Okay, so I'm getting excited about The Oscars!! This is my SuperBowl after the SuperBowl. It's the last thing in winter that I look forward to... This thread can be used for all things Oscars. Who do you think will win? Who do you think SHOULD win? How do you like Neil Patrick Harris as the host? What do you think of the dresses? Whatever floats your boat. (I feel I will likely be the only one posting in this thread. LOL)
Okay, I'll start. This past weekend, I finished watching the last of the Best Picture nominees. My thoughts on the nominees: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): interesting movie. It's likely a movie I won't ever see again. Emma Stone and Edward Norton deserved their Oscar noms. Michael Keaton was okay. I don't know. 3 out of 4 stars Boyhood: I was in no way interested in seeing this movie and almost didn't, since it's 2hrs45mins long. I relented and got it from Redbox. It was an interesting movie until about the 2 hour mark and then I was ready for it to end - and then it dragged on for another 40 minutes. Nothing major happens, it's like someone making a movie about anyone's life for the past 12 years. I found it underwhelming. The performances were okay - nothing really stood out. I don't think Patricia Arquette deserves her Oscar nomination nor the Golden Globe Award. Her performance was nothing extraordinary. 3 out of 4 stars. The Grand Budapest Hotel: very funny movie. I loved it. It has absolutely zero chance of winning this award, but I like that it was recognized, especially given how early in the year it was released. I highly enjoyed it. 3.5 out of 4 stars. The Imitation Game: great movie. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley put in great performances. The movie was well-paced and never dull. I loved learning about Alan Turing and what he accomplished during WWII. It was an interesting and sad story. 4 out of 4 stars. Whiplash: great movie. Another movie that was well-paced and interesting from start to finish. The music was great and the performances were great. Miles Teller was great. J.K. Simmons was awesome. He's such a good actor, and it's great to see him nominated. 4 out of 4 stars. Selma: amazing and moving film. It really deserved more nominations (director, best actor, screenplay). David Oyelowo was amazing as Martin Luther King, Jr. See it if you haven't. It's well-worth the price of admission. 4 out of 4 stars. The Theory of Everything: great movie. I liked this movie more than I expected to like it. Another well-paced film that was interesting from start to finish. And Eddie Redmayne - he was inspired in this role. My best friend thought he was actually disabled watching the movie. Not many performances stand out in movies, but his was one of those rare performances that can only be described as beautiful. And Felicity Jones was awesome in it, too. Both well-deserved nominations. 4 out of 4 stars. American Sniper: great movie. It may be controversial on the surface, but it tells a very real and personal story. It's well-done and Bradley Cooper put in another great performance. He's really showing what a versatile actor he is. It's a well-deserved acting nomination. Though I was "war-weary" by his 4th deployment in the film, the movie was riveting. 4 out of 4 stars. IMHO, I hope American Sniper or Selma wins the Best Picture Oscar.
I enjoyed Selma, thought it was well done. The real drama may begin however, if it doesn't win an Oscar.
Why get excited over a show that is not diverse? Sure you have the presentors,singers,and dancers. Still,no person of color in nomination in acting. I just going to wait for the Im Memorium segment and that is it.
POJ,they are rigged because most of the voters are White males and the head of the Oscars is just a Black female figurehead.
I recall when Charleton Heston was on Bill Maher's show Politically Incorrect, he explained how an actor can win an Oscar for Best/Supporting Actor or Actress; play a handicapped person. Handicap is a pretty broad term. A person can be physically, mentally, occupationally, socially or romantically handicapped. The list goes on and on. The AMPAS judges are old school Hollywood folk. They are studio honchos, producers, directors, craftspersons, composers, artist and etc. Actress Marlee Matlin won a Best Actress Oscar for Children Of A Lesser God. And she was deaf and beautiful. Tom Hanks won for Forrest Gump and Philadelphia. Claire Trevor won Best Supporting Actress for Key Largo as the girlfriend(or moll) of Edward G. Robinson. Her character was a singer turned alcoholic and she is caught in the vice grip of her addiction, which is a weakness Robinson's character exploits. Gene Hackman won an Oscar for playing Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who was a dedicated cop who liked to drink, chase women and rough up perpetrators. He wasn't really handicapped, just flawed. Put these characters in any film that is well-written, acted and directed, you cannot go wrong.
Looking at Oscar predictions today and getting very worried that Boyhood will win Best Picture. Ugh. :smt022
Birdman best picture. I'm way more behind on my movies than usual. I'll have to check it out as well as Whiplash and American Sniper. The Julianne Moore movie also looked intriguing. She deserved that award 15 years ago with Boogie Nights or the End of the Affair in my opinion. I was happy that Grand Budapest Hotel got several awards. Best movie I actually saw all year.
Glory was great. But so was Lady Gaga. I knew she was talented, but holy cow, she knocked it out of the park completely. Don't you dare, Goodlove!! LOL.
Some thoughts on the show last night: I'm fairly neutral about Neil Patrick Harris as the host. I was expecting him to be better, but the show was kind of dull. Maybe it was the movies? Maybe it was him. I just didn't feel much energy. Honestly, I would have rather had Seth MacFarlane back. LOL. The major awards: blah to Patricia Arquette winning for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance wasn't better than Emma Stone. BLAH to Birdman winning Best Picture. Whilst I'm happy it wasn't Boyhood, I'm not thrilled that it was Birdman. Oh well. Scarlett Johansson - if it wasn't for that dickie, er, I mean, "necklace" she was wearing, she would have EASILY been the best dressed last night. Her dress was simple, elegant, and beautiful and she looked stunning in it. But, good God, that necklace. What a way to ruin a beautiful dress. SMDH. More thoughts later.
Lady GAGA was amazing...she made Julie Andrews proud...her range is unbelievable...I love how diverse and willingness to try new things...