#Oscar2015 Recap

It's finally that time -- my favorite TV event of the year (and a close second to arguably my favorite event of the year in general, other than my birthday): The OSCARS! Now that we've all had a moment to digest the 4-hour event in its entirety (and hope you all recorded the following event on your DVRs last night because of how much it ran over!), let's discuss shall we?

First off, I miss the good old days. I miss seeing the class acts. Leo, Halle, Adrien, Scorsese, Kate. It was sad not seeing them but instead watching the red carpet arrivals with the likes of Dakota Johnson (who?) and Jennifer Lopez (really?). Other than being jaw dropped at Margot Robbie's breathtaking black gown I wasn't impressed with anyone else's dresses. Literally just hers.

But let's move on to the main affair -- the show itself. I thought NPH was a joke. Sorry I'm not sorry. I had 0 expectations from him to begin with and therefore was in love with the opening musical number but after that it was pitiful! PSA: Jack Black you are amazing. Always.

Someone please get Steve Martin or Seth McFarlane back on here! His jokes were trying way too hard or barely trying at all. And the hype around that hidden suitcase/ Oscar predictions bit?? Um. Even poor Octavia Spencer looked so awkward every time he'd ask her if she was still keeping an eye on it. Pointless! (Side note: loved that Octavia brought her fellow Red Band Society cast mate along as her plus one. RIP Red Banders).

Other than that, I thought the show itself and the award winners were for the most part pretty well-deserved. It's funny, Birdman was the first of all the Oscar-nominated films that I watched even before it was nominated. I loved it when I watched it in theaters. I just watched it at home this past weekend for the second time with my parents and it seemed lack luster the second time. Sure, the cinematography was on point and super unique, as well the acting. Let the record show, Edward Norton is my favorite actor and he did NOT disappoint in this role. I'm so happy he even got the Best Supporting Actor nod this year. That being said, I don't know how I feel about it winning Best Picture. I'm torn. But Sean Penn's reveal -- gold.

So, I think this was an AMAZING year for film. I don't think I've ever had a year where ALL of the films are solid A's. Even the films that didn't get nominated for Best Picture (Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler, Wild -- all three were movies I'd consider top tier for what I watched this year). I think that's why I kind of wish something else got some more lovin.

I think Alejandro González Iñárritu is amazing. I've said it before but him and Tarantino are my favorite directors of all time. So I am all for his Director win -- BUT, I almost feel like he should have won in this category for his dramas -- not a dark comedy. When you look at what Richard Linklater did with Boyhood over 12 years, that's amazing directing. I don't think people think about how much of a visionary you have to be to brainstorm a project over a timeline like that. On top of that, thinking about the commitment the cast has to agree to and how much they will change over the course of the project. It was as close it could have been to being a documentary, yet had the exact measure of depth it needed to be a wonderful film. It's so sad when I hear people say their only gripe with it was that it "wasn't dramatic enough" -- I can't tell you how many people have said that to me. I feel like that's such a shallow way of looking at film. It's almost exactly like what "Birdman" was telling Michael Keaton at the end of the film: people only care about the action in movies these days. We've been accustomed to grow "bored" when watching a real movie about real life. I think that's what Linklater did so masterfully in Boyhood is depict what actual life is like. And the stages of "boyhood" for an individual. Male or female, I think anyone could relate to this film and what true growing pains are like. That's what I loved about this movie. I wish it got more attention at the Oscar's, but super happy for Patricia Arquette at least!

Another film that I thought was AMAZING this year was Theory of Everything. I didn't expect the film itself to get much hype, but I highly suggest watching to movie to anyone. It was not what I expected. And Eddie Redmayne - WOW. I hadn't even heard of this guy but after this film I was in awe. Most well-deserved award of the night went to him!

What was my highlight of the night? I never thought I would be saying this, but Lady Gaga's Sound of Music tribute brought me to tears and goosebumps. This is my favorite movie so the fact that they did a surprise tribute was the most exciting thing of life. Lol. Also, new update: Lady Gaga can SING. Woah, Nelly!! I was jaw dropped. She did an amazing job and I have a newfound respect for her. Finally, to top it all off with JULIE ANDREWS gracing the stage. Done. Done. I can stop watching now. It was the best part of the night for me. She always brings a smile to my face. Oh, and .. why don't they make movies like this anymore?

Finally, my favorite category at the Academy Awards is Writing (go figure). So I'm always super stoked to see who wins Best Original Screenplay & Best Adapted. To be honest, I was pretty surprised that Imitation Game won. I haven't seen it or read the book so it could be on point, but it was a bit of a shock to me. Best Original -- Birdman, that was pretty interesting to me as well. Not shocking, as I predicted it, but I feel like reading a script like that wouldn't wow me. It's seeing all the pieces fall into play together on screen with that genius talent in cinematography that made the film what it was. I feel like when it comes to writing, you need something more. I was personally rooting for Nightcrawler, which I thought was genius in its writing. I was blown away by that movie. As creepy as it was, the writing took me to another world. I secretly wish that would have taken home the win.

Other than that, my favorite scream-worthy moments of the night?

- Terrance Howard's acting audition for the whole audience -- and lo and behold he was getting emotional over.... The IMITATION GAME?! I can't explain how hard I laughed at this

- John Travolta's caress of Idina's face (this reminded me of Face/Off and how scary he was)

- Learning Common's real name (and that John Legend is a made up name?! Ew. Let down.)

- Common skipping over Oprah when Glory won Best Song, and then going back and hugging her to save face

- Steadmond's face the entire night

- J. Lo being super into Patricia Arquette's female equality speech (relax, bro)

- Finally, poor Ellar Coltrane trying hug Patricia (running from back row!!) and her skipping over him. HAHA poor guy

That's all from me. What did you guys think of this year?!

#oscars aftermath

SO last night was the beloved Academy Awards! Truthfully, I think it was a pretty mediocre show in my opinion. I feel like each year is always filled with so much spark and this element of mystery as the night goes on. This year it was kind of like the presenters were rushing through each category and we were just waiting for the show to end. Not to mention the most monotone presenters.
This year my predictions were pretty dead on if I do say so myself -- I was off by 3-4 upsets. Some of which I am actually really happy I was wrong about and others... well not so happy.. ( I gotchu, Leo).
Lets keep it real simple and go through the night the best way I see fit: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good:
  • Jared Leto's win: I think jump starting the show with a main award was the best thing to do to set the tone for the night. Right away they jumped into Best Supporting Actor which was perfect in my opinion. Jared Leto winning was pretty much a given, but wow his speech man. I was blown away. Not only is he an amazing public speaker (super engaging) but the story about his mom and the dedication to her and to his brother was wonderful.
  • "Her" winning Best Original Screenplay: Like I said in my last post, this category is one of my favorites. Her was the one I was rooting for most, and honestly I was not expecting it to win. But lo and behold, it got the win. I was so happy for Spike Jonze and I think he definitely deserves it. This was such a unique and forward-thinking concept for a film and the way he brought it to life was near perfect.
  • Charlize Theron being a goddess. I mean need I say more?

 

  • The celebrity selfie. Not because it crashed Twitter/ went viral/ or because everyone is photoshopping themselves into it to look cool. But because in that instant, it was like they were just like us. Seeing them one by one trying to fit into the shot and not miss out on it was one of the cutest things I've seen and actually reminded me exactly of me and my friends. Sweet moment :)
  • Ellen getting pizza for the audience and the audience actually eating it.
  • Like I said in my last post, 12 Years a Slave was going to win Best Picture. I'm not really torn one way or the other on what I think about that. I think Ellen summed it up best in her opening monologue. Had it not won, the Academy looks like a bunch of racists, lets be real. But aside from that, while it isn't the most intriguing or mind-blowing film, it gave us a sense of reality that we don't often think back on or expose ourselves to. And on that note, I couldn't have been happier for Lupita winning Best Supporting Actress.
  • "The Moon Song" performance. Chilling.
  • Seeing Brad Pitt get teary eyed after Angelina Jolie was presented with the humanitarian award.
The Bad:
  • Ellen calling Liza Minelli a man. On top of that, a number of her jokes that just went way too far and were borderline awkward.
  • No opening performance of any sort from Ellen? Come on. No entertainment value to this year's show, sadly.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio loses. Again. The sad thing is, I knew going into it he wasn't going to win. It's just a given at this point that the Academy has something against him. I just didn't want Matthew McConaughey to win over him. And that's exactly what happened. I said it before on Facebook in my public rant, but I'll say it again here. Matthew McConaughey has a resume of playing in chick flick after chick flick for the majority of his career. I don't agree that one versatile performance should equate to an Oscar win. Especially when looking at the others he was competing against. The perfect word I can use to describe Leo's career choices as an actor is chameleon. This guy blows me away film after film with the characters he chooses to take on and the depth he goes to in bringing them to life. The Departed, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Titanic, Blood Diamond, the list goes on. This guy has been in 9 films that have been nominated for Best Picture (and played the main role in them), yet has not even been nominated for the majority of them. A lot of people think he's just another Meryl Streep who's always nominated yet never wins. The truth in fact is that he rarely even has gotten nominated for the epic films he's played in. THAT'S where the conspiracy lies (I'm not trying to be one of those insane conspiracy theorists, I'm just using it for lack of a better word -- yet at this point I'm really starting to believe it is a conspiracy, lol). The great thing is, Leo seems like such a humble and genuine actor who truly cares to solely entertain and tell a story through his films, that this is what he'll continue to do. And I know he'll get his win soon. * This is not to say that Matthew was completely undeserving for this award, no, in fact I totally agree that he rose up and put on a show for all of us. Do I think it was a better performance than Leo? Absolutely not.
The ugly:
  • Matthew McConaughey's speech. I was SO intrigued to hear who this guy's role model was after he kept going on and on about looking up to this mystery person his whole life. Then the ball drops -- "me in 10 years." Really, bro? We're all still trying to recover from you stealing Leo's win and then you top it all off with the most egotistical speech known to man. All I kept remembering was his Golden Globe speech too when he was talking about his wife referring to him as, "the king you know I am." Give me a break.
  • Zac Efron butchering his lines while presenting.
  • Zac Efron presenting an Oscar.
  • John Travolta presenting Idina Menzel before she performed for Best Song.. and completely massacring her name.
  • Lady Gaga being present.
There you have it. Thanks for reading. Feel free to sound off with your thoughts below! Congrats to all the winners and I can truly say one thing for sure -- this was such a powerful year for film all around. Sadly, this marks the end of awards season. You'll know I'll be back for the next one! :)