Oscars and The Maltese Falcon

I wrote up my review for The Maltese Falcon here. It is an excellent film, and I want you all to see it. Go check out my review for more information.

Speaking of great film, let's talk OSCARS a bit. I was underwhelmed by Hugh Jackman's performance last night. I expected Mr. Tony to be singing and dancing all over that stage, but all I got from him were two musical numbers, one of which was pretty weak (though conceptually cute and adorable). I didn't need him to explain to me how films were made, either. I felt like he was almost useless up there. Sure, he's absolutely lovable, and I thought he was endearing, but I literally forgot there was a host for most of the night. And his one moment for making me actually happy he was hosting was totally ruined by the addition of Beyonce to the musical number. I need to say this: ENOUGH WITH BEYONCE. Seriously. Not only is she mediocre, at best, but she's overused. She was tacky and brought the whole number down. I wanted to see Christina Aguilera up there, instead. She has a superb voice, and she has that classic style down pat. She would have elevated that performance, and probably wouldn't have moved around the stage in Beyonce's patented seizure-esque style. And then, we had the kids from High School Musical (the couple I refered to as "Zac Efron and that hussy from High School Musical"). High School musical should not be represented at the Oscars. I thought the Oscars were meant to celebrate outstanding achievements in film. Then again, I guess I could be considered a hypocrite as I loved Judd Apatow's short. However, I think there's something to be said for comedy at the Oscars, whereas I don't think that trashy kid flicks need to be shoved in our faces in a desperate attempt for the Academy to attract the younger demographic (someone shoot whomever decided to let that guy from Twilight onto the stage, please).

Other than that, I liked the format change. I liked how they had five previous winners of each actor category saying wonderful things about each nominee for the same category. It was really touching and heartfelt. I preferred seeing each person's face as they were being spoken about rather than seeing them try to act humble during the "view these clips" bits and the extreme close-ups on their faces so as to capture the losers' bitter resentment. It was sweet in some ways, not so great in others. I think Steve Martin and Tina Fey should host next year's Oscars. They are an amazing comedic team. I adored them. Ben Stiller and the Seth Rogan/James Franco team tied for second. Also, I need to give a shout-out to Queen Latifah, who was wonderful (as always), and who gave such a beautiful performance during the "In Memory Of" segment.

Overall, it was nice but it wasn't grand. I think Jon Stewart did a better job as a host, but a lot of people got sour due to his brand of humour. Hugh Jackman could have been great if he were actually PRESENT during the ceremony. Oh, but here's the overall thing for me: Slumdog Millionaire rules, Danny Boyle is adorable, Sean Penn won because of Proposition 8, and Penelope Cruz needs to be my new best friend. Thank you, and goodnight.