ROCKSTAR

Is it the fashion? The star gazing extravaganza? Filmmaking awards?

Hugo cleaning out the visual and sound effects categories was surreal. Harry Potter not winning make up? Meryl Streep over Viola Davis? I still can't get over Crash winning Best Picture a few years ago. The ceremony itself has gotten dull and unfunny. Not to mention, Billy Crystal made a number of offensive jokes last night without batting an eye. And would it kill the Academy to tone down the self-important, self-congratulatory atmosphere?

What do you guys think? Am I overreacting?

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A great article:

The Problem with Oscar Voters: They All Look The Same

mukooh

my family and i did not watch the "live" telecast of the oscars.....that makes 2 or 3 years in a row i think.....have they become irrelevant?......look at the number of responses to the 84th academy awards nominees & discussion thread on this board since the awards were handed out......yours was the last one.....i think that's a pretty good indication right there that there that most of us here really don't care....

i watched snippets of the show that we recorded last night.....we spent the day in theaters watching new films......and i caught up with more of oscar's night on various websites and newspapers this morning.......

very brief thoughts.....

i liked some of the choices that were picked out for recognition and awards.......i was flabergasted that meryl streep won in the best actress category......i saw 'the iron lady'....i didn't think much of the film or her performance........was viola's performance better?....yes......but while i liked 'the help'.......she gave a much better performance in 'extremely loud.......'.......which all in all i hated except for her performance.....

imo a much better performance than either merly's or viola's......was michelle williams for 'my week with marilyn' which is another flawed film in my opinion except for her role in it.......

so, yes to me the oscar's has become a meaningless awards show.....in the same way that the sundance film festival and the independent spirit awards has......as in trite who cares...it's just a place to hang out......and meet friends....

does anything i post or you post or anyone else have any impact on the academy or the oscar's telecast.....absolutely not.....will the academy change overnight?.....no....will it change in time?....maybe, but by then i think it will be too late......

in closing my post.....i think woody allen who was awarded a rightly deserved originial screenplay oscar for 'midnight in paris'......and didn't show up for the ceremony.... has the best attitude about the whole ordeal that the oscar's has become.....in his own trademark humor he said that it's basically become meaningless.........and as far has he's concerned the best written film and the best film of the year is 'a separation' from iran.......i believe he's right.....

The Survivor

In ways I kind of watch just to see if like to see people who I was glad last year when Christian Bale and Natalie Portman won since they were great. Whoever most of the time people I like are either longshots or don't get nominated.

Personally and this is the inner fan boy coming out I hate the fact most films I personally like are overlooked like the final Harry Potter film, Drive this year. I still can't believe that year The Dark Knight was overlooked. Should have gotten at least a best picture nomination or best director nomination for Christopher Nolan. Figured they would have made up for it with Inception but I was wrong too.

The Survivor

Double post. sorry.

ROCKSTAR

Well said. Last year was the first year I turned the TV off and did something else. I only hung in there this year for Viola Davis. The Oscars have become meaningless, couldn't agree more. They still make some good choices but overall it's not even close.

I didn't know about Woody Allen's stance. He's right too.

Couldn't agree more. Plus I hate that every year consistently great actors have to go up against one hit wonders and hyped newcomers only to win later on (if they're lucky) for an average performance for all their excellent yet overlooked work.

I agree there. Plus I truly believe Harry Potter deserved recognition at least in some of the technical categories. Christopher Nolan's style is not classic enough for the Oscars. Blah.

hiddleskittlesღ

I was actually thinking of posting a blah blah about this particular topic in my blog but I thought I'd air it out here too.

And OMG! I agree with you so much on this! I just saw Melancholia and I thought it was such a travesty that Kirsten or the movie didn't get any recognition just because Lars von Trier decided he wouldn't bring his brain with him at the Cannes Film Festival press con. Ugh! And yes! Drive! OMG! I also agree with the TDK and Inception snubs.

The year Hugh Jackman hosted should have been a starting point for their overhaul or OSCAR's much-needed facelift. But the Academy is apparently made up of old folk who are stuck in the 1800's and have no idea what the word "relevant" means.

Although I did appreciate the effort in cutting time by making the presenters do multiple categories one after the other. That certainly helped. Also doing away with the Best Song performances. Finally! This isn't the Grammys.

And it was right for them to have that vignette about movies and actors talking about their favorites, etc. Unlike some people, I actually like those things because they really invigorate and awaken your love of films.

ROCKSTAR

I couldn't agree more.

I liked the Best Song performances but I can't say I've missed the segment at all.

The Survivor

Damn they feel that way. Alot of Nolan's films have stuck with me years after they were made namely the two I mentioned earlier. Unlike some films they choose to nominate or actually win Best Picture.

ROCKSTAR

Exactly this. The Oscars love forgettable dress up dramas and supposedly edgy scripts that are so watered down they're hardly addressing the issue.

At least Nolan goes all in. He makes movies that stay with you. Every one of his movies (the ones I've seen) have at least a couple of memorable scenes. He's incredibly cinematic. Heck, Scorsese didn't win an Oscar until The Departed so... There will always be inevitable winners but every year it's a certain, particular type of movie. So frustrating. I mean, I watched The King's Speech the other day and while it was good and I loved it it wasn't this brilliant movie either.

~Adema~

Even though I watch it every year, I'm not a fan of the Oscars. They don't hand the Oscars to the actors when they acted amazing but when it's almost too late. Like Meryl Streep. Why now? Why not the last years? Was it because of another black woman? They couldn't have given two Oscars to two Afro-American actresses? I really don't know. But look at Paul Newman. He was nominated for so many great roles and then he got it for a movie were he acted a-okay.
And unless they don't start to notice that successful films can also be good, I don't think there will be a change. You mentioned some movies like Drive or Inception or Shame. No, it had to be The Artist.
It's just really ignorant.

ROCKSTAR

This is exactly how I feel. Both Meryl Streep and Viola Davis were amazing in Doubt yet they both were both true contenders this year for the flashier role (The Iron Lady wasn't a Box Office hit like The Help, but the Academy loves portrayals of historical figures). There's a reason so many actors, directors and studios love Oscar bait -- because it works. And yes, unfortunately there is reasonable doubt as to whether the Academy would be willing to hand the two female acting awards to two black actresses.

The Academy is so set in their ways the whole thing is becoming a non-factor. Movies have evolved, spread the love around, it's only fair.