The Academee Awards

Jest thought I'd start this thread while I'm eating me breakfast. Lovely bangers this morning, no, not those on Ms. Lopez, those in my frying pan. Watchin a tape right now. Steve Martin seems dull, don't you think? More commentary later, after I've seen more of the broadcast. Glad GLADIATOR won though -- RIDLEY Wuzz Robbed! You understand -- my countryman, LOL. Did he not entertain you? Happy also for Ang Lee. I thought TRAFFIC was boring, by the way.

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Pigsnie, Vicar of Fries!

I didn't see a single movie that was nominated in any category, so I can't really comment on who should have won. But I am glad that Marcia Gay Harden won for Best Supporting Actress since she has Texas ties (she lived in Dallas for a spell in her youth and attended the University of Texas at Austin).

I was kind of pulling for Steven Soderberg to win Best Director, but mostly because I liked Out of Sight a lot (and since they didn't give him an Oscar for that, I felt they might as well give him one now).

I'm glad Russell Crowe won, too. I liked him in L.A. Confidential and The Insider. I'm sure he was very good in Gladiator.

Too true. Russell was the best thing in LA CONFIDENTIAL, besides Kim Basinger's freshly shampooed hair. Rent GLADIATOR soon, Ryan -- the DVD is most excellent.

Sting looks old. He must be over 50 by now, and he thinks he can still be a movie star. I miss Billy Crystal. The outer space intro was so lame.

I stopped watching when Hollow Man lost for best visual effects. What a jip!? I turned it on right at the end to see who won best movie though, had perfect timing too it came in right as Michael Douglas was walking to the stage.

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Horror's Not Dead
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I didn't like Steve Martin as the host. I thought he was trying too hard. And Russel Crowe didn't think his jokes were funny. I wanted Ang Lee to win. I thought it would be cool if a foreign film won Best Picture. But I also wanted Ridley Scott to get an Oscar. I think the Academy ignores sci fi & horror film directors. I don't think he'll be nominated for Hannibal even though I really like that movie. I hope Hopkins gets the Oscar next year. And that was the ugliest dress I'd ever seen on Bjork?? Bjorn?? I don't know her name but she was wearing a dead swan.

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Blonde Klingons: Because it was a good day to dye!

I think Russel Crowe summed it up pretty well by saying "God Bless America. God Save the Queen. God Defend New Zealand and thank Christ for Australia" !!!

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Black Holes Suck!

AMEN, RUSSELL!!!! However, I have a quarrel with the bloke: when he was interviewed about his "date," he loudly declared that he was alone, but everyone could see that this blonde in his entourage was following him everywhere. What was she? A piece of gum? I Say, The fellow needs lessons in gallantry !!

Steve Martin was so smooth & sophisticated, he forgot to be funny (in spite of a few good lines.) And the evening was strangely flat. Did anyone else think Arthur C. Clarke resembled Dr. Evil? And the thing on Sigourney Weaver's dress was ALIVE!

Poor Ridley. People make fun of him because he barely smiled during the Oscars -- damn, why would I smile if my movie won BEST PICTURE and I didn't win BEST DIRECTOR? Ridley gets no respect, they do not understand his genius eye for spectacle! And you're right, Wart, Ridley will get no respect next year either.

I'm peeved at both Russell and Ridley - get a friggin' sense of humor, man. Tom Hanks played along and made it fun, but Crowe looked a tad stuck up.

I think Martin was perfect. You can't have Billy Crystal dancing around every year - so this year they went with something simpler, and I think it came out very well.

Oh, and I agree with Peter - Hollow Man deserved the SFX award, and Ang Lee, IMO, should have taken Best Director, although Steven would have been my second choice.

Oh, and I think Sting looks like he's about 35.

The show was a bit flat. It wasn't anything to do with Martin though. Some of his lines were classics. Very well done on his part. But Billy still rules. The problem was the opening sequence. How horrible was that! A really poor choice. The Academy opening should be the most memorable sequence. Billy Crystal's patented cut and paste jobs on the nominated movies was always a success. I don't see why Martin couldn't have done this.

And where were the film montages. They're my favourite part. When the Academy acknowledges its wonderful history. Sure, the three (too much?) honourary awards showed some flashbacks, but they weren't classics. And boy did Dino De Laurentis produce some bombs!


The show was professional, nothing more. The acceptance speeches were too quick. Only Julia Roberts and Russell Crowe were allowed express themselves a bit. They both gave classy acceptances. The acceptance I enjoyed the most though, was Soderbergh. "This is for all the people in the world who create". Very nice.

Surprises. Hayden for supporting actress. I would and should have been upset that Kate Hudson lost out, but she didn't seem to mind and Ed Harris' reaction to his baby (Pollock) winning an Oscar was lovely. Soderbergh for direction. Deserved, I think. Ang Lee's wouldn't have known what to say if he won a second Oscar. And if Ridley Scott had won, then I would most definitely have fallen asleep. I've tried to watch Gladiator's director's commentary 8 times now, without success. The man's voice is monotone. He's not a very happy man.

Favourite Winner. Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous. Say what you will but at least it's an Oscar Winner. I didn't see Chocolat picking anything up. Lousy Academy. I oughta...

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I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

Crowe is Aussie 100%...crude, unsophisticated, rude, and loves a good time! So no wonder he missed out with the blonde !!

Couldn't agree more Russel Crowe is an idiot( I am an aussie). Sure he was watchable in GLADIATOR but an Academy Award? The INSIDER IMO was carried by Pacino not Crowe.

While Im in a bitching mood might as well declare Im not watching the Oscars for 2 years in protest of declaring "Julia Roberts" an actress. ( I did the same after PULP FICTION lost out to FORREST GUMP as Best Picture) I honestly thought this could only happen at the MTV awards.

From now on it's CANNE & SUNDANCE for me!

Thanx for listening.

PS Thought Steve Martin did a great job biting the hand that feeds him. Best he has been since "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"

One of the many great lines of the night:

"Hollywood Marriages just dont last. Well, umm its really just because, well honestly we just sleep with so many damn people."

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******"The Majority Is Always Wrong" Steve Mcqueen in Enemy Of The People******

Sorry, but I think Forrest Gump WAS the Best Picture - one of the best in recent memory for me. It was incredibly clever - what a wicked script that must've been.

I must interject: ALL ABOUT EVE was a wicked script, not FORREST GUMP. I remember nothing remotely witty about FG, although everyone in it has a good hand with a platitude.

You kiddin' me? The thing was funny, clever, and interesting. It also made great use of the music throughout.

I kid you not, Commish, I found FORREST GUMP only mildly entertaining, is all. It is simply not my kind of picture.
(I swear, if I hear that "box of chocolates" line one more time, I shall take to drink.)

Again, I say, for true wicked dialogue, rent ALL ABOUT EVE or CYRANO DE BERGERAC (in French, but even the English subtitles are witty) or even SLEUTH, with Laurence Olivier & Michael Caine. These are not art-house films (well, ok, CYRANO might be a little bit) but you might not have heard of them because of your envious youth.

I've heard of Cyrano - I guess I prefer the modern-day "Roxanne" - Steve Martin is simply one of the funniest men alive. I have seem parts of various older versions, though.

I think the problem you might have with Gump and the "box of chocolates" line is that it's been so overdone everywhere else, and has become a cliche (screw it, I'm not going to try to figure out which keyboard combination I need to make that little accent symbol).

The Depardieu or the Steve Martin version--it all comes ultimately from Rostand. The Depardieu had, in my opinion, the superior screenplay. And great costumes! The Steve Martin version was playing to a different, more mainstream audience. I like both a lot, with a leaning to the former--because I happen to like more poetry in dialogue (its rare in film). Its weird--that I find poetry in more foreign films than I do in American/English pictures. Maybe the subtitles do make me appreciate dialogue more--I dunno.

Forrest Gump--I think its more of a dry sense of humor than true wit.

I loved all of the movies you guys mentioned, so I really don't see what all the commotion is!

By the way Deckard, I want to congratulate you on your stance with the Oscars, I was truly rolling on the floor for about ten minutes!

Thanxs for humouring me Zeph. I know my non violent protests willnot be heard all aroun d the world, but hey it helps me sleep at night.

Cant resist mentioning that Forrest Gump is neither witty, clever nor interesting. "Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing" or "Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest is witty, "The Coen's Miller's Crossing" or "Terry Gilliam's Brazil" are clever. The only thing interesting about "GUMP" was the soundtrack.

The film itself delivered a mesage that encouraged ignorance. "Do nothing, have no education & you too can still have rich meaningful life, meet influential & interesting people and not apprecite the gravity of anything you do". Scary film.

Thats as short & sweet as I can put it. Thanx for listening. Im not emotionally equipped yet to competently express my feelings on the whole "Roberts" travesty. maybe in a few weeks when the "post oscar blues" have subsided.