Oscars 2011 Postscript

2010 will be remembered as a banner year for movies.  There were fine examples of modern filmmaking about stealing dreamings and social networking.  Pixar produced its best animated feature yet.  The film about the stuttering royal was superbly written.  The John Wayne movie was re-told in a more riveting way by the Coen Brothers.  Mark Wahlberg proved that you could put a new spin on the familiar tale of a boxer.

And the movie season had to culminate in a most forgettable Oscars show.

More of the misses –

·      The Academy wanted to appeal to a ‘younger demographic’ by hiring James Franco and Anne Hathaway.  For as long as it hands out awards to costume designers, documentaries, foreign films and sound technicians which young people don’t care about, the Oscars would always only appeal to an older set.  Just let the MTV Movie Awards do the 'hip' thing. 

·      Franco and Hathaway are two of the most exciting actors of their generation.  But they bombed.  Even if the Oscars hired the funniest writers, they still wouldn’t have done better.  The Oscar hosting job is for naturally funny and irreverent hosts like Bob, Whoopi, Billy and Steve.  It’s stand-up territory.  Hollywood should forgive Ricky Gervais and allow him to resuscitate the Oscars next year.

·      The fashion was just a drag.  There was nothing new or modern, except for Cate Blanchett’s Givenchy dress.

·      Most cringe-worthy stunt:  James Franco in drag.  Nobody laughed except for the overly giddy Hathaway.

·      Franco seemed more comfortable being pinned by boulder than hosting the Oscars.  Why the disinterest, James?  At least Anne tried. 
·   Highest score for unoriginality:  inserting the hosts in movie clips.

·      Melissa Leo will not be nominated again, not because of the ‘F’ word.  She must be the most un-elegant winner in Oscar history. 

      

The hits –

·      Denmark won its third foreign film Oscar after Babette’s Feast and Pelle the Conqueror.  How could a country with a film industry and population smaller than the Philippines have that much success at the Oscars?  (This point proves that only us old people care about the foreign category and the Oscars.)

·      Smartest plug:  by Christian Bale on DickEklund.com, his boxing trainer’s website.

·      Best speeches:  The Social Network's Aaron Sorkin’s "Roxy Sorkin, your father just won the Academy Award, and "I'm going to have to insist on some respect from your guinea pig."  And from the old man who wrote The King’s Speech:  “My father always said to me I would be a late bloomer.

·      The late Bob Hope as presenter.

·      Kirk Douglas stalling.

·      Russell Brand who’d make a great Oscars host.

I have nothing more to say.   I’m uninspired to do more Oscar talk.  I’m tuning in to CNN now to follow Gaddafi’s crazier costume changes.