Can a guy who’s survived decades of Oscars letdowns ever find anything new to love? Roger that:
It was the best Oscar show I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen plenty. The Academy couldn’t bring it in under three and a half hours, but maybe they simply couldn’t, given the number of categories. What they did do was make the time seem to pass more quickly, and more entertainingly. And they finally cleared some of the logjams involving simply reading the nominees. By bringing out former winners to single out each of the acting nominees and praise their work, they turned the reading of lists into a surprisingly heart-warming formula. I had a feeling Hugh Jackman would be a charmer as host, and he was…
The new design also made possible a crucial new camera shot, looking directly at the nominees from behind the presenters on stage. The looks in the eyes of Viola Davis, Marisa Tomei and Amy Adams as they were praised by Oscar legends was dramatic–infinitely better and less sadistic than the the traditional practice of framing the nominees in little boxes so we could see the instant reactions of the losers.
Ebert saw one thing he didn’t much care for, but it was way offstage.
I don’t want to copy-n-paste Mr. Ebert’s whole column so if you want to know why he thinks Finke was in a funk, you’ll have to go see for yourself. Hint: He suspects it’s because things didn’t turn out quite like she was told they’d turn out.
40 Responses for "Ebert gives the Oscars his seal of approval"
Nikki Finke quotes one of her readers: “I am ready to walk over to Hollywood and Highland and start flinging my poo like an angry chimp on Xanax.”
Like she needs any inspiration.
The best Oscar show ever for me. And I have been watching them for a long time.
Bravo for having past acting winners salute the nominees. It made losing easier and the words “It really is an honor to just be nominated…” truly appropriate.
When will be know the viewers numbers… i´m really looking forward to that
i’m gay and i know what’s good! what the f*ck was everyone else talking about this being too-gay or broadwaY?
s*it, what’s wrong with that?! a gay man’s dream to see the fabulosity of the night!
I’m only about 10% into Nikki Finke’s poisonous little column and she’s already asked 3 times: “But where are the movie clips!” Like she’s jonsing for heroin. She’s panicking like a cliptomaniac.
After the Globes, SAGs, and Spirit awards, if I had to digest 10 more movie clips I might puke up a full-length Bruce Conner film.
The good: Actors presenting in an arc. Brilliant and ingenous way to present the awards. Everyone feels good. The opening number with Hugh Jackman, who ended up not doing much hosting in the way that Jon Stewart and Billie Crystal hosted. Tina Fey and Steve Martin who should host next year. The stage setting was brilliant too and the intimate setting was an improvement.
The bad: no surprises at all (except one). No comedian hosts who could really carry the show and make fun of the crowd. That movie musical number was a wreck. The songs were too short — sacrificed for time saving sake, and I didn’t like John Legend’s singing that song.
Grade: B
Well Nikki has a point because if you didn’t see the movies, a good film clip would send you to the movies to see it.
BRAVO, ROGER EBERT FOR BEING THE VOICE TO ACTUALLY GET IT RIGHT!
I REALLY HATE CRITICS ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY GET IT SO WRONG…if the complain that this year’s show is dull, they’re going to complain the show is to be dumb to eterneity. it’s a lose-lose situation.
BUT DAMMIT, this show was in all honesty, i’ve been watching the oscars since i had the ability to think for my own, and the
81st
ANNUAL
ACADEMY AWARDS
is and will be the
GREATEST
OSCAR
TELECAST
IN
HISTORY!
GAY PEOPLE KNOW WHAT’S GOOD, AND GOOD IS WHAT BILL CONDON AND LAWRENCE MARK HAVE DONE!! BRAVO
This might be the first time I totally agree with Roger Ebert about someting:
This show was brilliant, a total joy, visually astonishing, very charmingly hosted, and such a warm, intimate way to present the acting awards- a big Bravo! to the new producers and the new hosts of the show!
WOW NIKKI FINKE.
That was some article. Thanks Ryan for posting the link. That truly was the best read so far analyzing(is that term too mild for what she did) this year’s Oscar.
She disses absolutely everything and everybody. The debris will be floating around on the net for long after this savage tearing apart of the oscars. You might not agree with her but boy is it an entertaining read. I encourage everyone to read through her entire post.
Nikki Finke: Winner of World Dissing Award 2009.
i never think i don’t like this show because of too gay.i love milk and i wanted milk won best pics and sean penn won best actor.but i really don’t like this show because of its very routine and serious.
presences are very serious (even eddie murphy).
audiences are spiritless.
generally winnings only said thank you.
also independent spirit awards or broadway gypsy of the year is funny and lively than oscar night.now im thinking.we are really watching oscar night right.it is not dream?
“audiences are spiritless.”
Last years audience was very apathetic, I felt. This years gave so many standing ovations and seemed to have such a ball!
Why do we even care about some of these people?
They sit comfortably in a chair that can be easily taken away from them.
They are voices are worth as much as our own here, Oscar buffs that we are.
T.
Nikke Finke is a pathetic attention whore, with the emphasis on “whore.” What a fucking loser she is.
I love Hugh Jackman
The reason I hated this show, aside from there being 0 surprises in any category, was the fact that they did not show clips for the acting awards. I HATE when they do that.
Liked the set alot. Hugh Jackman brought energy and charm to the show. But have to say as long as many academy voters insist on voting to further their agenda and not on the merits of the performances viewership will continue to plummet. It also severly compromises the integrity of the award itself. And no one wants to hear smarmy lectures on gay rights on their sunday night off. You could hear the sets turning off across the heartland right after the first milk lecture.
There just cant be enough Milk lectures. Even though I’m not gay, gay rights is one of the issues that is closest to my heart. The sooner something done about the matter the better. There honestly couldn’t be enough reminders about Prop 8 scandal.
Infact I felt Black didn’t really use the opportunity to get his word across, he spoke very safely(I was expecting more of what we got from him at WGA). Penn was more direct in his message and really took his role to the heart.
Question: Is there anything that could have made Nikki Finke happy? I really doubt it.
She seems to hate everything. That’s her niche.
Well I went to bed feeling pissed off and woke up feeling pissed off – so if you don’t mind I’ll stick with people who are ragging on the Oscars for a while. Not the show itself, which I thought was great, but the results. I didn’t think it was “too gay” at all – it was showtunes-y, to be sure.
I’m not sure what “too gay” means. Are there different levels of gay? Unless you are talking about gay in terms of mirth, in which case bring it on. The more cheer, the better.
I had so much fun watching the show this year. I haven’t been able to say that for a long time. Great job! I hope they bring back Bill Condon and Lawrence Mark next year.
I just have to say though, as weird and morbid as this sounds, one of my favourite parts of the night was Queen Latifah’s gorgeous rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You” during the In Memoriam segment. The best one of those segments I have ever seen.
Oscar’s Upcoming Films Montage
http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/oscar-credits-spoiler-clips.flv
(Right click… save as… 31.9 MB)
Includes first time footage from Amelia, Public Enemies and many other movies. Also includes new footage from Up and other summer blockbusters.
Thank you red_wine for the file.
T.
Ebert’s mostly right, Finke’s mostly wrong, and even though I didn’t even want to watch the show for quite a while because of the nomination snubs and bad choices, the hosts, writers and producers had me hooked all night.
As I wrote over in Living in Cinema:
I thought the ceremony, overall, worked quite well, looked great, stayed mostly engaging and fresh. Hugh Jackman was funny, talented, suave and dreamy, an inspired choice.
I have mixed feelings about the Oscar Elders welcoming a new member from the Final Five. On the one hand, it was kinder and more gracious to the nominees than the formulaic clip-a-thon and by personalizing the remarks about each performance, made them so much more resonant and genuine than the generic laudatory line reading by a presenter usually is. I liked that the presenters could mix it up with some laughs where appropriate. Also, I liked the new camera angle that allowed us to see the nominee’s reactions during this great moment in their lives. Still, it was a slight bit pompous, and the staging was vaugely reminiscent of the Ruling Council’s meetings in Superman (1978). It is most definitely an easy target for parody.
Among the other controllable elements, my only real beef was with the camera angles of the In Memoriam segment, which utterly disrespected the dead in favor of showing off the lovely set and Queen Latifah. Her song was lovely, but I didn’t need to SEE it, especially when there’s a tribute to the lost talent going on up on the screen. I can’t believe they made that choice. Some things don’t need daring camera angles.
I actually enjoyed the musicals number, but I don’t think it should have been in the Oscars. “The musical is back?” Because of Mama Mia? Please. More like “The UK has finally gone off its rocker!” I’d like to see a musical number about that. I think Bill Condon honestly just couldn’t help himself.
Having made peace with most of the nomination snubs and replaced my rage with resignation, I thought most of the winners were appropriate. The acting noms were all solid, and I was glad Penn won, since I agree he was the best. I think the timely messaging and “real person, tragically lost” factor gave him the edge over Rourke’s own powerful performance.
Also, was it weird that there were so many clips of Space Chimps in that animation montage? There were way more of them than of Bolt, and that’s Disney/ABC. I don’t get it. Glad WALL-E got the starring turn there, though.
Among the varied, inconsistent Oscar prediction ballots I completed over the past week, my low score was something like 13 or 14 and my high score (at home) was 20.
But who actually cares any more? I’m ready for 2009’s contenders. Show me some magic already, Hollywood.
Public Enemies looked good, also An Education, Up, The Soloist, Amelia (Swank Oscar #3) but where’s The Road? The new Almodovar?
T.
Indeed, in all my collective memory of witnessing Oscar telecasts since early boyhood (this being my fifty-sixth year of life), this was without a doubt the finest telecast ever.
It was beautufully staged. The presentation of the major acting awards by five previous actor award recipients was very inspiring; and the production numbers highly polished and exquisitely rendered. Even the film clips were well organized and set apart, augmenting well the various stages of motion picture production.
The artists behind this production–gay and straight–ought to be commended. The multitalented Hugh Jackman now reigns supreme as host. While he remains youthful and hearty, no one else should even be considered as host in the forseeable future.
As everyone here who has earlier read my rants concerning homophobia, obviously for myself and millions more the most auspicious affirmation that the film academy had matured light years since shockingly choosing “Crash” over “Brokeback Mountain” as the best of 2005 came toward the very end.
Indeed, AMPAS did confirm the fact that Sean Penn, surely America’s greatest living actor in cinema, provided the most enduring portrait on celluloid in the past year. Mr. Penn had transformed himself into Harvey Milk, and Mr. Penn’s heartfelt acceptance speech–also acknowledging the resurrection of friend MIckey Rourke–was also one of the most poignant ever.
With this awards telecast, AMPAS has resurrected itself. Concerning the best actor prize, when too many other film groups earlier discounted the brilliance of Penn in “Milk,” AMPAS instead puntuated, finally and forever, that Penn as Milk could not be denied his due.
At long last, the terrible choice by AMPAS of selecting “Crash” as the best of 2005, which so many of us have promulgated as having been an act of outright homophobia, can be put to rest.
By the selection of Penn in “Milk” and by rendering the most sumptuously and poignantly staged Oscar telecast in history, AMPAS has reclaimed its role as the final arbiter of both recognizing and highlighting greatness in cinema.
Hallelujah!
I was surprised too, reading the first reactions (here) last night. Nikki Finke was so upset and didn’t seem to find anything good about the show. I was disappointed at that, but thought, you know everyone has her/his opinion. I was happy the majority felt as I did! But Roger’s write-up makes it more clear re: Nikki. I see. *sigh*. Well, I really enjoyed the show and was happy overall. It was really good! They did well (that opening number was awesome), a fine job, and I hope the ratings tell us that a lot of others tuned in too. When does that info get released?
The show wasn’t ‘too gay’ but it was ‘very gay’. The Oscars can never be too gay. That’s like saying my candy bar is too chocolate.
I, for one, thought this was one of the better ceremonies I have seen in a looooooooong time. Hugh Jackman was a delight and the new way of presenting the acting nominees was very emotional and personal. It was simply, fabulous.
And too gay? Haha. If only.
I enjoyed the attempt at making the show more ”intimate’ than in the past, although I have to say I wasn’t blown away by the opening production number (and quite hated the musicals-are-back production number). It did seem a bit like too much of a Tony Award rip off, and I have a great fondness for the “”ínsert the host in the nominated pictures montage”" that was done so well with Billy Crystal as host. I also felt it was a bit humourless (except for TIna Fey and Steve Martin). After all, the biggest laugh came at Sean Penn’s expense from Robert DeNiro! And my biggest surprise was the Sean Penn love. Despite what we have all read, Hollywood adores this man! He easily received the most enthusiastic applause (several times as a matter of fact), and gave the most earnest, heartfelt speech. Loved it.
“This show was brilliant, a total joy, visually astonishing, very charmingly hosted, and such a warm, intimate way to present the acting awards…”
Dominik, I totally agree.
Regina (#11), re: “its very routine and serious … presences are very serious … audiences are spiritless”, didn’t you hear Danny Boyle?
He specifically mentioned what a great vibe there was within the Kodak theatre, just in case it didn’t come across for us watching at home! Case closed if you ask me.
I absolutely LOVED the presentation of the actor awards. I even found myself tearing up through them. It was so humbling, and just a lovely way to present the awards.
I really thought the whole show was amazing. There were so many memorable moments. Queen Latifah really stole the show if you ask me. What an amazing woman she is. And how great is Danny Boyle. I love to see someone who is genuinely excited to win. I know some folks were upset that The Dark Knight was not nominated for Best Picture but I feel like the Oscars were made accessible to everyone.
Ratings are up from last year, according to early numbers. Not stupendously up, but up nonetheless, especially with the key 18-49 demo.
The show was a hooray for Hollywood. They did it. Son of a gun, they did it. The most entertaining, amazing, showstopping Oscar show ever. That’s my opinion.
Everybody was in glamour. Everybody was in style. All the winners said what they wanted to say. Great respect for the movies of 2008. Great respect for in memoriam and the movie stars and moviemakers who left us.
Everything was well deserved and well-done. Best Oscar show ever that’s done at the Kodak Theater.
Totally agree with Ebert, this was a really good show and I’m glad I was able to see it….
re: the musical number…
it wasn’t as painful as some have said, just inappropriate.
LAST year was the year of the musical, even
tho the Academy largely ignored it.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, HAIRSPRAY, SWEENEY TODD, ONCE,
ENCHANTED all came out in 2007 and all got
decent to ecstatic reviews and hardly any nominations.
MAMMA MIA did indeed break modern musical
records this year (it just passed IRONMAN in worldwide grosses).
Jackman declared “the musical is back!”
but he hasn’t gotten on board.
for the song and dance man to say that is a bit
disingenuous. he’s the guy that was offered PHANTOM,
CHICAGO, MAMMA and other musical roles and instead
became VANHELSING and WOLVERINE 4 times.
great points seattle
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