Tonight is the big event. Awards will be handed out, speeches will be given, tears will be shed, and (hopefully no) montages will be displayed. With Hugh Jackman hosting, it's sure to be an interesting show. Even though I think this year's list of nominees is the worst I've ever seen, like all movie buffs I'm inexplicably drawn to the ceremony. The Academy might not be perfect, but this is a night celebrating the movie business by the movie business, and like it or not, film history will be made.
Throughout the ceremony, I'll be blogging my thoughts on everything that goes down, from the acceptance speeches to the extravagant musical numbers. Check back during the commercial breaks for periodic updates from MovieChatter on the biggest night in the business!
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7:00 PM: I don't see what the big deal is about the pre-show. Look, the stars are arriving! Look, we're talking to Kevin Kline! OMG, do you see what she's wearing?! Yes, I see it. And that dress probably costs enough money to feed a small African village for years. Hooray for masturbatory displays of wealth and extravagance! It's like a pornographic pin-up of the American Dream - the mythical ideal that most people know they'll never be able to score.
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7:02 PM: The Barbara Walters special on the Oscars is starting. Why is it just when something is going fairly well, the Jonas Brothers have to show up and ruin it? Teeny boppers, eat your heart out.
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7:23 PM: Anne Hathaway is hot. Does anything else really need to be said?
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7:32 PM: This is why Barbara Walters is one of the greatest interviewers in the business. We're two minutes into the Mickey Rourke interview (at least on television), and she's already gotten him to talk about a period in his life when he was nearly suicidal. As someone studying journalism, I can speak from experience that this is not an easy thing to do. Good for Barbara, and good for Mickey. I hope he wins tonight.
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7:47 PM: Walters just described Wolverine as a "moody Elvis with cutlery." Best. Description. Ever.
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7:50 PM: Hugh Jackman is hot. Does anything else really need to be said?
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7:57 PM: Hugh Jackman is giving Barbara Walters a lap dance. I guess this proves once and for all he isn't gay. Or does it?
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8:09 PM: I don't care about Valentino dresses. I thought tonight was supposed to be about the movies. Why does fashion always have to hijack things?
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8:17 PM: What are Zac Efron and Vanessa Hutchins doing here? High School Musical 3 isn't even nominated for Best Song. Hutchins says she wants to meet Meryl Streep. Insert naked pictures joke here. Also: when will people stop asking Rourke about his dog, Loki? It's clearly a painful topic for the guy. Let him mention it in his speech if he wants, otherwise just let it be.
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8:22 PM - Wow. The show hasn't even started yet, and we've already had the first montage of the evening. This one was about accountants. There are no words to describe the feelings welling up inside me right now. Also: what's up with all these single-question "interviews" (eg. with the Streep)? And why does every single celebrity interaction only last 30 seconds? This is truly a show for the post-MTV generation.
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8:45 PM - The show began with a remix of the theme from Lawrence of Arabia. I like it. Hugh Jackman's opening musical number was a breath of fresh air from past ceremonies. The Anne Hathaway Frost/Nixon bit was fantastic. "I haven't seen The Reader" - wow, that's a ballsy line, but it totally worked. Telling Mickey Rourke they'll have to switch to a 20-minute delay was inspired, particularly after his speech at the Independent Spirit Awards.
8:50 PM - I'm not a fan of the Best Supporting Actress montage, but I liked how they utilized five previous winners to transition into the award. Goldie Hawn looks like she's about to pop out of her dress, which is more disturbing than it is a turn-on. Still, even though this individual "salute" for each of the nominees is a good way to recognize their achievement, I hope they don't do this with every single nominee of the evening, otherwise it's going to be an even longer show then usual. Penelope Cruz wins the Oscar? That's unexpected (I would have preferred Davis or Hathaway), but I haven't seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, so I can't complain. Overall, Hugh Jackman is doing a great job, and I really hope he keeps this up.
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8:58 PM - The "screenplay" intro with Steve Martin and Tina Fey was hilarious. This is why Steve Martin is my favorite comedian. I'm glad the writer of "Milk" won for Best Original Screenplay, since it was a step above the usual biopic, but five bucks says he'll use this time to make a political statement. Yup, there it is.
9:03 PM - Urg. I really wanted John Patrick Shanley to win Best Adapted Screenplay for Doubt. Still, Simon Beaufoy was my second choice.
9:08 PM - Great joke/burn by Jack Black about Dreamworks and Pixar. I love the mixed reaction by the crowd. Interesting mixture of Wall-E into the presentation of Best Animated Film, but did we really need another montage, especially of films that aren't even nominated? Of course Wall-E won. If it didn't, there would be protesting in the streets.
9:12 PM - Haven't seen any of the nominees for Best Animated Short Film, but I wish Lavatory - Lovestory had won just for the title.
Here's the count so far:
Non-Nominee Montages: 3 (counting the pre-show accounting one)
Political Statements: 2 (counting one made by the fashion reporter during the pre-show)
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9:18 PM - I like how they're taking the time to actually explain the kind of work that art designers do.
9:22 PM - Interesting how they're not constantly switching presenters. I guess that helps shave a minute off the total runtime. I didn't see The Duchess, but from the trailers I'm not surprised it won just because of Keira Knightley's huge hair.
9:25 PM - Of course Benjamin Button won for makeup, just like it's going to win for Best Special Effects. I still maintain that, while not the best film overall, technically speaking it's truly revolutionary.
9:30 PM - Why are we having a montage about the way romance was presented in 2008?! This is completely pointless. I guess it serves only to show brief snippets of movies as a marketing device. Why is it that every single year the biggest complaint about the Academy Awards ceremony is the amount of montages, and yet every single year they keep making more and more?
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9:35 PM - Wow. Great Joaquin Phoenix joke by Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman. I'm glad Slumdog Millionaire won for Best Cinematography; the camerawork in that film really took some formulaic moments and advanced the mood.
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9:42 PM - What was up with that random bit about technology? At least Jessica Biel looked good.
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9:46 PM - Pretty funny "Pineapple Express" short directed by Judd Apatow. Again, I hope The Pig wins Best Live Action Short just for the title.
9:48 PM - Nope, no luck. My German ladyfriend is laughing at how James Franco pronounced the title of the winning short.
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9:50 PM - Just saw a Coke commercial in which bottles thrown into trash cans/recycle bins became someone else's brand new beverage. I get the message, but is it just me, or is that kinda gross?
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9:58 PM - This musical number works alright as an homage to movie musicals, but again, I don't really see the point. Seems like something better suited for The Tonys. Honestly, I think this is just one big marketing campaign by Universal for the Mamma Mia! DVD. I'm glad Baz Luhrmann directed it - this is the guy responsible for one of my favorite musicals, Moulin Rouge, which contains a very similar medley. Still, I wish they would stay focused on the actual awards. This was basically just another montage, just performed rather than projected.
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10:10 PM - Yet another montage, this time for Best Supporting Actor. This brings the total to 6. I've changed my mind - I actually don't mind the presenters taking a few moments to specifically elaborate on how the nominees really stood out from their peers. It's great Ledger won, and touching that his family is there to accept the award on his behalf. I'm very glad the orchestra didn't interrupt them.
10:20 PM - Yet another montage, but I actually didn't mind this one. Probably because I'm a fan of documentaries and enjoy hearing interviews with their creators. Not to mention this one is actually related to the specific nominees. WTF is Bill Maher doing? He just used his time onstage to promote his own film (and make another political/religious statement). What an arrogant jerk. Thankfully, Philippe Petit (the subject of Man on Wire), was there to save the day with humor. And magic! I'm so glad this film won. If you haven't seen it, rush out and rent it right now. It's truly a remarkable piece of filmmaker, and probably unlike very many documentaries you've seen. As for Best Documentary Short - I haven't seen any of the nominees, so there isn't much else to say.
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10:25 PM - I can't believe this. A montage just for action films that mainly focuses on cars and other vehicles, with some fistfights and "dramatic falls" thrown in for good measure. I would guess I'm not the only person tired of seeing the Academy jerk itself off like this.
10:30PM - Will Smith is a solid, charismatic presenter. I can see him hosting this thing one day. Of course, Benjamin Button takes the Oscar for Best Special Effects. Personally, I hope this is the last award it wins over the course of the evening. Nice to see The Dark Knight take home an award for sound editing - the sound was outstanding, particularly when seeing the film in IMAX.
10:34 PM - Another win for Slumdog Millionaire before it undoubtedly takes home Best Picture. "This is not just an award - this is history being handed over to me." What a great quote.
10:37 PM - Slumdog wins again! This time for Editing. Interesting how the editor thanks "everyone who voted for me" instead of "the Academy." Minor detail, but it's different from the usual acceptance speech. Danny Boyle looks like he just took a whole bottle of happy pills.
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10:41 PM - I don't think I'll ever get used to the phrase "Oscar-nominated actor Eddie Murphy."
10:46 PM - I find it interesting that, in a year/awards season in which gay rights/marriage is a major topic, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was given to someone who's been the subject of a lot of controversy after making several homophobic statements.
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10:55 PM - I'm okay with a musical "montage" for Best Original Score, since it's specifically related to the nominees. Slumdog Millionaire gets it, as expected. Personally, I prefer the scores for Benjamin Button and Wall-E. The latter, in particular, isn't getting enough love tonight.
11:03 PM - The award for Best Original Song should be going to Bruce Springsteen. That said, of the nominees, I wish Wall-E had won, even though it was just a "closing credits" song and I'll freely admit Slumdog Millionaire had the better music. I'm also glad they performed all at once instead of splitting it up like they usually do (which wastes a tremendous amount of time).
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11:09 PM - Wow. Japan's Departures won Best Foreign Language Film. I'm very surprised - I haven't heard much buzz about this film at all. Loved the speech, though - the broken English only made it more charming.
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11:15 PM - The In Memorium montage is the only montage that really matters. Why is Queen Latifah singing?! Now instead of focusing on the montage, the camera occassionally stops to look at her and the set, making it hard to see everyone mentioned. 2008 was a really bad year for celebrity deaths, and they can't even get the most important montage right! Unbelievable.
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11:18 PM - So glad the president of the Academy didn't give a speech. That was a great change.
11:22 PM - I still think it's a crime that Aronofsky wasn't nominated (and therefore can't win) for Best Director. Awesome "Tigger moment" by Danny Boyle, though. Good for him.
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11:25 PM - Another montage! Big surprise there.
11:30 PM - I wasn't paying attention. Who's this woman talking to Meryl Streep? She looks like a crack whore who got her hands on some Botox and stuck a fork in an electrical outlet. This is the stuff of nightmares! (UPDATE: That's 74-year-old, Sophia Loren. Can you say "plastic surgery?")
11:34 PM - I'm glad Winslet finally won. She looks completely overwhelmed. And she found her father in the audience! Awesome. This is definitely one of the more memorable and inspiring speeches of the evening.
11:47 PM - Of course, the (hopefully) last montage. Really nice tribute by DeNiro to Penn that acknowledged not only his work as an actor but as a human being. WTF SEAN PENN WINS?!?! I know he was Rourke's biggest competition, and it was a truly fantastic performance, but still. I can't help but think this was done for political reasons. It was an okay speech (complete with the obligatory political statement), and at least he acknowledged Mickey Rourke, but I'm very disappointed by this win.
11:55 PM - It wouldn't be the Oscars without yet another, final montage. As expected, Slumdog Millionaire won. While I don't think it's the best film of the year, it's certainly the best of the nominees, and I'm glad a low-budget independent film set in India actually won the big prize. And with that, the 3.5-hour ceremony comes to an end.
12:00 AM - Or does it? Over the credits we've given yet another montage, this time of major releases coming out in 2009. The Academy gives itself (and advertisers) one final wank before this 3.5-hour show comes to an end. I know we're in a recession, but really, I didn't think they'd stoop so low. What a disappointing end to a disappointing show.
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Closing Thoughts:
This was the year that was supposed to revitalize the Academy Awards. We were promised big changes, with less focus on the "business" and more on the "show" side of Hollywood.
What a load of BS.
Hugh Jackman was a great host. For about 10 minutes. After the fantastic opening musical number, he virtually disappeared. Instead of introducing each presenter, they just came out and presented multiple awards, instead of the usual one. In other words: comedy bits between categories were nixed in order to cut time. But ultimately, this wasn't time cut to benefit the show and make it leaner and tighter. This was time cut in order to make room for more pointless montages and an extra musical number with the stars of High School Musical 3. Because that's what every awards show needs!
This was a year in which the quality of the ceremony was supposed to make up for the fact that a lot of the nominees didn't deserve it. It didn't. As usual, there was an abundance of pointless montages, except this year we were given the added torture of having the In Memorium segment - the one that matters! - hijacked by Queen Latifah. Some of the these montages weren't bad in and of themselves (I liked the one for documentaries), but most of them seemed to serve no purpose except to showcase films that weren't even nominated, probably as a marketing tool. And that's what too much of this ceremony felt like - one giant marketing scheme. When the Academy wasn't patting themselves on the back, it was trying to remind us of all the movies they put out in 2008 (even the bad ones), in the hopes that we'll go out and buy them on DVD.
Unfortunately, with the exception of Will Smith, the Fey/Martin duo, and Ben Stiller, the presenters were usually rather dull. Aside from them and the opening musical number, the only "comedy" came in the form of a Judd Apatow short. Again, I liked the film, but was it really necessary?
In terms of winners, I have no real complaints, because I didn't really care about most of the categories this year. A lot of the people/films I thought should win weren't even nominated. Mickey Rourke not winning for The Wrestler, though, is a real tragedy. I was really looking forward to hearing his speech - while I agree with Mr. Penn on the issue of gay rights, I really wasn't in the mood to hear a political statement. The other acceptance speeches were mostly rather dull, with the exception of Danny Boyle's "Tigger" act and Philippe Petit's magic.
That's not to say the evening was a total waste. Cutting the speech by the Academy president was a good choice. I also really liked having 5 major actors come out to salute each nominee in the acting categories. This is a good way to emphasize that fact that this is a celebration of Hollywood by Hollywood. But next time, can't we get rid of those opening montages and use the time to have another one saluting directors? They deserve a lot more credit than the actors, if you ask me.
Overall, this was a very disappointing ceremony. Most of the things that were cut were replaced by segments that were even worse. And in the end, the show wasn't any shorter for it, as most people hoped - it was longer, clocking in at three-and-a-half hours. The Academy failed to live up to its promise of a glitzy, entertaining awards show that would be different from the ones before it, and I won't be surprised if most people don't forgive them for it. Even if viewing numbers spiked this year, they'll probably plummet next year. Great job, Hollywood. You spent so much time patting yourself on the back that you probably just shot yourself in the foot. Soon the only people who care about the Oscars will be people in the business and film buffs like me. And even I'm starting to get tired of this schtik.
The Final Tally:
Slumdog Millionaire Wins: 8
Benjamin Button Wins: 3 (told ya so!)
Dark Knight Wins: 2
Political Statements: 4
Tolerable Non-Nominee Montages: 1 (0.5 for In Memorium, 0.5 for the Best Picture one)
Total Non-Nominee Montages: 12
Percent Tolerable: 8%
