Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh.
Mar 27 '01
The Bottom Line "...visually stunning! Action-packed! A triumph..."
Did I ever mention how much I hate Julia Roberts? Okay, hate is a strong word. Julia annoys me. She's the highest paid woman in show business, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot figure out why, except perhaps that she's shrewd and calculating and has suckered almost every person alive into paying ten bucks to get into one of her films by grinning that big shiny grin and playing all coy.
But is anybody really surprised that she won? Who was she up against? Laura Linney? You Can Count on Me was like her third movie. Ellen Burstyn and Joan Allen were both out, since they are both positively ancient by (ridiculous) Hollywood standards. Juliette Binoche is cute as heck, and she had a fighting chance, but not against Julia.
And it's bad enough that she won, but then she had to give the most smarmy, insincere, perfectly Hollywood acceptance speech ever given, at least since Gwyneth's blubberfest two years ago. She knew she was going to win. Her simple-country-girl act was totally unnecessary and transparent.
Equally unsurprising was Russell Crowe's victory. What was surprising is what a humorless prat Russell is. He's a genius and probably the biggest male movie star in the world, so why is he so grumpy? He was so articulate and sincere in his speech, though, that I forgave him.
I have to say, though, that I loved Steve Martin. As somebody really clever said, "Billy who?". I miss the ol' best-film montage song. But Martin was funny and sharp without being too biting. I hope they bring him back next year, and if not Steve, they should really give Letterman another chance. Seriously.
I found the presenters to be kind of a mixed bag. Goldie Hawn acting goofy? How novel. Angelina Jolie looked stunning. So did Hillary Swank.
Gladiator was a fun, exciting, well-done movie, but y'know what? It didn't deserve Best Picture. One movie that totally deserved it, Almost Famous, wasn't even nominated. I didn't see Traffic, but given all the glowing reviews, I figured it for a shoe-in against such a textbook action flick like Gladiator. Damn, I wanted Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to win so badly, even if only just to assure me that the Academy aren't a bunch of racists.
I am glad Bob Dylan won, too. The Academy seems to have a fetish for Disney songs and Sting is pretty big now. Bjork is an acquired taste, which left the love ballad from Crouching Tiger and something from Meet the Parents (there was a song in that movie?).
It's the long-winded speeches and cheesy dance numbers and off-the-wall fashions that have made past Oscars so memorable. There was none of that this year. It was all so safe. Even Angelina Jolie, the queen of awards show hijinks, left her brother at home and looked downright conservative in that suit. There were a few well-timed barbs at the celebs in attendance courtesy of Martin, but hardly anything that will make it into a past-Oscar montage.
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Epinions.com ID:
kilinahe
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Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 23 members
About Me:
"In your face, Space Coyote!"
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