Nicole K.
I believe that this is the 3rd or 4th time in a row she has won. She had a commanding win with 25 points. I came in second with 10. So congratulations to Nicole who will win a prize (contact me and we will arrange it).
And now, on to my thoughts.
1. Low Ratings.
I said on my blog a few weeks ago: Here are the top 10 money-makers of 2015: Star Wars, Jurassic World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, Furious 7, Minions, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2, The Martian, Cinderella, Spectre. Only 2 of them are nominated for Best Picture. This means that this will be a low-rated Oscars because there are very few films to root for.
It turns out that I was correct. This was one of the lowest rated Oscars in years. I am convinced the reason wasn't the ceremony itself, but the fact that few of the big money-makers (especially Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens), were not nominated. So the night was a lot of "who cares?"
2. Not Timeless
A question that should be asked about the categories, especially Best Picture, is "Will people remember this decades from now?" I mean, what are the timeless movies? I have not seen Spotlight, but I can guarantee people will have trouble remember that this movie won Best Picture in 5 years. People would remember Mad Max or The Martian winning.
3. L.A. Lecutres
What is it about winning an award for make-believe that makes people think that we really need their lectures on how to live? Maybe I've missed it, but I can't remember a Super Bowl winner looking at the camera and saying, "I'm so grateful we won and stop using non-rechargable batteries!" At the Oscars we were told who not to vote for, told that sex changes are "gender CONFIRMATION surgery," we are ruining the planet with climate change, and that Pope Francis needs to fix the Church so that it reaches Hollywood's impecable moral standards.
4. Actresses and Age
Brie Larson is a fantastic actress. I did not see Room, but I heard she was excellent in it and so she won at age 26. But this got me thinking.
I tried to compile a list of the 25 Best Actresses of All Time, but I kept coming to a roadblock for a lot of actresses in that they had very few notable performances. Not only that, most of them were from their youth. As they get older, they tend to work less and less (Meryl Streep is a notable exception).
So I went and looked something up. In the last 30 years, 10 actresses in their 20's have won Best Actress Oscars (Marlee Matlin, Jodie Foster (counted twice for her 2 wins), Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron, Hillary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, and Brie Larson)
In the entire history of the Oscars, only one man has ever won a Best Actor Oscar in his 20's (Adrian Brody).
I'm not sure what this means, if anything. It's just an observation.
5. Mad for Max
I was very happy that Mad Max won as many awards as it did. But I find it so strange that a movie that won so many awards for such a rich visual experience should not give the award for directing to the main architect of that experience. Of the nominees, Mad Max was clearly the Best Picture. But we have our Hollywood tastemakers to guide us. Then again, maybe I should think about it this way: Mad Max got beaten by a movie with Batman, the Hulk, Sabertooth, and Dr. Manhattan.
Those are my initial thoughts?
What are yours?
Below are my tweets of the evening. (start at the bottom and go up for chronological order)
Sorry about the absence. Connectivity issues are just a small part of me wanting to pack my bags for Fiji.
ReplyDeleteDidn't catch the Oscars, but thanks to a hatefully misanthropic guess about Best Picture, I am thirty bucks to the good.
Gotta love them smug halfwits.
How did Fury Road do?
ReplyDelete