but not by much.

- I still maintain that "Slumdog" will shortly be relegated to the same fate as "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "Oliver!" and "How Green Was My Valley": worst Oscar Best Picture Winners. I'd add "Crash" to that list, but I may be in the minority, which kind of defeats the purpose.

[Estonut]

2. Tina Fey and Steve Martin! Who knew they would have such chemistry.

Everyone who saw his guest-starring appearance on 30 Rock!

[SportsFan68]

- I still maintain that "Slumdog" will shortly be relegated to the same fate as "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "Oliver!" and "How Green Was My Valley": worst Oscar Best Picture Winners. I'd add "Crash" to that list, but I may be in the minority, which kind of defeats the purpose.

I'll add Forrest Gump and Crash. I finally watched Crash this weekend and was very disappointed. I expected to see hope and redemption but saw only disappointment and more disappointment, bad behavior being rewarded, and people getting killed over nothing.

[clem21]

- I still maintain that "Slumdog" will shortly be relegated to the same fate as "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "Oliver!" and "How Green Was My Valley": worst Oscar Best Picture Winners. I'd add "Crash" to that list, but I may be in the minority, which kind of defeats the purpose.

I'll add Forrest Gump and Crash. I finally watched Crash this weekend and was very disappointed. I expected to see hope and redemption but saw only disappointment and more disappointment, bad behavior being rewarded, and people getting killed over nothing.

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

[Jeemie]

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

That just goes to show America is not always very bright.

I liked Forrest Gump, but it was not Oscar-worthy- Shawshank got robbed.

And I think that BOTH of Tom Hanks' Best Actor awards were shams- hell- I don't even think he was the star of Philadelphia- Denzel Washington was.

[silverscreenselect]

And I think that BOTH of Tom Hanks' Best Actor awards were shams- hell- I don't even think he was the star of Philadelphia- Denzel Washington was.

Normal characters don't win Oscars. Characters who have physical, mental, emotional, substance, or some combination thereof problems win Oscars.

You can get Oscar nominations playing normal people but it's playing someone who is off their rocker wins.

This year: Kat Winslet - borderline wacko wins. Heath Ledger - way past wacko wins. Penelope Cruz - wacko wins. Sean Penn - borderline wacko wins (that's where I went wrong thinking they'd go for the even more over the top Rourke). Last year Cotillard - alcoholic drug abuser wins. Bardem and Lewis - wacko win. Swinton - control freak borderline wacko wins.

Tom Hanks plays one guy who's physically ill and another guy who's goofy in the head and gets two Oscars. He plays a normal guy in Private Ryan and loses. Gene Hackman wins an Oscar as out-of-control cop then spends 20 years playing normal guys and loses. He then plays a sadistic sheriff in Unforgiven and wins again. Dustin Hoffman. Daniel Day Lewis (1). Russell Crowe. The list goes on and on.

[TheCalvinator24]

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

That just goes to show America is not always very bright.

I liked Forrest Gump, but it was not Oscar-worthy- Shawshank got robbed.

And I think that BOTH of Tom Hanks' Best Actor awards were shams- hell- I don't even think he was the star of Philadelphia- Denzel Washington was.

Well, it makes up for his getting robbed for Castaway and Big.

[franktangredi]

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

That just goes to show America is not always very bright.

I liked Forrest Gump, but it was not Oscar-worthy- Shawshank got robbed.

Well, then, I guess I'm not very bright. I would have voted for Forrest Gump over Shawshank -- I thought it was more original and imaginative in both its story and its story-telling -- although I would have voted for Pulp Fiction that year over either. (And let's not forget Quiz Show was also nominated.)

Don't get me wrong, I loved Shawshank . I certainly would have included it among the nominees. But I think it has become one of the most over-rated films of recent years.

However, I promise not to conclude that you aren't bright for disagreeing with me.

[Jeemie]

And I think that BOTH of Tom Hanks' Best Actor awards were shams- hell- I don't even think he was the star of Philadelphia- Denzel Washington was.

Normal characters don't win Oscars. Characters who have physical, mental, emotional, substance, or some combination thereof problems win Oscars.

Denzel Washington still drove that movie, regardless.

Hanks just spent most of that movie looking like crap...grow a beard, shave your head, and put some make-up...how hard could that be?

Of course, since Denzel was considered the supporting actor in that film...

[Jeemie]

Well, then, I guess I'm not very bright. I would have voted for Forrest Gump over Shawshank -- I thought it was more original and imaginative in both its story and its story-telling -- although I would have voted for Pulp Fiction that year over either. (And let's not forget Quiz Show was also nominated.)

Don't get me wrong, I loved Shawshank . I certainly would have included it among the nominees. But I think it has become one of the most over-rated films of recent years.

However, I promise not to conclude that you aren't bright for disagreeing with me.

We'll agree to disagree- Darabont made a story about a prison- which contained violence, but very muted- into an interesting, engaging, uplifting movie.

More interesting, imaginative story? "Life is how you deal with a mixture of the choices you make, plus some random shit that just happens to you" is an imaginative story?

Sorry, not seein' it.

I must not be all that bright!

[SportsFan68]

- I still maintain that "Slumdog" will shortly be relegated to the same fate as "The Greatest Story Ever Told," "Oliver!" and "How Green Was My Valley": worst Oscar Best Picture Winners. I'd add "Crash" to that list, but I may be in the minority, which kind of defeats the purpose.

I'll add Forrest Gump and Crash. I finally watched Crash this weekend and was very disappointed. I expected to see hope and redemption but saw only disappointment and more disappointment, bad behavior being rewarded, and people getting killed over nothing.

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

Nah, KT and I don't. As different in our movie preferences as the two of us are, I'm confident there'd be a lot more on that list.

[franktangredi]

Hanks just spent most of that movie looking like crap...grow a beard, shave your head, and put some make-up...how hard could that be?

Could you do it? (And be convincing, I mean.)

You can dispute whether he deserved the Oscar, but don't denigrate what he did.

I'm an actor, and I would say that Hanks did more than that. He didn't just portray a guy looking like crap, he had to accurately play a progressive disease at different stages. He had to display a pretty wide range of emotions. His face is marvelously expressive -- that scene on the stand where he had to unbutton his shirt, and the man in him was embarrassed while the lawyer in him was realizing that his lawyer just scored a major point, and his body was failing at the same time -- was remarkably well played. And I'm not sure I could have played that scene where he described the opera nearly as well as he did.

I don't think I would have voted for him over Anthony Hopkins that year, but Hanks did a terrific job in that role.

[minimetoo26]

I'll add Forrest Gump and Crash. I finally watched Crash this weekend and was very disappointed. I expected to see hope and redemption but saw only disappointment and more disappointment, bad behavior being rewarded, and people getting killed over nothing.

You can't put Forrest Gump on any list except your own personal one. America loved Forrest. Still does.

Nah, KT and I don't. As different in our movie preferences as the two of us are, I'm confident there'd be a lot more on that list.

I don't love Forrest. And I literally fell asleep during Cast Away, so I don't have the Tom Hanks love, either.

I guess I'm just Un-American!