2009 Academy Awards Discussion Thread

[pap64]

Well, the show is over, the winners have been chosen. Now its time to rant and bitch about them!

What did you guys think of the show?

I know I ranted heavily about the value of the awards, but in terms of show I really enjoyed it. Hugh Jackman might not have been as funny as previous hosts but the man could sing and dance like no other.

The opening song number was hilarious. I was surprised to see him pull Anne Hathaway up and have her sing as Nixon.

The musical tribute to "musicals" was also great, and was very surprised to see Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens perform their HSM 3 number. This was a bittersweet thing, though. Hugh Jackman celebrated the fact that musicals had returned to the screen and were successful, citing "Mamma Mia's" success in the UK. I say its bittersweet because neither HSM 3 or Mamma Mia can't hold a candle to some of the best musicals of prior years.

Not surprising, Heath Ledger won an Oscar for his performance as the Joker. I believe this might be the first time ever an actor has won an award for portraying a comic book character. It was sweet that his whole family was there to receive the award. The win, however, feels bittersweet. On one hand, Ledger deserved the win because he was amazing in "Dark Knight". But I wonder, if he was alive would he had won, or even been nominated? In a way, it kind of feels like a pity win. If the Oscar members had given the nod to someone else they would have been criticized for not honoring a great last performance.

I liked how they set up each of the awards. It really does spruce up the presentation (just in case, for best script and adapted screen they had a funny intro with Steve Martin).

I also liked how past winners presented the nominees in each of the acting categories. While the more cynical would say that this lacked heart and was clearly a bad attempt at making the nominees more special than what they really are I think that if I was in that position, and had an amazing person talk about me in great light I would be very honored, even if what he said was written by someone else.

As I said in the Wall.E thread, for a moment I thought Kung Fu Panda was going to be when I saw Jack Black walk out with Jennifer Aniston. His joke about taking his Dreamworks earnings and betting them on Pixar was hilarious, and a bit off putting considering that he is giving Pixar credit for being better than Dreamworks when it comes to awards.

I was surprised to see the Animated Film montage with Wall.E watching other characters, then them joining him at his trailer. This was heavily criticized, however, because it featured silly, commercial films released in 2008, when other films were missed. Movies like 9.99, Delgo, Igor and such did not appear in the montage, despite them being 2008 films. Also, someone mentioned that it was surprising seeing "The Clone Wars", even though the film was not submitted for an award.

Seth Rogen's montage was quite funny.

Is it just me, or does Sean Penn really seem like a big jerk? Something about him rubs me off the wrong way. I don't care for Brad Pitt either, but I would have prefer him over Sean.

Finally, Slumdog Millionaire best film! Anyone surprised? I knew it would win because its director won the award earlier. Its very rare to see a film's director win the award, but the best picture nod is given to someone else.

So, on your marks, get set... RANT LIKE CRAZY!

[Flanger-Hanger]

-Wall-E was not included in opening montage, Boo Urns

-Musical number had little to do with either musicals that won or were nominated for Best Picture or shown on the screen behind which was barely visible. It was more random sing and dance, which while fun seemed kind of disrespectful to the genre (we all know Mamma Mia! > Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Oliver!, Gigi, An America in Paris etc., right?)

-The Steve Martin/Tina Fay bit was actually funny. An amazing achievement in it's own right considering how unfunny the jokes usually are.

-New format and host were both enjoyable

-Heard about the protesters for Milk outside and glad it won it's two Oscars to help shut them up (or make the louder, I didn't hear what happened afterwords). Seemed like a human rights push to some but it was welcomed and deserved for sure as Penn was great and so was the writing.

[slave2moonlight]

I actually did watch, even though I didn't plan on it. There's just something about seeing all the big "stars" together and out of character honoring each other, and I was drawn in also because Hugh Jackman was the host (I'm a bit tired of snarky comedians, and Jackman was a delightful and humble host in comparison; much appreciated and enjoyed). I also decided to watch just because I saw the opportunity (for a change) to catch the whole thing from the beginning. Somehow, I always seem to be at the grocery store during the beginning (I guess because it's on Sundays...), and this time I came home from the grocery store right on time, ha. So, yeah, I went ahead and watched. I only cared about two awards this year though: Best Animated Feature and Best Supporting Actor, because, as others have said, they really don't choose movies that many folks have even had the opportunity to see. I'll never understand why the public is more into the Oscars than something like People's Choice (not that I know much about that myself). I guess it's all in what the TV Networks decide to make a bigger deal of, or which is the more expensive show. Anyways, I enjoyed the musical numbers and that sort of thing, which sadly are being picked on today (mainly the second one all about musicals), and I always enjoy taking in the beauty of Amanda Seyfried (so gorgeous in that musical number). I rooted for Amy Adams a bit (another dreamgirl of mine, though I haven't seen Doubt), but no luck. I was rather upset about so few nominations for films I actually saw and loved, but I at least was happy to see Wall-E and Ledger get the Oscars. Let's see... anything else... Ben Still's mocking of Jaoquin (sp?) Phoenix was pretty funny, and Jack Black had some great jokes (not surprisingly). I hear Steve Martin was great too, but I missed that part!

[Widdi]

'll never understand why the public is more into the Oscars than something like People's Choice (not that I know much about that myself). I guess it's all in what the TV Networks decide to make a bigger deal of, or which is the more expensive show.

Cause the People's Choice is a total farce of an Award's Show that should be deleted from the collective Hard Drive of the World. The Oscars are a legitimate ceremony where people who actually know things about how movies are made pick the winners, not just Joe Nobody who thought Jessica Alba was hot in that movie so he votes for her with his cheese stained mouse a couple times.

[Simba3]

'll never understand why the public is more into the Oscars than something like People's Choice (not that I know much about that myself). I guess it's all in what the TV Networks decide to make a bigger deal of, or which is the more expensive show.

Cause the People's Choice is a total farce of an Award's Show that should be deleted from the collective Hard Drive of the World. The Oscars are a legitimate ceremony where people who actually know things about how movies are made pick the winners, not just Joe Nobody who thought Jessica Alba was hot in that movie so he votes for her with his cheese stained mouse a couple times.

Exactly, the Academy Awards are all about honoring the best in film. Just look at Melissa Leo, nominated for her performance in "Frozen River". She was a great actress in a small, independent film and landed herself front and center at the Oscars. Yes, sometimes the Oscars are all about films you have never heard of, but sometimes they are not. It's all about what the best films of the year were. This year had a decent mixture of both, I thought.

Overall, I was really happy with the awards, but there were no real surprises. I think the category that was most up in the air was Best Actor and I am so happy because I think the Academy nailed it. I have to admit, I liked "The Wrestler" and Mickey Rourke's performance a lot more than I thought I would have, but Sean Penn still gave the best performance of the year, and probably of his career. Also, I was really happy to see Kate Winslet finally strike gold. Hanna Schmitz was a truly unique and complex character and she just nailed it. I always hate when people say that someone is "due" for an Oscar - but she certainly was. She is one of the best actresses of our generation and has finally gotten her recognition from the Academy. The reason I hate the words "due for an Oscar" is because I don't think it should go to someone because they are "due" for one, I think they should win because they gave the best performance of the year. In this case though, I think it was a tough call between Winslet and Streep, who was fantastic in "Doubt". However, since Meryl already has 2 statues, I had to root for Winslet.

Though Danny Boyle certainly deserved his award, I couldn't help but to feel a little bad for David Fincher. He is my favorite director and his work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was nothing short of stunning. I would have liked to see him win this award, but Boyle deserved it as well. Overall, I think I felt that way for a lot of the categories. 2008 was just a really great year for movies and it made some of the choices rather hard. On the whole though, I would have to agree with the Academy and I am pleased with the outcomes of the evening.

[slave2moonlight]

Bah, it's still all a matter of opinion, and it doesn't make sense that the public considers these opinions more valuable than their own, when in the end most of them still won't see the movies the Academy most praises. Films are made for the audience, not colleagues, and so the opinion of the audiences should hold more weight. And you underestimate the intelligences and integrity of those folks who would bother to vote.

I mean, c'mon, Shrek beat Monsters Inc. for an Oscar. That says it all.

[PixarFan2006]

I did not watch the last half hour of the Oscars, but what I saw of it was okay at best. I thought Hugh Jackman was a pretty good host. I was happy to see Heath Ledger win the Oscar for best supporting actor (making him the second posthumous winner) and I was also happy to see WALL-E take home the best animated feature oscar (Seriously, who did not see that coming).

I did not really care for some of the musical numbers, especially the one that referenced High School Musical (ugh).

[Mickeyfan1990]

I'm just happy WALL-E won for Best Animated Feature. (Tis' a shame it didn't win any of the other 5).

[SofaKing381222]

1) In my opinion, Slumdog should NOT have won Best Picture. Biggest disappointment of the night

2) For me, Hugh Jackman didn't really do anything too amazing. I did not really enjoy the musical opening. I felt they were trying WAY too hard to make it like the Tony's...

3) Slumdog for Cinematography? OVER DARK KNIGHT? Any Cinematographers actually agree with this? ugh....

4) Ledger for TDK was amazing, but yet again predictable

4) VERY happy to see Sean Penn win for Milk. I thought this would be another one where the Academy gives the award to Rourke, just cause his "comeback"...

5) Penelope Cruz for Vicky completely caught me off guard. I was rooting for everyone else.

6) Curious Case definitely got snubbed and will never get the recognition it truly deserved.

P.S. One final note, How many of y'all actually saw all 5 movies nominated for Best picture this year?

[Simba3]

P.S. One final note, How many of y'all actually saw all 5 movies nominated for Best picture this year?

I did. And I have to say I think the Academy did a good job with the nominations. I loved "The Dark Knight" as much as anyone, and I would have loved to see it get nominated, but it was just a really good year for movies. I don't think that any of the films that were nominated were undeserving.

As for the winner, I was happy. Slumdog was a great film. I would have been happy if Milk or Benjamin Button snuck up and stole it, but Slumdog was very deserving, so I'm happy!

[xxhplinkxx]

Slumdog for Cinematography? OVER DARK KNIGHT? Any Cinematographers actually agree with this? ugh....

I've yet to see Slumdog Millionaire but, when I do, if it's not the most amazing movie I've ever seen, I'm gonna slap every single member of the academy personally. Twice.

[Widdi]

I too saw all 5 films nominated for Best Picture. Slumdog deserved its win hands down. Amazing movie in every sense of the word.

Very happy with Sean Penn winning. Milk ranks among the best, if not the best performance he has ever given. Mickey Rourke was good, but I really think Penn was better... And I don't buy it being a political move.

Happy Kate finally got a little gold man of her own, though I would have given it to her for Revolutionary Road, that was her best showing last year.

A part of me thinks Heath only won cause he died... Almost like if they didn't honor him now they never could. Yes it was an amazing performance, but would it have had the resonating effect it did if Heath was still alive? I guess we'll never know...

Penelope Cruz was an okay choice, I don't think it was Oscar worthy. Davis or Adams would be my picks.

The show was pretty good. Beyonce once again (poorly) lip-synced another performance which annoyed me and Ben Stiller's Phoenix impression felt really out of place. Didn't care for the actor presentations either.

Still, it was better than past snore-fest ceremonies.

[Disney's Divinity]

Though I've seen next to none of the films mentioned/nominated on the show yet--not even WALL E--I still watched the show. Hugh Jackman was the main reason.

As for the Best Actress, I can't give an accurate opinion without seeing the films, but I'm really surprised that Meryl Streep lost. No offense to Kate Winslet, of course.

And Beyonce lip-synced? I was wondering why she sounded so good. I actually was surprised by how well Anne Hathaway did in the beginning.

[Jack Skellington]

I loved the show. I liked it when Kate told Meryl to "suck it up" after getting her first oscar ! And I'm really glad about Heath's post-humous award, he really deserved that.

And IMO the musical act was quite cheesy to be frank ! lol

[DarthPrime]

I didn't watch it, but after reading the results I think this was a very predictable night. The only thing that was sort of surprising was Penn winning for best actor. I really thought Rourke would win this based on the other awards shows. Both movies are pretty "meh" to me, even though I have not personally seen them yet. I'll probably get around to checking out The Wrestler sometime, but I just don't have much interest in Milk at all. Anyway I was glad to see Kate Winslet win.

pap64 I sort of agree on Ledger winning for his Joker... I enjoyed The Dark Knight, but it wasn't mind blowing like most made it out to be in my opinion. However in the end I think he would still have won if he hadn't unfortunately passed away.

[Jack Skellington]

I've yet to see Slumdog Millionaire but, when I do, if it's not the most amazing movie I've ever seen, I'm gonna slap every single member of the academy personally. Twice.

Just for the sake of audacity !






vvvvv
http://www.supernovatube.com/play.php?v ... 1472834162

[Just Myself]

I actually enjoyed the ceremony quite well. I thought Hugh Jackman did a very good job with what little screen time they gave him. All in all, it was much better than either of Jon Stewart's two turns at hosting. Next year, I'd love to see either Hugh or Ellen Degeneres host again (and give them more screentime, Academy!).

The awards themselves left me satisfied. I found the Slumdog sweep to be somewhat bittersweet. I love the film, and I would say that it was the best of '08, but at the same time I was somewhat saddened to see Benjamin Button, an equally exceptional film, get snubbed with the exception of a few technical categories. I have not had a chance to see either The Reader or Milk yet, so the acting categories were less important to me. I was fine with Kate winning her award, but so dissapointed to see Mickey Rourke lose. His performance in The Wrestler was the most moving portrayal of a character in quite a few years, even if you argue that he was just playing himself*, it was outstanding work and a great comeback. Heath's win gave me tears, and as for Penelope Cruz.... Meh. I didn't care for Vicky Christina Barcelona (just like I don't care for most of Woody Allen's films) and felt any of the four other actresses nominated were much more deserving.

Cheers,
JM

*I would argue to the death that this is not true at all

[BelleGirl]

I wasn't able to watch the Oscar ceremony. Only saw a few snippets of it in the news the next day. The outcome was just as I expected: not much different from the Golden Globes as usual.
Of al the movies that were nominated in any category I so far have only seen: Wall-E and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Next Friday I will go see Slumdog Millionaire.

On a sidenote: I'm a little shocked by the amount of hate CCofBB is getting on the imdb-board. "Piece of crap" and "sorry excuse for a film" are some of the qualifications. Oh man, I can see that some poeple don't like it, but this is really going overboard IMO.
I think I can see why CCofBB got snubbed at the Oscars (and the Golden Globes): first of all, it had just 70% approval rating of the critics and next, the overall 'feel' or 'message' of the movie is less optimistic than that of Slumdog Millionaire which, after all, is a fable about rags to riches. A message most poeple will root for, especially in time of economical crisis.

[pap64]

One question; did Eartha Kitt's name appear in the "In Memorial" segment?

I tried paying attention but didn't see her. Apparently, the cameras couldn't decide if to focus on Queen Latifah or the names on screen, so some names were missed.

Miss Kitt may not have been a major movie star, but she did appear in movies and was beloved by fans.

On another topic, I read on the news that this year's ceremony was the highest rated yet, with 4 million more views than last year's show. Credit was given to the new look of the show, the musical numbers that focused on modern films and of course Hugh Jackman.

[Black pearl]

I just want to rant that I missed them again!!! This happens to me every year!!!

Every year I look & look & look on my EPG (electronic program guide) & I can never find it any where!
This year it was on sky digital at 1 O'clock in the morning so I could not watch because I don't have sky!!!
And to make it worse for me, my video recorder Brock the day it was on!!! So I could not tape it even if I Had sky.
I am so annoyed!

I know I’m clucking at straws, but can anyone tell me if it is repeated on the internet any where?
If so where?