just one bit of Awards commentary...

[thehefner]

EDIT: What am I doing, using the "Sutherland J'accuse" icon?? THIS is the icon to use!

All I'm gonna say by way of commentary is this:

THE DEPARTED is a good movie. It's a damn good movie. It's a solid, crowd-pleasing film with very few real flaws, so it's technically his best film since GOODFELLAS. But GANGS OF NEW YORK and THE AVIATOR (and possibly CASINO, though I haven't seen it) took bigger risks and rose to greater heights in parts, regardless of the flaws. But Marty's getting old, I guess, and there is a stigma attached to the "Lifetime Achievement Award," so good for him.

Still, though I haven't yet seen it, somehow I get the feeling that UNITED 93 should have won Best Director instead.

LITTLE MISS FUCKING SUNSHINE won Best Screenplay over PAN'S LABYRINTH? Yes, we all knew it was going to happen. Still. Robbed robbed fucking idiot Academy damn it fuck hell shit. All well, Guillermo del Toro is probably tap-dancing over winning three awards as it is. Good for the Geek from Guadalajara!

Ah! Hairless Jack Nicholson! Dear God, it's like looking at the Ark of the Covenant! Let's focus on the person next to h--OH GOD, DIANE KEATON! GO BACK GO BACK GO BACK TO JACK whew ok, that's better.

I hate the goddamn Academy Awards. Unless someone I like wins one. Or until I do. Then I will cry and freak out and try to eat the statue, since I suspect it's really chocolate, and now I want one more than ever!

That said, the only thing I regret missing (as I only watched the last ten minutes) is the moment where Clint Eastwood presented an award to Ennio Morricone, then translated Ennio's accptance speech in Italian for him. Holy crap, man, that's just wonderful.

Comments

[seangrimm.livejournal.com]

but,but,but the departed is a remake of a chinese film.
i can't give the guy credit for remaking a film that already won awards.
if an award winning director remakes an award winning film OF COURSE it will be good, this irritates me that everyone is heaping all this credit on him for it.
...i dont like awards shows and try my best not to watch. awards themselves are great, like eisners, but once you start making a show out of it it loses its integrity.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

People give THE DEPARTED credit for actually being better than INFERNAL AFFAIRS, that it actually puts a lot more emotional meat on the story and fleshes it out.

I thought IA was pretty good but forgettable, and I found THE DEPARTED better but still forgettable. And that's partially due to the Hollywood-style ending addition, which ties everything up in a nice little unthreatening bow.

[swimpenguin.livejournal.com]

United 93 was just amazing, gutwrenching. But yeah, Scorcese deserved to win for oodles of other movies, so it was cool to see him finally win. I did see Clint Eastwood introducing Ennio Morricone's award, and the translation, and although I'm not very familiar with Morricone's music, you could tell Eastwood has alot of respect for him, how it was the music of Fistful of Dollars that made him want to do the film.
I was sad that Pan's Labyrinth didn't win best foreign language film.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The music of Morricone's movies with Sergio Leone is directly proportional to the quality of the films. FISTFUL is ok. FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE is much, much better. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY is heartpoundingly, timelessly, ass-kickingly awesome (Metallica open every concert by playing "The Ecstacy of Gold.") ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is soaring, epic, rich, and powerful. As is ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, for different reasons.

Morricone's other most famous score is for THE MISSION, particularly the piece "Gabriel's Oboe."

You can find many of these pieces on youtube and the like.

Definitely, if you can, see all of those movies. Don't be discourged if you don't care for FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, it really is the weakest of the Leone films. I keep going back and forth between if I prefer TGTBATU or OUATITW for my favorite film of all time. And many think that OUATIA is better than THE GODFATHER.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

Check out the score for Cinema Paradiso...that is some beautiful stuff there

I think Trainspotting says it best...

[metalcrowe.livejournal.com]

Renton: What about “The Untouchables”?
Sick Boy: I don't rate that at all.
Renton: What, despite the Academy Award?
Sick Boy: That means fuck all. It's a sympathy vote.

Re: I think Trainspotting says it best...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Of course, I think DePalma's overrated anyway, so there you go. I thought UNTOUCHABLES was probably one of his best films, and even it was so utterly rife with Hollywoodizing crap (all it needed was Costner shaking his fist in the air over Connery's body and shouting "NOOOOOOOOO!" or "CA-POOOOOOOOONEEEEEE!"

The only DePalma film I actually like is PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE. Because, well, I'm a sucker for musicals, and it's got just enough of a Rocky Horror 70's cheese thing going for it.

my probably unwanted two cents...

[plasticity.livejournal.com]

I was thrilled Pan's Labyrinth won cinematography even though I thought Children of Men was a lock for that one. but then, I thought PL was a lock for foreign language film, too. but, that said, I was glad it got as much recognition as it did; it's not often a foreign language film gets as much attention as this one did in any "mainstream" capacity. it definitely seemed to be the year for Mexican filmmakers and sassy black singers. also, I love Helen Mirren but I think Kate Winslet needs an Oscar already. that woman can do no wrong in my eyes.

Re: my probably unwanted two cents...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on Kate. That was for LITTLE CHILDREN, wasn't it? I heard that was a stellar film, but I was the only person who didn't like that director's previous film, IN THE BEDROOM, and I fear this one's much of the same.

[lairdofdarkness.livejournal.com]

The BBC's Culture show reviewer, Mark Kermode, held his own "Kermodes" on saturday to put right the wrongs in Oscarland. He gave Pans Labyrinth 2 awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He even got a video acceptance speech from Guillermo himself (and he looked as if he had lost weight). Mr Kermode can be a wee bit up himself but the man genuinely loves Film and I have agreed with him more times than any other reviewer.
He is probably on t'web somewhere.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

The Ennio thing was pretty cool. He is an adorable little man with big glasses, and they played a big montage of his different songs (not Cinema Paradiso, though, which is my favorite of his...it makes me cry). Clint Eastwood was pretty entertaining too, and just sort of looked bemused whilst Ennio spoke in Italian.