At a pugnacious Oscars, Apple's feel-good 'CODA' triumphs

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JAKE COYLE

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a movie year often light on crowds, the Academy Awards named an unabashed crowd-pleaser, the deaf family drama “CODA,” best picture Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a streaming service for the first time in a ceremony that saw the greatest drama when Will Smith strode onstage and slapped Chris Rock.

Sian Heder’s “CODA,” which first premiered at a virtual Sundance Film Festival in winter 2021, started out as an underdog but gradually emerged as the Oscars’ feel-good favorite. It also had one very deep-pocketed backer in Apple TV+, which scored its first best picture Academy Award on Sunday, less than three years after launching the service.

It also handed another near-miss defeat to Netflix, the veteran streamer that for years has tried vainly to score best picture. Its best chance, Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” came in with a leading 12 nominations. It won one, for Campion’s direction.

But “CODA” rode a wave of goodwill driven by its cast including Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Emilia Jones and Daniel Durant. It’s the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. “CODA” managed that despite being one of the least-nominated films with only three coming into Sunday. Not since 1932’s “Grand Hotel” has a movie won best picture with fewer than four nods.



The cast and crew of "CODA" accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-oscars-show-9a69424884de11649b68a12a284353a1

[Roy Rolling]

1. The American Film Industry

Other countries have outstanding cinema industries producing wonderfully inspirational and entertaining movies.

But the American film industry leads the world—which I guess is why idiot Republicans constantly bash it and want to tear it down.

“Hollywood” gets some things wrong, but it gets a lot more right.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. CODA was an excellent film

and Tony Kotsur did a fantastic job!

I know the entertainment media has labeled it (and IMHO minimized it) as a "feel good" / "coming of age" story but it's more than that. The backstory alone, aside from 3 of the 4 family members being deaf, is something rarely broached in film - the life and travails of a small commercial fishing family and dealing with (including getting ripped off by) the wholesalers who buy their daily catch, and trying to make ends meet.

[ZonkerHarris]

12. The writer/director Sian Heder is one of the most talented people I've met in 22 years in Hollywood.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Will Smith appears to hit Chris Rock after joke about his wife

"King Richard" star Will Smith appeared to hit Chris Rock after the stand-up comedian made a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Rock, presenting the Oscar for best documentary feature, said that he was excited to watch Pinkett Smith in "G.I. Jane 2."

In 2018, Pinkett Smith revealed she was diagnosed with alopecia.

Smith then walked to the stage at the Dolby Theatre and seemed to hit Rock.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/awards/live-blog/live-blog-oscars-2022-live-updates-n1293280?featureFlag=true#ncrd1293338

Because a famous person hitting a famous person over a "joke" about another famous person's alopecia is the actual headline from the Oscars, not what won Best Picture. Check the world's media, if you need to find out.

[alfredo]

5. Chris broke a cardinal rule of humor. Hitting up is funny, hitting down is not.

Women, children and those suffering injury or disease are not fair game. When trump made fun of a disabled journalist he broke the rules of humor. When Rush showed a picture of a dog when talking about an underaged Chelsea Clinton he also broke the rule. This wasn’t the first time Chris went after Jada.

[ZonkerHarris]

11. Jada Pinkett is a movie and TV star. She was before she married Smith. Some would say she is a

bigger household name than Chris Rock.
Everyone in that audience is a comedic target on Oscar night.
Don't like it? dont go big movie star.
That's why trump couldn't go to a Correspondents dinner. Ego Cant take a joke.

Rock compared her to a Demi Moore role where she played a beautiful, bald, bad ass woman breaking down gender barriers.
He didn't compare her to Lex Luthor, Blofeld or even Kojak.
It was a pop culture compliment.

People have lost their freaking minds.
We have wigs here in Hollywood.
hair extensions and hair people that create miracles.
Jada has chosen to go bald and public with the effects of her disease.
She is a wealthy person with many choices and she has made hers.
She is beautiful.
But she and her husband need to learn how to deal with any joke, good, bad, or insulting, in a way that does not include violence and threats.
Jokes are not violence.
Violence is violence.

[alfredo]

13. This wasn't the first time Chris targeted Jada.

[ZonkerHarris]

14. So?

[alfredo]

15. He might have known he was treading on dangerous ground.

This doesn’t justify Smith’s actions.

[BradAllison]

7. Or from the dozen other threads about it on DU (n/m)

[Upthevibe]

4. Omaha Steve....

I haven't been able to see it because I don't have access to Apple T.V. Hopefully, they'll release it in the theatre. Everyone I know who saw CODA loved it so I'm thinking it's my kind of movie. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I despised The Power of the Dog and am thrilled it almost struck out.

[maxsolomon]

6. Hi DU, just coming to a post about movies to tell everyone I don't watch movies

and movies aren't good anymore and I only watch old movies and I am old.

[BradAllison]

8. LOL

No, you're doing it wrong. Make sure to hold your nose in the air while doing it so you can project the proper air of superiority while not actually calling anyone else mindless idiots.

[maxsolomon]

9. I forgot to add

and I don't have a TV!

[BradAllison]

10. Too many ads for Olive Garden

WHICH I BOYCOTT BY THE WAY!!