Robin PottratzMy Super Late Oscar Recap
March 9th 2009 03:51
Well it has been two weeks since the Academy Awards and my laziness has ensured two things. 1. I am down to a slim number of readers and 2. I have the latest Oscar recap article ever. Well better late than never I guess. This year's Academy Awards provided some interesting and laughable moments. So lets get right down to them.
Hugh Jackman is an amazing Oscar host. I never knew that Wolverine had it in him. After years of droll comedians (Jon Stewart, Chris Rock) we finally got a host who put the "show" back in the term "Awards Show." Jackman sang, danced, and told jokes which made the Oscars fun for the first time in years.
Dustin Lance Black gives the most passionate and beautiful speech of the night. The Milk screenwriter told a gut wrenching anecdote about the effect that Harvey Milk had on him and the gay community of the United States as a whole. It was truly a powerful acceptance speech and was easily the most heartfelt moment of the night.
The process of bringing out 5 previous acting winners to present each of the acting awards was simultaneously touching and infuriating. Ok, I understand the significance of bringing out 5 past Oscar winners to welcome a new member to the club, but I think that they could have sped it up a bit. It was a cool idea, but for a show that is often criticized for being too long, this was not the most astute move.
Heath Ledger's big posthumous Oscar moment never happened. It was supposed to be the big tear-jerking moment of the night, but the producers of the Oscar telecast seemed to gloss over the moment, because after all, giving a dead person an award he can't accept is kind of a downer at a big party. For those of you who don't believe me...here is a blow by blow.
Alan Arkin reads Ledger's name quickly, because everyone knew he was going to win, the applause and standing ovation for Ledger's family is forced and awkward.
Ledger's family gives an awkward acceptance speech while a huge image of Heath in the role that may have killed him is plastered behind them. During the speech, the camera's cut away to very irrelevant people...I mean seriously should we really give a crap what Brangelina, Adrien Brody or Kate Winslet really think about Heath Ledger's win.
After Ledger's family is shooed off stage, the next presenter is Bill Maher, one of the most alienating men on the planet, who proceeds to mention his movie Religilous and talks about how there is no god and how our fake gods may lead to the end of the world. After Maher leaves, we go to commercial.
Ledger's moment is washed over and now we can all move on...and might I say, THANK GOD!!! I do hope that the Academy learned a valuable lesson...don't give Oscars to dead people because dead people can't accept them.
Kate Winslet finally wins her Oscar!!! It's about time, Kate Winslet is one of the best actresses on the planet and when she finally won for The Reader, it was hard not to smile for her...a great actress finally getting her much delayed kudos.
Sean Penn wins for Milk, but the win is attributed to Prop 8 I personally would have given the Best Actor Oscar to Mickey Rourke for his performance in The Wrestler, but I have no issue with Sean Penn winning his second statue for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. What I do have issue with is right wing pundits saying that Penn only won because of Prop 8. Penn's performance was truly great and just because you may disagree with his personal politics, do not take away from the work.
Pundits were quick to point out that during Penn's pro gay marriage acceptance speech where he said that the people who voted for Prop 8 will face great shame and that he also said the he was proud to elect an eloquent man to be the President. Pundits jumped on this by saying:
"Does he not realize that Obama is not in favor of Gay Marriage."
That wasn't the point of Penn's speech, the point was to demonstrate how great and fair change is possible. Sean Penn is a great actor and a passionate man, and to chalk up his win for Milk to a Prop 8 backlash is just unfair to the Academy and to Penn.
Ok Academy, we know you loved Slumdog, but was it really Best Picture? Don't get me wrong, I loved Slumdog Millionaire, but 8 Oscars? I admit that it was really the right movie at the right time due to the tragedy in Mumbai, but 8 Oscars was a little much. I think that Milk should have taken home the top prize, but I have no issue with Slumdog's victory. Maybe I'm too cynical but I think that the prizes should have been spread around a little better. Oh well, there is nothing that can be done about it now.
Overall, I enjoyed the Oscars a great deal compared to years past. I felt that, for the most part, the right people won...and the wrong people got rightly ignored. All in all I felt that justice was served and from host to toast, the Oscars came up aces.
Hugh Jackman is an amazing Oscar host. I never knew that Wolverine had it in him. After years of droll comedians (Jon Stewart, Chris Rock) we finally got a host who put the "show" back in the term "Awards Show." Jackman sang, danced, and told jokes which made the Oscars fun for the first time in years.
Dustin Lance Black gives the most passionate and beautiful speech of the night. The Milk screenwriter told a gut wrenching anecdote about the effect that Harvey Milk had on him and the gay community of the United States as a whole. It was truly a powerful acceptance speech and was easily the most heartfelt moment of the night.
The process of bringing out 5 previous acting winners to present each of the acting awards was simultaneously touching and infuriating. Ok, I understand the significance of bringing out 5 past Oscar winners to welcome a new member to the club, but I think that they could have sped it up a bit. It was a cool idea, but for a show that is often criticized for being too long, this was not the most astute move.
Heath Ledger's big posthumous Oscar moment never happened. It was supposed to be the big tear-jerking moment of the night, but the producers of the Oscar telecast seemed to gloss over the moment, because after all, giving a dead person an award he can't accept is kind of a downer at a big party. For those of you who don't believe me...here is a blow by blow.
Alan Arkin reads Ledger's name quickly, because everyone knew he was going to win, the applause and standing ovation for Ledger's family is forced and awkward.
Ledger's family gives an awkward acceptance speech while a huge image of Heath in the role that may have killed him is plastered behind them. During the speech, the camera's cut away to very irrelevant people...I mean seriously should we really give a crap what Brangelina, Adrien Brody or Kate Winslet really think about Heath Ledger's win.
After Ledger's family is shooed off stage, the next presenter is Bill Maher, one of the most alienating men on the planet, who proceeds to mention his movie Religilous and talks about how there is no god and how our fake gods may lead to the end of the world. After Maher leaves, we go to commercial.
Ledger's moment is washed over and now we can all move on...and might I say, THANK GOD!!! I do hope that the Academy learned a valuable lesson...don't give Oscars to dead people because dead people can't accept them.
Kate Winslet finally wins her Oscar!!! It's about time, Kate Winslet is one of the best actresses on the planet and when she finally won for The Reader, it was hard not to smile for her...a great actress finally getting her much delayed kudos.
Sean Penn wins for Milk, but the win is attributed to Prop 8 I personally would have given the Best Actor Oscar to Mickey Rourke for his performance in The Wrestler, but I have no issue with Sean Penn winning his second statue for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. What I do have issue with is right wing pundits saying that Penn only won because of Prop 8. Penn's performance was truly great and just because you may disagree with his personal politics, do not take away from the work.
Pundits were quick to point out that during Penn's pro gay marriage acceptance speech where he said that the people who voted for Prop 8 will face great shame and that he also said the he was proud to elect an eloquent man to be the President. Pundits jumped on this by saying:
"Does he not realize that Obama is not in favor of Gay Marriage."
That wasn't the point of Penn's speech, the point was to demonstrate how great and fair change is possible. Sean Penn is a great actor and a passionate man, and to chalk up his win for Milk to a Prop 8 backlash is just unfair to the Academy and to Penn.
Ok Academy, we know you loved Slumdog, but was it really Best Picture? Don't get me wrong, I loved Slumdog Millionaire, but 8 Oscars? I admit that it was really the right movie at the right time due to the tragedy in Mumbai, but 8 Oscars was a little much. I think that Milk should have taken home the top prize, but I have no issue with Slumdog's victory. Maybe I'm too cynical but I think that the prizes should have been spread around a little better. Oh well, there is nothing that can be done about it now.
Overall, I enjoyed the Oscars a great deal compared to years past. I felt that, for the most part, the right people won...and the wrong people got rightly ignored. All in all I felt that justice was served and from host to toast, the Oscars came up aces.
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