OSCARS

[IowaHawkeye]

i thought Renee Zellweger looked gorgeous in her yellow gown, and i really like Catherine Zeta Jones corset type dress... i really think she is a classic beauty. I just saw Traffic on saturday... wow, what a powerful movie - it totally left me thinking. that movie was right on target with how life really is, i know so many teenagers just like those in the movie... its really scary!

[This message has been edited by IowaHawkeye (edited March 26, 2001).]

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by amycat412:
I also think Traffic should have won best picture.

Its always funny to me when it happens that a Pic is named Best Directed, Best Written, Best (Supporting) Acted -- but its not the best picture?

Traffic, IMHO, is a more important film in its message than Gladiator. Its more representative of the year and the era. But again, its just my opinion, I did not care for Gladiator--thought it was basically an action movie with no script. It took three people to write that? Come on. It was largely visual.

I agree with you totally, in terms of being more important, and i'm not gonna 'jump' you or anything - but all i'm asking is if social/cultural importance makes for a better movie? And when writing a movie, the visualization plays an important role (much like shakespeare's "exit, chased by bear", on a more grand scale) . . . plus, traffic's message is pretty wide-spread - the 'drugs ruin lives' message is pretty common-knowledge, and many people that use know the dangers of use. Meanwhile, who knew the dangers posed by gladiators?!? ; ) i'd vote for the 'best picture', ie the one that made for the best overall experience (not telling which one). anyway - i'm one of those 'analyze movie crap too much' kids . . . and how crazy is the crack-whore scene in traffic? i loved both those movies though -

Rob

[amycat412]

I don't think social importance necessarily makes for a better movie, but let's think ahead 20 years and look back on traffic and gladiator.

Gladiator will be outdated in terms of the visual effects and be what it is at its core--a thin storyline supporting some wild visual effects. when the effects are dated, the story will seem even thinner. Not that this was a BAD movie by any means, I just didn't think it was all that.

Traffic will hold up to the test of time. Stylisticly, it will be marked as early 21st century. Structurally, the same. Story, the same. But it will still be powerful and not diluted by time as I believe Gladiator will.

when the Academy is looking for best picture-- it is not only looking for the best picture entertainment wise--but what will continue to be the best picture of that particular year? What will stand the test of time and not leave audiences wondering 20 years from now how the 2000 academy could have voted a certian way...

Again, all IMHO.


Amy

[Lil_G]

Why's everyone knocking russell crowe? If he appeared akward then he was probably nervous as hell. If I was him I'd definitely knock steve martin out for that first comment.

[juniorgrrl]

Time for me to throw my opinion in and stir things up a bit

I thought Julia Roberts embarassed herself with the speech. It reminded me of Sally Fields' "you like me, you really like me" speech. Her dress was okay, but it didn't move me too much.

Catherine Zeta Jones looked stunning. I find her to be 10 times more beautiful than Julia Roberts. And her dress was amazing - totally classy.

Renee Zellweger looked great too! I love yellow!

Bjork....what the hell were you thinking?

Yay for Steven Soderbergh - he used to live in Baton Rouge.

Honestly, ever since Titanic won best picture, I've taken the Oscars with a grain of salt. I'm also still not over the fact that Evita was shut out of so many of the main categories.

[amycat412]

See, now that's why the world is cool. We all have our opinions.

CZJ just doesn't do it for me. Yeah she's pretty but...eh.

I think Julia was geniune and real and just so flipping excited.

Lil_G you are right-- I totally attributed Russell Crowe's mood up to nerves. Damn I would be nervous as hell. Julia's too. She couldn't stop grinning-- also nerves. Did you see Steven Soderbegh's face--completely stunned when they called his name. I loved that, it totally captured the experience.


Amy

[AXO Alum]

Okay - was Bjork's dress a real freaking dead swan? Like head and all? I couldn't see it all that well -- mainly because I was making fun of her sorry butt singing -- I can howl at the moon better than she can and no one's lining up to pay me big money -- of course I don't own a dead swan...or a dead anything for that matter...but I do have a couple in the pond here at work -- do you think a live one would give off the same impression?!

Also - Julia -- love her...love her....love her. She is not "It's all about me" like today's people are -- ie, Jennifer "What do you mean that not everyone wants to be me" Aniston...Brittany-See-My-Boobies....or J-Ho -- she is genuine and very loving of the people that surround her. In fact, did you guys hear, that there was a guy that worked for one of the big popular Hollywood scene limo service -- he drove Julia somewhere, and was so impressed by how sweet and nice she was, that he sent her a rose to say "Thanks" for treating him like a real person (by the way this same service said that Whitney Houston is the absolute WORST to drive because she is just nasty to them and to the people that work for the company) anyway -- the limo company fired the guy for sending her that rose and Julia found out about it and got his job back. Now that is just the nicest thing - she didn't have to do that - he was nothing to her, but she did because that's what makes her "America's Sweetheart" (not my phrase - just what everyone calls her).

Anyway - I didn't get to see too much of the Oscars and I hate I missed all the commercials that everyone (including the morning show on the radio) were b%&*@#$g about. But I love Billy Crystal, and he is just Mr. Oscar for me -- when he did that opening several years ago, where he sang all the titles of the movies up for best picture, and came out pulling that big oscar singing "Mr. Saturday Night", I thought I'd die - it was so funny! I like Steve Martin too, but he just isn't Mr. Oscar.

I have not seen Gladiator, Traffic, or Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon (or whatever it is) -- I am a huge animal lover, so my brother said not to see Gladiator (yes I know they don't hurt the animals, but I still hate movies that show that stuff!). I don't want to sit through sub-titles with the other two either. I just worry that it would be a big waste of time -- but its helpful to hear what you guys think. So far on Traffic, people have either absolutely loved it or hated it, depending on who you ask.

And I don't know much about Russel Crowe (and just CANNOT see why Meg left Dennis for him) he is just not handsome or sexy at all to me. I think he acted all stuck up like this whole affair was beneath him. Oh well. Like the rest of you, I didn't get my oscar this year either...LOL !

[amycat412]

Hey--Traffic doesn't have subtitles, or many subtitles that is. Its an American film. Only a few scenes in the Mexico sequence have subtitles when the characters are speaking Spanish.

[finest_alum]

Ok, I'm bored at work, so I'm jumping in here...
- Russell Crowe: needs to lighten up (maybe he's still upset over Meg?), but I thought his speech was kind of cool..
-Bjork: WHAT THE HECK??? The animal rights folks should say something about her making fun of dead swans. Did she even LOOK in the mirror??
-Julia: Fake, fake, fake (sorry, Julia Fans, but she seemed like she was, *um* acting)
-Gladiator v. Traffic: While I enjoyed Gladiator, it struck me as Braveheart set in Roman times... Traffic was thought provoking, original, and definitely should have taken it.
-Steve Martin: I liked him. Plus it seemed like the last few years the host's part has been too drawn out; this year it seemed like they cut down time there, which is good.
-Best moment: the Tom Hanks kidnapping thing
-Funniest part of the whole thing: the Fox TV reporters on the pre-Oscar show with the altoids.. did anyone else see this? It was hilarious. They were asking the DUMBEST questions!! Sigourney Weaver walked away while they were still talking, and several other stars were looking at them like they were freaks. It was quite amusing!!!

Just my 2 cents

[finest_alum]

P.S. I somehow just made "senior member"... uh-oh, I think this means I should be doing less greekchat and more work, huh??

[juniorgrrl]

Actually, I have a question about something:
Why was Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon nominated in both the Best Foreign Picture and Best Picture Categories? It seemed that the Academy should have picked one category or another for it to be in, but not both.

[gphi2k]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl:
Actually, I have a question about something:
Why was Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon nominated in both the Best Foreign Picture and Best Picture Categories? It seemed that the Academy should have picked one category or another for it to be in, but not both.

Because the movie was foreign, and outstanding, thus, the nod in that category. But as a movie internationally released and acclaimed, it was duely nominated in the best picture category as well. And it should have won in BOTH categories IMHO . It was definately better than Gladiator. Again, IMHO.

[amycat412]

At the Golden Globes you cannot be nominated for best pic in two categories.

The Academy has no such distinction. However, I would doubt they Academy would ever give best pic to one film in both categories. When Crouching won Foriegn Film, it was a LOCK that it wouldn't win Best Pic.

[Billy Optimist]

Well didn't a year or two ago that one guy from Italy won in both?

[amycat412]

No,
Life is Beautiful won the 1998 Oscar for Best Foreign Film and Best Actor.

Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture.

You cannot be nominated in both the Foreign and Best Pic categories under current Academy rules.


Amy, your resident film geek.