Oscar Madness

Ok, I have to say a piece about the Oscars before it is forgotten by all of America until late January of next year (rightfully so).

This year's ceremony was much better than last year when the Oscars were trying to be the Tony's. Though I really didn't like the co-host thing, Steve Martin can do no wrong in my book and there were some great comic moments. "It's that Damn Helen Mirren" - "No, that's dame Helen Mirren." Ok, that's pretty funny, but it doesn't require two people to deliver. The Paranormal Activity video scene was brilliant, but the highlight of the night for me was the Ben Stiller Na'vi getup when he presented best makeup- perhaps the only good thing that I can say about Avatar is that it is one of those infinitely parody-able things like Star Wars. Best Oscar moment thoughts anyone?

And the Oscar goes to...

Though I still thought the blue people were going to take best picture, I did get a sense that Hurt Locker was building up momentum. I think it was virtually a lock that Kathryn Bigalow (I hope that's the right spelling because I'm too rushed to check it today) was going to win best director- there's no way the Academy could have gone another year without having a female director win without many cries at them being blatantly sexist (which has always been true but which didn't have a storyline to highlight it so vividly until this year). I think it was deserved too, certainly more so than Avatar (and apparently James Cameron threw a little hissy fit when he didn't win either of the two biggies... puh-lease), but my personal vote would have been for Inglorious Bastards as I think it takes a lot of imagination to coax out those comical, ridiculous, cartoony performances from actors.

Ok some thoughts on to whom the Oscars went to in acting- and I'd welcome yours as well:

Christoph Waltz, Supporting Actor, Inglorious Bastards- Absolutely. This is by far the best performance of the year. Original, entertaining, frightening, and still charming. How did he do it?

Monique, Supporting Actress, Precious- From what I've seen, this looks like a pretty riveting performance. Plus I'm so glad the Up in the Air ladies missed out- there was definitely not enough there for an Oscar.

Jeff Bridges, Actor, Crazy Heart- I've heard nothing but good things.

Sandra Bullock, Actress, The Blind Side- ...
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... In the words of Forrest Gump, "And that's all I have to say about that."


And finally, just a little bit on each of the Best Pictures that I saw:

District 9- Not a bad movie by any means, but just because it gets critical success doesn't mean that it's Oscar-worthy. This film sashays towards thematic exploration for the first half, but by the second it's just about blowing shit up. The aliens looked like shrimp and I CHATE (Hebrew pronunciation for emphasis) when CGI is used for important characters. It never looks as good as costumes and makeup. Great performance by Sharlto Copley though.

The Blind Side- ...cricket...

Hurt Locker- The only thing that I took away from this movie is that war is intense. Kathryn Bigalow does do a good job capturing the pressure facing bomb defusers on a daily basis, but there isn't too much in the way of a story. It just seems to move from one high-pressure situation to another. This sort of reminded me of Jarhead, but was much better done. Also, I've heard so much talk that this film does not play up the politics of the war in Iraq and how that's a good thing. First off, it's not inherently good to make an unpolitical movie, and second it's impossible to make an unpolitical movie about the War in Iraq. Any sensible person would come away from this film with a heightened sense of realization that it is ridiculous that we have put our troops and the Iraqi people in such a dangerous and ludicrous situation from which there is no easy escape.

Not to mention that the film is framed by the idea that "War is a drug." Are you telling me that's not a political statement?

Inglorious Bastards- I loved this movie. I thought it was such a fun fantasy on World War II that found a way to do an original take on one of the most often-tread genres. I loved the mixing of classic and new film techniques and the clever script which highlighted the inherent creativity of the film medium itself. Plus, how could any self-loving Jew not love to watch what happens to Hitler and Goebbels at the end?

Up in the Air- You've gotta be fucking me. I'm sorry, but again, this film cozies up to important thematic elements, but for me just fell into the trap of cliche after cliche. Oh look, the old, grumpy guy is going to show the young wide-eyed hotshot that she doesn't know jack about the realities of the business. Isn't that the premise for every partner cop movie ever? Vera Farmiga did a good job, and I always think Clooney does solid work. But who is this Anna Kendrick, and why is everybody so enamored with her? Her performance struck me like a first-year theatre movement class exercise. "Ok dear, now imagine that your character is very rigid and by-the-book about everything. Always be angular and precise." But this is just an exercise- a performance is about integrating those ideas into realistic human actions. I think she was stuck in phase one. Plus, would such a strong businesswoman just go to pieces when her boyfriend leaves her? Or would she maybe try to hold back tears and appear to be strong? I guess I'm really upset because rarely in film is there a performance that I vehemently don't like, and this was one of them, and it got an Oscar nod.

Avatar- We've all heard it before, but it's true: Fern Gully meets Dances With Wolves. Set aside the fact that the screenplay follows the same sort of melodramatic arc that was prominent in the almost unanimously racist plays of the 19th century, the writing in this movie just wasn't any good. I mean, the stuff the bad guys are after is called Unobtainium... for real. That's like naming your main character John Everyman. Yes, Pandora was orgasmically good to look at, but don't we want more out of a movie than nice visuals? Forget all that crap about seeing through another person's eyes- there was absolutely nothing deep in this movie. But I must admit that I did have a good time in the theatre, and thought that for the most part the directing and acting were solid. For me, though, it has to start with writing and this just didn't cut it. It is nice, though, to have a movie that almost everyone in the world as seen. There's something very communal and uniting about it- and I'm sure the Na'vi will be parodied forever for just that reason.

*Sidebar: Another Kurt Vonnegut essay I read talked about an anthropologist who theorized that every major civilization once went through the phase of a Folk Society, where people shared a signficant connection to the land. Perhaps this is why Avatar resonates so well.

And to end on a high note, Up- This was just a really sweet movie. If you don't find at least some joy in seeing it, then it is possible you have no heart. Since it's animated, the screenplay was simple and clear and the movie kept you entertained throughout. And I couldn't stop cracking up at the dog with the malfunctioning collar. If you haven't seen this movie, you should.

Though I didn't see Precious, An Education, or A Serious Man, I've heard nothing but great things about all and would welcome more opinions. I have heard that Precious sort of bludgeons you with its depiction of the underpriveleged and abused, which from looking at the previews I can definitely see. As for A Serious Man, to me, the Coen Brothers can very rarely go wrong, so I'm sure I will hightail to Blockbuster at some point to check it out- Ok, I'll get it on Netflix. Nobody uses Blockbuster anymore.

And if you've made it to the end of this, you'll realize that I still haven't discussed the crazy lady who did her best Kanye impression (I think we'll start to see these moments more and more as people crave subjects for twitter posts and the style of these ceremonies begins to further trump their substance), but I think that John Stewart said it best, so I'll link you to him.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-march-8-2010/the-oscars-big-moment

Phew! And now I can forget all about the Oscars for another year. Maybe next year's best picture nominees will be better overall, but I'm not holding my breath. It's been all downhill since 1994: Forrest Gump (winner), Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shawshank Redemption, and Quiz Show all in one year. Can you imagine such a strong showing nowadays?

Ok, we'll be reviewing the Crazies soon. Get ready.