Enough ramble. The Oscars were on last night. In an effort to dumb it all down for you, I'll do it "Yay" or "Nay" style.
(On a side note: I went 19/24 on my predictions)
The Production - NAY
I was rather impressed with Laurence Mark and Bill Condon's changes to the show, yet I can't say I liked everything they did. The minute they came out and did the Supporting Actresses with all the past winners and all, I was in love with the format. It was smart and blended some history and star power along with suspense as they went through the nominees. Oh, and Tilda Swinton was there, so it was even better.
Yet by the time they got to Lead Actor and Actress and the other categories, I got really bored by the ritual, if you will. It took about five minutes each, but along with the speech and all the build-up, it felt like it took an eternity to just get through one damn category. And some of the gushing by the past winners seemed forced. It was a good idea, but it didn't stay fun for long.
The montages were well-made, but pointless to me. "Why am I seeing clips of HSM3? Or of Twilight? 27 Dresses? Whaaa?" The music synced to the background of them was good, but I just didn't know why they really had to do that. Yes, I know the show is a celebration of 2008 in film. But really it should be good film in 2008. Films that are nominated. Will showing little, subtle clips of Twilight help boost ratings? Maybe, I don't know.
My final gripe, before I say something nice: The stage. I liked the stage in general, don't get me wrong. The crystals on the outer rim of the stage were really pretty and overall is was a colorful stage, which is refreshing. Yet when they would begin to present, say, Costume Design or Makeup, they would put these tacky "back-stage props" out. So when the winner would come up to speak, there would be a little sign saying "Costume Design" or whatever and some props strewn about. That isn't even theatrical, if that's what they were going for. It's just tacky and pointless. Some of the shows dignity and elegance faltered with that. I don't know, it just ticked me off.
I did like the overall format, though. The did stick to their word and "tell a story" throughout the show. The Screenplay presentation was very well-done. The evolution of the whole "How A Film Is Made" thing went along nicely. The pace was great, though I just found it a bit odd that a person or a couple would name a few separate winners or a certain branch of technical categories.
Overall, it was just too different for me. I don't like it semi-theatrical. I like it boring. I like one presenter getting up to the stage, naming the nominees and just saying the winner. No props behind them. Maybe I'm just not used to it, but I felt the elegance of the show was somewhat lost in a few of these changes.
The Host - YAY
I really didn't feel I saw too much of Hugh Jackman, but I think he handled his material well. He was kind of funny, and a good song and dance guy, but he did little else, it seemed. I prefer a comedian, especially Billy Chrystal, to man the mic, but Jackman did pretty well and was entertaining, which is all you really need from a host.
The Best Actor - YAY
Thinking this over, I like the choice. Mickey Rourke was great and I would have loved to see him get up there and give us a whacko speech, but Penn, I felt deserved it, just by the praise he's receiving. More and more, I'm thinking Rourke kind of played himself and the inventiveness of the performance is lost with that. Both gave legendary performances and only one person could win. In the end, I guess Penn deserved it.
The Best Supporting Actor - YAY
No surprise, of course. Ledger rightfully won and his family came up to receive the award. Ledger's mom, dad and sister seemed like a classy group and they were truly the ideal people to accept the award on his behalf. I liked when his father described that the night was a time to celebrate Heath's work and not just mourn his life. The right man won.
The Best Actress - YAY?
I'm happy Winslet won the award - finally. Yet, was this the right performance for her to win it? Maybe. I, unfortunately am yet to see The Reader, but it sort of felt like the Academy just needed to award her, because it's just been too long. I'm sure she gave a great performance, but the bigger deal seems to be made about her just finally winning it. I did love her dad whistling, though!
The Best Supporting Actress - YAY
Penelope Cruz gave a very, very good performance that mixed emotion with humor masterfully. I will say, I would have rathered Marisa Tomei take the gold, but Penelope was extremely deserving. And it's rather refreshing that a comedic performance won last night. I also felt that of all the actors who took the podium, Cruz looked just about the most grateful and amazed of any winner. A joy to watch.
The Best Picture - YAY
I loved Slumdog Millionaire, if you have yet to notice. A nice, if a bit unrealistic, story with an endearing cast and director at the center of it all. I'm so happy it won. Just when the WHOLE cast went up to stage, and they all looked so proud, I couldn't help but feel elated. I truly think the best film won (of the nominees). This has been said before, but Slumdog had great timing. People needed a film with hope and energy and that's just what Slumdog delivered. It's a good feeling when your #2 film of the year wins the big prize (not the case last year...)
So in comes 2009. I cannot wait. When I saw the new predictions on the sidebar at InContention, I pretty much foamed at the mouth with excitement. Hopefully we get a masterpiece or two in '09.
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