LJ's favourite Oscar moment

[MajGenl.Meade]

The Best Documentary Feature Award went to Citizenfour, and director Laura Poitras (who wasn’t always allowed into the States so easily) looked awfully freaked out for someone who everyone knew was going to win. There were teary-eyed reaction shots of Reese Witherspoon and Julianne Moore followed by the first really politically incorrect line of the night from Harris: “The subject of Citizenfour, Edward Snowden, could not be here for some treason.”

Sean Elder
Newsweek

A witty review (better than watching) at:
http://www.newsweek.com/oscars-2015-low ... ces-308730

I feel honoured or honored to announce that I have not seen even one of the nominated movies this year - a sign of growing maturity. Given some of the quotes from speeches and the MC at the Oscars, they have gone from being tasteless to poor taste to lower-than-trailer-trash in much less than my lifetime.

[Lord Jim]

“The subject of Citizenfour, Edward Snowden, could not be here for some treason.”

[Big RR]

That was a nice line, Jim. Planned in advance or not, it was delivered as If it were a spur of the moment thing.

Mostly, the Oscars telecast is what it always is, a pageant for a lot of self important jerks, some not so jerky, and a few who never really get recognition. the latter group gets their few minutes on stage, but then they are quickly ushered off so we can hear the likes of Lady Gaga singing a medley from the sound of music for no real discernible reason except to show she has some vocal ability (maybe she's auditioning for a Broadway musical?). but then, it's hard to celebrate movies when constrained to the two competing media, stage and television (and one reason why the Tony awards can be a lot more entertaining, even if you don't know the shows).

However, I usually find them worth watching for the few entertaining moments (like that line, or Patricia Arquette stumping for equal pay for women or some of the overemoting by the winners); I usually like to see film clips as well, but they are becoming few and far between (IMHO it would have been far better to see some of the work of the people celebrated in the just died this year part of the show than to listen to Jennifer Hudson sing).

Meade--thanks for the link to the review; it was a fun read.

[Gob]

Patricia Arquette stumping for equal pay for women .

I wouldn't mind earning what she does, I wonder what her hourly rate is?

[Gob]

Edward Snowden could not be here for some treason," Harris said, after Citizenfour, a film by Laura Poitras that chronicles the lead to and fallout of Snowden's initial batch of leaks about the National Security Agency, earned the Oscar for best documentary.

Snowden, the fugitive leaker, participating in a reddit "Ask Me Anything" forum Monday with Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald, said he was unfazed by the quip.

"To be honest, I laughed at NPH," Snowden wrote, using the common abbreviation to refer to the three-name entertainer. "I don't think it was meant as a political statement, but even if it was, that's not so bad. My perspective is if you're not willing to be called a few names to help out your country, you don't care enough."

[MajGenl.Meade]

I have no idea who this N P Harris character is and I'm not going to bother googling. The P probably stands for Pratt. Come to not think of it, who's Patricia Arquette - some relative of Rod Arquette? The best use of the Oscars has become, it seems to me, to provide a list of films not worth bothering about and a list of people not worth listening to.

[Gob]

I have no idea who this N P Harris character is and I'm not going to bother googling. The P probably stands for Pratt. Come to not think of it, who's Patricia Arquette - some relative of Rod Arquette? The best use of the Oscars has become, it seems to me, to provide a list of films not worth bothering about and a list of people not worth listening to.

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In most men testosterone levels naturally begin to drop after age 30. A Medical Journal of Australia article found the low testosterone condition typically affects around one in 200 adult men.

[MajGenl.Meade]

[Lord Jim]

Snowden, the fugitive leaker gutless traitor

Fixed.

[Big RR]

Meade--

The best use of the Oscars has become, it seems to me, to provide a list of films not worth bothering about and a list of people not worth listening to.

That's more use than the vast majority of television is to me. I'd be very happy top get a list of films "not worth bothering about"; indeed, there are a number of critics I read reviews of for that very reason--if they liked them I probably would not.

[Sue U]

The best use of the Oscars has become, it seems to me, to provide a list of films not worth bothering about and a list of people not worth listening to.

I don't get out much, but I did see Birdman and thought it was really, really good. I think it certainly deserved Best Cinematography and probably Best Picture, although I did not see Boyhood, which I was given to understand was the presumptive favorite.

But tell me, Meade, which of the Best Picture contenders do you think are "not worth bothering about" and why? Here they are:

The Imitation Game
Selma
American Sniper
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Birdman
Boyhood

I would like to see all of them. I did see Grand Budapest Hotel, and while quite quirky and charming and fun, I didn't think it was Best Picture material -- although I'm glad to have seen it nevertheless.

[MajGenl.Meade]

American Sniper

ETA: sorry, misunderstood. I mean that American Sniper is the only one I'd bother to go see. And I didn't. Yet.

ETA:
The Imitation Game... Alan Turing... I couldn't care less about his problems; saw Enigma
Selma... saw the original in black & white newsreels on TV when it happened and several times since
The Theory of Everything... see The Imitation Game
Whiplash... drummer drums/cries. Nuff said
The Grand Budapest Hotel... a possible, especially if Big RR didn't enjoy it much
Birdman... sounds boring. Like Water for Chocolate sounds more interesting and I hated the first 10 minutes of that before I walked out... no wait, that was the Unbearable Lighness of Being There Watching It. LWFC lasted 15 mins.
Boyhood... sounds more boring than Birdman and not a patch on Forrest Gump (brill movie!)

So everybody - no need to go see 'em! You already know they ain't worth it... what? You don't believe me? I should go shoot myself in the nose? Huh?

[Big RR]

I saw two of them; didn't really care all that much for Grand Budapest Hotel (not my kind of movie), and while I liked the performances by the leads in Theory of Everything, didn't think the movie was all that great either (not that it was bad, just not very good). The ads caused me to stay away from American Sniper (it looked too much like an action film) as have recent critically acclaimed "war' movies (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), but I may see it sometime. Boyhood, Imitation Game, and Selma attract me the most.

[Guinevere]

Ditto BigRR ( although I liked Zero Dark Thirty so I might go see Sniper). Theory was rather boring and I just haven't made it to Imitation Game yet (I've been snowed out twice). Boyhood I hear is more "Parenthood" and super slow, but the concept is interesting. Selma is next on my list.

[Big RR]

Meade--[quote]The Grand Budapest Hotel... a possible, especially if Big RR didn't enjoy it much [ /quote]

Meade--I hope you do enjoy it; it was made for an audience that I am not a part of, but I don't begrudge anyone else their enjoyment. And if you find that my not enjoying a movie could be a good way a finding a movie you might enjoy, I'd be happy to give more [non]recommendations. Over the years there have been several critics that I used pretty much the same way with good results; nothing wrong with that.

As for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, I give you a lot of credit for trying it as I would think you wouldn't have even liked the previews. I'll admit I can sometimes get turned off to a movie by the previews or reviews and won't give it a chance; I'm sure I've missed some films that I might enjoy that way, but saved myself a lot of hours of tedium (at best) in exchange.