TV critics are quick to blame Franco and Hathaway. I wouldn't go that far. They weren't great, but they were all right. I think they did the best with the material they were given. Hathaway probably came across better of the two of them. She got a chance to showcase her musical chops in a bitter ode to Hugh Jackman, complain about how she didn't get an Oscar nomination despite going nude in a recent film (Love and Other Drugs), and was easily the best dressed celebrity of the night. Designed by Valentino, all of her dresses were stunners, except for one weird blue number that looked like a metallic, sleeveless Snuggy. But for the most part, she brought a fun energy to the stage. Franco was a bit more hit-or-miss. Showing up in a dress and complaining that Charlie Sheen had just sent him a text was cute. But as the night went on, his energy seemed to flag and it started to look like he was rehearsing for the next Pineapple Express movie. By the end of the ceremony, I'm pretty sure he was asleep.
Their opening bit, where they were inserted into the various scenes from the Best Picture nominees via Alec Baldwin's dreams was a cute idea, that unfortunately only paid off a few times. It really should have been better - The Fighter sequence, dressing Franco in the bear costume and in the ballet tights, and having Morgan Freeman narrate the journey were nice gags. The rest of it, unfortunately, was a nice idea done badly. Overall, the Hathaway-Franco experiment was not a disaster, but I find myself wishing for the return of Hugh Jackman, Steve Martin or Alec Baldwin next year.
There were some improvements this year over the previous years. They finally brought back the clips for the acting honors, which is great. I've always loved being able to see a small snippet of the actors' performances. I also really liked the stage design, which was simply stunning if clumsily used at times.
The highlight of the show for me is easy to pick! With the show writers dropping the ball, Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas showed these kids how it's done by breaking script and proceeding to torture the Supporting Actress by not announcing the winner right away. He also gets props for ogling every actress in the theater and being so open about it! He's a dirty old man, that Kirk. Gotta love him. And even at 93-years old and with his stroke-impaired voice, he showed folks what real Hollywood charisma is!
What else can I ramble on about? The King's Speech won. I am honestly fine with that. It was a superb movie. But I was disappointed that Tom Hooper won Best Director for that film. He did an admirable job, but what Fincher did with The Social Network was nothing short of amazing. I really think that Fincher deserved it this year. The Academy also went for traditional for Best Original Screenplay, when they awarded David Seidler for The King's Speech and not Christopher Nolan for Inception. Seidler's script was really good, but nowhere near as creative as Nolan's. Bummer.
Of course, now that I complain about those two wins, I have to admit that Hooper and Seidler gave two of the better speeches of the night. Seidler's crack about "the Writer's Speech" and being a late bloomer and Hooper taking the time to truly thank his mother were nice and heartfelt moments.
Moving on, I have to say that I hate that the Lifetime Achievement Award wasn't shown as part of the broadcast. For an organization that says they are so proud of their history, why would they cut such an important part out of the broadcast. They said it was save time. I would have loved to have watched Coppola and Wallach's acceptance speeches over the fake banter from the presenters any day. It's the crappy banter that people hate and have hated for years. Cut that crap out. Give us back our Lifetime Achievement awards...clapping for them onstage isn't enough. Let them have their moment. They deserved it!
What else can I complain about? How about for the In Memory part, we actually keep the camera on the names and faces of the people we're honoring instead of cutting back to Celine Dion singing.
Speaking of singing, all four nominated songs were unmemorable this year. I think the only reason they let Randy Newman win was because they knew he would give a good speech (and he did). But wow, all four of these songs are painfully boring.
Best Score - Trent Rezner and Atticus Finch won for The Social Network, which I knew would happen, but I am still bummed by it. The music works in the movie just fine, but I think Inception really deserved this. I have a lot of problems with Hans Zimmer, but Inception's music actually furthered the plot along. As simple as it is musically, it is a remarkably clever score. I also wouldn't have minded if the old school bombast of How to Train your Dragon had won. John Powell put together a robust orchestral sound with some great thematic material. So why did Rezner and Finch win? Maybe voters just thought it would be cool if the dude from Nine Inch Nails won...I don't know...
Best Cinematography - I am cool with Wally Pfister winning for Inception, but am a bit bummed out that Roger Deakins lost for True Grit. The man has nine nominations without a win, and True Grit featured some of his best work. True Grit also got completely shut out the whole night, going 0 for 10. Ouch...
Colin Firth and Natalie Portman gave some of the better speeches of the evening - amusing, humble, and heartfelt. Actually, most of the speeches were not bad this year. I can't think of any that outright peeved me off, anyway...
I guess that's all I got. The ceremony wasn't great. Overall, it was just okay. There were some highlights, Anne Hathaway brought enough energy for both hosts, and I was okay with most of the wins.
That's the ceremony itself. Now as for the movies - wow, this year actually ended up being really good! I am not a fan of the 10 nomination format for Best Picture, but I really liked every one I saw. The King's Speech, Toy Story 3, True Grit, The Fighter, Inception, The Social Network, and Winter's Bone were all excellent choices. In fact, any other year, I easily can see any of them winning the whole thing. This past summer, I was thinking that 2010 kind of sucked for movies. And as a blockbuster year, 2010 did kind of suck. But for quality cinema, it actually ended up being pretty damn good. And the best part is that audiences actually went to see these films. All of them turned a handsome profit in the theater, even the small time Winter's Bone. Does this mean people finally getting tired of the crap Hollywood feeds us? Probably not. But I can dream....
What did you guys think? Let me know!!!
I agree with almost everything you wrote! I knew Franco was in trouble when I saw his interview right before the show. I literally said out loud, "Is he stoned?" I didn't think they were as terrible as everyone was saying, but I didn't think they were that great, either. I loved Anne's song to Hugh Jackman, and I loved Christian Bale's speech too. It was so heartfelt.
ReplyDeleteCan't comment much on the movies, because I only got to see Black Swan, Toy Story, Winter's Bone, the Social Network and Inception. That said, I was thrilled each time Inception one something because I simply thought it was a brilliant movie. And I'm really sorry - I liked Social Network and enjoyed watching it, but I don't get all the hype that surrounds it, and certainly never thought it was Best Picture-worthy. Just my two cents!
Was the "metallic, sleeveless Snuggy" the one that looked like she was wrapped in a blue fruit roll-up?
ReplyDeleteWe agreed about the boring nominations for best song. They should've picked something from "Scott Pilgrim" :)
I dunno if the songs were as boring as much as maybe just the performances were. The one from tangled wasn't entirely forgettable--in the film at least. Also, what the heck was up with having Menken HIMSELF play piano during that song, and then NEVER once showing him up close? He'd done more for film music than every other person on that stage combined.
ReplyDeleteAlso...with all that hubub in the beginning about past movies winning the 'big four', do you think they actually either rigged the voting, or at least tailored the show knowing a single film would take all four? Sounds like another clumsy attempt at ratings...you know.. like 'omg, another film of the calibre of schindler's list and gone with the wind!!!'
Seems weird to me.
Anyway, the only award that bothered me was Trent Reznor winning for social network.I feel it should have gone to Zimmer actually, for the clever Inception OST that actually reinforced the movie's storytelling. The reznor stuff isn't too much of a departure from his late NIN stuff, and Zimmer really did some unique stuff in inception.
Even though I haven't seen(or heard it yet) I'd at least have been comfortable with desplat/kingsspeech winning instead, since he's one of those forever-nominated-never-winning guys.
Also, it really bothers me when they ask people to host or present when they're up for an award themselves--like Franco. Maybe his late show aloof behavior was him distancing himself from the show as a defense mechanism from the rejection of losing the Best actor award?
ReplyDeleteGood observations, James. I don't normally watch the Oscars, and this year reminded me why. I thought Anne Hathaway was a good host because she is beautiful, adorable and genuine, and she clearly was truly excited to be hosting and engaging with such famous Hollywood A-listers. Franco is a goober; I think he just isn't comfortable in roles such as host. Anne was definitely carrying his weight as well. I was not impressed with any of the presenters. Even Sandra Bullock, who always seems warm to me, came across as bored or uninterested. I couldn't hear Justin Timberlake's comments well, and it seemed his jokes with Mila Kunis were inside ones, so I didn't understand what she was laughing about. The only presenters I enjoyed were Kirk Douglas (did you see Melissa Leo steal his cane??) and Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law? I was not impressed with most of the speeches. I understand the winners are shocked and nervous, but if you don't know what to say, just say "thank you" and get off the stage. I was bored by Natalie Portman's speech. I kept waiting for her to thank her kindergarten teacher for giving her her first blue Crayon. Heartfelt, yes, but too long and rambling. I also didn't hear her thank her fiancee, but maybe I missed it. I was glad that they brought back the best actor clips as well, but I was disappointed in the clip choices, especially Portman's for "Black Swan." I mean, really? The scene in the bathroom when she calls her mom is the best representation of her acting?
ReplyDeleteColleen - yes, the sleeveless snuggy and the fruit roll-up were the same dress. I wish I had thought up the fruit roll-up description! That made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteJenna - I absolutely agree. Inception was by far my favorite movie of the year. By far. It became clear pretty early, though, that the battle was going to be Social Network vs. King's Speech. I prefer Social Network of the two (though both were great).
ReplyDeleteJoe. Amen, brother. As much as I am annoyed by Hans Zimmer for his Zimmerness, I thought Inception was actually a remarkable piece of work, and actually furthering the plot, as you said. It deserved to win. I also would not have minded How to Train Your Dragon - it is a fun, old fashioned score, with a robust orchestra and strong themes. You know I like that. Rezner's music was effective in the Social Network, but in no way is it deserving of best score. But the Academy lately has been ignoring bombast in favor of more ambient, less cohesive stuff. Boo.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Franco only accepted the hosting gig because he knew he wasn't going to win. He said that in an interview about a month ago. It was funny. "Well, Colin Firth is going to win, so I figured why not host?"
Katie - I loved Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, as well. They have great chemistry. Natalie Portman's speech didn't bother me, but I do kinda wish she had thanked the teacher, too. Your note about the crayon made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteThe ratings were down this year because Avatar was nominated last year. They weren't going to match those ratings no matter who was hosting. I didn't dislike Hugh Jackman when he hosted but I didn't think he was all that great either. Although it was well done, I didn't like the King's Speech voiceover during the best picture clips montage. It was kind of a slap to the face of the other nominees. All 10 of them, which I hate. I hope they bring back the lifetime achievement award next year. The Academy want to honor it's past but they get rid of that award? Makes no sense. The only 2 winners I had a problem with were director and original screenplay. How does Inception not win? Fincher made that movie rivting and he doesn't win? If the Oscars want to better themselves they need to get rid of Bruce Vilanch. Why does he keep getting invited back every year?
ReplyDeleteVideopub - Chris, I haven't heard any critics mention the Avatar thing, but you have a good point. Just like the Return of the King year had big ratings. Personally, I think 30+ million people is a pretty good turnout...
ReplyDelete