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March 05, 2006

Oscarblogging 2006 IV

I'm sure the makeup artists appreciate Will Ferrell and Steve Carrell tweaking their profession with those horrid makeup jobs. Does Star Wars pick up another Oscar for making Emperor Palpatine look so lovely? Nope, "The Chronicles of Narnia" picks up a win. Which is nice to see, since it was probably the best movie I saw last year. (In fairness, I saw about five, so that doesn't mean much.) Once again the first person to talk eats up all the time. I wonder if they flip a coin? Cute zinger referencing Russell Crowe's tabloid issues regarding fighting and "Cinderella Man."

We may have faces now, as Morgan Freeman says, but I'm not sure today's stars really can ever measure up to the stars of yesteryear. The breakup of the studio system was a good thing for actors, I think, but it means they don't work in half as many films as the greats, and I think that undermines their chances of establishing themselves in the way actors like Stewart, Grant, Peck, the Hepburns or others. It's probably unfair to current actors, but it's hard to see any of them who stack up to the greats. In any case, Rachel Weisz picks up the statue for a movie that 'courageously' takes on big business. What are the odds? Ah, well, if they weren't predictable, they might be able to make better movies.

Outstanding, Lauren Bacall makes an appearance. She sounds a bit under the weather, sadly; I hope she's doing well, as she certainly does represent one of the last of the old guard in Hollywood. A tribute to film noir; again, it could probably be omitted, but noir was a wonderful technique. Nice touch to use music from a recent film noir, "LA Confidential," and the teaser-like commentary fits perfectly. And, of course, Bogie and Bacall, one of the all time great film couples. Of course, this tends to point out that Hollywood isn't quite what it used to be. Ah, "The Maltese Falcon," one of my favorites. I do hope Bacall is all right, though.

The politicized 'Best Actress' commericials were well-done and a nice touch, although again it could have been set aside in the interests of time.

Time for the documentaries. Don't they do a documentary on Hiroshima every year? I guess even documentaries are turning to remakes. "A Note of Triumph" picks up the Oscar. And George Clooney is the target of the evening, apparently, but with an Oscar in hand he accepts it all with good grace. And Charlize Theron explains how documentaries only discuss the 'truth,' a statement that is accurate if one distinguishes 'truth' from 'fact.' "March of the Penguins" takes the prize. Not a bad pair of speeches, particularly given they must give them in a language not their own.

Ah, the next song, and presumably the favorite if "Crash" doesn't take any more prestigious awards. The song seemed ok, but the performance seemed a bit pretentious.