Comments on: The 87th Academy Awards, also booze

The 87th Academy Awards, also booze

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 13:55:05 -0800

The Oscars 2015: What They Tell Us. Watch out for these 5 types of upsets. It's National Margarita Day, why not drink along to the show with a George Clooney margarita?

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:11:51 -0800

I'm hoping: Birdman (I would like Nightcrawler to be on there, but oh well). I'm guessing: Boyhood, which I haven't seen and don't have any real desire to see. I'm fearing: American Sniper, so that piece of shit can be legitimated by the academy, in addition to earning so much money for essentially being the satirical film in Inglorious Basterds.

By: Golden Eternity

Golden Eternity — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:13:44 -0800

@MauryCompson: "a movie about a guy who killed children in a country we illegally invaded is going to win the oscar."

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:16:09 -0800

By: symbioid

symbioid — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:18:24 -0800

Pepsi Curacao?

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:19:53 -0800

I recently stopped watching The Walking Dead because it repeatedly felt like a long, senseless slog to nowhere. It sounds more appealing than the Oscars.

By: dilaudid

dilaudid — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:20:33 -0800

And yet the only reason American Sniper won't win is because of a fucking plastic baby.

By: tonycpsu

tonycpsu — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:23:17 -0800

Yeah, the plastic baby is the only thing holding it back...

By: msbutah

msbutah — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:30:55 -0800

Tonight I'll take a strong margarita, hold the Hollywood circle-jerk.

By: naju

naju — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:31:27 -0800

Can I say how sick I am of bio-pics? I don't object to the fabrication in something like The Imitation Game as much as the complete predictability of it. I haven't seen The Theory of Everything but I'm not surprised that the main link complains that it's the same damn movie as Imitation. They all just follow the same screenwritery beats of triumph over (often fictitious) obstacles and are almost always dull and forgettable. I'm the reverse - I saw The Theory of Everything, have no desire to see The Imitation Game because I heard it was more of the same. And yeah, I agree with this. I went into Theory expecting some compelling insight into Stephen Hawking's life of the mind - something insightful on what makes this person tick, why his approach to his subject matter is so interesting - something! Instead the movie played like a sophisticated soap opera, more or less - complete with two sets of love triangles. This is such a fascinating person, and all we get some insight into is his romantic life coated with adversity/disability. I doubt it's how Stephen sees himself, I doubt it's what makes his life so rich and worth knowing about. But it's makes an entertaining and accessible human interest story, though, so it plays.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:38:59 -0800

Going to see a biopic and expecting something new and interesting is like going to a Rolling Stones concert and expecting interpretive dance. Biopics are the ur-example of "just play the hits."

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:42:41 -0800

I hate cucumbers.

By: dnash

dnash — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:42:59 -0800

I'm hearing lots and lots of folks say "Birdman" will win because of how many other things it's won at this point. But I want "Boyhood" to win SO BAD that I'm taking comfort in remembering that they said exactly the same about "Brokeback Mountain" that year, because of all of its wins, and we remember how that ended. I mean, I liked "Birdman." In fact there's so much going on in it that I really need to see it again. It hits on so many themes - art v. commerce, real artistry v. fake, creativity v. criticism... I could go on. But "Boyhood"... just blows me away even remembering it. It's true that for me personally I felt like I re-lived the first 20 years of my life in it, but aside from that I'm just amazed at how it's about our experience of time: how time is both huge and tiny.

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:45:29 -0800

Is this something I'd need NPH to understand?

By: naju

naju — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:47:43 -0800

I have problems with most of the Best Picture nominees, really. Birdman was technically amazing, but the script is insufferable. It's the Male Artist Ego throwing a pity party for itself for two hours. Boyhood would be fairly unremarkable if not for the central gimmick. Whiplash was a standard sports movie in conservatory clothing, and rang false for jazz instruction and artistry in a number of ways. American Sniper is your standard trope of a genius-savant whose obsession ruins his family life and drives him to dark places - it's not remotely a moral examination of war, has no concern with geopolitical politics or consequences or ambiguous situations. It unreflexively worships its protagonist. I'm into Selma for its very moving subject matter and superb acting - I teared up through the credits - though it's an "Oscar Movie" in every way, and I don't mean that as praise really. Grand Budapest Hotel is the only other movie I can endorse without real reservation, but even then I'm a little wary of how much Wes Anderson has devolved into self-parody over the past decade. Just to not be a stick in the mud: Ida is the finest film I've seen in years. Princess Kaguya was an artistic triumph. Inherent Vice is rich and expansive in all the right ways. Nightcrawler was brilliant deadpan satire. I'm on board with any of these movies over the ones nominated. (I'm sure foreign films are probably not eligible for best picture. I don't know the rules.)

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:50:38 -0800

Dammit, now I want to see the Rolling Stones do interpretive dance. In the Oscar Pool a friend does every year, I picked BOYHOOD - but added a line that it REALLY should be BIRDMAN, becuase it was one of the more mind-bogglingly DIFFERENT things to come down the pike. I respect BOYHOOD, but it feels like some reality show version of the 7-UP movies.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:51:39 -0800

Oh - and the best time I ever had watching the Oscars was back in college when I saw it with a couple acting students and a couple film students. The snark was DIVINE.

By: naju

naju — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:55:41 -0800

geopolitical politics - ugh, missed the edit window!

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:58:35 -0800

I'm rooting for Eddie Redmayne; he really pulled off a great Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

By: roomthreeseventeen

roomthreeseventeen — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:01:33 -0800

The #askhermore campaign

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:01:55 -0800

I have to go out and get a cable for my TV if I'm going to watch tonight, and I can't decide whether it's worth it. I haven't seen most of the nominated movies, and I'm not really that invested in any of them. Also, I'm incredibly annoyed with ABC's thing where you have to have an account with a participating cable provider to stream things, especially since none of the cable providers in my area are participating. I think I"m probably sitting this year out.

By: Dip Flash

Dip Flash — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:07:36 -0800

Other than Ida I haven't seen any of the movies this year (and Ida is amazing and I hope it wins something); this article in the NYT about the special Oscars underwear was more interesting than some of the nominated movies, honestly.

By: four panels

four panels — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:08:15 -0800

Personally, I liked 'The Imitation Game' best. Of the contenders, 'Boyhood' seemed more inventive, something of an outsider and generally a better move. 'Birdman' struck me as a long, luscious, two-hour long blowjb to the industry. To me, the Oscars seem by and for the industry. So we'll see.

By: Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory

Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:11:14 -0800

The Theory of Everything confuses me as there was a was a perfectly good BBC TV movie of what I assume was the same basic script (in some places Its line for line! Iirc) with Cumberbatch! As Hawking. So now it's odd seeing it up against imitation game in the oscars I feel like both that and Imitation game were fundamentally untrue movies, they celebrated their stars in the only way Hollywood knows to celebrate geeks which is to cheapen their achievements by making them seem effortless or madness rather than hard work. I hope Grand Budapest Hotel wins everything, it won't, but I hope it does.

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:11:30 -0800

I don't really give a damn about Hollywood but I do so hope that The Salt of the Earth gets best documentary.

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:11:36 -0800

This year, the Oscars seem to be art geeks (Grand Budapest, Birdman, Whiplash) vs. jocks (Boyhood), with some social conservativism thrown in (Sniper). I'm rooting for Wes to sweep, even though that means I will never, ever get to smooch on him.

By: dnash

dnash — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:17:03 -0800

vs. jocks (Boyhood) Wait, what? Have you seen it? The character is not a jock.

By: Corduroy

Corduroy — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:20:09 -0800

"Boyhood" (or, The Best Little Boy in the World).

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:21:58 -0800

That Tom Hardy wasn't nominated for best actor in Locke is a crime; he is the only person you see during the entire movie and is amazing. One man, in a car, talking on the phone for 85 minutes while trying to put out multiple personal and professional crises. Brilliantly made film and by far the best male performance I saw last year.

By: briank

briank — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:22:30 -0800

For the first time in a few years, we've actually seen more than half of the Best Picture films before the awards. (Still waiting on Whiplash and Birdman, but have no interest at all in American Sniper.) I would like to see Selma win, but I think that's highly unlikely given 12 Years A Slave won last year ("We already HAD a black movie!!"). In a stronger year (or back in the days when there were only 5 nominees), Imitation Game and Theory of Everything would not have even been nominated. They will give Michael Keaton Best Actor, but not the BP to Birdman. Whiplash and GBH are outliers -- no chance. I think it's Boyhood (which I didn't particularly like) or American Sniper, but most likely Boyhood.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:26:36 -0800

Locke was great. But it's a hard sell to convince people that a guy talking on a cell phone in a car for an hour and half could be riveting and heartbreaking.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:29:50 -0800

All they'd have to do was watch it, but yeah the academy folks aren't exactly known for their conscientiousness about that.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:33:55 -0800

Oh, hey - NPR's Studio 360 has a Bingo game for the ceremony.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:37:09 -0800

A perfectly good BBC TV movie would actually be a pretty good description of both the strengths and weaknesses of The Theory of Everything.

By: philip-random

philip-random — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:38:17 -0800

Boyhood would be fairly unremarkable if not for the central gimmick. A gimmick is odorama. Haven't seen Boyhood yet but from what I've heard, it's at worst a rather brash experiment in storytelling that isn't quite up to the sum of its parts. At best, it's well ... let's wait a few hours, see what happens.

By: Karlos the Jackal

Karlos the Jackal — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:43:04 -0800

Saw them all; Here's the order that I like them in: 1. Whiplash 2. Boyhood 3. Birdman 4. The Grand Budapest Hotel 5. The Imitation Game 6. Selma 7. American Sniper 8. The Theory of Everything Nightcrawler would rank around #2 if not #1 if it was nominated. Selma is a tough one to rank because it's often really good but it's inconsistent; sometimes I'm tempted to move it up to #4 or so. I'm predicting a Birdman win but Linklater for Director. Redmayne, Moore, Simmons, and Arquette for the acting categories. No surprises.

By: (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates

(Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:43:18 -0800

it's at worst a rather brash experiment in storytelling that isn't quite up to the sum of its parts. At best, it's well ... let's wait a few hours, see what happens I was personally kinda meh on Boyhood but it's cool that in a few hours it might somehow get better. I think more movies should do that.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:44:52 -0800

Boyhood is rather charming, uses it's gimmick well, holds interest over 3 hours which is pretty remarkable, and overall is one of the better contenders. It was more enjoyable than wowing though.

By: bigendian

bigendian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:45:19 -0800

Am I reading this correctly that MeFi is split into Team Boyhood and Team Birdman? Because then I'm Team Boyhood.

By: NorthernLite

NorthernLite — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:47:13 -0800

II was completely disinterested in this year's big nominees until I remembered I could at least try to make some dough in prediction contests. Well, yeah, that and live-blogging/tweeting make it fun. But I still may just watch an actual movie rather than a movie awards show tonight. (BTW I'm always confused by folks who say they can't get one of the "broadcast" networks because they don't have cable. If you have an HDTV and don't live in Podunk, Alaska, you should get local channels, including network affiliates, OTA.)

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:49:17 -0800

Am I reading this correctly that MeFi is split into Team Boyhood and Team Birdman? Because then I'm Team Boyhood. I'm absolutely Team Whiplash. Really that's the only one of the bunch that wowed me as a movie. Now, Birdman I only saw last night and was expecting to like much more than I actually did - somehow I just never managed to care about it.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:49:57 -0800

American Sniper is going to win everything. Sorry for your loss, Metafilter.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:50:34 -0800

Note: I have seen only Lego Movie since 2013 and have had 7oz of bourbon tonight.

By: (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates

(Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:51:47 -0800

People who haven't yet seen Birdman but who are considering doing so should be warned that it is a Theater Movie: that is, it's a movie about The Theater.

By: spock

spock — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:56:16 -0800

Only thing I care about tonight is that "Ida" wins in its two catagories (Foreign Film and Cinematography). Previously, on MeFi. It should have gotten a Best Picture nom.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:57:27 -0800

Birdman is about how actors are VERY IMPORTANT. I rate it's chances highly but personally could give a toss.

By: ReeMonster

ReeMonster — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:58:16 -0800

Of the choices, I have to go with Birdman because I like movies about art, Michael Keaton and Ed Norton are both really fantastic, it's technically amazing, has a great soundtrack that out-whips Whiplash, and even aside from the gimmick, is still such a technically solid film. Plus it's a New York theater movie and is kind of obnoxious and shallow on a certain level, which is what Broadway is too. Whiplash, I agree with above commenter, is more of a sports movie than a music movie. And as a drummer myself I couldn't vibe with it. All the bleeding, all the band aids.. just over the top. Not that an egotistical ex-Birdman floating around his dressing room is realistic either but that movie was a fantasy. Boyhood, shmoyhood. And yeah, American Sniper will most likely win, so whatever who cares.

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:58:32 -0800

Wait, what? Have you seen it? The character is not a jock.

The joke was that -- in addition to Birdman and Whiplash being about art -- Anderson and Chazelle are making movies that are artsy. Linklater, meanwhile, was a baseball player in college who was unable to continue playing and fell into film.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:58:34 -0800

Ooh, I didn't realize that Ida was nominated for cinematography. That's one I actually care about!

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:59:49 -0800

Boyhood and Birdman are the only two best picture nominees I've seen. Of the two, I think Boyhood is by far the better movie.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:00:13 -0800

American Sniper is going to win everything. Sorry for your loss, Metafilter. Maybe. I do wonder how much being incredibly badly made will count against it.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:02:20 -0800

Actually I also saw the Budapest Hotel and it was quite good if you like Wes Anderson films. I hope he wins best director in a "throw him a bone" move but he definitely won't.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:02:32 -0800

That #askhermore link above is neat, designed to get entertainment reporters to ask women on the red carpet about film, art, career, etc, instead of just about their dresses. The link to Twitter accounts for those reporters is a nice touch, too. Curious to see if it works.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:02:40 -0800

Boyhood was much more than its gimmick. Maybe because my quiet photography-nerd son is only a few years older than the movie's star but I found it the most emotionally resonant film that I've seen in a long time. I was pretty close to tears during Patricia Arquette's speech when her son is going off to college.

By: Brian B.

Brian B. — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:10:29 -0800

Odds are on Birdman, Jullianne Moore.

By: Catblack

Catblack — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:11:44 -0800

I hope that Borehood loses out big. It's like waiting all movie for that kid to grow up so he can do a leftover scene from Slackers. Nothing that happens to him throughout the movie affects him at the end. Nothing! I personally liked Whiplash the best, though I haven't seen Selma yet. I thought Whiplash tells it's basic story with Olympic precision. I'd pick it for best picture and Birdman for best director. (Because those long hallway stedicam shots were just as precisely directed as Whiplash was told.) I didn't care for either biopic. Eddie Redmayne gets my pick for best actor though because he really inhabited that role on a physical level. And don't get me started on America's go-to movie for watching ragheads die. Guess we'll find out how many Academy voters religiously watch Fox News if it gets any statues.

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:12:18 -0800

American Sniper has so much momentum behind it; it might be time for a rapproachement between the Academy and the common man by way of a big win that is long overdue for a harrowing war movie.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:19:27 -0800

Nothing that happens to him throughout the movie affects him at the end. Nothing! That's demonstrably not true, though the effects are definitely so subtly shown it's easy to miss them. For just the first thing that pops into mind, in the final tripping scene he's spending all his time asking his new girl pal questions, something his father had emphasized to him back in their first conversation about girlfriends when he was 12 or so. I get that some folks wanted more zings and plot twists, and I'd say the film's about 20 minutes too long, but I absolutely loved he way Boyhood kept its pleasures small and its resolutions tiny. Felt like a breath of fresh air.

By: Rustic Etruscan

Rustic Etruscan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:22:20 -0800

By: spock

spock — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:26:08 -0800

I dunno. I think Eastwood hurt himself with a lot of Academy voters when he pulled the "talking to the chair" stunt at the Republican National Convention. Shouldn't matter, but...

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:28:57 -0800

American Sniper has so much momentum behind it; it might be time for a rapproachement between the Academy and the common man by way of a big win that is long overdue for a harrowing war movie. It's no The Hurt Locker. My mother in law is very strongly in favour of American Sniper because she feels it tells the story of the treatment of veterans. Except, you know, that's barely covered and it doesn't really say anything about it. Me, I could see myself coming over to it despite uncomfortableness with it's politics if it delivered on it's fictitious yet exciting sniper dule. Nope, barely any of that either. Evil Arab sniper does some evil parkour from time to time to show you he's out there but there isn't much in the way of confrontation. What you do get: Dialogue that sounds like it came out of Team America but without the irony, actions scenes that alternate between looking fake and being boring , that ridiculous baby. Seriously, Clint has lost it. He's 100 years old and shouts at chairs, so it shouldn't be surprising, but it's sad to see. So I'd be unhappy to see American Sniper win as a vindication of Bush-era politics, but I'm also going to be shocked of it does because it's incompetent garbage.

By: ennui.bz

ennui.bz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:35:25 -0800

in the end it's all really one movie anyway American Sniper: Boyhood. shallow, insufferably twee boy escapes suburban ennui by ditching art school to join the army and kill ragheads.

By: naju

naju — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:37:42 -0800

I feel like so much of the praise for Boyhood hinges on how this is supposed to be the story of all of us. Sure, the details are apt to change, but they're supposed to click with our lives. It's so relatable, right? Its moments resonated with the Academy and critics because it felt universal to them. Much like My Struggle in its exploration of the quotidian life of a writer resonated with critics and their lives. Well, I take some exception to that. This isn't the universal movie about boyhood for many of us. (It's not just the title; I don't have a problem with Girls not being about all girls. But this is a movie that, in every way, is trying to communicate some form of the universal journey through life, and trying to bring about some reflection.) I wonder if so much of the praise for the movie is in its excellent targeting of its audience - the people who go to see this movie, see themselves in it. And if universality is its aim, its racial and cultural myopia is pretty glaring. (I cringe, for example, at the subplot involving the Hispanic yard worker who the mother condescends to, telling him to get an education, and who later goes to college because her words resonated with him. Its a subplot that's quite representative of the film's perspective in a bunch of other areas.)

By: spock

spock — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:38:02 -0800

I understand that in response to the lack of diversity in nominees this year, the Oscars have asked Jack Black to present.

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:41:40 -0800

Another Oscars Bingo Card for those who will be following Twitter. Also, if you want to totally lose faith in the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Reporter's 2nd Annual Brutally Honest Oscar Voter Ballots show off the votes and opinions of several Academy members who are less "brutally honest" than "brutally idiotic". If these people are actually representative (and not just the aunts and uncles of HR staffers), Sniper is a shoo-in. But then, if a big win for the Eastwood Assassin can put to rest the myth of "Liberal Hollywood", it would provide some value, however the Right Wing Press will always need it to haul out to deny any seeds of actual truth slipping out from among the truthiness.

By: Huck500

Huck500 — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:44:59 -0800

Here are your winners.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:45:55 -0800

Good overview at The Hollywood Reporter: Is Red Carpet Coverage Sexist? Battle Lines Drawn at Oscars Over #AskHerMore

By: philip-random

philip-random — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:47:32 -0800

But then, if a big win for the Eastwood Assassin can put to rest the myth of "Liberal Hollywood", I thought Argo's victory last year did this rather well, but maybe all that funky 70s hair got in the way of the flagwaving. An awfully average movie by the way. Terrible history and at best mediocre drama.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:47:34 -0800

Guess we'll find out how many Academy voters religiously watch Fox News if it gets any statues. Well, if I've learned anything from religiously watching Fox News, it's that Academy voters don't. Really, if Zero Dark Thirty got shut out due to the merest whiff of suspicion that it was a stalking horse for neocon foreign policy, well, the appearance of American Sniper in the list of nominees is mainly a sop to the likable right-winger in their midst. In so many ways it's not the kind of movie that wins. I haven't seen enough of the nominees this year, despite trying more strenuously than in a while, but I lean toward Boyhood getting the nod. Birdman is just too weird to win the top prize (probably). Though one thing we never get are the vote totals, just who came out on top. (I'm sure foreign films are probably not eligible for best picture. I don't know the rules.) No, they are. First nominee, The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1932; first winner, Hamlet, 1948; first nominee in a foreign language, Grand Illusion, 1938; first and most recent winner, The Artist. The competition is in effect separate from the Foreign Language competition, which has a whole sort of pre-vetting process that feeds into the nominees (i.e. every country can submit, but only five become official nominees); the Best Picture nominee merely needs to meet the same minimal requirements of theatrical release as any other.

By: ennui.bz

ennui.bz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:48:52 -0800

I feel like so much of the praise for Boyhood hinges on how this is supposed to be the story of all of us. Sure, the details are apt to change, but they're supposed to click with our lives. It's so relatable, right? I was totally bummed when my model girlfriend dumped me, but then I did shrooms in the desert and boned this hot college chick. my life is art because I am an artist.

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:51:37 -0800

(BTW I'm always confused by folks who say they can't get one of the "broadcast" networks because they don't have cable. If you have an HDTV and don't live in Podunk, Alaska, you should get local channels, including network affiliates, OTA.) Maybe that used to be true, but the digital changeover cut the effective range of a broadcast antenna in half. I haven't gotten reliable reception of more than two Big Four networks at a time with an indoor antenna this decade.

By: NoMich

NoMich — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:55:25 -0800

Dakota Johnson is quite the Marketing Machine. Got some movies coming out, don't know when. She reminded of Kristen Wiig's character in SNL's "The A-Holes."

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:56:10 -0800

Anyplace to stream using cell phone? My cable and Internet went out about 20 minutes ago. Xfinity can burn in 1000 hells.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:58:04 -0800

"Ida" didn't get a Best Picture nod, so we know the best picture can't win Best Picture.

By: vogon_poet

vogon_poet — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:01:18 -0800

My only complaint with Boyhood was that all the boys were normal-looking and all the girls were absurdly attractive models. Maybe the lead negotiated it as a rider in his contract, or something. He's pretty indispensable to the whole concept of the movie, so he could probably demand whatever he wanted. I think Birdman is going to win; pretty much the surefire way to win an Oscar is to tell all the Academy voters how important and special they are.

By: usonian

usonian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:02:50 -0800

Is it wrong for me to be pulling for The Grand Budapest Hotel even though I haven't seen any of the other films nominated for anything? I get to a movie theater about once every two years these days and seem to be a couple of years behind in terms of catching up with newish stuff at home. Too much media, too little time! But The Grand Budapest Hotel is the first film in a long, long time that I've really fallen in love with. I'm hoping it wins big enough to get another theatrical release, because I missed my chance the first time around.

By: hyperbolic

hyperbolic — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:03:39 -0800

IT TOOK 12 YEARS TO MAKE

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:13:14 -0800

Is it wrong for me to be pulling for The Grand Budapest Hotel even though I haven't seen any of the other films nominated for anything? I haven't seen Boyhood, and I've thought that Wes Anderson was insufferable for a while now, but I'm leaning ever so close to pulling for TGBH at this point.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:17:35 -0800

Although I can see how it would be interpreted as such, I didn't take Birdman to be a love letter to Hollywood whatsoever.

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:18:13 -0800

No, it's more like a hateful middle finger to actors.

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:19:11 -0800

American Sniper is not going to win Best Picture. Nope.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:19:54 -0800

(BTW I'm always confused by folks who say they can't get one of the "broadcast" networks because they don't have cable. If you have an HDTV and don't live in Podunk, Alaska, you should get local channels, including network affiliates, OTA.)

Maybe I should, but I don't. I get no broadcast channels at all over the air. I went and got a cable so I could hook up my TV to the free cable that my landlord provides, so I can watch the terrible Oscars tonight.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:22:26 -0800

If American Sniper wins Best Picture maybe we can go back in time and retroactively give the film-within-a-film in Inglorious Basterds an Oscar as well.

By: bibliowench

bibliowench — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:24:42 -0800

Also, if you want to totally lose faith in the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Reporter's 2nd Annual Brutally Honest Oscar Voter Ballots show off the votes and opinions of several Academy members who are less "brutally honest" than "brutally idiotic". These brutally honest interviews were what tipped me over the edge to forgo the Oscars, for this year and probably for some time after. I'd love to see the Academy Awards become more like the Grammys - a barely-reputable industry wank-fest that is increasingly, embarrassingly divorced from critical and popular taste. Hell, just rename them the "Crash Awards" so everyone is reminded of how ridiculous these accolades are. Now if the Lego Movie had gotten some attention, I might be more amenable to an evening of Neil Patrick Harris cracking wise.

By: IAmUnaware

IAmUnaware — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:32:44 -0800

Can I say how sick I am of bio-pics? It would be a great thing for everybody if "prestige" biopics (or all biopics, whatever) were disqualified from Best Picture. I should not be able to call three of the movies that will be in the Best Picture race for the year before they've even come out, based on premise alone.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:34:22 -0800

Holy crap - who called Jack Black?

By: war wrath of wraith

war wrath of wraith — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:36:17 -0800

Although I can see how it would be interpreted as such, I didn't take Birdman to be a love letter to Hollywood whatsoever. No, it's more like a hateful middle finger to actors. I think these comments are missing the bigger picture - who it's made by, how it's being marketed, where it's being spotlighted now. Whether it's critical of Hollywood or not, whether it's a big f-u to actors or not, fact is, it's being celebrated in Hollywood valhalla by actors, celebrities and Hollywood insiders who are not exactly being pilloried tonight for their participation in said work.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:36:25 -0800

BRING BACK ANNA KENDRICK FUCKERS

By: mulligan

mulligan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:39:13 -0800

"American Sniper" has earned $100 million overseas, pushing its global gross to $428.1 million worldwide.

ugh.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:42:03 -0800

IOW, less than Big Hero 6 and less than half of what Frozen made.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:43:15 -0800

Will not see WHIPLASH, but DAMN I'm glad the underdog won. (Seriously, it feels like that film came totally out of nowhere.)

By: philip-random

philip-random — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:43:18 -0800

I'd love to see the Academy Awards become more like the Grammys - a barely-reputable industry wank-fest that is increasingly, embarrassingly divorced from critical and popular taste. I'd argue that they're well on their way, and have been for quite some time. The old industry cliche is that, the right person usually wins the Oscar for the wrong movie. So which wrong movies did Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock win their best director Oscars for? And Peter O'Toole, his Best Actor?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:45:37 -0800

Aww, fuck, NPH is floundering. WTF, why didn't his team do better for him.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:47:20 -0800

I was with him up until the overly long magic trick explanation. Neil, I know that you're pretty good at it, but people are not here to see the magic. Move it along.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:47:51 -0800

Dammit, I would love to see Liam Neeson in a really good role again....

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:49:53 -0800

He's in another Taken derivative releasing in March! Because America hasn't had enough.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:53:05 -0800

Now that we're going to commercial - did anyone catch the camera catching Benedict Cumberbatch drinking out of a flask during the opening number?

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:53:46 -0800

He's going to star in the Scorsese adaption of Shūsaku Endō's "Silence." I expect that should be pretty good.

By: ennui.bz

ennui.bz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:56:02 -0800

Aww, fuck, NPH is floundering. WTF, why didn't his team do better for him. I'm imagining something like NASCAR, only it's former child actors pretending to be fish, with a pit crew helping them in and out of costume.

By: briank

briank — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:56:39 -0800

did anyone catch the camera catching Benedict Cumberbatch drinking out of a flask during the opening number? That was part of the musical number.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:56:40 -0800

I thought the flask was part of a joke in reference to a song lyric.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:57:18 -0800

Now that we're going to commercial - did anyone catch the camera catching Benedict Cumberbatch drinking out of a flask during the opening number?

It was a gag. The song said something about how nobody was bitter and drinking yet. You may have missed it because it wasn't a particularly funny gag.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:01:21 -0800

Happy Muzak version of Ring of Fire plays Reece Witherspoon to the stage. Wow, this show sucks. Double You Tee Eff.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:01:41 -0800

Show is falling really flat but glad to see Simmons win.

By: briank

briank — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:03:21 -0800

With her SPOON!! Get it?? PLEASE?!?!?!

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:03:35 -0800

I think they're rushing the show because the In Memoriam is going to be huge. Robin Williams, Mike Nichols, Joan Rivers...

By: parki

parki — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:05:47 -0800

Yah, that jaunty Ring of Fire was obtuse.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:10:22 -0800

Eh, I'm picking up a couple of quips I think may be ad-libbed. I'm doing decent my current Studio 360 bingo...

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:10:55 -0800

Somewhere, Seth Macfarlane is screaming at a party, "See? SEE? I told you guys doing this show was hard!"

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:11:02 -0800

Did that whole spiel just sound a lot like "could you all stop whining about how all the nominees are white this year?" But hey, at least Ida won.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:11:39 -0800

So anyway, pretty much time for me to take a break am make margaritas. Probably not a fancy pants Clooney one though.

By: shortfuse

shortfuse — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:12:21 -0800

The show feels both rushed and slow at the same time.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:12:54 -0800

Well, at least they let him get to his dead wife.

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:13:11 -0800

Okay, the Polish guy just made the show by being genuine.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:14:13 -0800

Probably not a fancy pants Clooney one though. Yeah, because where are you going to get Brazilian supermodel tears at this hour?

By: figurant

figurant — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:15:09 -0800

Fuckity hell this is ponderous.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:16:58 -0800

This bit is more intolerable than Crash.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:19:31 -0800

Are you all seeing who's doing cameos in "Everything Is Awesome"?

By: gladly

gladly — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:19:56 -0800

I don't care how famous I was or how much money I had, I wouldn't give back that LEGO Oscar.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:20:05 -0800

Everything is Awesome should've brought down the house, the greatest thing the Oscars had ever seen. We should be talking about it decades later. Nope. Wow. I feel so bad for these guys.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:24:29 -0800

Has someone started a "Bring Back MacFarlane" petition on change.org yet? If not someone really needs to et on that. Harris is awful.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:24:58 -0800

....i'm starting to think some of you have come into this trying to hate the show on purpose.

By: ennui.bz

ennui.bz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:27:47 -0800

Yah, that jaunty Ring of Fire was obtuse. unless you understand the reference to Witherspoon's terrible hemorrhoids problem... inside baseball, inside baseball.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:35:35 -0800

Okay, I still don't think this is the shit-show y'all are seeing, but I am definitely seeing big flaws now.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:38:25 -0800

That Annie joke might have been the funniest part of the night so far.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:39:17 -0800

It makes me a little sad, because NPH is usually pretty good at this stuff. I think it may be the writing, rather than him.

By: brujita

brujita — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:40:13 -0800

Cumberbatch looked pissed about something on the red carpet....albeit less so than when he was caught with the flask.

By: brujita

brujita — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:42:11 -0800

And I mean pissed in the American sense of the word.

By: sammyo

sammyo — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:42:23 -0800

Glen Campbell??h

By: sammyo

sammyo — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:45:21 -0800

tighty whities and then clown lipstick

By: kmz

kmz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:48:26 -0800

Has someone started a "Bring Back MacFarlane" petition on change.org yet? No matter how bad NPH is doing, this will never ever ever ever ever be a thing.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:49:58 -0800

Harris is definitely worse than MacFarlane and headed to Letterman territory.

By: kmz

kmz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:51:39 -0800

It could be a colony of cyanobacteria hosting and it would be better than MacFarlane.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:55:21 -0800

Get Pauly Shore and Carrot Top (Carrottop? Carrot-Top? Carrotop?) to host.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:02:27 -0800

I never think Patricia Arquette is particularly good in anything. She peaked for me in True Romance.

By: parki

parki — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:02:48 -0800

Writers. Replace the writers.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:04:07 -0800

Chloe, take your hands out of your pockets. Makes you look hippy. Wait. Chloe, why are you wearing a dress with pockets?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:06:35 -0800

Oh thank God they brought back Anna Kendrick they heard me...

By: dnash

dnash — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:07:09 -0800

I don't understand the "NPH is sucking" comments. I think he's doing fine. I think some of his jokes are meant to be a little clunky - he's trying to be goofy with them and the audience is trying to be stoic so they don't ruin their makeup.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:11:15 -0800

Wait. Chloe, why are you wearing a dress with pockets? Because she can. Deal with it.

By: kmz

kmz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:11:43 -0800

Why don't all dresses have pockets?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:12:09 -0800

Perhaps that's where she was holding her vaporizer.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:13:17 -0800

Or a butterfly knife.

By: FJT

FJT — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:13:29 -0800

Darn, a Disney Animation lock out. I thought Dam Keeper would have won Best Animated Short, at least.

By: kmz

kmz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:16:49 -0800

Bah, shoulda been Dragons. If nothing else to make up for the first one.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:18:51 -0800

If you cannot see Chloe Grace Moretz's hands at any given moment, she is likely about to kill you.

By: Ferreous

Ferreous — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:21:34 -0800

Did anyone else notice they played the shaft theme post best supporting actress? That seemed a bit odd.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:22:34 -0800

All of the music cues tonight have been weird, I think. WTF was up with the theme to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang playing over NPH trying to take the show to commercial?

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:22:51 -0800

It seems like they're playing Oscar-winning best songs, which creates weird background music choices.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:25:34 -0800

I know that that's Idris Elba's actual voice, but that is not Idris Elba's actual voice I mean honestly come on dude.

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:26:11 -0800

If there is any justice in the world, it will be James Bond's voice.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:27:52 -0800

Is Michael Keaton... chewing gum?

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:28:20 -0800

Late to the game, cable just came back on, I thought TGBH outshone them all by a mile. Boyhood and Birdman had interesting gimmicks but were boring!! TGBH was funny, beautifully shot, charming, a great, interesting story about characters you cared deeply for.... Maybe I'm missing something but the others don't even compare.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:31:41 -0800

Is Michael Keaton... chewing gum? Since birth, I think.

By: Fig

Fig — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:39:36 -0800

No Joan Rivers in the 'In Memoriam' ?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:40:58 -0800

They left out Joan Rivers from the In Memoriam montage. DUDE I would've rather hung out with Joan Rivers than any of those others.

By: asockpuppet

asockpuppet — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:41:04 -0800

Did I miss Philip Seymour Hoffman?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:41:42 -0800

OK, maybe Lauren Bacall.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:41:50 -0800

My roommate just came home - he's a singer and Ph.D. candidate majoring in vocal performance; I'm really looking forward to his commentary on the various song performances. (He's already commented on Jennifer Hudson.)

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:41:54 -0800

I'm surprised they put a critic in the In Memoriam this year, when they didn't do it for Roger Ebert.

By: briank

briank — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:42:33 -0800

PSH died in time for last year's death reel

By: Fig

Fig — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:42:34 -0800

PSH may have made it in 2014's broadcast.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:43:04 -0800

Did I miss Philip Seymour Hoffman? He was in last year's.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:43:51 -0800

Yeah - PSH died in early February last year, so he was probably in last year's.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:44:24 -0800

Crap - lost my stream. Ugh.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:45:18 -0800

Twitter win. "Hoping they'd run the Nationwide ad after the memorial."

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:46:58 -0800

Did Harold Ramis make last year's In Memoriam?

By: asockpuppet

asockpuppet — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:47:02 -0800

Oh, ok. I thought it was comprehensive of 2014.

By: oulipian

oulipian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:53:01 -0800

Remember everyone, the Best Picture winner this year gets made into a Lego videogame. So think long and hard about whether you want to play Lego American Sniper, Lego Birdman, Minifighood, The Grand Legoland Hotel, The Best-Lock Construction Game, Lego Selma, The Theory of Mindstorms, or Bricklash.

By: pjern

pjern — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:54:35 -0800

Citizenfour won. I thought there wasn't a chance in hell that it could. I am happily surprised.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:56:26 -0800

pjern - it was favored to win -- what made you think it didn't have a chance?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:58:48 -0800

Vote for Minifighood. It's 12 years of gameplay. Great value.

By: pjern

pjern — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:59:56 -0800

tzikeh: I just imagined that that particular boat wouldn't be rocked. I'm overjoyed that it was.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:01:56 -0800

Do you think anyone in charge of the production realizes the irony of letting Common and John Legend perform while black actors, actresses and directors are virtually absent from the nominations?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:02:28 -0800

@goldengateblond: You just know Julianne Moore is in a bathroom stall Googling "great feminist quotes" for her speech. #Oscars2015

By: maggieb

maggieb — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:03:19 -0800

I think I saw the ghost of Tracy Flick briefly in Reese Witherspoon's eyes.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:05:13 -0800

Okay, so this bit with John Travolta and Idina Menzel is adorable.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:05:51 -0800

They couldn't exactly not let Common and John Legend perform, since the song is nominated. But yes, I think they're acutely aware of how uncomfortable it is, which doesn't mean they have any idea how to address it.

By: gatorae

gatorae — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:06:39 -0800

Was it? It started off okay, but the way he was touching her face made my skin crawl.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:09:35 -0800

That was pretty creepy.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:10:45 -0800

Like all horrible creepy things, it started out adorable.

By: gladly

gladly — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:11:48 -0800

It's been a bad night for John Travolta and women who haven't solicited his affections.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:14:49 -0800

Are we about to get Julie and Chris on stage?

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:16:56 -0800

this... is the opposite of what I wanted....

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:17:06 -0800

HOLY SHIT LADA GAGA WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:17:39 -0800

Presenting: a moment in Chez Callipygos, where I am watching with my roommate (the singer/vocal performance student). Scarlett Johansen: And now, to remind us of what we love about THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Lady Gaga. My Roommate: .....WHAT?

By: parki

parki — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:18:25 -0800

The climb every mountain scene from SoM never fails to make me get all misty. Just wanted to mention that.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:18:51 -0800

Good work to the producers of the show: you made a Lady Gaga musical number a static, boring affair.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:18:56 -0800

... ... ... I... what is happening

By: sammyo

sammyo — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:20:31 -0800

Well they love her.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:20:43 -0800

I suppose that I'll have to give in and actually watch The Sound of Music one of these days.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:21:17 -0800

Dame Julie suffered some pretty bad throat damage during surgery a few years back, and I think she can't actually sing most of those songs anymore.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:22:12 -0800

Lady Gaga parked a walk-off grand slam.

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:23:06 -0800

Girl's got chops.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:24:51 -0800

I think the Academy is going to give The Grand Budapest Hotel as many Oscars as possible without admitting that Wes Anderson was actually involved.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:26:00 -0800

I wish to God I'd had a camera on hand to capture the looks that were crossing my roommate's face during Lady Gaga's bit. And then a tape recorder to capture the whoop of laughter he gave when Julie Andrews said in her upper-crust accent, "And thank you to Lady Gaga!"

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:27:01 -0800

Patton Oswalt points out that there was no Taylor Negron in the Memoriam either, which seriously what the eff.

By: Ferreous

Ferreous — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:27:27 -0800

I don't' know if people are getting the same commercials as me, but fuck pixar for making me hear aerosmith.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:28:45 -0800

And my roommate is now responding to my cracking up at his reaction - "Hey, don't forget, I TEACH this shit!"

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:32:49 -0800

I think the Academy is going to give The Grand Budapest Hotel as many Oscars as possible without admitting that Wes Anderson was actually involved. Couldn't agree more. "Here's an award for all of the technical shit that we barely pretend to care about. Now run along!"

By: wotsac

wotsac — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:34:06 -0800

Is it just me or are there a lot more black people presenting Oscars than receiving Oscars.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:35:01 -0800

God this is interminable. Aren't they already over time?

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:35:39 -0800

I think they're like a half-hour over time. I need to go to bed in 25 minutes, and I don't think they'll be done.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:36:05 -0800

The Percussionists look tired.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:36:08 -0800

Oprah better kick over a hive of bees.

By: still_wears_a_hat

still_wears_a_hat — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:38:42 -0800

Did they really leave Elaine Stritch AND Joan Rivers out of the 'In Memoriam'? Holy crap.

By: mochapickle

mochapickle — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:39:08 -0800

I don't have it on, but imagining the show based on all your comments has made this the best oscars ever for me. Carry on.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:41:08 -0800

Was Elaine Stritch ever in film, or was she more stage?

By: calgirl

calgirl — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:42:28 -0800

only ten minutes over time actually...

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:43:14 -0800

It was scheduled to end when, 2030?

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:43:44 -0800

Stritch made at least 22 non-documentary films, as near as I can tell.

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:44:31 -0800

Joan Rivers is hardly known for her films. She's barely ever been in a movie when she wasn't playing herself.

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:45:40 -0800

I'm pretty sure the publicist who was in the credits was never in a movie at all.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:45:49 -0800

I want Alejandro Iñárritu to come talk to me tomorrow morning, because I think he could definitely give me the motivation to get to work.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:46:20 -0800

In case you forgot / didn't notice before tonight how good a singer Lady Gaga is

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:48:11 -0800

Every year, I forget how little I care about an industry giving itself awards I do wonder, though, why it is that it's such a thing at times (I thought Grand Budapest Hotel was pretty good)

By: figurant

figurant — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:49:37 -0800

I'm not sure where my stream is coming from, but did I just watch a McDonalds commercial that referenced cannibalism by way of Silence of the Lambs?

By: dejah420

dejah420 — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:50:58 -0800

mochapickle: "I don't have it on, but imagining the show based on all your comments has made this the best oscars ever for me. Carry on." Me too. I haven't seen even a minute of the broadcast, but the mefi thread has been quite informative, and probably more fun.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:51:13 -0800

I saw that too, figurant.

By: j_curiouser

j_curiouser — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:51:33 -0800

The Grand Legoland Hotel want

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:52:39 -0800

I think that Eddie Redmayne may be stripped of his British citizenship for this disgraceful display of enthusiasm and sentimentality.

By: Ideefixe

Ideefixe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:52:43 -0800

cordacorolla- Show business cares far more about the "technical shit" than they do about the opinions of the folks watching at home.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:53:40 -0800

On the other hand, he did just thank someone named Pip, so maybe that gets his citizenship restored.

By: Rhaomi

Rhaomi — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:54:22 -0800

I haven't really been following the odds, but is Redmayne considered a pretty big upset? I had the impression it was Keaton's to lose. (Also, only one statue for Boyhood so far? Seems surprisingly low.)

By: Sangermaine

Sangermaine — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:54:27 -0800

Huh. I was certain Keaton would win.

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:55:20 -0800

On the other hand, he did just thank someone named Pip, so maybe that gets his citizenship restored. He also did a little Mary Poppins chimney sweep dance.

By: a lungful of dragon

a lungful of dragon — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:55:23 -0800

Matthew McConaughey's beard deserves an Oscar.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:55:50 -0800

Show business cares far more about the "technical shit" than they do about the opinions of the folks watching at home. Ah, I guess that's why all of those awards didn't have Anderson's name on them, and were at the start of the night.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:56:13 -0800

I think Redmayne was pretty heavily favored, although not quite as much as Julianne Moore is.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:58:24 -0800

Michael Keaton once appeared in some comedies. That pretty much means the best he can hope for its Best Supporting Actor until his final role at age 85 in a sentimental movie about an old man on a life affirming road trip.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:58:37 -0800

I'm disappointed it wasn't Keaton, but - I'm Facebook-friends/real-life-acquaintances with Colman Domingo, and he just posted an adorable photo by way of congratulations.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:59:29 -0800

Julianne Moore has appeared in a few comedies too, though.

By: FJT

FJT — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:00:03 -0800

Michael Keaton once appeared in some comedies Eh? What about Tom Hanks?

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:00:07 -0800

Tom Hanks was originally known entirely as a comedic actor. He also won back to back Oscars for Best Actor and was nominated 5 times!

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:01:15 -0800

Oh for fuck's sake. This bit is awful. Stop it. End the thing. Tell us the Best Picture and let us all go to bed.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:01:29 -0800

Julianne Moore deserves to win just for sitting across from Ray Liotta getting his brain eaten.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:01:39 -0800

Good to see NPH still channeling his American Horror Story role.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:02:17 -0800

I wish a giant hook would come out and pull him offstage while keyboard cat played a tune.

By: Ideefixe

Ideefixe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:02:24 -0800

Locke was released in 2013, so not eligible.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:02:37 -0800

NPH, dude. How did you approve this?

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:02:46 -0800

This is just sad.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:03:22 -0800

Yeah but Tom Hanks was never funny in his comedies.

By: a lungful of dragon

a lungful of dragon — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:03:38 -0800

My daughter!

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:05:16 -0800

Who gave this son of a bitch his green card? What does that even mean?

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:06:03 -0800

Told ya.

By: Rhaomi

Rhaomi — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:06:25 -0800

A reference to Iñárritu?

By: DoctorFedora

DoctorFedora — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:06:39 -0800

Obviously I haven't been watching, but has the general rule of thumb where you replace "best" with "most" ("most special effects," "most acting," "most soundtrack") still applied?

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:07:04 -0800

"Who gave this sonofabitch his green card?" Good one, Sean. America's sweetheart.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:07:11 -0800

It's been a bizarre night of miscues, stilted comedy, a strangely out of it crowd, and empty spectacle. Like watching an alien simulacrum of an awards show. Good Oscars, everyone.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:07:43 -0800

Good night, guys. This was fun!

By: Sangermaine

Sangermaine — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:08:06 -0800

Yeah but Tom Hanks was never funny in his comedies. Splash? Big?

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:09:22 -0800

Night friends! Enjoyed it! Sweet dreams!

By: Ideefixe

Ideefixe — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:09:39 -0800

Ebert was in the 2014 In Memoriam montage. Usually, you have to actually be a member of the Academy to be in the montage. Codacorolla--And the tenchical awards are always earlier in the broadcast, and no, Wes Anderson's name wouldn't be on them--why would it be?

By: parki

parki — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:09:48 -0800

This is the first time I've smoked a bowl to watch the oscars, and goddamn, it won't be the last.

By: Catblack

Catblack — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:09:50 -0800

Tom Hanks did the best goat dance.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:10:45 -0800

Why does Sean Penn always seem to be so annoyed when he's haranguing us about how important movies are?

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:15:36 -0800

Was really pulling for Grand Budapest, but Birdman was acceptable. Just glad they didn't go the PC route and pick Selma, which was easily the weakest best picture nominee.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:17:14 -0800

Why does Sean Penn always seem to be so annoyed when he's haranguing us about how important movies are? Why does a man who beat the shit out of women get to continue to have a career, let alone appear at the Oscars? The world may never know. (Hint: nobody gives a fuck if you beat the shit out of women if you're a white movie star.)

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:19:20 -0800

Splash? Big? Delightful and charming are distinctly different than funny. Hanks is a great delight to watch in nearly everything he's in and has given some splendid performances, some that included comic moments. Keaton at his finest comic moments reduced me to helpless tears of laughter. Hanks has moved me to tears in some of his dramatic roles and has proven his great sense of humor time and again but is more Cary Grant than Buster Keaton.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:23:32 -0800

I heard about Penn beating up paparazzi (which doesn't bother me at all honestly) but never about him beating up women. You have a cite for that?

By: kmz

kmz — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:24:24 -0800

Google exists.

By: a box and a stick and a string and a bear

a box and a stick and a string and a bear — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:24:24 -0800

Did they really leave Elaine Stritch AND Joan Rivers out of the 'In Memoriam'? Holy crap. You people really, really need to start watching the Annie awards. At least 10x more Stritch, and at leat 100x more chaos.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:29:57 -0800

Yeah I'm not doin someone else's homework. They made the accusation without providing any sort of proof to back that up.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:32:08 -0800

See #3 about Penn tying up and beating Madonna.

By: xigxag

xigxag — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:32:10 -0800

Just glad they didn't go the PC route and pick Selma You might want to ixnay on the asualcay acismray in case there are any ackblay eoplepay lurking around.

By: dogwalker

dogwalker — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:38:52 -0800

Yeah I'm not doin someone else's homework. They made the accusation without providing any sort of proof to back that up. It's pretty common knowledge. You didn't do your homework.

By: tzikeh

tzikeh — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:40:33 -0800

I heard about Penn beating up paparazzi (which doesn't bother me at all honestly) but never about him beating up women. You have a cite for that? Are you fucking kidding me? Source 1: "June 1987, Madonna was rushed to the Cedars Sinai hospital for an X-ray after her then-husband—Sean Penn hit her across the head with a baseball bat. At the time, they had been having a heart-to-heart talk about reconciling. Madonna did not make an official complaint because Penn was about to serve a short jail term for attacking a film extra and violating the probation he'd been given for punching a fan. It was a decision she would come to regret. In the late afternoon of December 28, 1988, Penn scaled the wall surrounding the Malibu house and found Madonna alone in the master bedroom. According to a report filed by Madonna with the Malibu sheriff's office, the two began to quarrel. Penn told her he owned her "lock, stock and barrel". When she told him she was leaving the house, he tried to bind her hands with an electric cord. Screaming and afraid, Madonna fled from the bedroom. Penn chased her into the living room, caught her and bound her to a chair with heavy twine. Then he threatened to shave her hair. Penn was "drinking liquor straight from the bottle" and the abuse went on for nine hours, during which he smacked and forced Madonna to perform a "degrading sex act" on him. He went out to buy more alcohol, leaving Madonna bound and gagged. Some hours later, he returned and continued his attacks, then finally untied her. Madonna then fled the house and ran to her car. Penn ran after her and was banging on the windows of her Thunderbird while she spoke to police on her mobile phone. Fifteen minutes later, she staggered into the sheriff's office." Source 2: "On June 6, 1986, Sean Penn and Madonna got into a heated public argument at a Manhattan nightclub called The Pyramid. There, a fight erupted into violence as an obviously inebriated Penn shoved his wife up against a wall, then carried their shouting match out into the street.... Three days later Penn, frustrated and drunk, staked out the Malibu house. Around 4 p.m., after Madonna had given her small household staff the rest of the day off, he scaled the fence encircling the estate, broke into the house and confronted a terrified Madonna. After slapping her around, he bound and gagged her, then strapped her to a chair with twine. He berated and beat her for two hours, then stormed out of the house....As Madonna sought refuge at the home of her manager, Freddy DeMann, sheriff's officers descended on the Malibu house. Heeding Madonna's warning that her husband might be armed, they circled the house. Guns drawn, they ordered Penn over a police bullhorn to surrender." Source 3: "Madonna was hospitalized after Penn struck her with a baseball bat."

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:41:58 -0800

[A couple comments removed, everybody please cool it.]

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:42:53 -0800

Er, for the record, I didn't know that about Sean Penn either. Not denying it, just pointing out that assuming something is "common knowledge" maybe isn't necessarily the case.

By: Noisy Pink Bubbles

Noisy Pink Bubbles — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:43:06 -0800

That "treason" joke that NPH made after Citizenfour won was truly disgusting. Way to underscore exactly why the documentary was so necessary, I guess.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:45:17 -0800

Snowden doc wins, Kill All Muslims loses, tons of speeches about racism, sexism, etc. The good news is storm of conservative outrage tomorrow will push "does Obama hate America" off the news for a few days.

By: dogwalker

dogwalker — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:46:44 -0800

Not denying it, just pointing out that assuming something is "common knowledge" maybe isn't necessarily the case. Just pointing out I wrote "pretty common knowledge," which is slightly different.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:47:18 -0800

Wow thanks I didn't know that. That's pretty crazy. And for the record despite a comment above id like to point out that I'm not a racist for not liking Selma. I'm mixed myself, and think it had no place winning best picture.

By: bibliowench

bibliowench — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:47:42 -0800

Not denying it, just pointing out that assuming something is "common knowledge" maybe isn't necessarily the case. Or that tzikeh's point about Hollywood's selective amnesia when it comes to violence against women is spot on.

By: parki

parki — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:48:10 -0800

I didn't know that about Penn.

By: xigxag

xigxag — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 21:57:05 -0800

I'm not a racist for not liking Selma. I'm mixed myself, and think it had no place winning best picture. I didn't say you were racist for not liking Selma. That's totally not the issue. A lot of people think it's a shit film, some of them are even black. But claiming that the only way it would've won the Academy Awards is through "political correctness" is giving it a hurdle that other mediocre films (many of which have won the Oscars) don't have to jump through, simply because of its subject matter.

By: holybagel

holybagel — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:10:42 -0800

I guess when you put it that way, I agree. It shouldn't be given an award it doesn't deserve just because of its subject matter.

By: brujita

brujita — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:28:08 -0800

The gray strands in Travolta's Ken doll wig aren't fooling anyone.

By: ReeMonster

ReeMonster — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:39:28 -0800

Yay Birdman!

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:43:53 -0800

At the time of that incident, it was pretty big headlines, too -- they were not exactly Brangelina, but in terms of celebrity close enough. The domestic violence, however, was often covered as if it were both of them equally getting their hits in, and while nobody was there, we all know how reporting of and social attitudes toward domestic violence have improved in the last thirty years, like "if she doesn't like it she can leave" still being a prevalent attitude at the time. Penn did have to work his way back from all that, though, and it was probably his riveting performance in Dead Man Walking that finally rehabilitated him, his first of five nominations, but without a win until Mystic River -- some 15+ years after the blow-up with Madonna. At the time Robin Wright was given credit for helping him settle down. It doesn't appear he's ever really apologized, but on the other hand, there's nothing new about this as with, say, Cosby, so it's probably not going to become an issue.

By: xigxag

xigxag — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:48:16 -0800

In that case holybagel, I apologize for jumping to conclusions about your intentions! And brujita, I love you and your bewitching ways so much right now. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on Earth who remembers that Travolta was going bald like 20 years ago. I mean, in all honestly, good for him, there's nothing wrong with him wanting to look how ever he wants, but it's just kind of weird the way he retconned away his androgenic alopecia like it never happened.

By: brujita

brujita — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 23:08:10 -0800

There's a more recent picture of him showing his IRL scalp.

By: Golden Eternity

Golden Eternity — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 23:12:00 -0800

Harry Belafonte's Powerful Speech On Race & Social Injustice (at the Governers Awards)

By: jeffburdges

jeffburdges — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 23:56:51 -0800

EFF : Laura Poitras' CITIZENFOUR Awarded Oscar for Best Documentary in 2014 Laura Poitras acceptance speech at the Oscars 2015

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 01:01:43 -0800

The Awesome Batman cameo made my night.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:39:08 -0800

Locke was released in 2013, so not eligible. It's on the Academy's own Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 87th Academy Awards, right there with Birdman, Boyhood and the rest.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 04:48:03 -0800

IMDB lists the non-festival release date for Locke in the US and UK as April 2014.

By: jeffburdges

jeffburdges — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:13:25 -0800

The Intercept's Laura Poitras wins Academy Award for CITIZENFOUR

By: Dip Flash

Dip Flash — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:15:59 -0800

There's a more recent picture of him showing his IRL scalp. An instant on google shows the wig/no-wig photos. I guess I support people doing anything that makes them feel good about themselves, but I will honestly never understand toupees.

By: bukvich

bukvich — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:30:02 -0800

The youtuber who posted the Laura Poitras speech got stomped in less than seven hours after jeffburdges posted the link.

By: eriko

eriko — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:36:45 -0800

Darn, a Disney Animation lock out. I thought Dam Keeper would have won Best Animated Short, at least. Disney/Pixar is on an absolute tear the last three years, and have netted five of the last Animation six Oscars. Animated Film: Big Hero 6, Frozen, Brave^* Animated Short: "Feast", "Paperman"^* ^* = Pixar rather than WDAS. The one they missed was the 2014 Short, which is a wonderful thing from Luxembourg called Mr. Hublot. I don't feel bad about The Lego Movie losing to Big Hero 6 because Big Hero 6 was a really good movie. So was The Lego Movie. I'm happy with either of them winning. BAF often has a problem where the big four (now, really, the big three -- Disney/Pixar, Paramount, PDI/Dreamworks) win because they have the resources to get a picture out and widely distributed - and that may be a factor here, because Warner Brothers Animation has been basically a distribution house forever, whereas the others actually make films. I'm glad we're still doing Animated Short, because there's a lot of really amazing things done in that category, and almost anybody can play in that realm. Go see "Mr. Hublot" and "Paperman" if you haven't, because they're both very good.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:59:30 -0800

Well, apparently the Oscars pissed off Donald Trump, so they were good for something.

By: asok

asok — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:05:18 -0800

** Possible Birdman spoiler ** There is a theory that Birdman is like Jacob's Ladder. The only scenes that are 'factual' are the opening shots of the shooting star and the beach and the return to that scene later in the film. The rest of it is the delusional imaginings of a suicidal has-been actor, dieing of heart failure due to jellyfish stings. This reading of the film allows all the cliche and magical realism to exist as an example of the shallow imagination of Michael Keaton's character. The critic character is a particularly cartoonish cardboard cutout villain, for example.

By: aught

aught — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:07:20 -0800

Matthew McConaughey's beard deserves an Oscar. You wouldn't say that if you had Smell-a-vision.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:13:18 -0800

Well, apparently the Oscars pissed off Donald Trump, so they were good for something. Sean Hannity wasn't too happy either.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:15:19 -0800

(I would like to clarify that I only knew about Sean Hannity's tweet because Wil Wheaton retweeted it for the schadenfreude.)

By: Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:18:16 -0800

I like how he writes it as AMERICAN Sniper just in case anybody forgot that the best measure of patriotism and artistic merit is whether the name of the movie has "America" in it.

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:22:56 -0800

Good for Eddie Redmayne!

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:26:08 -0800

AMERICAN history x.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:31:19 -0800

There is a theory that Birdman is like Jacob's Ladder. The only scenes that are 'factual' are the opening shots of the shooting star and the beach and the return to that scene later in the film. The rest of it is the delusional imaginings of a suicidal has-been actor, dieing of heart failure due to jellyfish stings. This doesn't explain the on-screen explanations for the magical realism parts, though -- e.g., his telekinesis that never does anything he couldn't be physically doing himself, or the cabbie chasing him into the theater after his "flight".

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:37:42 -0800

I kind of assumed he was either dead or in a coma for the whole of the very last scene, because otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:37:46 -0800

You can Jacob's Ladder pretty much any movie, TBH. I'm not sure it improves any that are not actually Jacobs Ladder. Hell, let's see some reverse-Jacobs Ladderings.

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 07:52:15 -0800

> "Hell, let's see some reverse-Jacobs Ladderings." Bruce Willis is actually the only living person in The Sixth Sense. The entirety of eXistenZ is a LARP gone horribly wrong. Every single second of A Scanner Darkly is meant to be stark realism.

By: Golden Eternity

Golden Eternity — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:08:27 -0800

Boyhood: 'Making Real What We Cannot See'

By: maxsparber

maxsparber — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:10:43 -0800

Dorothy was always in Oz, where she was a princess, but because of the reign of terror on the part of the witches, she was raised in the Dominion of the Nome King in a studio set called "Kansas," surrounded by her protectors in costume (the Tin Man, etc.), unaware that she was in a constructed reality as an attempt to fool the witches into believing she was just an ordinary girl in the American midwest, with an actress who looked exactly like the Wicked Witch of the West playing Almira Gulch in order to train Dorothy to be afraid of her. Because of the way Kansans was seen by people in Oz -- that is, via crystal balls, which do not transmit color -- it was assumed Kansas is a place without color, so sets were built in black and white, as were props, as were costumes, as was makeup.

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:20:42 -0800

AMERICAN history x. AMERICAN Psycho.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:20:49 -0800

Dante Hicks was even supposed to be there that day.

By: The Michael The

The Michael The — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:26:49 -0800

The wrap up from MeFi's own Linda Holmes. Summary:

It may be that this is just a broken model. Perhaps it's time to look back at successful Emmy and Tony ceremonies that Harris has hosted and admit that if he struggles this much, either this is a crowd that's simply so puffed-up and joyless about this whole thing that there's no point in bringing in anyone who's any fun, or it's a show so inherently uninteresting that only the speeches need to even exist. Because it's either that or go back to Billy Crystal, and eventually there has to be a plan B that isn't that. How about this next year: no host at all, just presenters and speeches. No musical numbers, no montages (except, I suppose, In Memoriam). Because maybe if this guy can't make this format work, maybe people should stop taking this job.

By: kmz

kmz — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:34:56 -0800

Or maybe just have writers that aren't super shitty?

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 08:50:39 -0800

Maybe he should do the Golden Globes, you're allowed to be funny there.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:01:14 -0800

I was personally surprised by the musical numbers. Outside of the Common / Legend performance they were fairly boring, static, straightforward affairs. I haven't watched in a while, but I thought I remembered more flash in previous years.

By: FJT

FJT — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:25:47 -0800

"Everything is Awesome" was great too. If Will Arnett dressing as Batman and belting out a bit of "Batman's Song" can't convince you, then I really don't know if anything can.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:37:59 -0800

The Everything is Awesome performance was like a victory parade for itself that required no silly award.

By: codacorolla

codacorolla — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:38:31 -0800

Oh, I dislike that song, so I mentally glossed over it. I guess that was another dynamic number, even if I didn't care for it.

By: Tanizaki

Tanizaki — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:53:47 -0800

Did you know that Boyhood took twelve years to make?

By: quin

quin — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:53:58 -0800

I never think Patricia Arquette is particularly good in anything. She peaked for me in True Romance. I've always liked Arquette. Probably because of True Romance, Stigmata and Boardwalk Empire. I see her as a quality actress who has done some great work. That being said, I think Emma Stone was robbed. Her performance in Birdman was amazing, particularly the fairly long scene done entirely as a tight shot on her face where she is ranting at her father. It never cuts, it is an unblinking view of her as she gets more and more impassioned and angry. Even if I didn't like any other part of that movie (which is very much not the case), I would still have given her the award, just for that one moment.

By: NorthernLite

NorthernLite — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 10:48:45 -0800

Re: Sean Penn: How did I not know/ remember those horriffic stories about him assaulting Madonna? Jeebus X., that fecker should've spent years in jail. Anyway, right from the top the show seemed off. Even the look of the set/costumes/lighting during the opening number was so unattractive. All that deep red, black and gold - it looked like a mobster's funeral. I turned the tv off around 10:15, shortly after Harris and 4/5 of the internet made a joke about that woman's dress. The minute I saw her outfit I thought-nope, too easy, low fruit and all that. And then she mentioned her son's suicide, and I thought, good call, me. Should I give Harris the benefit of the doubt that he was so busy prepping his joke he didn't hear what she'd said? But then again, I'm not enthralled with him as some others seem to be.

By: Noisy Pink Bubbles

Noisy Pink Bubbles — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:25:11 -0800

Disney/Pixar is on an absolute tear the last three years Next year they are going to win best animated short for Lava. For sure. It is the most saccharine, tear-jerking love story about volcanos in love you've ever seen. You heard it here first. He just wants somebody to lava! :'-(

By: Kitteh

Kitteh — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 06:07:32 -0800

Guys, I have heard there is a really sad video going around of Michael Keaton dejectedly putting what is assumed to have been his acceptance speech back in his jacket pocket during the Oscars.

By: ThatCanadianGirl

ThatCanadianGirl — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 11:55:45 -0800

a really sad video going around Nooo, I don't want to see that. Leave the man in peace with his feelings.