Oscars: The Grouch
Dear Lynda:
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAIL
RSS
RECOMMEND...
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUponMy head is swimming. I don't go to a lot of big-deal parties (or even little-deal parties), so tell me—tell us—are they wicked fun? Do they consist of overcoiffed snobs striking poses, or does the general giddiness and sense of occasion result in actual meaningful contact between human beings? Do people act out like crazy? (Examples, please.) Do the New Yorkers really stand out—and, if so, why? Tell us about the Oscar nominees you've spoken to and their frank (or lying) assessments of their chances. They won't mind you saying. Really. The votes are all in.
I guess I'm not surprised by your contention that my favorite movies could only only only be nominated in a year that LA people think was terrible. I thought it was pretty good! But … but … Do they really think it was terrible, or is it just that so many of the nominees came from outside the studio system? What do you think will be the upsets? Moulin Rouge? Will the passionate "Rougies" and the disaffected others combine to propel this monument to Attention Deficit Disorder over the finish line? Will this be the most absurd/nihilistic Academy Awards ceremony ever? Why doesn't anyone seem to love Gosford Park?
Anyway, In the Bedroom certainly wasn't Harvey's pet. I don't even think it was allowed to play with Harvey's pet. He bought it at Sundance as a favor to a VP who loved it, and I'd bet money he still thinks it's half an hour too long. I think the Judi Dench/Juliette Binoche pictures are always closest to his heart. (Amélie qualifies as a quasi-Juliette Binoche picture—the apotheosis of the gamine.) (By the way, is that going to win the foreign-film Oscar? I was drowning in my boredom in the last half hour—but Jeunet is a talented director.) (Any support whatsoever for No Man's Land?)
Do you think voters are likely to hold Russell Crowe's bad behavior against him? What would it say to give him an Oscar for Gladiator (my colleague Sarah Kerr described it as a hangover performance) and pass him over for A Beautiful Mind? I know you think he's a very decent human being, but he's wound tightly even for an actor. I wonder if we'll see some fisticuffs this year …
Well, so much for the highbrow cinema talk. Don't drink too much tonight; you need your short-term memory to TELL ALL.
David
Is It More Important for Your Turkey To Be Organic or Local?
Why Gift Cards Are a Terrible Gift
Is Sarah Palin's Approval Rating Really as High as Barack Obama's?
Justice Scalia's Most Eccentric Habits
How Do You Know Whether a Sleepwalking Murderer Was Really Asleep?
Democrats Have a Lot To Be Thankful For
Notes From The Fray Editor:
Dira Necessitas said "I love Denzel, but Crowe was robbed" and touched off a long argument. Other topics of interest were Halle Berry's speech (many posts, few defenders), Gwyneth Paltrow's dress (no compliments), and Russell Crowe's choice of roles (one post, strong if slightly wild views).
Reader Comments From The Fray:
See, this is what really depresses me about Hollywood and its movies. Ron Howard makes consistently squishy, feel-good movies that are just next-door-to-really-good enough that he gets Oscars, or is at least a real contender for one. He could put that manipulativeness to work for him and turn out some really brilliant films if he could get rid of the Here Comes the American Hero attitude (I think he played the Opie and Ritchie Cunningham roles too long.) A bit of a darker, more cynical attitude could have boosted several of his films to another level altogether. Imagine Apollo 13 directed by a cross between Howard and David Lynch. Doesn't that sound like a good idea? Actually, given Lynch's films, he would have been a much better choice for director of A Beautiful Mind. We would have gotten a really good view of a schizophrenic mind, I think...
--Kathleen
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
So maybe the Academy gave into some sentimentality and political correctness. So what? If it was the triumph of style, it was not at any great sacrifice to substance. Rather, I think Hollywood brought substance to the rest of us this year with their stylistic choices. Through some partly deserved and partly symbolic gestures, they set an example and gently reminded the rest of us as a society that of which we are capable but have yet to achieve fully. Indeed, in Hollywood at least, the only two remaining groups snubbed by Oscar are wizards and hobbits - and there is always next year!
--The Bell
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
(3/25)