Random Ramblings about the Oscars 2012

The 2012 Oscars

Sorry I am getting this post out a bit late.  I know I should written it up for yesterday, but better late than never.

Overall, the show was a big improvement over last year when Anne Hathaway and James Franco, despite Hathaway's valiant efforts, just didn't work out as hosts.  And since the Academy's flirtation with the next generation bombed, they turned back to one of their most reliable hosts ever: Billy Crystal.  Crystal, returning for his ninth stint, put in a solid job as host.  He was not as good as he has been in the past, but he was still fun and efficient.  He had a couple of stinkers, but also some real winners.  All in all, it was nice to have him back, but I still think Hugh Jackman is my favorite host of recent years.

The awards went pretty much where I expected, with a few big surprises - the biggest being Meryl Streep's win over Viola Davis.  I have not seen The Iron Lady, but I am not sure she could have been better than Davis, who put in a superb and complicated performance in The Help.  Then again, it is Meryl Streep and she can pretty much do anything, so who knows...

Anyway, I should stop the complete rambling...instead here are some lists!!


THINGS I DID NOT LIKE:

I did not like Billy Crystal's song in the beginning.  I know a lot of people think the songs are cute, but I find them to be a bit goofy.  I much preferred the opening skit where Crystal inserts himself into the Oscar nominated pictures.

The audio for the whole show was screwy.  I don't know if it was the microphones or the signal, but something was wonky.  And despite a friend of mine insisting it was my TV, I was relieved to read online after the show that a lot of people experienced this.

I was disappointed that the In Memoriam missed Bob Anderson, certainly one of those most influential sword fight specialists in Hollywood history.  Here was a guy who worked with Errol Flynn, who was responsible for the fights in the original Star Wars trilogy, Princess Bride, Mask of Zorro and Lord of the Rings.  That's quite a resume.  And they couldn't find a slot for him?  Shame, Hollywood.  Technically, he died in 2012, so maybe they will put him in next year...they better...

Hugo winning Special Effects.  Nothing against Hugo, which is a superb movie and a true piece of wizardry, but this was the last movie I expected to win this category.  Plus, it kept me from getting an even 20 right in my Oscar pool.

The Bridesmaids.  Okay, I liked the Scorsese drinking game joke (and I especially liked Scorsese's reaction to it!), but for the most part I did not find their appearance to be funny.  It was forced and not very funny.  Maybe they should have Kristin Wiig write her own material next time!

It's not that Rango is a bad movie.  But I would never have given it an Oscar.  I guess the competition was not that great this year in Animated Film.  Just wait until next year, when Pixar comes roaring back with The Brave.  I expect it to take us all by storm!

THINGS I DID LIKE:

Billy Crystal doing the "what are they thinking" bit was cute - especially his spot-on impression of Nick Nolte.

Speaking of Nolte, I like that if he gained about 20 pounds, he would make an awesome Santa Claus.  Probably in an action movie where Santa has to kick some serious butt.

I really liked the Wizard of Oz focus group, featuring the usual cast from Christopher Guest' mockumentaries like Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman.  This skit, which I think was mostly improvised, was probably the funniest bit of the night, an inspired piece of madness featuring some brilliant comic performers complaining about hatchet faces and that annoying rainbow song, and extolling the virtues of flying monkeys.  These guys should host the show next year.  That would be awesome.

Cirque du Soleil...I am not sure I buy the tenuous link that connected their performance to movies, but I know I did not care.  I love Cirque du Soleil, and they did not disappoint.  Their acrobatics were accompanied by music by Danny Elfman - it was old school Elfman, sounding more like Edward Scissorhands than Wanted.  That is the Elfman I love.  I want him back.

I loved Christopher Plummer's speech.  Funny and charming, it was my favorite speech of the night.  Actually, kudos to everyone's speeches this year.  They kept them short and efficient.  Special speech shoutouts to Octavia Spencer, Jean Dujardin, and Meryl Streep, as well.

I really liked Emma Stone's over-enthusiastic presenter bit, especially when coupled with Ben Stiller's jaded 'been there-done that' vibe.  It was fun, and showcased both of their comic timing.  I especially liked when she tried to get Jonah Hill on stage to dance and his "hell no" reaction.  Good stuff.

I liked that Jean Dujardin won Best Actor and that The Artist won Best Picture.  This movie was fantastic.  I'm glad there wasn't an Artist backlash before the ceremony, though I can smell one approaching.  It's a pity, because this really is a charming, little movie - one with flawless execution that deserved every award it received.

Bret McKenzie winning the Best Song Oscar for "Man or Muppet."  While I think The Muppet's "Life's a Happy Song" should have been nominated, this was still a worthy winner.  And as a big Flight of the Conchords fan, I am super thrilled with this win.

Stacy Keibler.  See picture below.  Do I need to say anything else about that?

Well, I'm sure I will think of more things I liked and did not like as the next few days go by.  But this is what I got for now.  They certainly represent the things that made the most immediate impact.

What did you guys think?  What were your favorite or least favorite moments?

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love

Based on the New York Times best-seller, Eat Pray Love was released in theaters with a whole lot of hype. This was going to be a classic chick flick, starring the greatest chick flick actress of our time, Julia Roberts, and directed by Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee and Nip/Tuck. Unfortunately, despite everyone's best efforts, Eat Pray Love is a stinker. Even worse, it is a dull stinker.

Julia Roberts plays Liz, who after a painful divorce, decides to take a year to travel to three different locations in the world in order to heal: she travels to Italy ("Eat") in order to rediscover joy in her life and eat a lot, she attends an ashram in India ("Pray") in order to rediscover her balance and heal her emotional wounds, and she hangs out in Bali ("Love") to rediscover...well, love. This sounds like it could have been a terrific travelogue of a film, but unfortunately it never really works.

The main problem is that Liz is just plain unlikable in the beginning. I understand that she has lost her way and needs to find herself, but the way she goes about casting off her husband (Billy Crudup) seems a bit too cruel to me. Maybe that is the point. In the beginning, Liz is supposed to be unsympathetic and as the movie progresses, she grows less controlling, less selfish, and more likable. But I don't really feel this evolution. This movie needed to have a transcendental moment, something transformative, awe-inspiring and beautiful that reaches all of us in the very fibers of our being. The movie certainly wants to do this and it desperately tries to, but it doesn't come close. But instead, it just tells us via narration. Liz is stressed and can't find her balance in one scene. And then the next scene, she says, "hey, I found my balance." The reason why she was able to find her balance is compelling, but they should have shown it instead of just telling us.

Which ultimately is the main problem with the film. They tell us everything and show us very little. There is a lot of Liz talking about herself, both in dialogue and in a voiceover narration, and the movie is trying so hard to intellectually explain what is happening to her that it never allows any true emotion to come out. Instead it says, "and now, Liz feels emotion and you can, too."

All this is compounded by the fact that the movie is so long and feels even longer. Sigh.

Not to say it is all bad. If the movie fails in its entirety, it sometimes works better on the more micro level. Eat Pray Love tries really hard to give us a sense of what Italy, India and Bali are like, with mixed success. Probably it succeeds the most in Italy, where a lot of time is spent discussing the Italian language, complete with a montage of Italian hand motions (with subtitles explaining what they mean). This goes on for some time, but is amusing and is certainly more interesting than the emotional journey of the characters. The Italy section also benefits from some really great looking food, all filmed beautifully.

I also want to point out that for all the film's faults, you cannot level any of the blame on the actors. Julia Roberts fights valiantly and it is a testament to her innate likability that you don't hate Liz on the spot (despite the script's best efforts). Richard Jenkins, James Franco, Viola Davis, Javiar Bardem, I. Gusta Ayu Puspawati, and others all put in fine work. I refuse to blame them for this movie.

So to wrap this all up, I know I should be applauding a movie for trying to be different, for trying to reach up and be about something, instead of relying on the old Hollywood formulas. The movie desperately wants to be deep and inspiring, and I respect that. But it is a wasted opportunity. This story could have had us all sobbing, our tears full of fear and empathy in the beginning and full of joy at the end. But ultimately, it only inspired me to want to take a nap.

MVP: I think the MVP should probably go to Richard Jenkins as Richard from Texas. At first, he just seems to be mean for mean's sake, but eventually the film allows Richard to open up. Once Jenkins is allowed to play a human being and not a grumpy old cliche, he truly shines in the role, delivering one terrific monologue about why he is at the ashram. Jenkins is a classy actor, and I am always happy to see him. He is a bright spot here.

TRIVIA: Rome has two soccer teams, the AS Rome and the SS Lazio. The two teams are fierce rivals, no doubt made worse by the fact that AS Rome has a bigger following internationally. In the Eat Pray Love book, Mr. Spaghetti is a huge SS Lazio fan. But because the team wasn't well-known enough, the producers of the film decided to make Mr. Spaghetti an AS Rome fan. If you don't think this is a big deal, then you don't understand soccer fans! The decision created an uproar among SS Lazio fans and a ton of gloating from their rivals!