|
|
The 82nd Academy Awards Postmortem -- From a Further Distance.Mar 15 '10 (Updated Mar 18 '10) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The Macresarf1/BAMBO-BAMBO Christianson's Oscar Competition was further complicated this year by distance, illness, financial hardship, and the addition of a Frisco Ace Movie Critic, but we did it! ================= Last Sunday, after casting sad (if not secret) eyes on our our Hitachi-II, which has blown its fuse, and which we can't afford fix, my Son Guy and I repaired to the corners of our personal space: He to his cave-like walk-in closet, where he has installed a second-hand TV monitor; I to my trusty iMac. He was going to watch the Oscars on ABC, using a weird rabbit-ears-like device, and I was confident that I would be able to explore the new wonders of "live streaming." The rabbit-ears worked for Guy; but, as it turned out, for legal reasons I don't completely understand, the "live streaming" did not come through for me. After we had admired the gorgeous ladies and natty guys "On the Red Carpet," beautifully clear on the iMac, we began to realize that the whole preliminary was being repeated. Refreshingly casual as were a fellow named Chuckerman and an attractive Lady-in-Red (plus a new TV child star, out among the fans), we decided seeing them twice was not what we were here for. A law suit between Comcast and ABC, settled only hours before the Big Night, had interrupted all "live" computer plans, and soon Guy was shouting to me from the mouth of his cave, "Christoph Waltz just won Best Supporting Actor!" Thus, because two Big Fellows like ourselves can't fit comfortably into that closet space, I had to take as accurate Guy's postmortem, three hours later, "The Oscar Show was pretty neat, Dad!" [I had spent another hour trying to unlock the live streaming on the Internet . . . but succeeded only in signing up for applications to half a dozen quasi-institutions of higher learning -- like "The University of the Rockies" -- on promises that if I did, I'd be plugged into the feed. Their promises proved as valuable as their degrees probably are!] And so, nevertheless, thanks to Guy, I do have the final results of the 82 ACADEMY AWARDS Contest. "The yearly BIG SEPTEMBER LUNCH was at steak [sic]," when the BEST FRIENDS FOREVER Macresarf1 and BAMBO-BAMBO (now in Oklahoma) prepared to cast our Oscar bread upon the waters of San Francisco Bay to see who would select the most WINNERS. Onward! From 20 categories selected by me, drawn from the San Francisco Chronicle, I drew up the polling list. The (s) & (w) were for the picks of Mick LaSalle, Chief Critic of the SF Chronicle. Here were our choices for who would win: epinions.com/content_5400141956 And now, we give you . . . The Results: WHO or WHAT did WIN: Key: (s) - should win (LaSalle) (w) - will win (LaSalle) (M) - Macresarf1 (B) - BAMBOBAMBO The Winner is . . . THE WINNER =========== 1) Picture: "Avatar" - (w) (B) "The Blind Side" "District 9" "An Education" "The Hurt Locker" (M) -- THE WINNER "Inglourious Basterds" - (s) "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" "A Serious Man" "Up" "Up in the Air" Macresarf1 -- 1; BAM -- 0;LaSalle -- 0 [First Blood to Macresarf1!] ***** 2) Director "Avatar" James Cameron" The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow - (w) (M) (B) -- THE WINNER "Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino - (s) "Precious: Based on the Novel'Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels" "Up in the Air" Jason Reitman Macresarf1-- 2; BAM --1; LaSalle -- 1 [BAM and LaSalle are on the scoreboard.] ***** 3) Actor Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" - (w) (M) (B) -- THE WINNER George Clooney in "Up in the Air" - (s) Colin Firth in "A Single Man" Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" Macresarf1 -- 3; BAM -- 2; LaSalle -- 2 [BAM and LaSalle are contending.] ***** 4) Supporting actor Matt Damon in "Invictus" Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" - (s) (w) (M) (B) -- THE WINNER Macresarf1 -- 4; BAM -- 3; LaSalle -- 3 [Christoph Waltz and The Contestants pull off a Hat Trick!] ***** 5) Actress Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" - (w) (B) -- THE WINNER Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" Carey Mulligan in "An Education" Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" - (s) (M} Macresarf1-- 4; BAM -- 4; LaSalle -- 4 [The Contestants are Even!] ***** 6) SUPPORTING ACTRESS Penélope Cruz in "Nine" Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (B) Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" - (s) (w) (M) -- THE WINNER Macresarf1 -- 5; BAM -- 4; LaSalle -- 5 [Now, it's Macresarf1 and LaSalle -- neck and neck!] ***** 7) Adapted screenplay "District 9" "An Education" - (w) "In the Loop" "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (M) (B) -- THE WINNER "Up in the Air" - (s) Macresarf1 -- 6; BAM -- 5; LaSalle -- 5 [BAM moving up . . . ] ***** 8) Original screenplay "The Hurt Locker" (M) -- THE WINNER "Inglourious Basterds" - (s) (w) (B) "The Messenger" "A Serious Man" "Up" Macresarf1 -- 7; BAM -- 5; LaSalle -- 5 [Macresarf1 clearly in the lead again.] ***** 9) Cinematography "Avatar" - (w) (M) (B) -- THE WINNER "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" "The Hurt Locker" - (s) "Inglourious Basterds" "The White Ribbon" Macresarf1 -- 8; BAM -- 6; LaSalle -- 6 [A First for AVATAR, and everyone wins!] ***** 10) Costume design "Bright Star""Coco before Chanel" "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" "Nine" - (s) (w) (B) "The Young Victoria" (M) -- THE WINNER Macresarf1 -- 9; BAM -- 6; LaSalle -- 6 [Macresarf1, capitalizing on actually having seen NINE, begins to draw away.] ***** 11) Animated feature "Coraline" - (s) "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (M) "The Princess and the Frog" (B) "The Secret of Kells""Up" - (w) -- THE WINNER Macresarf1 -- 9; BAM -- 6; LaSalle -- 7 [Score one for LaSalle!] ***** 12) Art direction "Avatar" (M) (B) -- THE WINNER "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" "Nine" "Sherlock Holmes" "The Young Victoria" Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 7; LaSalle -- 7 [LaSalle does not compete, and BAM moves up, even with LaSalle for Second Place!] ***** 13) Documentary feature "Burma VJ" "The Cove" (B) -- THE WINNER "Food, Inc." - (s) (w) (M) "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" "Which Way Home" Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 8; LaSalle -- 7 [BAM is a clear winner, and takes over Second Place] ***** 14) Documentary short "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" (B) "The Last Campaign of Gov. Booth Gardner" "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" (M) "Music by Prudence" -- THE WINNER "Rabbit À la Berlin" Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 8; LaSalle -- 7 ["Music by Prudence" wins, LaSalle does not compete, and we hold our places.] ***** 15) Editing "Avatar" - (w) (M) "District 9" "The Hurt Locker" - (s) (B) -- THE WINNER "Inglourious Basterds" "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 9; LaSalle -- 8 [BAM wins again! And moves into contention. LaSalle, the canny professional is moving in . . . ] ***** 16) Foreign-language film "Ajami" Israel (B) "The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada)" Peru "A Prophet (Un Prophète)" France - (s) (w) "The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)" Argentina -- THE WINNER "The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)" Germany (M) Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 9; LaSalle -- 8 [THE SECRET . . . " wins, and almost everyone else loses.] ***** 17) Makeup "Il Divo" "Star Trek" -- THE WINNER "The Young Victoria" (M) (B) Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 9; LaSalle -- 8 [STAR TREK wins, LaSalle does not compete, and we hold our places.] ***** 18) ORIGINAL SCORE "Avatar" - (w) (M) (B) "Fantastic Mr. Fox" "The Hurt Locker" - (s) "Sherlock Holmes" "Up" -- THE WINNER Macresarf1 -- 10; BAM -- 9; LaSalle -- 8 [We all go for AVATAR, and all lose. Talk about being tired in the Home Stretch!] ***** 19) Sound editing "Avatar" - (w) (M) (B) "The Hurt Locker" -- THE WINNER "Inglourious Basterds" - (s) "Star Trek" "Up" Macresarf1-- 10; BAM -- 9; LaSalle -- 8 [And Again! THE HURT LOCKER wins, and we all lose. Will we collapse before the Finish Line? ***** 20) Visual effects "Avatar" - (s) (w) (M) (B) -- WINNER "District 9" "Star Trek" Macresarf1 -- 11; BAM --10; LaSalle -- 9 [Each of us apply the whip, cross the Line in a Dead Heat -- BUT Macresarf1 WINS BY A NOSE!!] ***** And so, Macresarf1 almost blew a comfortable lead. BAMBO-BAMBO came on strongly in the last half mile. And both of us beat the San Francisco pro, Mick LaSalle, in a close race. BAMBO-BAMBO and I will go dutch for our customary Oscar Lunch this time because I owed him one from last year. I hope to see him bounding by the Bay very soon. =============== As for the Oscar Show itself, I can say very little, except for the fact that, possibly owing to a good audience, the evening generally radiates a little more class the Golden Globes, where the stars are sometimes sloshed early -- or the Music Awards, which often display artists who are doped up and vulgar. This year, simply on the basis of the Red Carpet conversations I saw, Guy's reports from his Platonic Cave, and later commentaries, I gather that the normal snobbish-type criticisms were leveled: Martin and Baldwin were [or were not] ready for Prime Time; THE HURT LOCKER is either a Right Wing or a Left Wing Plot; Christoph Waltz was either charming or creepy; Vera Vermiglia's gown was entrancing or a mess [I'm crazy about her]; Quentin Tarantino got his comeuppance -- or he was robbed; the Oscars were politics as usual -- or full of entertaining surprises! As I commented to Andaryl, on his excellent assessment of the recent Oscar Night: We often forget (or ignore) that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards were indeed sort of whipped up by Cedric Gibbons for a clubby private brunch in 1929. But as "The Oscars," they have now become an extravaganza known as a symbol for America all over the World, and as such, they are an institution older than the official adoption of our National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner." They were here 35 years before "god" was added to our Pledge of Allegiance. Fueled by a kind of New Deal populism, many Americans were rather proud of Hollywood and the Oscars as a representation of our Democracy -- until Films became more International, and until the dichotomies revealed by Oscar Nominees gave rise to political, social, and commercial embarrassments for resurgent corporate interests. "You can carry this democracy stuff too far," was the criticism. And so, since the late 1970's or so, it has become fashionable to point out that the Academy is a club (or a guild of clubs, as it originally fancied itself), and to bash the political and commercial choices The Club makes from year to year. [And why exquisitely elegant actresses, in often equally tasteful gowns, are pilloried for their appearance on the evening, I've always thought to be REALLY no class by self-appointed fashion critics. The evening should be a Party, for god's sake!] I thought the big winner this year, THE HURT LOCKER, and the show that largely celebrated it, was just fine. For one thing, the film has been widely accepted as a serious, old fashioned artistic effort on the subject of "the war on terror," our most serious foreign policy blunder in over a hundred years; a picture costing a modest $11,000,000, compared to a $237,000,000 CGI fantasy like AVATAR, or an absurdly self-indulgent parody like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. [Think of the hue and cry, had either of those expensive crowd pleasers (with their opposing subtexts) won!] But THE HURT LOCKER was attacked politically by both the Right and the Left, and so Kathryn Bigelow must have been doing something right! The show, which I heard only fitfully from the mouth of my younger son's cave, appears to have been as equally modest (but alas, not nearly so indignant) as a similar evening would have been in the 1970's over what has been done to our nation (or what has been done to others in our name). Andrew Breitbart's BigHollywood has not won yet, but The Oscars as we have known them probably ARE on their way out. Oscar winners will not boost worldwide profits as they once did. The decline of interest in "serious" movies at the box office has been accelerated by a plethora of lesser "awards evenings," Television reality shows, DVD's, and now "streaming" (not to mention the elephantine, depressing contraction of the American economy). All of the above are killing the movie theaters (going to the dustbin of history in the same fashion as other familiar artistic institutions of the preceding 400 years in Western Culture). It will be sad and interesting to hear the lamentations and nostalgia which will arise when the Oscars pass from the scene -- to be replaced, no doubt, by some sort of cyber-blog. Meanwhile, may I recommend my colleague Andaryl's most thorough and interesting assessment of THE 82nd ACADEMY AWARD Program ("Who's the King of the World?"): epinions.com/content_5400993924 ***************** And, as I said at the top, if you should wish to catch up with the ancient news of the recent Macresarf1/BAMBO-BAMBO/Mick LaSalle [unbidden] 82nd Oscar Contest, you may find it here: http://www.epinions.com/content_5400141956  |
| Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment |
- Top 100
by cdm72
by lindaohio
by Stephen_Murray
by carstairs38
