Like most Americans, I didn't tune in to the Oscars last night, only occasionally peeking in as I channel surfed for more to put on my TiVo. Why? Because most of the films I didn't see and/or didn't care for. My wife and I used to be huge movie-goers, but it seems like movies have lost their magic on the big screen--today, for us, it's all about Blockbuster Online--our forays to the theater are much rarer, because there's very little showing we want to drop $25-35 to see. We'll wait 6 months for the DVD, thanks.
And perhap it carries on to the Oscars. I can remember when I was a kid, the Oscars seemed fun, something where movies I had actually heard of were up for an award. Now--I don't know. It seems like it's just gotten more and more incestuous, more cliquish, more alienated from mainstream America, more plastic smiles and less actual triumph. It seems more and more directed toward stupid housefraus who watch 9 hours of network TV a day (including The View), treat Star Magazine as a serious publication or give a good goddamn about where Lindsay Lohan went to rehab or who whichever C-List star is boning.
So, did anyone watch/enjoy the Oscars? The clips I saw this morning...weren't...good.
Since Titanic and its 14 Oscars I've never given a shit again about them. As a prize, they're totally random and worthless.
I watched them (what can I say, I love movies).
Jerry Seinfeld's three minutes on stage were terrrific. He should be the host next year.
OTOH, Ellen DeGeneres was bland, insipid and played it extremely safe.
Snakes on a Plane. On stage. :haw:
The audio FX troupe was cool.
The "In Memoriam" special. Scotty, Altman, etc... Man, too many good guys died last year.
Acceptance speeches were mostly dull. Also, few surprises in the acting categories.
Pan's Labyrinth was ROBBED in the Best Foreign Language Picture category.
Jack Nicholson is doing heavier drugs than usual. ;)
The Comedians were funny, though what the hell was John C. Reilly doing with Jack Black and Will Ferrell?
Finally: Scorsese. What more can I say?
Overall, a below-average (and long) show. C-
I've never cared about the Oscars. I don't need a bunch of people with different tastes than me trying to tell me which movies were good.
another don't care vote, here. too much fuss made about actors etc. :rolleyes:
I care that Al Gore's film won two Oscars, because -- popularity poll awards aside -- I think it's a not-so-subtle indication that Great Things are afoot. The rest of it? Enh.
!i!
There's over a century of American film for me to digest before I can even think about trying to catch up with new releases.
And I just don't care about the Oscars anymore.
As a lifelong SF fhan, I spit on the oscars because they have a policy of utterly ignoring SF filsm for any of the non technical oscars.
You've never seen a SF film even get nominated for a non-technical oscar, no best film, no best screenplay, actor, director, etc.
That alone is enough to make me say "Fuck you, oscar"
Add in the way that hollywood let jesse jackass extort them into giving the actor/actress oscars to berry and washington and they just don't deserve to be even thought of.
Quote from: Dominus NoxYou've never seen a SF film even get nominated for a non-technical oscar, no best film, no best screenplay, actor, director, etc.
Really? http://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~b2506017/sf/oscar.htm
Granted, it happened a lot more often in the 80s and before, but most Scifi movies since then have been crap in terms of writing, acting, etc. anyway. It's not the Oscar's fault that Scifi movies have been all about the special effects for the last two decades.
I don't watch because I feel like a failure -- I wanted to be a filmmaker, am not, and feel very, very, very bitter about it.
Quote from: Dominus NoxYou've never seen a SF film even get nominated for a non-technical oscar, no best film, no best screenplay, actor, director, etc.
Most SF films from the past decade have been crap, but Children of Men was nominated for Best Original Screenplay this very same year.
Quote from: ImperatorSince Titanic and its 14 Oscars I've never given a shit again about them. As a prize, they're totally random and worthless.
Titanic made me rather question the whole thing, but to put it in perspective I didn't know they were on last night until I saw this thread.
I mean, I knew they were coming up, but I didn't know exactly when.
Quote from: Dr Rotwang!I don't watch because I feel like a failure -- I wanted to be a filmmaker, am not, and feel very, very, very bitter about it.
I had wondered what had happened with that, is there no prospect though of doing indie film or keeping trying? You can't be that old surely.
Quote from: BalbinusI had wondered what had happened with that, is there no prospect though of doing indie film or keeping trying? You can't be that old surely.
Were I not lazy, I would write screenplays.
I'm 32.
Never mind, Doc. My wife could have been a film-maker – she won an international award for her first student film, and an AFI award for her second. But she hated the film world. It's all about kissing arse and trying to get funding. You're well out of it.
Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Were I not lazy, I would write screenplays.
I'm 32.
I'd write a screenplay with you doc, I've been wanting to stretch my wings into some actual creative writing. It's weird, I write RPG stuff and spend most of my life thinking about how plots and characters fit together and I even used to take part in one of those freeform online Star Trek RPGs for which I wrote thousands and thousands of words of plot.
But I've never once sat down at a keyboard or picked up a pen and tried to write a story.
Well, as hostile as I am to the oscars, I gotta admit they surprised me by not giving an oscar to "Valley of the wolves".
As eager as hollywood is to toady up to anyone or anything that is violent and anti-american, I was thinking that movie might be a shoe-in for best foreign film or something.
Quote from: droogNever mind, Doc. My wife could have been a film-maker – she won an international award for her first student film, and an AFI award for her second. But she hated the film world. It's all about kissing arse and trying to get funding. You're well out of it.
Try the Guillermo Del Toro way: do a dumb studio film (*cough* Blade 2 *cough*) to get the money for your pet projects (Pan's Labyrinth).
That's what I think every time I see a good actor in a shitty movie.
Quote from: ImperatorThat's what I think every time I see a good actor in a shitty movie.
Which makes you wonder how much Uwe Boll pays...
Quote from: JongWKWhich makes you wonder how much Uwe Boll pays...
I don't want to know anything related to him, NEVER.
I think it's fair to say that Martin Scorsese cares about them.
I just heard an oscar story that's kinda funny and kinda sad, but it illustrates how much the government is fucking up the war on terror.
Basically a guy won an oscar for some technical field, and tried to fly home with it. Well, the federal screeners would not let him carry the oscar onboard as it's considered a blunt object. (FIRE THAT IDIOT!)
Being an experienced air traveller, this guy knew there are two kinds of luggage: Carry on and lost. So he arranged to have his ocsar shipped to his home.
It apparently got lost in shipment.
I feel sorry for the guy, but more over it's amazing that all these years after 911 they don;' have armed pilots, co pilots or engineers on every flight, they don't have reinforced doors on every flight, they don't have air marshals on every flight but they can sure as hell fucking harass and inconvenience passengers on virtually every flight with ridiculous rules and "policies" that have all the effect of farting at a hurricane.
Oh well, I guess I should be happy knowing that I never need fear being crashed into by a plane that's been hijacked by a bunch of oscar wielding muslims.
Sounds good to me. Rules are rules, and letting somebody slide because they're moderately famous is the cause of plenty of problems in this country already.
The "carry on or lost" thing is a myth made popular by... you guessed it... Hollywood movies. I and people I know and work with have flown easily a total of 5-600 times and nobody I know has ever had luggage lost. Yeah, it happens, but it's not exactly a widespread epidemic.
QuoteI feel sorry for the guy, but more over it's amazing that all these years after 911 they don;' have armed pilots, co pilots or engineers on every flight, they don't have reinforced doors on every flight, they don't have air marshals on every flight but they can sure as hell fucking harass and inconvenience passengers on virtually every flight with ridiculous rules and "policies" that have all the effect of farting at a hurricane.
I'm confused. You cite the lack of terrorist attacks since 9/11 as proof that the war on terror, profiling muslims, etc. is working. By that standard, wouldn't it also be proof that these "rediculous" rules are working?
Quote from: James McMurraySounds good to me. Rules are rules, and letting somebody slide because they're moderately famous is the cause of plenty of problems in this country already.
The "carry on or lost" thing is a myth made popular by... you guessed it... Hollywood movies. I and people I know and work with have flown easily a total of 5-600 times and nobody I know has ever had luggage lost. Yeah, it happens, but it's not exactly a widespread epidemic.
I'm confused. You cite the lack of terrorist attacks since 9/11 as proof that the war on terror, profiling muslims, etc. is working. By that standard, wouldn't it also be proof that these "rediculous" rules are working?
I've never said anything like what you're saying. I've never cited a lack of terrorist attacks since 911 for anything. If anything, I feel that passengers are one reasons why we haven't had a highjacking since 911. When richard reid tried to set off his shoes on a plane, the other passengers piled on him and beat him blue and purple. If some hijackers try anything like 911 again the passengers will attack them rather that sit doviley like sheep going to the slaughter.
Taking away nailclippers, perfume, etc are foolish ideas. Reinforcing the cockpit doors, arming some flightcrew members and focusing on people from islamic countries are good ideas.
Quote from: James McMurraySounds good to me. Rules are rules, and letting somebody slide because they're moderately famous is the cause of plenty of problems in this country already.
That is patently absurd in relation to the story as Nox related it and you know it. Literal and unimaginative interpretation of the rules causes far more problems than celebrity does.
And, back on topic, how 'bout that Al Gore, huh?
!i!
An Inconvenient Truth is very good. I haven't seen the other nominees, though, so I can't tell you if it was the year's best.
Quote from: Dominus NoxI've never said anything like what you're saying. I've never cited a lack of terrorist attacks since 911 for anything.
Sorry, I must have confused someone else's idiotic rants with one of yours. I hope you can undestand how easy that would be to do and forgive me for my understandable error. :)
In any case though, rules should be applied across the board. I don't care if you're Achmed Ameninininininjahd, Brittney Spears, or Dominus "sir, we're going to have to ask you to pay for two seats" Nox. Rules about what you can and can't bring on the plane should apply equally. Hell, I find the idea that he lost his statue because he was too prissy to follow the rules hilarious.
QuoteThat is patently absurd in relation to the story as Nox related it and you know it. Literal and unimaginative interpretation of the rules causes far more problems than celebrity does.
Can you supply some examples of horrendous problems caused by someone not being able to bring a weaponlike object onto a plane? All I have to do is go to the mall and see the eight year old girls dressed like Christina Slutalerra to see problems caused by celebrities being idolized. Or a quick Google search to find celebrities getting away with crimes just because they're famous.
Quote from: James McMurrayCan you supply some examples of horrendous problems caused by someone not being able to bring a weaponlike object onto a plane?
That argument belongs in the same category as Polar Bear Repellant. You're not doing much to counter the accusation of absurdity.
QuoteAll I have to do is go to the mall and see the eight year old girls dressed like Christina Slutalerra to see problems caused by celebrities being idolized. Or a quick Google search to find celebrities getting away with crimes just because they're famous.
Having nothing (immediately apparent) to do with air safety and someone with a prominent identity carrying an even more prominent award aboard a plane. Stay on target, Gold Leader...stay on target!
!i!
Quote from: JongWKAn Inconvenient Truth is very good. I haven't seen the other nominees, though, so I can't tell you if it was the year's best.
I don't know if this one was nominated -
God Grew Tired Of Us - but I found it more compelling than
An Inconvenient Truth.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: Ian AbsentiaThat argument belongs in the same category as Polar Bear Repellant. You're not doing much to counter the accusation of absurdity.
Having nothing (immediately apparent) to do with air safety and someone with a prominent identity carrying an even more prominent award aboard a plane. Stay on target, Gold Leader...stay on target!
!i!
Wait, so what you're saying is that if somebody says "a is worse than b" and I ask for examples, that's not topical?
Nobody mentioned a thing about celebrity problems on planes. The exact statement was:
QuoteLiteral and unimaginative interpretation of the rules causes far more problems than celebrity does.
I'm asking how it is that people not being allowed to bring weaponlike objects on planes causes more problems then celebrities do. It seems to me to be a direct response to the statement made. If that's not topical please tell me what is.