Oscar Wrap-Up

First thing’s first – yes, Jon Stewart is the best host in Oscar history for letting Once’s Market Irglova make her speech. I know that the thing is freakin’ long, but I’d rather be up until 12:30 than have to feel bad for one out of every two winners who aren’t allowed to make comments. (And incidentally, if you’re looking to save time, we can dump the utterly dull 8:00-8:30 Red Carpet blowjob session. E!’s been showing the carpet since about 10 AM, we don’t need it once the show’s already started, k thx.)

I couldn’t quite explain why I felt the No Country sweep coming. Maybe it was the fact that everyone I know has been talking about that film for a good five months; maybe it was the fact that the post-release buzz for There Will Be Blood didn’t quite match its buildup. But, in any case, the Coens just couldn’t stop winning (and never seemed particularly enthused about it, but that’s neither here nor there.) Hopefully There Will Be Blood will be remembered as a great film in its own right, for more than just Day-Lewis’s performance, but in the end, I think the right film won.

Big surprises in the women’s acting categories. Tilda Swinton is certainly deserving of an Oscar, and her performance in Michael Clayton was undoubtedly strong; I suppose Amy Ryan and Ruby Dee split votes, allowing Swinton to slip in. And justice prevails in a win for the fantastic Marion Cotillard. I’ve been a fan of hers from years – A Very Long Engagement is a favorite – and her performance in La Vie en Rose was truly excellent.

Last year, Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for singing “And I Am Tellin’ You I Ain’t Leaving” really well. We’re all feeling pretty silly about that now. This year, Diablo Cody won an Oscar for previously being a stripper and then writing lots of super-hip puns. A year from now, we’ll feel similarly silly about that one. Juno was a good movie, mostly on Ellen Page’s performance and Jason Reitman’s deft direction, but it had to come a long way to overcome its hipster-than-thou, often absurd dialogue. The “anyone can win an Oscar” theme was nice (as if that wasn’t already demonstrated by Three 6 Mafia,) between Cody and Hansard & Irglova, but let’s be serious, here.

Stewart was solid once again, and I sincerely hope he’s asked back. As for my predictions, I went a so-so 11 and 10 overall (damn Bourne movie winning technicals,) but I hit all the big ones not related to women’s acting, so that’s something.

-Posted by Sean on 2/26/08