The Oscars are the best day of the year for me — bar none. I do little on this day that resembles work. I have a yearly tradition of Pilsbury Ready-to-Bake cookies, popcorn, pizza and absolutely no calorie count. My friends know not to call me during the broadcast, except on a commercial to squee. It’s my SuperBowl. So why did I feel so disconnected this year? Why did I not feel that incredible high of watching the glitterati of Hollywood come together to celebrate each other’s talent? Was it the lack lustre speeches? Was it the fact that I was convinced that Avatar, an utterly undeserving movie, was going to sweep over The Hurt Locker, a “…near perfect movie,” that I connected with in a way I hadn’t connected with a film in many years? Was it because of the backhanded compliment they gave to The Dark Knight by adding another 5 films to best picture in an act of fan service unseen in Academy history? I can’t say for sure, but I know that when I woke up this morning, it didn’t feel worth it.
First, to the hosts. I love both Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, although Martin a little more, but I felt their material was a little under rehearsed. They felt really wooden at times and the jokes were very hit and miss. While sometimes they had me in stitches, other times I just waited for the next punchline. And where did they go? They kind of disappeared in the last hour of the broadcast. By the time they came out to end the show with the dazed and elated Kathryn Bigelow, I had almost completely forgotten they were there. Sadly, while I adored the opening musical number, all it did was make me wonder why Neil Patrick Harris wasn’t hosting. ‘Cause that is a great idea. Get on that Academy. Also, Robin Williams is an Oscar winner, so who says stand-up comedians can’t win Oscars?
The presenters and winners were all lovely, but few of them gave the emotion packed speeches that we’ve seen in other years. Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges had wonderful speeches, but Bridges did go on a bit and I kind of stopped listening at the end there. Which reminds me, usually the last award given before Director/Picture is Best Actor, why switch it up this year? Expected length of speech?
I think it’s sad that Meryl Streep has become a punchline, but I’m glad that Meryl is such a wonderful person that she can take a joke. Throwing her head back and laughing her way through jokes from, well, almost everyone, she is the picture of grace. Her work is incredible, she’s a generous, down to earth woman and she has a sense of humor. Can’t really ask for more than that. Would be very nice to see her win though…. Maybe a “Winner Emeritus” category where she gets an honorary every year? Just a thought.
While we’re on the topic of honourary awards I thought that the decision to move the Oscars that honour lifetime achievements and bodies of work were left to another event was excellent. Frankly, this was always the part of the show that made me realize just how late it was and just how much I had to get up for work the next day. It gave me time to get a drink or a snack or pet the cat or… well, anything other than listen to the momentum killing speech from someone who I really should respect, but with all that adrenaline pumping through my veins from whtaever the last award was, I could barely be compelled to care. And I should care! Most of the honorees are foundation filmmakers. People who have created new ways of making or looking at films, or putting in performance after performance to bring acting to a new standard. So I’m glad they moved this to a night where the winners can be legitimately honoured and hang with the people who they have affected the most — their peers. Also, I thought the show ran much more smoothly without.
I’m glad we went back to the innovation from last year with respect to having a peer get up and talk about the person and the performance of each Best Actor and Actress nominee. I really liked this least year and I’m glad it continued. I think it brings us all a little closer to the night itself. Hollywood can recognize itself, but for those of us who eat, sleep and breathe film, it gives us a peek into the relationships in the industry that we don’t normally get outside of DVD commentaries and even then we have no visual reference. That said, what the hell was with the opening of the broadcast with all the nominees on the stage? Why only acting? It was such a non-sequitur that it left the audience scratching its head well into the fabulous song and dance number opening. Seriously. What?
The tributes confused me quite a bit. Why a random tribute to horror? Because of the achievement award for Roger Corman? If so, it needed a little more to connect the two. Now, there are few filmmakers I love more than John Hughes, but why did he rank his own memorial over others who passed away this year? It’s possible that they were attempting to show that his passing marked the end of an era and wanted to acknowledge the impact he had on a whole generation, but…. wtf? Again I thought it needed a few more threads to draw it together for the viewer.
While were on the topic of wtf, what was with the “I’m the blue wire” interpretive urban dance number for the best scores? It was very lovely, but had… nothing to do with anything. This was the momentum killer I used to hit the bathroom and refill my drinks during this year’s broadcast. Maybe a rethink next year?
All in all, this year’s Oscars left me disappointed, with one exception — Kathryn Bigelow won both Best Director and Best Picture, something few people thought she could do. I threw down the gauntlet early last year by declaring The Hurt Lockerto be the best film of the year in the summer. And I didn’t see anything in the remaining months of the year that changed my mind. In The Hurt Locker, I think that Bigelow did what few other war films in recent memory have done — she made a point beyond “war is bad”. She put a face on the conflict and its long term effects on the people involved, but she didn’t hit you in the face with it. The Hurt Locker is a movie that I can literally watch end on end and still find something new to love. In short, it was my Best Picture pic from very early on. Despite that, I didn’t think she could beat the juggernaut of the money behind Avatar, but I’ve never been happier to be wrong. Now a lot will be made in coming days about her gender, but please, let’s not make it about that. Let’s instead make it about her talent. She wants it that way, so I think we should all go along. Bottom line: she made the better movie this year. It didn’t have anything to do with her ovaries.
So the Oscars are over for another year. Time to get back on the horse and start looking for the jewels of this year so we can do it all again.
