So I didn't sit down last night INTENDING to watch the Academy Awards. I actually was napping when they started. Then right around 8:30 my little beady eyes sprung open and I thought "Oooh! Self! The Amazing Race is on!"
So I peeled myself out of bed, and turned on the tube... only to see scads of beautiful be-gowned be-tuxedo'd people on every channel... and no disheveled perpetually-lost travellers. Boohoo.
But nothing else was on, and the Amazing Race was a good hour and a half away (of course, this all went to hell because the Oscars went long, of course, and then all the scheduling was messed up...) and I can't figure out how to hook up my DVR to my satellite (frickin' Bell codes givin' me the run-around)... so I settled in ... at least for a little while (I told myself) until I got bored. Like I inevitably do.
I don't actually know if I've ever seen the greater part of an Oscars ceremony. I remember the year that Crash won (maybe 2006?) I was all into it... because I LOVED that movie (still do). But I tend to follow the Oscars with waxing and waning interest. That's only gotten more on the wane-ier side since I've moved up north and access to movies has drastically decreased.
And now every time I go "down south" I make it a habit/tradition to see at least ONE movie IN THEATRES while I'm down*. There's just something to be said for the whole experience, and I heart it.
But back to Oscar night. So I didn't INTEND to watch it. But I did. And I have to say... I was pretty impressed with what I saw. Yes, there were a lot of commercials (and yes, I had to suffer throught the Canadian commercials.... I'm sure there would have been some half-decent ones playing on the US stations). But they were SHORT. Just little breaks. I could handle that. And before I knew it, the "big three" (Best Actor/ess, Director and Film) were up. I couldn't believe it.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were over before 11pm (easily 1am back in PEI). Maybe I was just familiar with some of the movies. Maybe it was the anticipation of the international underdog vs. hollywood high-production for final honours. I don't know.
But I enjoyed the ceremony. I really, actually did. I had tears in my eyes as Heath Ledger got his supporting role award. I shivered as I watched Amanda Seyfried do her little sing-y danc-y thing with Hugh and the gang... I burst with pride when Kate Winslet won her Oscar (she had me at Eternal Sunshine)... and was amazed at how brave Sean Penn was to make the speech he did at the end of HIS award.
I will say one thing though, I like it better when they spread the awards around a bit more. You can look at the breakdown here... but after Slumdog Millionaire won best Director... I wasn't really rooting for it to win Best Picture too. Now, having said that, I didn't see the movie. And I also didn't really think B-squared** deserved best director/picture either*** So maybe I'm just full of it.
But bottom line... even though the Amazing Race was delayed...oh...um...FOUR HOURS... it wasn't exactly a wasted evening.
Oh. Anyone else but me feel like that woman is a victim of spousal abuse? Anyone? (I'm talking the chick and her husband just eliminated this week). I think she is. I hope I'm wrong though. That would be terrible.
*When I was en route to/from Mexico I stayed in Edmonton with my cousin and her boyfriend for a night. And we went to go see Benjamin Button. I had been interested in the movie since I first heard about it. Something just drew me to the film, maybe it was Cate Blanchett (let it be known I HEART Cate Blanchett... I'm not 100% why, but I do), maybe it was because it's based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald ... and the whole "de-aging" bit is a neat idea too... I don't know. Interestingly enough, it was that same weekend I first heard of Slumdog Millionaire. My cousin told me about it, and said it was amazing. She's very wise!
** Benjamin Button, of course!
*** I had two problems with the film.
1.) The premise is a deathbed confessional. An old woman tells of her memories of this man/reads from his journal. Really? A deathbed confessional? Haven't we done that already? Like a bazillion times? There must have been a more original way to set the scene.
2.) (and more importantly, I think) The deathbed confessional was set during Hurricane Katrina. Okay. Yes. Hurricane Katrina was bad. Very bad. Yes this story was set in New Orleans. But beyond that, there was NO CONNECTION between the two. It just seemed like an excuse to "think of all the dying people who had to die sooner because of Katrina." It didn't make sense. I wasn't a fan, and I think that BEST DIRECTOR and BEST FILM belong to movies that don't have that kind of plotline flaws. But that's just me.
