Some of my thoughts...
Queen Latifah did a nice singing job during the memoriums but it was a bad decision to try and focus the camera on her as much as they did (or perhaps at all, other than at the beginning). I couldn't even read several of the names! Not good. Especially for a year like that where we lost a lot of big names. I was feeling sad all over again. Stan Winston and Michael Crichton... sigh. Roy Scheider was a sexy bitch.
Really wanted Wall E to win one of the sound categories. Not just because the effects are amazing, but with so little dialogue in the film, you have to rely on the sounds and visuals to get through the story. I'm so glad there was a nice long section about that on the DVD. I like learning about the technical side of things. I know who actors, writers, and directors are because they're at every other award show: give the editors and costumers and chance now! Speaking of which... wish The Dark Knight had won for editing. I'll be seeing Slumdog this week so it could also be amazing, but yeah TDK stood out so much in that department. Omg how tense were the scenes with the city officials being assassinated, or wondering if the civilians on the ferry would activate the bomb, or Dent would pull the trigger? Brilliant, bone-chilling editing.
Was anybody watching the red carpet stuff on KTLA? If I find a clip, I'll post it, but when the interviewers were asking Mickey Rourke what his next step was at this point in his career, like if there was "anything he'd like to do next", he gave the woman an elevator look, grinned, and then walked on down the carpet. It was amazing. Fuck the people saying this is his comeback, that's what Sin City was, yo, and he kicked ass in there too.
I giggled at the few jabs made at The Reader. It was like they were saying, "yeah, we dunno why it's up here either." Again, could be fab. But I think myself and many others would have preferred seeing a few other films in there instead. At least you know Kate Winslet could laugh at such remarks. Maybe the director was there ripping his hair out, though, idk.
Documentaries about the World Trade Center or 9/11 are taking over Nazi/WWII films as the ones to beat in this category.
Will Smith's burn at Oscar movies not having fans was mean. But rang true, in a year like this. Especially coming from him, maybe the last big blockbuster guy left.
The Pineapple Express bit was great. James Franco butchering "Spielzeugland" was greater.
Thank you Milk writer, for those shirtless pictures floating around online, and for reminding people that God loves them no matter what. Holy fuck has it been bothering me that in general, religious beliefs are equated with hate and persecution which historically, okay people have screwed up. But I don't think any of them are actually based on hatred. I get teary-eyed when people have to remind us of the big happy family we all really are or could be, so it was lovely to hear that, and that God is a loving duder. You're damn right he is. And thank you Sean Penn for calling Hollywood homo-loving commies. Three years ago, Brokeback Mountain grossed out a few too many to win, and now not only does Heath have an Oscar but Milk had an entirely respectable showing tonight. I, too, hope that there is re-evaluation and shameful feelings in a few folks. Let's give these Hollywood people more uplifting material to base their biopics on, yes?
I've been up for 24 hours and neither feel it or regret it haha.
And I got 11 out of 24 predictions right. A poor year for me (the last several have been between 15 and 18) but it was still fun to run down the nominees five minutes before the show started and check off a few ideas. Some year, I will win an office pool dammit.
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