The Winners, The Surprises, and The Strange
This year's Oscars were without controversy for the most part, but there were some notable moments throughout the evening that deserve mentioning.
The Oscar Show with Jon Stewart
First-time host Jon Stewart started out the evening visibly nervous (wouldn't you be?), with a few jokes that may or may not have been off the cuff, but were regardless, less than successful. He hit his stride with "Good night, and good luck. That's how George Clooney ends his dates." And had a few more falters throughout the night. The closest to Dave Letterman Uma/Oprah-ing was his relentless referencing of the Three 6 Mafia, winners of Best Song. His opening sequence was hilarious, as were a few jokes throughout the evening. He wasn't the perfect host, but he warmed into the part over time, and any criticism will be greatly overshadowed by the Brokeback Upset.
George Clooney: Sexiest Man Alive 1997, Fallen Batman, Academy Award Winner
Sure enough, later in the show, he was referred to as Academy Award winner George Clooney, and he grinned self-consciously. Clooney's statement about being proudly out-of-touch was not only sincere, but revealing of his personality and motivation. He doesn't do it for the fame or the women (though it can be nice), but rather, because he feels it is how he can make a difference in world turning a blind eye to so many injustices. Martin Scorsese said it best when he referred to a film director as a smuggler of sorts, bringing hidden truths to a wider audience who finds them without even knowing they did.
It's Time for a Montage!
The classic film clip montages throughout the night celebrated the power of Film Noir and the Traditional American Western (Not Gay at All) among other things, and were very strong in their editing and execution. I never found myself thinking "when is this gonna be over?"
Stephen Colbert: Shadow Host
The mock campaign ads narrated by Stephen Colbert were almost too funny for comfort for Hollywood's elite on their night of glamour and self-consciousness. No matter how much the actors may have squirmed, these mock ads were some of the funniest Oscar material in years. More than anything, it makes you miss his This Week in God and other assorted assignments before he moved over to The Colbert Report.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Prettiest Picture of the Year
I can see the DVD ads now, trumpeting wins in Art Direction, Costumes, and Cinematography as reasons to see a rather vapid movie. Don't get me wrong, the movie is pretty, but not very good.
In Memoriam in Review
The loss of phenomenal talents each year is sad for various reasons, but this year it struck me more so than usual that we're losing our legends and not making up enough ground from year to year. We lose an Anne Bancroft and a Robert Wise and gain a Felicity Huffman and a Bennett Miller (Capote). We lose an under-appreciated legend, Brock Peters, and see the rise of a new A-list talent, Terrence Dashon Howard (rumored to be playing boxer Joe Louis in Spike Lee's next film). Aside from the marquee names, we lose more character actors than even the worthy elevation of David Strathairn can make up for.
It's Not So Hard Out Here For a Pimp
Jon Stewart said it best just after the Three 6 Mafia won their much-deserved statue for Hustle & Flow. Of the three nominated Best Songs, "Pimp" is so much more than even the performance could express. If there's any justice in the world, people will give H&F a shot and not just write it of as "another hip-hop movie" and let the music move them too.
Best Actor/Best Son
Phillip Seymour Hoffman's heartfelt thank you to his mother and mothers everywhere was one of the most affecting, sincere moments of the night. He'd been the presumed winner for a long time now, but he still had such a genuine feeling of humble gratitude when called up. You could see it in his voice and the way he shook with joy at the microphone. Few more-deserving men have graced the stage than 2006's Best Actor.
Oscar Knew How to Quit Brokeback
Over the last couple weeks, some anti-gay sentiment began seeping out in the gossip rags from some elder statesmen (Tony Curtis, a Hollywood legend/crossdresser) Academy members who disdained the presumed Best Picture frontrunner, Brokeback Mountain. Though Ang Lee won for Best Director (the first Asian winner of the award), the movie was held back by the alleged anti-gay backlash and the metric ton of giveaway DVDs Lionsgate Films sent out to Academy voters in the month leading up to the voting deadline.
Best Picture Crash Gets Cut Off
In the year the Academy stressed short acceptance speeches more than anything, of all awards to cut off, they did it to big-deal upset winner Crash! I'm not the world's biggest fan of the flick, but the way they cut off such a triumphant win could only be classified as rude. Crash took down the win, but not the respect of the Academy (or at least the producer).