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The Oscars: I'm Excited

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 06:48:32 PM EST
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Bump and Update: HuffPo is running an Oscar's mashup thread with the best to be published Monday.

Update: CL, TalkLeft's man in Hollywood, came through with our new Oscar graphic. He also took these photos today of the preparations going on at the Kodak Center.

I'm going to watch Hustle and Flow now. Terrence Howard is up for Best Actor for his role in it. I think he was great in Crash and he's supposedly even better in H&F.

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Original Post: 10 am

Ok, I'll admit it. I love the Oscars. I try to see as many movies as I can. I like watching the clothes as much as the Awards. This year they should be even more interesting than usual because Jon Stewart is hosting. And there are so many good movies.

So, if you're into the Oscars, I'll be writing about them. If your'e not, just scroll on by. I'll see if I can get CL to make an Oscars graphic so that you'll know when you see the graphic it's going to be an Oscar post.

Last night I saw The North Country with Charlize Theron about the plight of the women mine workers in Minnesota in the 80's and their sexual harassment. Theron was great and the final courtroom scene really brought the movie home. Is she as good as Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line? I don't think so. I haven't seen Transamerica or Pride and Predudice yet, (although I will see Pride and Prejudice before Sunday since it's on DVD) so I can't comment on those, but right now, Reese Witherspoon is my favorite.

The ballot is available to download here. This is an open thread on all topics Oscar.

[Graphic created exclusively for TalkLeft by CL.]

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    The Oscars: I'm Excited | 23 comments (23 topical)
    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#1)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 10:16:38 AM EST
    I'm with you JM. I have made my living, and now own a business in, the movie biz for about 15 years now, and my wife's sister is staying with us for the weekend and was a producer on the Oscar documentary nominee "Enron" and as such will be attending the big show. I won't miss a minute of it.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 11:12:27 AM EST
    If you are really obsessed with the Oscars, you might check out a post on my movie Web site where we discuss all the times Oscar has broken our hearts. Here's the link

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 12:09:38 PM EST
    Shawshank Redemption losing Best Picture to Forrest Gump stands as one of the great travesties in the history of artistic awards. I never paid much attention, but I've paid zero attention since.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#4)
    by nolo on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 01:18:11 PM EST
    kdog, for a nearly exhaustive list of worst best movie Oscar winners, click here. It'll amaze you.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 01:38:49 PM EST
    Yeah nolo...there were some real knucklehead picks over the years. How did "Apocolypse Now" get beat by that bore "Kramer vs Kramer"? But the "Shawshank" travesty takes the cake. Like most awards in most professions, it's a lot of playing favorites and arse kissing and who you know.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#6)
    by Lww on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 01:59:32 PM EST
    The low point was the Elia Kazan episode, sitting on your hands as a form of protest. Typical. Vanessa Redgrave,Marlon and George C. Scott were pretty good.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#7)
    by Lww on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 02:15:30 PM EST
    "Rocky"....bigtime joke. It ain't good when the most popular line is a snivelling "Adrian." It's a comedy right?

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 02:23:20 PM EST
    Hey, I believe it was '76 or '77, Rocky beat Network. I rest my case. We just went through this at the Olympics with Figure Skating. Any time you inject subjective criteria, there's gonna be trouble. No finish line. No goals. No runs, no hits, no errors. Ultimately, it just comes down to what you like better. As for Kazan, Waterfront's in my top five but he named names. He ruined the careers and the lives of people who did nothing wrong to say nothing of their families. They sat on their hands, they didn't shoot the guy.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 02:35:12 PM EST
    I saw Mrs Henderson Presents the other day. It was quite good. Dench and Hoskins are always good. So is Christopher Guest. He's a long way from Nigel Tufnel though for you Tap fans.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#10)
    by Lww on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 02:58:46 PM EST
    Like the tango in Finland, tap is big in Joisey. Shouldn't we be blaming the "bueatiful people" in Hollywood who went along with it? Blacklisting is still going on.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#11)
    by kdog on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 03:45:40 PM EST
    That's odd...I didn't think the Rocky win was so bad. It's a great movie, mainly because Rocky loses. Burgess Meredith's performance was outta sight. I can go with that pick. "Mickey loves ya" But Shawshank may be the best movie made in my lifetime. I've seen it 50 times by now and still get chills and choked up. Powerful. The attendees should have burnt the hall down after that shaft.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#12)
    by Lww on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 04:13:15 PM EST
    Kdog, it's a very good movie. I don't know many correctional workers (a few) but Shawshank went over the top with it's portrayal of guards as low-lifes and the prisoners as good people. Just not truth. I'm not liberal enough to swallow that although some of my kids still think the guards are the evil ones in prison. The movie did its job.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 05:41:37 PM EST
    I didn't hear me say Rocky was a bad movie, sport. I think it was a good bordering on great movie with some first rate performances. Meredith's being the pick of the litter. Stallone really captured lightening in a bottle. Too bad he didn't quit while he was ahead. However, Network was and is a great movie with equally great performances and clearly deserved the Oscar. Clearly, the Academy, like everyone else, just got caught up in Rockymania that year. Too bad they couldn't throw a flag and say "upon further review..." If you were to poll people who know and care about movies, I think most would opt for another take. Of course, then there'd be no "Yo, Adrian!" 'cause Mr Balboa wouldn't make it outta the first and they'd be carryin' him out on a stretcher and there'd be no Rocky XXXII Rocky Battles Bladder Control Issues.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 05:57:24 PM EST
    I'm not liberal enough to swallow that although some of my kids still think the guards are the evil ones in prison. The movie did its job.
    You do, of course, realize that it's a movie and not a documentary, don't you? It's a plot device to provide dramatic conflict and contrast between characters. Without those elements, you're not gonna have a reader's or audience's interest for very long now, will you? Stephen King did write a novel. It was turned into a screenplay. It became a movie. It's entertainment. I know, why don't you Google up all the Prison flicks where the prisoners are the bad guys and the Warden and Guards are the good guys. It shouldn't take ya long. Ya can start with family reunion at Alcatraz or Oktoberfest at stalag 17.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#15)
    by John Mann on Fri Mar 03, 2006 at 08:13:38 PM EST
    The only Oscars program that sticks in my mind was in '73 or maybe '74 when Rock Hudson hosted and was so drunk he could barely talk. My town's so small we don't even have a movie theatre, so I don't get to see any first-run movies anyway, unless I feel like driving 120 miles. Oh well.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 12:56:41 AM EST
    Rocky itself was an OK movie, but the outrage was that it beat All the President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 05:45:55 AM EST
    I can't believe that Local Hero, never got a nomination in 1983.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 10:32:18 AM EST
    That's the thing Ed, I don't see Rocky as inferior to those films. There were far bigger upsets.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#19)
    by Lww on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 02:24:04 PM EST
    It's good to take your movie stars personally. If he or she is a dope or a mean person, you don't give em your money or much mind. You heard about the Stallone family firing their Mexican housekeepers because they kept "looking at us"(the Stallone clan) it was in the Wash Post? He's my hero.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 07:37:19 PM EST
    Posted by bigunit12 March 4, 2006 06:45 AM
    I can't believe that Local Hero, never got a nomination in 1983.
    Knox Oil and Gas. Da ya think that Gord and Stella do it every night? Bring back some booze, Gordon, I'm dying. You speak a lot of sense for an oil man. You can't eat scenery. And where could I find a comet? What part of the sky should I look in, Ben? Well, I'd look in Leo if I had the inclination but it seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to find a comet? And what would you call this great discovery of yours? I'd call it the Happer Comet or Happer's Comet or even Comet Happer. Get out of here Moritz! Dorothy, there's a lunatic on the building. Call the Police. Tell them to get some snipers. Tell them don't be afraid to shoot. Shoot to kill. I'll be a good Gordon, Gordon. Yeah, I've seen it once or twice over the years. From the Knopfler soundtrack to Forsythe's direction, the script, the acting, the cinematography, all the above. Everything just came together perfectly. It's magic.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 08:59:42 PM EST
    And what would you call this great discovery of yours?" I'd call it the Happer Comet or Happer's Comet or even Comet Happer. Get out of here Moritz! Dorothy, there's a lunatic on the building. Call the Police. Tell them to get some snipers. Tell them don't be afraid to shoot. Shoot to kill." Burt Lancaster at his best.

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 04, 2006 at 09:28:44 PM EST
    warning: oscar spoiler ahead: . . . . . . the oscars suck!!!

    Re: The Oscars: I'm Excited (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 05, 2006 at 02:28:34 PM EST
    Luv, luv, luv the Oscars! It's a social gathering for all levels of movie buffs. I'm sitting here, proudly, waiting to enjoy the "event" of it all.

    The Oscars: I'm Excited | 23 comments (23 topical)