quote: Mark Ogden

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it was the safe choice, instead of the daring one.

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Wasn't that the theme of the show
 

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Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 02-27-2012, 12:34 PM:
 
Didn't watch. The whole thing is political anyhow and the Academy judges have the worst taste of anyone on the planet.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-27-2012, 01:31 PM:
 
Robert summed it up nicely IMHO. I didn't watch and couldn't care less who won.

quote:

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Very interesting how large LED screens are being worked into stage design in place of both front and rear projection. Looked very good too, I might add.

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quote:

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I do NOT understand what all the screaming is about over ... Ms. Jolie. Classic butter face, as far as I'm concerned.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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You guys who didn't watch the show, yet are commenting on how bad it is, are ridiculous.

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quote: Dennis Benjamin

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The Academy Awards are just a bunch of rich Hollywood People giving people awards that they deem "worthy"....

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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You guys who didn't watch the show, yet are commenting on how bad it is, are ridiculous.

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And your smart ass comment is even more ridiculous.

I, like Robert, had watched the Oscars for many years and it has been a train wreck for many years and shows no signs of getting better.

Even some of my clients who work in the industry no longer host their own parties because it has gotten so bad.
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 02-27-2012, 06:19 PM:
 
Why does the Academy insist on showing so much leader? No decent projectionist would ever let those numbers show up on the screen. I guess that makes it "filmy".

Also, in the opening sequence after TinTin, Billy Crystal is riding on a VistaVision movie...8 perf, horizontal. I guess he was emulating "Strategic Air Command" by flying on VistaVision. I guess next year Billy will go chasing a run away hard drive.

The only award I really cared about was the Animated Short. FLYING BOOKS was a beautiful and touching movie with some very clever touches (especially the book-bound Humpty Dumpty). The other awards were OK, but rather predictable. The dog from THE ARTIST should have received a special canine Oscar dog biscuit.

As the technical awards were announced, I thought of our dear, late friend, John Pytlak.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-27-2012, 06:46 PM:
 

quote:

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I, like Robert, had watched the Oscars for many years and it has been a train wreck for many years and shows no signs of getting better.

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You don't know that because you didn't watch the show. I thought it was better than last year by leaps and bounds, for all the reasons I indicated in my first post. I've even thought of a couple more reasons since I wrote that post: The bit about "focus groups" was hilarious and spot-on, and I thought the tribute segment was excellent (especially the music).

If you hate the Oscars that's your right, but why even bother to comment in threads such as this one? Instead, write a letter to the Academy and give them your ideas on how to make the show better.
 

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Posted by Jenn Jennings (Member # 6455) on 02-27-2012, 07:00 PM:
 
All this chatter and no mention of how awful the sound was all night? It was making me insane. The best part of the night was when one of the writers for the Descendants ( Jim Rash) mocked Jolie's leg pose. The Oscars are fun and I enjoy them every year. It gives me some common ground with folks around me and I enjoy playing the ballot games with my friends. It's a pageantry I hope I get to be part of someday so I can wave and wink at all of you
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-27-2012, 07:14 PM:
 
A touch of irony: "The Artist", being the first B/W silent to win the "Best Picture" since "WINGS"(1929) .. and a great flick to see)) ..

..where most of the cinemas playing this 'the Artist' are presenting this 'film' in digital.

Looks like "The Artist" needs to be played either through Simplex Standards, or Powers 6B, both using low intensity lamphouses.



-Monte
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-27-2012, 07:47 PM:
 

quote: Jenn Jennings

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All this chatter and no mention of how awful the sound was all night?

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I noticed about halfway through the show that there seemed to be a small amount of feedback when the presenters were doing their bits. I don't know if something changed during the show or if I just didn't notice it at the beginning.

I heard someone on the radio say they though the sound was off during Billy Crystal's opening, but I didn't notice that.
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-27-2012, 07:59 PM:
 
In digital tv sound, the mono mix was "sunk." Unless there was no other sound, the voice overs were lost. Voice only was OK.

I switched my cable back to analog so I could understand what was going on.

As Bob Hope used to say: "Oscar night. . . .known at my house as Passover." louis
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 02-27-2012, 08:23 PM:
 
I saw THE ARTIST on film and there was a noticeable color shift between the reels. Some had a brown-tint and some had a blue. It was really jarring.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-27-2012, 08:42 PM:
 
Here, the sound seemed soft. We didn't watch it on our "good" sound system though, just on the bedroom TV with its built-in crap speakers. But I needed to crank the sound up louder than typical for that TV.

I was blaming it on the station we were watching, which has semi-crappy signal quality at times.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-27-2012, 08:44 PM:
 
I thought the sound problems were just my local TV station. I don't have digital cable and the sound was dropping in volume and coming in muddy almost from the beginning. A friend in Iowa said it was bad there, too. How can a multi-million dollar production with a year to prepare and the whole world watching, screw something that essential so badly?
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-27-2012, 09:19 PM:
 
The sound during the Oscars telecast was awful.

I was laughing a little about it when the guys from Hugo were accepting the sound editing and mixing awards. I noticed a tinge of metallic feedback going on throughout the show. Perhaps some of it was P.A. system feedback. I also have to wonder if there wasn't some kind of software goof in how the sound was being encoded live in real time. It really sounded awful.

Even on Facebook Roger Ebert was asking questions about the audio problem noting that quite a few people were lighting up Twitter about it.

Audio problems aside, I think the telecast was certainly a lot better than the one last year (even though I think Anne Hathaway is the shiznit). It was better paced and Billy Crystal worked the crowd a lot better. I loved his comment about the Oscars being hosted in the "Chapter 11 Theatre." And he later followed a clip of When Harry Met Sally by saying that was back when movies were actually shot on film.

The elaborate opening was decent, but not in the same league as when Billy Crystal was spoofing Jerry MaGuire quite a few years ago.

I wasn't too surprised by how the awards were given. Really the only surprise for me was Meryl Streep taking the Best Actress Oscar (for The Iron Lady, which scored a relatively dismal 53% score at Rotten Tomatoes) over SAG Best Actress winner Viola Davis for The Help, Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%. The Beatles movie, Help! has a 91% score at Rotten Tomatoes. Maybe if Viola had managed to star in that one she might have a golden statue. That damned Meryl!

 

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Posted by Brent Francis (Member # 5008) on 02-28-2012, 09:54 AM:
 
Anybody catch the uncomfortable laughter at Billy Crystals Kodak jokes about the "the Chapter 11 / 'Your Name Here' theatre"?
 

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Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 02-28-2012, 11:36 AM:
 
I agree with Mike, I thought the Christopher Guest & Friends 'Focus Group' sketch was the highlight of the evening.

"I like flying monkeys"


 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-28-2012, 12:41 PM:
 

quote: Mike Blakesley

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If you hate the Oscars that's your right, but why even bother to comment in threads such as this one?

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quote:

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The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.

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Is that clear enough for you to get off my back? Just as you have your opinion that the Oscars are great, I have mine that they, as Joe would say, suck ass.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 02-28-2012, 01:16 PM:
 
This thread is more entertaining than the Oscars were. That's for sure.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-28-2012, 01:26 PM:
 
Hey Tony, you can call me names all you want. The fact remains that you DID NOT SEE the thing you're commenting about. Sure, the rules allow you to comment on events and such but you didn't see the event. You have no idea if it "sucked ass" or not. I guess if you want to "speculate" you can go right ahead, but I also have the right to my opinion that such speculations are pointless.

quote: Mark J. Marshall

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This thread is more entertaining than the Oscars were.

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And shorter!
 

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Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 02-28-2012, 01:49 PM:
 
I thought this years Oscar show was the best in years!
Keep in mind,it was rushed into shape with Eddie Murphy bowing out so late in the game.
Highlight for me was Emma Stone!
 

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Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-28-2012, 02:05 PM:
 
One upside: No weird interpretive dances. Sure, they had Cirque Du Soleil but I'd say what they did had more to do with movies by a long shot than those dances.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-28-2012, 02:33 PM:
 
That's another highlight I failed to mention. The Cirque thing was excellent. I've seen a couple of those shows in person and those people are amazing. Their Oscars bit was great and could have been longer, I thought.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 02-28-2012, 03:48 PM:
 
Cirque was cool, but having trapeze artists sailing over the audience's heads seems a bit crazy and scary.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-28-2012, 04:33 PM:
 
They need to give the host position to Chris Elliott. Then it would be awesome.

 

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-28-2012, 05:09 PM:
 
Be thankful there still is an Oscars.

If there wasn't, it'd be a sign the industry was in big trouble and many of us would be out of work.



AJG
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-28-2012, 06:50 PM:
 
Chris Elliot has a hot daughter. Is Chris Elliot even still alive? I thought he died about the same time as Billy Crystal did.
 

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Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 03-01-2012, 06:50 PM:
 
Monte,
Where did you get the picture?
I have the same picture on the cover of Scientific American dated July 2, 1921.
I believe that it's the NYC Capitol booth as I've seen other pictures from the same era. I think one of the men in the picture was Arthur Smith then chief projectionist at the Capitol. He went on to be the chief at the Roxy and was the first chief at Radio City Music Hall.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 03-01-2012, 07:25 PM:
 
The Oscar "show" has been basically the same for the 35+ years I have been watching. It is what it is, and you either accept it or reject it.

This year was better than last year's, which wasn't as good as the year before. Billy trotting out the same schtick he trotted out twenty years ago reaffirms his position as this generation's Henny Youngman.

The Cirque du Soliel part was painful, but mercifully short and still far better than the Debbie Allen interpretative dance crap we used to get.

Thank God, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu and every other deity in modern religion Bruce Villanch is no longer a part of the show.

The Artist was a good movie. Not as good as Hugo, but still a worthy winner.

I'll watch again next year, must the same way I watched this year: take a shot of tequila every time a winner reads from a list or just starts rattling off a string of names without explaining who they are or why they matter.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-01-2012, 10:00 PM:
 
I usually am able to watch it in about 60 to 90 minutes by skipping over:

- Commercials
- Acceptance speeches in categories I don't care much about
- All the lesser categories, like foreign, documentary, short, etc.
- Song performances (thankfully, none this year although I would have liked to see Sergio Mendes' band doing "Real in Rio."
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-01-2012, 10:25 PM:
 

quote: Robert Throop

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Where did you get the picture

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quote: Mark Lensenmayer

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Some had a brown-tint and some had a blue. It was really jarring.

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quote: Monte L Fullmer

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I assembled the film version of "the Artist" today and did notice the color shift amongst the reels, which this color shift was a practice in the silent era with some films with dying the entire b/w stock in various color shades (sepia and blue were the common colors to use) to set the "tone", or "mood" of sorts in certain sections of the movie.

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