It's the morning after Oscar night and I'm shaking my head; wondering what the hell has become of the awards ceremony. What is supposed to be a fun if meaningless event for most movie-lovers, including myself, has become an insufferable affair. Sure, there were some fine moments in the telecast, but overall, I felt exhausted and impatient for the thing to end. In years past, it was no less innocuous and dumb--even when it was at its worst but the 2016 Academy Awards sunk to a new low.
I'm sure I'm like most Oscar-watchers who were looking forward to hearing Chris Rock slash white Hollywood with his hyper-sharp tongue, which he accomplished with consummate skill in his opening monologue. But given that the media hadn't let the issue of black actors being slighted rest since the nominees were announced in late January, I had hoped Rock would speak his piece then move on. But to my disappointment, the white Hollywood jokes became his only source of humor the entire evening. I did find his video clip with black comedians inserted into movie scenes to be quite funny and felt the telecast should have opened with it. I also enjoyed the clip of Rock interviewing black movie-goers outside a Compton theater. The bit highlighted how ill-served black audiences are by Hollywood. I thought the industry had been embarrassed enough by the media backlash that followed the nominations; it didn't need to be ridiculed for several hours more. Rock made his point in the monologue and the two clips. And it didn't end there, for Kevin Hart had to weigh in on the subject himself before his award presentation. And a lame joke featuring black actress and Fox News darling Stacey Dash kept a tedious running gag chugging along.
...And if that wasn't enough...
The evening became a rally for several causes. One of the evening's abominations was the appearance of Vice-President Joe Biden, who received a standing ovation for a reason I can't fathom (come on, Joe; you're a vice-president; you're only required to play golf, attend dinners, make speeches and make paper-clip chains at your desk); announced the White House's proactive position on campus rape. Biden implored everyone to make a pledge to help prevent this scourge. What this has to do with an evening devoted to celebrating films is beyond me but it did serve as an introduction to Lady Gaga's performance of 'Til it Happens to You; the theme song for the documentary film on campus rape; The Hunting Ground. Her performance was another low point in itself. The song, which Lady Gaga co-wrote with Diane Warren, is based on an experience where she herself was victimized sexually when she was 19. But her emotionally hysterical performance, which featured a legion of campus rape victims, came off as a self-aggrandizing moment and one more cause the evening couldn't possibly sustain. The words and music of Gaga's song are a statement in themselves; why the added spectacle?
...And the causes kept coming...
During Leonardo DiCaprio's acceptance speech, the Oscar-winning actor went on a bit long about global warming; a cause close to his heart. I agree with everything he said and recognize the issue as critical but once again, the audience was pummeled with another cause.
But the evening had its moments. I particularly enjoyed Louis C.K.'s short-documentary presentation. In an amusing way, he highlighted how short doc filmmakers don't get rich or famous for their work and as he put it "...they drive home in Honda Civics."
Rock's attempt to help his daughter's Girl Scout troop sell their cookies in the audience was an inspired gag and impressive for what it raised on short notice.
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had an amusing moment as presenters, as did Tina Fey and Steve Carell.
Lost in the wave of protests were the awards themselves. It isn't surprising that Mad Max hauled off a sizable chunk of technical awards. The major categories weren't exactly a surprise save for Spotlight, which I thought didn't have a chance against The Revenant behemoth. I liked Spotlight but didn't love it and felt the award should have gone to Inarritu's film. DiCaprio and Brie Larson deserved their Best Actor/Actress statues, as did Mark Rylance and Alicia Vikander for their respective Supporting Actor awards. Rylance's performance came with much critical acclaim while Vikander's, though terrific, seemed to be more a composite accolade for the numerous films she appeared in last year, including her excellent performance in Ex Machina.
The songs and performances were uninteresting. None of the nominated songs were particularly melodic or memorable.
One of the evening's glorious moments was Ennio Morricone receiving the award for best score. The standing ovation he received was well-deserved and well-earned. I was shocked to learn his Oscar was his first and only his sixth nomination. For being one of movie history's greatest composers, who has over 500 films in his amazing resume, it seems criminal that only now he is recognized. What took the Academy so long?
The enduring gripe about the ceremony is that it is too long. I think it would help to have the ceremony televised earlier in the day, especially for those of us on the east coast, who find themselves turning off the T.V. at midnight.
In spite of the show's few inspired moments, the telecast felt like a Social Justice Warrior's orgy. Being a minority myself, I recognize the dearth of acting and directorial roles for people of color in the film industry but that doesn't diminish my appreciation for movies. As Chris Rock stated in his monologue, the problem isn't new and the reason black performers didn't protest 50 years ago is due to the fact that blacks were waging more important battles, like the struggle for Civil Rights. Or as Rock put it: "when your grandmother is swinging from a tree, it's hard to care about the best documentary foreign short." One can only hope the issue will be dealt with in time. My fear is that the problem will be over-corrected; mediocre performances might earn a nomination simply because the actor/actress is black.
Some black performers I felt should have been considered from last year: Idris Elba and some cast members from Straight Outta Compton.
I'm sick of the controversy and hope it doesn't return next year. I also hope we don't have to listen to plugs for everyone's pet causes at the next Oscar ceremony. Make the Oscars about movies again, not about righting society's wrongs. If films happen to address an issue, then let said movies express the outrage themselves.
That being said, I can honestly say I'm glad the movie awards season is over. Now let's get back to watching movies...
No comments:
Post a Comment