Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
March 6, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Max Braden: I think what I enjoyed most about the Oscars was the casual, party atmosphere. Ellen did a great job at being relaxed and allowing others to feel relaxed. The pizza moments, the selfies, and the dancing in the aisles I think really connected with viewers, enabling us to see the celebs as not just stuffy, self-important millionaires. Ellen could have shivved some celebs as previous hosts have done, but she went the other way, and when Travolta gave her an opening she instead just clarified Menzel's name for everyone. Also unlike previous years where I've felt the musical performances were just showy wastes of time, I thought the musical performances this year were really strong. Every year I think there is at least one memorable acceptance speech, but the speech given by Lupita Nyong'o was so lovely, so intelligent, so sincere, and so sweet that I think it will go down as one of the classic speeches in Oscar history. I don't think I had any real favorite that I wanted to win, but personally for me, I didn't want Blanchett to win. I know a great portrayal of an ugly character should be awarded just as much as for great heroic characters, but I hated Blue Jasmine so much that I didn't want it to see any success. Unfair, maybe, but the arts are still subjective. And man, though Travolta's gaffe has produced some great humor, if I had mangled someone else's name as badly as he did, I'd be adorning Menzel's house in flowers and gifts begging for forgiveness. I wouldn't be surprised if it played even a small part in distracting her during her performance of Let It Go.
Edwin Davies: I agree with Max that the best thing about the show for me was the atmosphere. Unlike the last time that Ellen hosted, where the comedy bits felt a little forced or like she was trying to impose the style from her show on to the ceremony, here she seemed to facilitate the idea that everyone in the theater was there to have a good time. There were some appropriately somber moments, but it generally felt a lot more relaxed and convivial than most Oscar ceremonies have in the past. Some of the presenters were stilted and awkward, but overall everyone seemed to really get into the swing of things, and even if the now legendary selfie was staged, it was still a unique take on something that can otherwise be very stuffy.
I didn't have any problems with the eventual winners, with the possible exception of 20 Feet from Stardom winning Documentary over The Act of Killing. Then again, 20 Feet from Stardom is the only one of the documentary nominees that I haven't seen, so I can't feel too put out that it beat my favorite. I loved Blanchett's performance in Blue Jasmine, so I was very pleased that she won, even if it was horribly predictable. Then again, the whole evening was so bereft of surprises, with even the Director/Picture split, something which would be a big surprise most years, having been predicted weeks in advance by even the most casual observers.
My final impression of this year will be that it was fun, that Lupita Nyong'o gave a speech for the ages, and that there were, to quote Radiohead, no alarms and no surprises.
Tim Briody: Since there are few legitimate surprises among the major awards anymore, it's up to the host and the winners to provide the entertainment value. For instance, it was not a surprise that Matthew McConaughey was going to win Best Actor, so he delivered a clearly well prepared and solid acceptance, even working in his most famous phrase. Ellen provided a safe and comfortable environment after Seth MacFarlane perhaps tiptoed over that line last year, and the selfie and pizza moments were clearly memorable.
Kim Hollis: I liked that it was a congenial atmosphere, and Ellen Degeneres was responsible for fostering that feeling. She did an amazing job of humanizing the people in the theater that night. The song performances were all terrific, but I was puzzled by the inclusion of some of those random montages (heroes? why?). I suppose the biggest surprise for me is that there were no surprises (other than maybe Mr. Hublot). I thought all of the acceptance speeches were really great, and I liked that no one got played off. My favorite moment of the night was the speech from Best Song winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("Let It Go"), even if it meant that they'd obviously prepared it. I can't really put my finger on any bad moments, although more people than just Travolta seemed to have trouble with the teleprompter. I guess I'd say overall the show was boring but pleasant.
David Mumpower: What I enjoyed about Ellen DeGeneres during her first appearance was much more evident on Sunday. Her sense of humor is strange and definitely an acquired taste. Her opening monologue fell flat simply because most of the people watching her had no true understanding of what she was trying to accomplish. As the night wore on, she gradually won over this same group of celebrities and power players.
Ellen is simply that likable a person. Anyone who spends time in her presence eventually feels like she is a friend. That sort of Miss Congeniality effect is a welcome change for a ceremony that is occasionally hosted by mean-spirited people seeking to make their reputations by savaging the more fatted calf that is the Hollywood A List. Ellen went an entirely different way, showing these same people in very human moments such as ordering pizza and arguing over who has to pay. It humanizes people who are professionally demonized by conservative media critics and paparazzi bottom feeders.
The Samsung bit may have been a shameless promotion yet it led to a real moment as Bradley Cooper snapped a picture of his friends and potential new friends. The fact that the brother of Lupita Nyong'o wound up with more face time than his Academy Award winning sister was glorious. To a larger point, she was the start of the night with a speech that solidified her celebrity. By demonstrating what a kind-natured woman she is, her TV-Q went up, and that means that her asking price for films went up.
I also do not have a problem when awards season leads to few surprises during the Academy Awards themselves. I think our staff effectively demonstrated that we knew what would happen when our group picks were 10 for 10 on the major awards. I would have vastly preferred Gravity to win Best Picture yet I am satisfied that it won so many awards that its legacy is secured. Now, it is a science fiction blockbuster that won seven Oscars. So Sunday's ceremony was a rare demonstration of meritocracy in that the best film of the year was lavishly rewarded for its excellence.
What I believe is particularly noteworthy about Sunday's presentation is that the dreaded show killing segments were largely excised this year. There was the one celebration of the Hero, and a couple of other minor sequences. It was certainly the tightest show I can ever recall on the whole. People have asked for that for years and now we know how such a production looks. Personally, I liked it a lot but I realize a lot of people are frustrated by their inability to thrust random hate at the song and dance numbers such as last year's celebration of Chicago. It's a be careful what you wish for scenario. Personally, I hope that this becomes status quo. The Oscars are no different than movies in this regard. I prefer lean and mean (i.e. Gravity) to bloated and indulgent (i.e. The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle).