We just got home from the Oscar party at Jodi and Sam’s. It’s an annual affair with them and quite the soirée. This year was a little odd for me. Somehow, I managed to miss seeing all but two of the films on the awards tonight. I saw Golden Compass and Sweeney Todd. That’s it.
As such, my only relevant reactions are going to be to dresses — no good standouts this year — and the best effects Oscar. Seriously? People thought the Golden Compass effects were better than Pirates of the Caribbean? That’s just crazy. I mean people have been doing talking animals more convincingly since Babe. I was seriously annoyed through most of Golden Compass because I just couldn’t believe the animals.
I’m just delighted about the best original song going to “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Once! Yay for the underdogs. Haven’t seen it yet as I wasn’t staying up until 4 am! Hopefully the highlights will be on tonight.
I thought it was really sweet that Jon Stewart let Marketa come out to do her thanks.
Yes. Apparently she only intended to say “Thanks” but then had to give a speech afterall. I loved what she said though “Fair play to everyone who dreams.”
I couldn’t agree more on The Golden Compass. I was utterly unconvinced and (as I think I said at the time) even the fact that the very scenes that took the Oscar were done by my friends and ex-colleagues at the ‘store of love I can’t find it in me to be impressed. They shouldn’t have won.
I’m glad to hear you say so. I was having to shout down people in the room who thought that the effects were good. Gah!
And I’ll grant that much of it was, but the animals, which are the most important part, were not good.
To me, they seemed to be speaking out of sync, apart from anything else. I know it’s hard (hell, I used to see day in day out the effort that went into things like Walking With Dinosaurs and the Potter animation) but, well, it’s not new, either. As you say, they had it at that quality for Babe.
Babe was way better than the animals I saw in the trailers, not just at that quality.
BTW I got home after the show had started and missed the Jon Stewart monologue. I’ve heard that it was good. Does anyone have a link to the whole opening monologue?