The All-Purpose Post-Academy Awards Classic Films Group Dish-and-Kibitz Thread.

[CBHagman]

Well? What did you all think?

[graham4anything]

1. the host, Seth stunk big time. Worse than Letterman.

Insulting a little kid, and Emmanuelle Riva at the same time.

Insulting good taste for another.

As for the awards, there is no accouting for taste anymore in Hollywood.
It is all scorch earth tear the nominees down Harvey Weinstein style ever since Gwenyth and Shakespeare in love won.

I am happy Daniel Day Lewis won, and anytime Ang Lee wins I am not bothered by it,
but Spielberg should have won, but again he was denied.

Anyone who sang the song from Les Mis could have won as Anne did nothing that anyone else wouldn't have done.Would have given Sally Field another Oscar.

BTW, more and more I am impressed by the vocals of Russell Crowe, and style. He is if nothing else, a new Richard Harris.

I would have given the actresss to Emamnuelle Riva or Jessica Chastain or Qvuivenzhane Wallis over Jennifer Lawrence.(who seems never to have worn a gown and promptly tripped on the steps, something youtube will probably forever capture).

And Lincoln should have been best Picture.

Not quite sure why the snub of Affleck led to total not voting for Lincoln in all categories but best picture and one minor award.

Tommy Lee Jones was snubbed (as was the above Sally Field and Spielberg for Lincoln).

Glad Rodriquez won the documentary "in Search of Sugarman" about a totally forgotten about almost was rock star of 40 years ago.

Songs-
loved Shirley Bassey doing Goldfinger and Streisand doing Way we were in tribute to Marvin Hamlisch.
Adele seems to still have major problems with her voice and just did not get Skyfall
(though her groupies would probably disagree).

Bring back Johnny Carson(even as a hologram).

You know, I love Jimmy Carter, however Argo was more like a 1970s ABC movie of the week.
I don't get the mass love for it (except that it is about the film industry,
however, Sunset Blvd. and Mulholland Drive did it so much better.(and neither won best picture). I can't say Ben Affleck ever would have been a star in all the great decades of Hollywood. But that's just me.

One thing I loved-
Michelle Obama live from the White HOuse giving out the best movie award with Jack Nicholson
Jack being one of the very very few actual stars in the house last night.
When one thinks of the 100s of stars that used to go to the Oscars (most now deceased),
it is pitiful at these people who are posing as actors.

[Auggie]

2. Okay ...

(comments made having not seen Amour)

Ang Lee -- absolutely no. Spielberg and Russell made more compelling, larger films, as did Kathryn Bigelow, who wasn't even nominated. Any of those three deserved best direction IMO.

Argo -- good, but not best picture. Any of three three mentioned above.

Life of Pi deserved the visual effects awards. As for cinematography, so much of Pi was made in post production it's hard to say what was real and what wasn't. I thought Skyfall and Lincoln were very well photographed. Didn't see Anna Karenina.

No issue with Jennifer Lawrence winning. Thought she was awesome. Same with Daniel Day-Lewis.

Waltz -- well deserved. He made Django. So did Tarantino's screenplay. No issue with Hathaway either.

Thought the tribute to musicals was disjointed -- it needed a thread to tie it all together, though the individual performances were great.

McFarland was a yawn.

The Captain Kirk bit fell flat.

Michelle Obama came out of left field. She did a fine job, but it felt awkward pairing her with Jack Nicholson, especially by remote. This is a Hollywood party -- keep it that way.

[CBHagman]

3. Omissions.

They always seem to forget someone during the "In Memoriam" film, and this year was no exception. Sometimes the fault is in the timing of the death (i.e., too near to the actual broadcast), but this year there's no excuse. Someone in today's Washington Post pointed out they'd forgotten Ann Rutherford, and I'm fairly certain they left off Phyllis Thaxter, Joyce Redman, and possibly even Andy Griffith.

I wish they'd be as thorough and as graceful as the "TCM Remembers" spots, but for all I know the same people do the clips for both the channel and the Oscars broadcast.