Oscars Wrap-Up

Jeez, has it really been almost three weeks since I posted here?  Sorry, I really have been super-busy, had like a 60-hour week last week including not one but two days in which I was awake for a 24 hour period. 

I can say without question that this the year in which I saw the least amount of movies (we have a one-year-old child) but the few ones I did see weren't exactly Oscar-caliber.  Not bad movies, just not the kind The Academy recognizes.  Hell, I only managed to get to two movies at the theatre: I Love You, Man and Adventureland and I loved both, for different reasons.  Of the nominees, I only saw Inglorious Basterds and that was on DVD with my wife, mother-in-law and two nieces and a nephew Christmas Night, not exactly Jesus's birthday-friendly but hey, we all loved it.  Everybody loves killing Nazis.  Even working with my 2009 movie deficiency, I still feel I can write a post about last night's Oscars with a modicum of credibility, right?

The Good:

Jeff Bridges winning an Oscar.  I'm a longtime Bridges fan, well before his turn as 'The Dude'.  I think the first time I remembered taking note of a quality performance from him was inStarman, then was blown away by his roles in The Fisher King and Fearless, both at the very least Oscar-nomination-worthy performances. I haven't seen Crazy Heart but still really want to.

The John Hughes Tribute.  My adoration of John Hughes and his work is well-chronicled (I wrote about his death here).  For the Academy to dedicate 5-6 minutes of Oscar telecast time (outside of the memorium montage) to a guy who was never even nominated for an Academy Award speaks volumes about his continuing influence on Hollywood and his alumni list is pretty amazing.  Was it me though, or did Judd Nelson look a bit haggard?

No performances of Best Song. Sure, in the past we've been treated to some pretty special live Oscar telecast performances (The Swell Season, Elliot Smith and Aimee Mann come immediately to mind) but so many of the 'written-for-the motion-picture' songs are MOR stuff like the Dianne Warren-penned Aerosmith ballad "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'.  I didn't miss it, even if it didn't make the awards show any shorter.

The Bad:

Ten Nominees for Best Picture.  Really?  If I told you I have ten 'Best Friends', wouldn't that cheapen the sentiment?  Ten nominees seems a bit too high.

Multiple Winners Should Get Equal Time.  I'm not saying each winner should get their own 45 seconds for a speech, but give each winner 15-20 seconds to thank a few people.  I hate it when one guy (or girl) selfishly takes up the entire allotment.  Hey Fisher Stevens, you used to date Michelle Pfeiffer and you produced what looks like a heartbreaking but eye-opening documentary but you're already famous, let your partners say something.

Lame Host Jokes.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are funny guys, why do the jokes always make the hosts seem like they're working the Catskills matinee show circa 1963? 30 Rock is a fantastic show with razor-sharp writing and a boatload of Emmys, why not let some of those scribes take a crack at it?

Meryl Streep Is A Good Actress.  We get it, she's great but need everyone make jokes about it?  Clooney too, yes he's handsome and a great actor (I love Clooney) but we don't need fifteen (my estimate) reaction shots of him.  I guess since Jack Nicholson apparently took the night off, the director needed a go-to guy.

Your thoughts?  Who deserved it, who got shut out? Your likes/dislikes?

Comments

[Jeff]

Surprised at Hurt Locker as I found it quite dull. Then again, I thought The Informant! was one of the best films I saw this year and few agree.

Most overlooked nominee: In the Loop for Best Screenplay. Excellent writing, sharp and pertinent plot, and acting so believable I wanted to punch every single one of the characters at some point.

[GTF652]

Interesing blog. A key to understanding Hughes’ work is knowing the distinction between Generation X and Generation Jones (between the Boomers and Xers). Many of his films were about GenJones characters, and many in the Brat Pack were GenJonesers. This was sometimes confusing, since the same actors sometimes played GenXers (Breakfast Club) and sometimes GenJonesers (St. Elmos’s Fire) within the same year.

Google Generation Jones, and you’ll see it’s gotten lots of media attention, and many top commentators from many top publications and networks (Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) now specifically use this term. In fact, the Associated Press' annual Trend Report chose the Rise of Generation Jones as the #1 trend of 2009. I found this page helpful because it gives a pretty good overview of recent media interest in GenJones: http://generationjones.com/2009latest.html

It is important to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. And most analysts now see generations as getting shorter (usually 10-15 years now), partly because of the acceleration of culture. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:

DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978

[ken]

What is the origin of the term Generation Jones? I"m familiar with Boomers and X'ers but not Jones, until now.

[Joel]

I'm a big Bridges fan, too. Loved him in "The Fabulous Baker Boys," a totally underrated classic flick.

[Marc]

If Judd Nelson wants it, he'll be the Mickey Rourke of 2011.
Two words about jokes Bruce Vilanche

[Jay]

Starman! I saw that at The Glen. Glad to see Jeff Bridges win, but I would only give Crazy Heart a B-. Tender Mercies with Robert Duvall playing the lead is a better version of the story.

I just watched In The Loop for a second time this week and have to agree it deserved more than a single nomination. Peter Capaldi's performance as Malcom Tucker was superb. So much great dialogue in that film.

[Perry/Chicago]

I was disgusted with the idea of ten nominees for best picture when I heard the (a) reason why:
Too many people were complaining that they didn't know any of the movies.

Clear evidence that the dumbing down of America is at full throttle . . .

Perry/Chicago