So uhhh... the Oscars sucked.

[Weealzabob]

I haven't got much to say on the actual awards, (the only big nominee I've seen is Django Unchained), but aside from the visual effects guys getting screwed over, I enjoyed the show.

Though the media's coverage of Charlize Theron's "reaction" to MacFarlane's boob song had me shaking my head.

 

[Pinkamena]

My main thoughts:

1) Waltz winning is the big upset of the night. I guess they really like his Basterds character. Means he'll win again in another couple of years, when Tarantino does his next film and casts him in the same type of role again

Sorry, but I don't see what the two characters Hanz Landa (Basterds) and King Schultz (Django) has in common except that they're both charismatic Germans.

 

[Not Matt]

brave won? really, in a category where wreck it Ralph and paranorman? It was....well not bad but mediocre. it didn't stand ot and it wasn't all that memorable.

Cloud Atlas wasn't even nominated. stupid academy

the avengers didn't win anything. they could have nominated (nominated!! not given) Tom Hiddleston for best male side character for Loke [footnote]no. I am gonna spell like that, it's how the Scandinavian vikings did it so HA![/footnote] i mean he was really good and his scene were the high point of the Thor movie.


[small]I kinda sorta like the boob song though[/small]

 

[Existentialistme]

The Oscars seem to just kind of piss everyone off -- they're not low enough to give anything to box office favorites like The Avengers or The Hobbit, but they're not brave enough to please the high art, intellectual crowd either.

 

[WindKnight]

1) Brave winning animated feature was entirely on hype. It wasn't as good as ParaNorman and certainly not as good as Wreck-It Ralph.
.

really?

I havnt seen brave but I think i'd have to agree in that they just figure "well PIXAR wins every year so y'know easy award" it does go to show though that the animated catagory might not be as much of a "ghetto" anymore (do they still have the rule that animated features cant run with the big boys? or was that never an actual rule?)

I think its more that its generally accepted that the Best Animated oscar came about because they didn't want Shrek winning the Best Movie oscar.

 

[HellbirdIV]

Django Unchained won "Best Original Screenplay".

Now, I don't watch a lot of movies in general, and only saw maybe 4-5 movies in the cinema last year, but... seriously?

I literally watched Django Unchained for the first time last night, in the cinema, trying to get into the "Starship Troopers" mindset of enjoying a violent, cartoony action piece that takes itself too seriously despite the fact it's fundamentally retarded. I was bored out of my skull.

Maybe it's just that every other movie was an adaptation? "Best" screenplay? Compared to what, Birdemic?

Clichés, stock characters, other stock characters that don't go anywhere, and a blaxploitation revenge plot so formulaic and predictable I knew how each scene was going to end just by how it started (not to mention all the scenes that I knew how they would play out before they even came around).

Someone, please explain to me, what does "Best Original Screenplay" even mean? That the storyboards looked pretty? That the dialogue was good? Because if it has anything to do with the story told in the actual movie, I feel like they just threw a random, "less important" award at Django Unchained because it's "the movie about empowering black people" and they didn't want to "seem racist".

 

[RyQ_TMC]

Just throwing it out there, but wasn't there quite a bit of hubbub when Brave came out, about Merida being a strong female protagonist and Disney/Pixar challenging accepted norms in kids' movies? I assume most voters didn't watch any of the nominees, so they might have gone with the one that apparently generated the most buzz with a little bit of gender politics thrown in?

I can't say if it's deserving or not - I've only seen Wreck-It Ralph out of the five - but there seems to be quite a few people upset about that and I'm wondering about a possible answer.

 

[Sunrider]

I didn't even watch them, so I guess I have no business commenting here, but really, the first post (OP, not the first reply) is a strong candidate for "Worst opening post of the year".

 

[HellbirdIV]

Well, you know, opinions other than your own does exist.

"Well that's just like, your opinion man!"- Not actually a valid defense.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

Django Unchained won "Best Original Screenplay".

Now, I don't watch a lot of movies in general, and only saw maybe 4-5 movies in the cinema last year, but... seriously?

I literally watched Django Unchained for the first time last night, in the cinema, trying to get into the "Starship Troopers" mindset of enjoying a violent, cartoony action piece that takes itself too seriously despite the fact it's fundamentally retarded. I was bored out of my skull.

Maybe it's just that every other movie was an adaptation? "Best" screenplay? Compared to what, Birdemic?

Clichés, stock characters, other stock characters that don't go anywhere, and a blaxploitation revenge plot so formulaic and predictable I knew how each scene was going to end just by how it started (not to mention all the scenes that I knew how they would play out before they even came around).

Someone, please explain to me, what does "Best Original Screenplay" even mean? That the storyboards looked pretty? That the dialogue was good? Because if it has anything to do with the story told in the actual movie, I feel like they just threw a random, "less important" award at Django Unchained because it's "the movie about empowering black people" and they didn't want to "seem racist".

Best original means:
"Not based on a book or stuff".
Also, I loved the movie, the plot was entertaining, the dialogue fun and the characters nicely exaggerated.
Great movie imho.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

How in the world did Cloud Atlas not get Best Makeup? If there was one thing it was good for, it was that.

 

[HellbirdIV]

Also, I loved the movie, the plot was entertaining, the dialogue fun and the characters nicely exaggerated.

That's your opinion and I can support that. It's a matter of taste wether or not you like the style and content of the film, but it's another thing to say it was the "best screenplay of the year", no?

 

[Calibanbutcher]

Also, I loved the movie, the plot was entertaining, the dialogue fun and the characters nicely exaggerated.

That's your opinion and I can support that. It's a matter of taste wether or not you like the style and content of the film, but it's another thing to say it was the "best screenplay of the year", no?

Then which one was deserving of such honor, pray tell?

 

[Grahav]

I have yet to see Paranorman, but I am certain that Brave isn't that good, and sure as hell that is not better than Ralph.

To me, Argo was just a way to pass time movie. There was a good begining where the movie started to show the roots of the conflict in Iran, but then it was all swallowed in a typical America saves the day from evil people. 6.5/10 at best.

 

[Vrach]

Brave winning was not a surprise, but part of me was hoping for ParaNorman.

Oy, really?!

Next to John Carter, Brave was the worst movie I saw that year. I know there are technincally worse films, but Brave was simply the most painfully mediocre waste of time (next to John Carter).

Seriously, there must've been better animated movies this year. Or is Pixar just the default winner now no matter they make?

Seems so. Both ParaNorman and Wreck-it Ralph were better. Personally, I liked Wreck-it Ralph a lot more, but I'd still give it to ParaNorman for doing something different. Brave was definitely just a "Pixar=default" - I enjoyed it and it was ok, but it's got nothing on those two and is above mediocre at best. Definitely not Pixar's finest work (and to note, I love those guys)

Wait, Cloud Atlas wasn't even nominated for anything?
Who's making the Oscars?

This is what I'm wondering too. What in the actual fuck? Is there a rule indie movies can't contend with the big boys? If there is, it's just idiotic and if it isn't, it's even more so. It was definitely the best movie I've seen in a long while.

 

[Marter]

Sorry, but I don't see what the two characters Hanz Landa (Basterds) and King Schultz (Django) has in common except that they're both charismatic Germans.

Primarily the manner of delivery of dialogue and their mannerisms.

They're not identical, but they're similar enough to think that maybe Waltz doesn't have quite the range that some might think.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Just throwing it out there, but wasn't there quite a bit of hubbub when Brave came out, about Merida being a strong female protagonist and Disney/Pixar challenging accepted norms in kids' movies? I assume most voters didn't watch any of the nominees, so they might have gone with the one that apparently generated the most buzz with a little bit of gender politics thrown in?

I can't say if it's deserving or not - I've only seen Wreck-It Ralph out of the five - but there seems to be quite a few people upset about that and I'm wondering about a possible answer.

Wreck It Ralph wasn't that good. I know people have been saying that its MILES better than Brave, but its honestly not. It was an ok kids movie at best. It wasn't a great movie for people of all age groups to enjoy, and it damn well was not a good movie for fans of gaming.

 

[BeeGeenie]

1) Brave winning animated feature was entirely on hype. It wasn't as good as ParaNorman and certainly not as good as Wreck-It Ralph.
.

really?

I havnt seen brave but I think i'd have to agree in that they just figure "well PIXAR wins every year so y'know easy award" it does go to show though that the animated catagory might not be as much of a "ghetto" anymore (do they still have the rule that animated features cant run with the big boys? or was that never an actual rule?)

Totally agree. Brave was pretty 'meh' all-around.
I didn't see Para-Norman, but it had to be more interesting than Brave.
Wreck It Ralph is the only movie I saw this year that I went to the theater twice for.

 

[BeeGeenie]

7) MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT - the hell is the First Lady doing at the Oscars? Just what the hell, people. By setting her up there you're politizising the whole thing! And this is about movies, not politics! (on a minor note, why're you going to get Jack Nicholson onstage if he's just going to step aside for the chick in the screen?)

A lot of Middle Eastern Awards ceremonies are hosted by the mayor of the host city. At awards city council and other local politicians are present as well. It's not about politics for them. Parts of the Middle East have a love for Cinema that surpasses the Western World in a lot of ways.

With that said, I highly doubt that Michelle Obama being there can really count as "politicizing the event". For one, she didn't even say anything about politics. It's not like there was a political agenda being pushed by herself of the Oscar's awards show.

I strongly disagree. Politics is as much about speeches as it is about making an act of presence. Sometimes it's all about making an act of presence. Let's be straight here:

1) No Academy Award in recent history has featured a politician. No mayors, let alone First Ladies.
2) Her presence was a) surprise and b) climactic.
3) She took over the most prestigious actor in the show that night.
4) She delivered the "most important" award in the evening.
5) As a top representative of the White House, she honored a movie about a covert CIA operation.
6) Above all, she didn't HAVE to be there. She has nothing to do with movies and need not know anything about movies. She's the odd person out of every other host/presenter in the evening. Her presence was totally and entirely political, and that is not an opinion.

It was a publicity stunt. Nothing more. It was the Academy shouting "Hey, Look! We got the First Lady! See how cool and hip and relevant we still are?!"

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I guess I'm the only on who thought that Brave was a better movie than Wreck It Ralph?