Kevin's Watch

I was very surprised that Crash won, and like Usuvius I was shocked by Best Song (I predicted "In the Deep" from Crash.) But other than that, there were no other surprises this year, and overall the Oscar ceremony was very boring. I thought Jon Stewart was a complete flop, but I do have to admit that I don't find him very funny anyways.

Well of course YOU wouldn't find Steward funny I only saw the first half and liked it simply because the pace was fast, like Pearlman but didn't really care for any of the musical presentations. I've seen The Constant Gardener and the first half of Crash--but that's about it. Apparently I have to watch the second half if it's supposed to be that good--yes it had powerful storylines and good acting but the constant cursing turned off me--

danlo wrote: the constant cursing turned off me--

good thing you don't hang out with me, then.

John Stewart, well he was not as funny as Chris Rock, Stewart's humor is a gentle smirking and internal comment 'oh how amusing and clever' and not belly busting guffaws (at least it was not the tired old crap with Letterman). IMO, Chris Rock gets lots closer to belly busting guffaws than John Stewart ever did. Constant cursing? the who, whatting, how, with huh?

maybe next year Steven Colbert will host the Oscars!!! THAT would be funny!!!

Carrot-Top hosting the Oscars would give it just the right touch of class. and props.

Just watched Cinderella Man and after that Oscar can bite my ass (btw Luci I was a sailor so...let's see if YOU can hang with ME!

danlo wrote: bite my ass (btw Luci I was a sailor so...let's see if YOU can hang with ME!

i have an extensive vocabulary and am always looking for a licentious declension into moral turpitude, don'tcha know.

Just to mention Tsotsi again briefly, hows this for weird?

As I said, I knew nothing about it, other than that it existed. Of course it was all over the news last night, and imagine my surprise to discover that the director was Gavin Hood. None other than the son of my fathers ex-boss. What a surprise. I remember him as a middling actor. Glad to see he went on to better things.

--A

Avatar wrote:Just to mention Tsotsi again briefly, hows this for weird?

As I said, I knew nothing about it, other than that it existed. Of course it was all over the news last night, and imagine my surprise to discover that the director was Gavin Hood. None other than the son of my fathers ex-boss. What a surprise. I remember him as a middling actor. Glad to see he went on to better things.

--A

Gavin Hood. he was lovely!

I heard today that ratings for this year's broadcast were down by 30-40%. Anyone care to speculate why that would be so?

Because the movies were unpopular.

[snark mode on] Of course the awards show would get more viewer ship if Big Mama's House was one of the nominees [snark off]

well box office says that people aren't going out to see these movies. to be honest, most looked like excellent dvd movies, but not box office films.

Loremaster nailed it. None of the Best Picture contenders were runaway box office successes. (The Best Documentary winner, March of the Penguins, might be considered the exception, as it performed strongly at the box office while the big Hollywood summer movies around it went bust.) 2005 was seen as the year that audiences more or less turned away from the blockbusters. So it became the year that smaller, independent pictures attracted the spotlight. But due to their limited distribution, I'm guessing these smaller budget pictures simply weren't seen by much of the moviegoing public. (Again, March of the Penguins being an exception.) Capote didn't arrive locally until it had been playing in theatres elsewhere for a while. Kind of an amusing irony, considering that the film was mostly shot here in Winnipeg and around Manitoba.

As sgtnull indicated, people aren't losing sleep over movies they missed at the theatre, since they can just rent the DVD -- and possibly get a better experience in their homes anyway.

As to the Academy ceremony, I thought Jon Stewart was OK. I like him a lot on the Daily Show, but maybe he was trying too hard at the Oscars. I think that awkward silences and jokes that fall flat are inevitable when you mix the official pomp and circumstance of the Oscars with a sarcastic host. Maybe Stewart's humour just works better within the confines of his TV show. Maybe that was also true of Letterman. I didn't watch the Oscars at all when Chris Rock hosted, because I just don't find him appealing or funny. My favorite Oscar host is probably Billy Crystal, followed by Whoopi Goldberg. I wasn't a regular viewer of the Oscars at the time of Johnny Carson's reign as emcee, but I can't imagine a smoother Academy host than Johnny.

Do I get an Oscar nomination for this rant?

Btw, Avatar, what a small world. Next thing you know, your girlfriend will tell you that her friend's mom's hairdresser is an extra in the film, as the fourth lady walking by in the background...