Academy Awards

The Eclipse · Post by **The Eclipse** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:16 am

Ok, I just got finished watching the academy awards, and for the first time in years, I wasn't COMPLETELY dissapointed by them. I would have liked to see Lord of the Rings win a few more than it did, specifically best adapted screenplay and best cinematography.
Two minor things made me kinda want to destroy something though.
The first was the awards that Moulin Rouge beat our LotR for, now I watched both of these movies twice, the former was against my will the second time. Moulin Rouge is, in my humble opinion, the greatest example I've ever seen of 'Garbage imitates art.'

The big one that just irked me was Halle Barry winning Best actress, and her whole five minute long SobFest, at the end of which i was just REALLY wishing that she would just take her damn award, get drunk, and go commit another hit and run so we can all be in peace.

JetPlane · Post by **JetPlane** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:24 am

This was the first time I had ever seen the Academy Awards all the way through, and I was pretty disappointed.

Whoopi Goldberg and her constant "black" jokes and Denzel and Halle winning, was just such a cop-out. The Academy was pressured into nominating them, and then pressured into choosing them. I love Whoopi Goldberg, and I think Halle had a good chance of winning, but she wasn't the best, by any means. Hell, I hate Russell Crowe, but I think he did better than Denzel!

And Ron Howard..Holy shit..NO! NO NO! I hate him with a passion. The silly ol' fool. He doesn't deserve it. Peter Jackson or Ridley Scott did a MUCH better job than he did.

(And, ya, I agree you with the whole Halle part. I was throwing popcorn at the tv screen and yelling to get her ass off the stage and quit making me want to kill her.)

I think the Academy(shit, I just realized I was still wearing my 75cent tiara on the top of my head. I've been home for a good half hour now.) shouldn't have felt pressured into choosing certain actors and actresses to win. I'm glad they won and got their award, but just like Julia Roberts winning last year for Erin Brokovich, they didn't truly deserve it. (Jennifer Connely? Lordy..)

I'm glad each and every one of those people got their awards, but I wish some people wouldn't have been pushed aside(heck, I wish Black Hawk Down would have won/been nominated for a LOT more awards).

I hope, next year, it's better.

The Eclipse · Post by **The Eclipse** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:37 am

I disagree with the whole ron howard thing, Ron howard is a phenomenal director, and I was impressed with how he filmed 'a beautiful mind' chronologically, something not many directors ever have the guts to do.
I would have been equally happy to see Peter Jackson win, but I feel that Ron Howard got stiffed years back when Apollo 13 was not even nominated.

Jestyr · Post by **Jestyr** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:10 am

The trouble with 'A Beautiful Mind' is that apparently it's a rather insulting simplification, in many peoples' minds.

Thus, the Salon review.

The Eclipse · Post by **The Eclipse** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:46 am

I don't have a lot of faith in your source Jes, I read it, then i checked up on the author.
He seems to be your typical angst-ridden asshole who doesn't have anything good to say about anything at all. That and he doesn't have any media credentials outside of Salon, which seems to be the only place that will give him a platform to distribute swill.

Jestyr · Post by **Jestyr** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:52 am

Hey, he ain't /my/ source; I was just posting an alternate point of view.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 11:41 am

I didn't bother to watch, so I can't comment on anything but scorecard.

specifically best adapted screenplay and best cinematography

According to E! Online, LoTR did win Best Cinematography.

(Jennifer Connely? Lordy..)

Hey now.... she deserves it. She's hot!

(yeah, I know it's supposed to be acting ability, but if you believe that I'm got some bad news for you.... )

Seriously though I agree Ron Howard is really cool. I thought it was a toss up between Beautiful Mind and LoTR for best picture. I think Ian McKellan should have gotten best supporting character. And I so thnk LoTR got shafted on Best Screenplay Adaption.

MooCow
The Oscow

Lektrogirl · Post by **Lektrogirl** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 12:27 pm

What the hell happened to Jennifer Connelly!? She lost too much weight, do you remember her in Dark city? She had curves, and tits, but last night she looked emaciated. Did you see her before the Oscar's in the interivew outside?

Wildfire · Post by **Wildfire** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 2:20 pm

I was getting the award relay over IRC, seemed okay. I'll be more interested next year just to see if any of the 6 or 8 anime movies from this year get nominations for Best Animated. I'd be shocked if Spirited Away doesn't make it, and damn well disapointed if Knockin on Heaven's Door doesn't get a mention

Paladin · Post by **Paladin** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 2:45 pm

. And I so thnk LoTR got shafted on Best Screenplay Adaption

I have to agree with what happened. There was so much more in the felowship than what they did. The barrow wights and tom bombadil were four chapters, and they omitted the whole thing. Now, I'm a rather huge tolkien fan, I've even got copies of the languages of middle earth and the mythology of middle earth. I own three first edition copies of the silmarilion, one of which is a first printing. Ok, so I'm a bit of a nut. and I gotta agree with what they did. It wasnt the best adaptation that they could have done. I also agree with jestyr that "A beautiful mind" was an over simplification. It was an awesome movie, but they deleted the entire thing about him having homosexual tendancies. there were other things as well.

Paladin

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 3:02 pm

I haven't seen Beautiful Mind, so I can't speak to its victory, but I can say that unless it was made by a pair of kindergarteners from Topeka, or made by Baz Luhrmann, it should certainly top Lord of the Rings in Best Film and Best Director. If Lord of the Rings hadn't been a Tolkien film, not only wouldn't it have broken even, but everyone who wasn't a total nerd wouldn't even have seen it, and rightly so. Poor effects, inconsistent and sometimes just /bad/ direction, and editing that made me want to cry does not an Oscar win make.

The fact the Lord of the Rings got Best Visual Effects tells you how bad this year's crop of films was. Yeah, sure, I was as hyped as everyone else when the balrog came onscreen, but that doesn't mean the shoddy animation in the rest of the film was worth giving an award to.

And Best Cinematography? My bowling ball, Larry, could take those cameras to New Zealand and gets shots as dramatic; getting breathtaking panoramas in New Zealand with million-dollar cameras is like shooting fish in a barrel. And the cinematography in the rest of the film was average, at best. Again, this speaks more to a bad field of films and a large fanbase than anything else.

Lord of the Rings was the only film I really saw that came out this year, and certainly the only one I saw back-to-back twice. So I can't intelligently say that Beautiful Mind or Black Hawk Down should have kicked its ass in every award. But I can tell you that /something/ should have come out this year that was better in every way than Lord of the Rings, and if nothing did, it's simply a sad statement about the quality of Hollywood.

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 3:29 pm

Paladin:: LotR was already a 3 hour movie...

TheScamp · Post by **TheScamp** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 3:30 pm

Sometimes 32 leaves me no choice but to snuggle with him.

Bull · Post by **Bull** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 4:14 pm

Well, my opinion of LotR is pretty well know, so I won't belabor the point. But the Oscars are as much a farce as any other awards show these days. They're a popularity contest for the most part, and reliant on a mostly faulty nomination system. <shrug>

Bull

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 5:29 pm

Poor effects, inconsistent and sometimes just /bad/ direction, and editing that made me want to cry does not an Oscar win make.

Have you heard about the car?

TheScamp · Post by **TheScamp** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 5:32 pm

Have you heard about the car?

Yes. I looked for it, and I couldn't find anything. The only thing in the 'scarecrow' scene that even remotely resembled a dustcloud was very clearly woodsmoke coming from what looked to me like a thatched roof.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 5:40 pm

Bishop wrote:
Poor effects, inconsistent and sometimes just /bad/ direction, and editing that made me want to cry does not an Oscar win make.
Have you heard about the car?

I hadn't until you'd mentioned it. Then I found this page.

The Eclipse · Post by **The Eclipse** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:32 pm

OH, and i was also interested to see Gwyneth Paltrow's this years model of her, "I really need to wear a bra" dress.

FlameBlade · Post by **FlameBlade** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:33 pm

Did you hear about this lady with 20-million jewelry? 1-million shoes?

For some reason, I'm sooooooooo tempted to a shadowrun operation on her.

voz · Post by **voz** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 6:48 pm

Damn, I missed the oscars. But than I missed all of the movies you all mentioned to.

Harley667 · Post by **Harley667** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:54 pm

Awards ceremonies really make we want to vomit most of the time. "I'd like to thank my mum, my little dog, my postman,' *stage sob* "I'm so happy to be here..." *stage sniffle*

Grrr.

voz · Post by **voz** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:04 pm

Harley you do that really well.

Spiral · Post by **Spiral** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 11:09 pm

Anyone know who won Best animated short film?

Adam · Post by **Adam** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 11:42 pm

<I>gives Harley the Best Acceptance Speech Award![/i]

JetPlane · Post by **JetPlane** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 1:03 am

So I can't intelligently say that Beautiful Mind or Black Hawk Down should have kicked its ass in every award. But I can tell you that /something/ should have come out this year that was better in every way than Lord of the Rings, and if nothing did, it's simply a sad statement about the quality of Hollywood.

Some people fought like hell against me when I instantly began bitching that LOTR won for best cinematography. It didn't deserve it, and neither did it deserve to win for best director, because he wasn't that great either, but really, I would have taken anyone over Ron Howard, even if it was a mediocre director.

I saw Black Hawk Down, and I recommend anyone that can, goes to see it. It deserved that award. It truly did. Beautifully done movie. I really wish they had won more awards.

I even wish A.I. would have at least gotten nominated for some more awards. Even though the movie could have been shorter and more concise, I still enjoyed it, and I think they really did deserve some of the awards they were nominated for(best score, visual effects), but, of course, they fell to LOTR. I hope it becomes big in the future. Spielberg just released the movie at the wrong time.

Like the media lately, the Academy became just another cop-out of false emotion-rending speeches and scenes.

Makes me feel as if 1984 is only a year or 2 away from becoming a reality.

Anyone know who won Best animated short film?

"For Birds"-Great little short. Appeared before Monster's, Inc. in the movies.

Spiral · Post by **Spiral** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 1:22 am

JetPlane wrote: I even wish A.I. would have at least gotten nominated for some more awards.

*blarg* *wretch*

Sorry, that movie was shite. "Ok. Shit. I'm stuck. Umm... ummm... need a happy ending... got it:"

'... and then the spaceship lands.'

Fuck off, Spielbergo.

Makes me feel as if 1984 is only a year or 2 away from becoming a reality.

No shit.

"For Birds"-Great little short. Appeared before Monster's, Inc. in the movies.

Too bad. There was another film done entirely by a Canadian up for it (Strange Invaders or something like that). He was previously nominated for... The Cat Came Back, I think.

Thorn · Post by **Thorn** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 1:46 am

What the hell happened to Jennifer Connelly!? She lost too much weight, do you remember her in Dark city? She had curves, and tits, but last night she looked emaciated. Did you see her before the Oscar's in the interivew outside?

She had a major breast reduction done a few years ago (after Dark City, iirc). Which, I can understand in a way - physically she must have been unhappy, and I had noticed back then that her bustline was limiting her career, since she's hardly the Pam Anderson type. But... sigh. They went too far, or something. That dress really emphasized that she needs more upfront than that - she just looked... deflated.

My quibble with the Oscars was Gosford Park. Okay, I admit, I haven't seen the movie, but... is there a law out there somewhere? A movie about British servants must be nominated? I mean... sheesh! After the eighth movie exploring the weird classism blah blah blah crap between the servers and the served in Industrial Revolution-era England, I've got to start wondering when they're going to get tired of it. Again, I haven't seen it, maybe there was some amazing, incredible new take on it, or some new angle no one had ever seen before, but... I dunno. I saw the one about the murderous incestuous sisters working for some family in (all together now!) Industrial Revolution-era England, and after that... well, somehow I don't think Gosford Park went there.

Blegh.

The one thing that made me happiest? Randy Newman /finally/ winning.

The Eclipse · Post by **The Eclipse** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 1:54 am

They went too far, or something. That dress really emphasized that she needs more upfront than that - she just looked... deflated.

Thank you thorn, that had been bugging me last night but I couldn't figure out how to express it in words.

FlameBlade · Post by **FlameBlade** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 2:15 am

Well..basically the whole crap was popularity contest, not much focus on quality.

Thorn · Post by **Thorn** » Wed Mar 27, 2002 5:04 am

More on Jennifer Connelly:

There was an older pic of her in the newspaper today, and comparing that to how she looked at the Oscars, I'd say she definitely has lost a bunch of weight. Her face looked chiseled, which she never looked. So it's not just the breast reduction.

Lightfinger · Post by **Lightfinger** » Fri Mar 29, 2002 12:42 am

Frankly, the Academy Awards are a piece of trash. Members of their own organization kissing each others asses, nominating people just so they can 'feel good' and not giving deserved pictures a chance.

The only reason Russell Crowe didn't get the award is because of his jackass antics at previous awards shows, and his general shit attitude he uses to intimidate people. Performance wise, he beat the rest.

Broadbent won for Iris, but not because of that film...he was also in Moulin Rouge and you can't be nominated twice. So, the Academy chose the lesser film and gave him the award due to the greater film.

Whoopi has to be political instead of funny at these things, which doesn't help at all. I liked things like Sister Act with her in it because she kept the politics out. Her standup routine sucks compared to the comedy bits she's done in movies.

That's why I watch the People's Choice awards more these days...they at least take a poll from non-actors, the people who actually go and SEE these movies. And who did they choose this year?

Lord of the Rings and Russell Crowe

--David

Lightfinger · Post by **Lightfinger** » Fri Mar 29, 2002 12:59 am

Angry Kidman Fan Defaces Halle's Site

Here is a nice little bit of info I discovered while surfing...just to follow up on my comments above:

A furious Nicole Kidman fan hacked into Halle Berry's official internet website to vent their fury over Berry's Oscar triumph. Australian actress Nicole was tipped as a frontrunner in the race for the golden statuette on Sunday for her role in Moulin Rouge. But she was pipped to the post by an emotional Halle, who won after a breathtaking performance in Monster's Ball. A devotee of Nicole was so furious at the redhead star's loss, they used technology to exact revenge on stunning Halle's internet site Hallewood, which she uses for her news, biography and webchats. In place of the hi-tech cartoon-themed site, a simple defaced image of the beautiful actress has been added, sporting a handlebar moustache and goatee plus strange blue and green eyes. And the angry hacker has simply left the misspelt words "Just Nicol Kidman." A disgusted Halle devotee said, "I couldn't believe it when I logged on to the site. She's my favorite actress and I was so pleased when she won the Oscar. But the sick geek who did this has made her look like one of the Three Musketeers. It's awful."

JetPlane · Post by **JetPlane** » Fri Mar 29, 2002 1:38 am

Where did you find that article/column? Could you provide a link, please?

Academy Awards

Academy Awards

Academy Awards

Halle Berry's Website hacked