Roger Ebert pretty much summed up most people’s opinions on last week’s 83rd Academy Awards. “This was the worst Oscar (show) I’ve ever endured, and I go back awhile,” wrote the 68 year-old critic. Several critics and thousands upon thousands of live-bloggers and comments all over the Internet agree with Ebert. “It's really a miracle that hundreds of millions of people still watch this stately parade,” quipped TIME’s Richard Corliss. This mostly lifeless parade was watched by 37.6 million viewers stateside. That’s over 4 million less than last year’s ceremony and almost 20 million less than when Titanic swept the Oscars in 1998.
Let’s start off with the hosts, for they have received the majority of the criticism and blame for this year’s show. For weeks, they were in many (mostly funny) Oscar promos that seemed to promise a great time at the Kodak for all. It was like the anticipation of an upcoming date with a really attractive and outgoing woman or man or a trip to a hyped-up and glitzy amusement park. You’re excited for days or weeks on end. You wear your best clothes and make sure you say the right things to say and pay plenty of compliments. When you reach the date/park, your hopes of having an outstanding time have been slashed. You set the bar too high or you were intentionally deceived by the date/park. You begin to settle. You compromise like you never have before. By the end of the date/trip, all you want to do is leave running and never turn back.
If only Franco and Hathaway had been as great as the promos. I have to give Hathaway credit for trying her best. She did overdo it at times, like cheering for every single category and presenter. No one is that excited for Best Live Action Short Feature…well except for the guy who won. Franco was not there at all. I know he has a million other things going on and probably has a bunch of papers due but c’mon! At least pretend to care. You are an actor after all (an Oscar-nominated one too, as everyone kept beating that one to the ground). “He’s definitely stoned,” said one friend at the Oscars party I attended. “His eyes are glazy and he has that dumb smirk that stoners get.”
Hathaway did get some criticism over her constant wardrobe changes. “I think she focused more on her wardrobe and hair changes than the actual show,” said Jenny Lopez, another friend from the party. “It’s the Oscars, not a fashion show. That’s what the red carpet pre-show is for.”
When Billy Crystal appeared on-stage, I had hoped that he was the show's "Get Out of Jail Free" card. He would thank Franco and Hathaway for their time and he would take over with plenty of one-liners to get the audience to laugh, if not at least get them out of their coma. “Billy Crystal's 3 minutes on stage ultimately trumped Franco and Hathaway's crappy job hosting throughout the night,” said Matt Gentile, host of Radio DePaul’s Saturday Sports Beat.
I’m not a fan of the (not-really) red carpet but oh my Lord, Jennifer Lawrence was drop dead gorgeous! My jaw dropped when I saw her on the carpet. I didn’t recognize her from Winter’s Bone. She’s set to appear as Mystique in the upcoming X-Men: First Class. I would buy my ticket now for the midnight opening if I could. When everyone wasn’t drooling over Lawrence , we were in a sea of Barbie
The only major upset (awards-wise) was Tom Hooper winning over David Fincher for Best Director. Everyone’s jaws dropped when his name was called. There were some boos. It wasn’t pretty. I did notice that the camera wasn’t present on Fincher during his speech. Unlike the next category which was Best Actress. When Natalie Portman began to speak, the camera briefly captured Annette Bening’s defeated face in the crowd. I had never seen someone so sad at an awards ceremony. If it makes you feel better Annette, Deborah Kerr (From Here to Eternity and The King and I) was up for Best Actress six times and never won.
“How pissed do you think the other 9 Best Picture nominees were that their clips were introduced by Spielberg with The King's Speech playing in the background?” commented a reader for the AV Club. When that montage began to air, I knew that The King’s Speech was going to win. Some of my friends were praying that The Social Network would win but I knew better. Oscar plays it safe most of the time. He gave the Best Picture Oscar to Crash over Brokeback Mountain
Maybe it’s the fact that the majority of the Academy are older and most likely out of touch with what’s going in modern cinema. This trend isn’t new: in the 1960s a majority of the Best Picture winners were outdated and over-the-top musicals from the dying studio systems headed by Jack Warner and others. My Fair Lady won over Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick’s dark and brilliant satire on the Cold War. The Sound of Music won over Darling, a British satire on an ambitious woman (Julie Christie) climbing the ladder to success; In the Heat of the Night, a police drama, won over Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, and Bonnie and Clyde, the crime drama that is often credited for the renaissance of American filmmaking. Oliver! won over Rachel, Rachel, a drama on a spinster and her disastrous love affair; and The Lion in Winter, a character piece on the darkest hour of King Henry and his queen. The Academy honored modern, “progressive” and controversial films in the 1970s such as The Godfather (Parts I and II), The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Network, All the President’s Men, The Deer Hunter, and Kramer vs. Kramer. They regressed in the 80s when they chose to honor (often forgettable) films like Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire and Out of Africa.
The Academy needs to do what it does best (slightly bore audiences rather than alienate them) and shape up for 2012. They also need to finally realize that they should continue to take risks in what to award and nominate. Last year’s winner, the Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker, is a 180 degree turn from this year’s winner. And for the love of God, stay away from the Auto-Tune effects! #
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