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"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage".
Indiana Jones.
I'm sure George Lucas would be more willing to play Hollywood's game if his history had been different. But, while the folks at Universal were always good to Steven Spielberg in the early 1970s, someone at Universal decided to shaft George Lucas when he finished AMERICAN GRAFFITI and that set in motion the two career paths of these two men who, although they're friends, have a completely different approach to producing.
I'm a bit angry Topsy Turby got best makeup over Fat Bastard! Sure his chicken eating/sex scene was disgusting...but ya gotta admit the makeup was far superior to Topsy.
I enjoy Phil Collins' music, but I grow really tired of Disney getting the best original song award every year...especially when "Blame Canada" was nominated! Trey Parker and Matt Stone keep getting shafted by the Academy and the MPAA. Anyone remember the "NC-17" rating on "Orgazmo"? That should've been an R rating in every sense of the term. (At least Robin Williams made a nice show of the song.)
Finally, when oh when will the Academy devote a mere couple of minutes to the technical achievement awards. They don't even bother to quickly run through them! Yet they'll go on and on and on and on and on with their montages, dragging the show out to a solid FOUR HOURS so they can sell more commercial time.
On a positive note, how about that "Matrix", eh?
And Brad, I was also disappointed that they didn't even bother to show HIGHLIGHTS for the Technical Acheivement Awards! Arrrg!
Thanks to Scott Ribbens for sending them in.
That's not true. Had Lucas made a film which had even SLIGHTLY rekindled the flame which burnt so brightly by the first two films (and to a lesser extent, the third) he would have been up there all night and NO-ONE would be looking at him as if he is a has-been.
Congrats to the Matrix and all the Aussies that made it possible.
Personally, I wasn't wrapped in the Matrix, but I'd sit through it another twenty times before I sat through The Phantom Shit another once.
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"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage".
Indiana Jones.
And did anyone else notice Cher's eyes kinda bugging out as she opened that envelope? Thought 'Blame Canada' had actually won it there for a split second until she said "Phil Collins"...
And i am glad Matrix swept all its categories!
Aaron
I have to agree that the Matrix also clearly desrved the Oscars that it recieved this year. It pushed the envelope of film-making technology, and is already a benchmark. of movies to come (ie Mission Impossible 2)
Things that worked.
I thought Billy Crystal was great as usual. Yea, the shtick is getting old; but it's a great shtick! I actually liked the two announcers. Peter Coyote was transparent and I enjoyed the peek backstage.
I thought the show made use of the video wall in the most effective way that I have ever seen. I used to set those up and let me tell you, The represented 5 days work by a couple of very talented technicians, to set up. Then, I am sure there was a week of rehearsal. It also represented at least a week of programming time, if not longer. Then, of course, they flew the walls. There was a credit for TI/DLP at the end of the broadcast. They did the big screen, but who did the video walls?
I liked the way they brought all the song acts on in one set. The curtain moved back and forth until Blame Canada when they used the whole set.
Things that didn't work.
So they eliminated the dance number! What was that tribute to Music in Film number? It looked like a colossal waste of time to me. It wasn't very good and only scratched the surface of the topic. And let's stitch the whole thing together with mindless plinking at the piano. Ray Charles is one of the greatest performers ever, but he looked a little sad up there. Let it be said that I dislike medleys, anyway.
There were some dead spots when they came back from commercials. I don't know how you fix that, but it stood out.
And what was that about standing in the center mike, then crossing the stage to get out of the way of the screen, and ending up at a different mike? The presenters were obviously body miked and they didn't need the center mike. I would have stood the presenter at the edge of the screen and stopped all this movement on stage.
Every year I here about how long the telecast was. I don’t care, I like it long.
Disappointments
I wanted Richard Farnsworth to win best actor. I wanted Genghis Blues to win best documentary. Congar Ol Adnar from Genghis Blues was there in person. He would have been a mind blowing, musical guest.
Delights
Hilary Swank was the best actress. Michael Cain was very gracious. I liked that the Matrix was given everything it was nominated for. I like that everybody thanked the Warchowski Brohters, who are great and will be great again if Matrix 2 & 3 don't sink them.
Dresses
Selma Hyak was great as usual. Hilary Swank looked very feminine. Charlize Therone was stunning, as was Nichole Kidman. What dresses stood out in your mind?
Next year they should have a projectionist as host of the Oscars.
Brad, You forgot to mention the special Oscar Statuette given to Dr Ryan in your listing on Technical awards.
Mark
Ian, and who should be that projectionist? I can see it now:
"And the nominees are: Movie #1, which shed like a bitch...Movie #2, which got tossed 14 times during it's 3 month run...Movie #3 which brainwrapped and pulled the platter over on it's side...Movie #4 which wouldn't fit in the damn clamps...and finally Movie #5 which was a trade screening print that came in all scratched up after only being ran one time at the megaplex down the road."
Did anyone get a look at what Matt and Trey were wearing? Nice send up to bad fashion!
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"If it's not worth doing, I have allready been there and done it"
My name is Ian Price; I'm the projectionist and I will be your host.
You will not see me for the rest of the show. I will be lounging in the booth with my fellow projectionist while all these stars are sweating it out on stage. Now here is Charlize Therone to give an oscar to the Projectionist of the Year.
I exit while giving Charlize a pat on the back side.
"The nominees are;
Brad Miller, for inventing Film-Guard.
Joe Redifer, for using his aserbic wit to make the manufactures do better.
Erika Helgren, for putting up with Joe and advancing the art of projection.
Aaron Siesmore, for making the oldest, most beat-up equipment in the world, continue to work.
And Gordon McLeod for running the realy big film.
The Oscar goes to...."
Ian, don't keep us in suspense!!!
I wonder if it was a concious decision by ABC or unconcious not to show them.
My buddy Congar ol Adnar was there as well. He is the Tuvan throat singer from Genghis Blues. I only saw him in the corner of one of E!'s shots. His outfit was more colorful than most.
After that russian won for best animated short, The Old Man and the Sea, they should have said, "OK lets watch it now."
Or with interactive TV they should say, "The winner's film will now play on Channel 602 on your DSS machine. We will give you five minutes to set your Replay."
I'm trying to get my booker to get me the Documentary and Animated winners.
And I'm gonna keep complaining about this one for as long as I'm a lover of movies (I'm still complaining that Kevin Spacey beat Sean Penn's career performance in Dead Man Walking) so here it is... JIM CARREY- BEST ACTOR for MAN ON THE MOON! And I really like Kevin Spacey... he gets better and better... but this is twice that he's won when he shouldn't have.
Okay, I'm done.
Wait, I lied.
Malkovich should've won Original Screenplay.
There... now I'm done.
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Scott A. Magie
scoooot@bigsky.net
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
I agree with you about Being John Malkovitch! 
How's Missoula? Both Ky and I went to U of M.
Ian BA 1985, English Literature
Ky BA 1987, Business Administration/Marketing (Which comes in handy)
We enjoyed the Wilma and the Crystal Theatres. 
In fact, Ky saw the defining film of his life, Diva, at the Wilma. Diva played in a little theatre in the basement. What was that one called? It was very unique.
On a related topic, what happened to the Musical/Comedy Score category? Randy Newman's score for Toy Story 2 was fabulous, though no other musicals or comedies this year come to mind for this category.
On a related topic, what happened to the Musical/Comedy Score category? Randy Newman's score for Toy Story 2 was fabulous, though no other musicals or comedies this year come to mind for this category.
From: TSSINC Mar-27 10:38 am
To: ALL (1 of 2)
545.1 next
I don't normally comment on the Academy Awards, but this year was too much.
Well, I think the producers of the Oscar finally blew cover.
First, with two small exceptions, the award recipients were brief in their acceptance speeches and yet the program still ran long! Yessir, I was pleased <not> when the music came up to drown out a recipient in the last two seconds of his speech, so that the next batch of old clips could be screened for five minutes, and Crystal could ad-lib with impunity.
I dunno about anyone else, but I'm getting tired of seeing the same old recycled clips as well. "History from two million years ago to now according to moviemakers?" Pu-le-e-se! Why not be more honest, since a good percentage of the clips were from fiction anyway, and say, "We thought you might have forgotton these old film scraps we showed last year, so we dusted them off and decided to run them again in no particular order, and with no attempt at a theme." I don't wonder that Morgan Freeman looked pissed.
And what the heck was that with Isaac Hayes? It says a lot for his professionalism that he sat through a fog that was so thick that the audience was waiting for a foghorn blast and reprise of the Titanic theme. I know that had I been in his shoes, I would have walked off the set. "You can't see me though this sh__! Screw you guys, I'm going home!"
During the same medley, Ray Charles looked as though someone had shoved a piano into his stomach to pin him to the set wall in back of him. Top off his segment with Burt B. playing over Charles fingering of what was probably an unstrung piano, and a pattern begins to emerge.
Billy Crystal's remark for the co-star of Green Mile "I see white people out there!" fit right into the mix. Cap _that_ one off with a shot of the (again black) dumpster diver that found the lost Oscars being barbed with "This is fine but now I want to direct." and I was beginning to wonder if the next production number was going to feature all the southern actors dressed in white robes and hoods doing a Bob Fosse kick-step turn.
All of this may have been an unintentional slight of blacks and an odd coincidence, but in any event the cummulative effect was thoughtless, rude, and an embarassment to the industry.
One also has to wonder about the correctness of applauding the actors that died over the past year. Is the audience applauding to say "Thank-goodness he's dead!" or is it a post-humous popularity contest? "And the dead actor Oscar goes to..."
And what was the on-again off-again hosting by Crystal? Did he get to pick and choose what he introduced? Or did the Don Pardo stand-in have some purpose? Judging from the camera shots he wasn't directly visible to the audience.
I did wish that this announcer could have done the singing that Crystal attempted. To say that Billy Crystal was flat would be a disservice to the word. I had visions of union musicians demanding ear protectors and popping vallium just to make it past the opening skit.
By the end of the telecast, the faces in the audience were again looking like tired masks of guys wanting desperately to take a pee break and go home.
Judging from all the comments throughout the show, I think the two real reasons that everyone was there were that Jack Nicholson was there, and for the off chance that Warren B.'s wife would pop out a kid dressed in full tux during the telecast.
The three people that could have made the show more interesting with off-the-cuff comments, Robin Williams, Jane Fonda, and Steven Speilburg, were locked into appearances as constrained as Ray Charles stomach, making this show one of the dullest I've ever seen.
My advice for the producers of this years show is -
"Give it up guys. Let Fox produce the ceremony next year. Fox might at least include some wild police chases and gratuitous sex and violence. And for Pete sake, put a trigger lock on any musical note in the vicinity of Billy Crystal."
The class act of the evening was Michael Caine.
Oh yeah, Ian... I forgot to mention... I'm actually an alumnus of MSU-Bozeman, not UofM.
1999 - Bachelor of Arts in Media & Theatre Arts (Motion Picture/Video Production Option)
Go Cats!
(Please don't hate me!)
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Scott A. Magie
scoooot@bigsky.net
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
Okay, after 4 HOURS of blabbering, who's going to watch credits? 
Wasn't Spacey awarded for Best Supporting Actor that year? Surely Penn was nominated for Best ACTOR, not supporting.
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It's the new small talk. You do it so awfully well! - My Fair Lady
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"Asleep at the switch? I wasn't asleep, I was drunk!" - Homer Simpson
quote:
Originally posted by John Wilson:
>>(I'm still complaining that Kevin Spacey beat Sean Penn's career performance in Dead Man Walking)<<Wasn't Spacey awarded for Best Supporting Actor that year? Surely Penn was nominated for Best ACTOR, not supporting.
Nope, they were both nominated for supporting (which was ridiculous) and Spacey won (which was ridiculous). I have never seen a better performance by an actor in a film... period. The character-arc shown by Penn in DMWalking was amazing! Somehow you hate him and love him at the same time... you want him killed and saved... and at the end, both of those wishes come true in a way. During the first hour of the film, you can't imagine his character ever crying... yet less than an hour later, he is blubbering for his mommy and we BELIEVE IT! That, my friends, is acting.
I am now stepping off of the soap-box... you may return to whatever it was that you were doing.
From now on I will try to contain my replies to the subject at hand... namely, THIS year's Oscars. Please accept my deepest apologies.
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Scott A. Magie
scoooot@bigsky.net
"Anybody wanna peanut?"
As for him needing to act at the oscars, Russel Crowe looked like he was having his wisdom teeth removed for the whole thing.
He and Denzel should enlist in the same 'how to act at an award ceremony more than half the globe's population would like to be at instead of acting like a stuck up shit' acting class.
Maybe Russel was just pissed because he didn't get to sit next to his buddy Tom Cruise like they do at the Rugby League Football here in Sydney.
Nah..........