IF WE RAN THE OSCARS….

We have two major complaints about the Oscars. First of all, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and ”Hugo” had no business being nominated for Best Picture. “Extremely Loud” was ordinary, manipulative, and annoying. “Hugo” was totally rejected by its target audience -children— simply because kids don’t care about film preservation. (The movie made a paltry 69 million and cost close to 170 million to make.) Albert Nobbs and Jane Eyre should have been nominated for Best Picture. Nobbs was a highly original story about WOMEN and Jane Eyre (also about a WOMAN) was the best version of this story we’ve ever seen. Both were gorgeously photographed and technically superior. (Too many mature white male voters in the Academy, perhaps?) One more comment – Billy Crystal was not as entertaining as Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin...

38 Comments

38 thoughts on “IF WE RAN THE OSCARS….

  1. Viola Davis was robbed of the honor she earned. He performance was sellar – emotional, touching, & superior. She is one of a kind. I don’t think Meryl Streep was even close. First off, I don’t like looking at Meryl Streep’s face – it is not attractive, I always see her acting, rolling her eyes, squinting her face, nodding her head, so on, all at times that seem inappropriate. Davis brought a whole new flavor and feeling to acting, to her movie, and did a job that touched the heart & the emotions and the soul. Sad day for me, I was shocked.

  2. @Hollywoody5000: All across the Web, Oscar predictors said that Davis would win. Me, too. But, perhaps this Oscar for Streep is her “swan song” Oscar. I have no desire to see Iron Lady, but LOVED
    The Help. I hope Davis has other roles she can bite her teeth into — and hope to see her win that statuette sooner than later!
    @Janet: I *loved* Billy Crystal tonight — much better than Baldwin (who can be a pompous a–) and funnier than Martin. The show moved along, too.

  3. Janet, I agree with you about Jane Eyre 100%: an amazing movie with superb performances. I was stunned that it didn’t get more awards love, especially when you compare it to some of the awful period pieces of years gone by. (The Wings of the Dove? Aside from Helena Bonham Carters deservedly nominated performance, it was drivel). But I don’t agree with your stance on Hugo. It wasn’t a kids movie, despite how it was marketed, but instead a movie about kids for adults. I loved it, though I can see how it’s an acquired taste.

  4. how does ” the iron lady” beat harry potter for best makeup????????

    I thought Billy chrystal was pretty good!

  5. “Viola Davis was robbed of the honor she earned.”

    Get lost. For what? For a Marxist bullshit movie in which White ppl are again to blame? How touching! So MERYL, according to ur empty head, is reduced to some moves and thats all? She’s not attractive while negro VIOLA DAVIS is Venus incarnated. How about a monkey? Go and check ur head.

  6. The old boys network in Hollywood strikes again. Rewarding the same old tired reworked drivel. If you are a pedophile, woman hater or rapist (Morgan Freeman, Woody Allen, Roman Polansky or Kirk Douglas) you are revered and every door is open. If you are a woman you are trivialized. objectified or ignored.

  7. Janet, did you even SEE Hugo?! It was brilliant and innovative and beautiful and moving. What more should a Best Picture nominee offer?? The fact that it didn’t clean up at the box office hardly lessens its merits. The nominations are NOT about how much money a film took in. Jeez, Janet, sometimes I wonder where you parked your brain.

  8. THanks Janet! I gave up on the Oscars once CGI was put into movies and TRIED to like Hugo but gave up 20 minutes into it. I can’t wait to watch the movies you suggested!

    Let’s bring back Technicolour in our films? It was so much easier on the eyes and prettier!

  9. Janet, your column is fun. But every time you confuse “it’s” and “its” (happens often) you lose credibility. Please learn the diff between the possessive and the contraction.

  10. The Artist was an excellent movie and if you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to do so! Jean Dujardin and the entire cast is delightful!

  11. I disagree, as usual. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” did desrve to be voted Best Picture. The actors were superb and the story very original.

    So, I suppose, and for good reason, IMO, I am soooo glad you are’t in charge of the Oscars Janet.

    Isn’t “Jane Eyre” a tad bit overdone already?!?

  12. janet , it’s is short for it is, totally wrong in that sentence (Hugo totally rejected by it’s audience).

  13. K Dee makes an excellent point. Digital film has no soul, no individual personality unlike Technicolor. It is akin to the good old days of live concerts when bands all had their own unique sound system they toured with. Now they ALL use the same generic supposed state of the art flying P.A. systems and they ALL sound the same, albeit very loud and clean. But no unique individualism.
    I am bored by C.G.I. and digital film.

  14. Watch in high def…what the frack was that on Billy Crystal’s head???

  15. Billy Crystal was terrible, not funny and looked like a muppet!!!!Bring back Alec Baldwin,Steve Martin, or Chris Rock!!!

  16. I haven’t watched this claptrap drivel in years. I never agree with the nominations or the winners.

  17. I was thrilled with the results of last nights Oscars. I was rooting for The Artist and it prevailed in half of it’s nominations , but mainly the important ones that came out victorious for this great movie. Jean Dejardin is the sexiest actor on the planet. Love him!!! I think Meryl will be nominated again but this may be her last win- playing a real person just like she did Julia Child. She was robbed of an Oscar for Julie and Julia. I think Viola Davis will find another good role and probably take home a supporting Oscar one day.

  18. Just the fact that “The Artist” won most of the awards has got to send a strong message to the other nominees. Black & white, silent, mostly foreign cast speaks volumes.

  19. We were thrilled to have Billy back, thought he was great. Agree with Janet that Hugo never got its target audience. None of the kids in our orbit wanted to see it. And I agree with the other poster who said that Jane Eyre has been enough fgs.

  20. Two(of the MANY complaints) I have about Janet Charlton’s Hollywood. One, how she begins every column blurb with “we”, as if she means more than herself. And, two, Hugo was nominated for best picture for the reason a film should be: technical merit. NOT because it made a zillion dollars at the box office, or reached its “target audience”. That perspective is a large bit of what’s wrong with Hollywood as it is. Thank God you’re not a member of the Academy, but thanx for your contribution…

  21. Billy may enjoy bagels but is far from the Yiddish king. It is certainly Babs Streisand who gives us all the sterotypical jewish slobbering and then the very typical screwing of her own people with her ticket prices. Not even a close second to her in that regard.

  22. Maybe Fred Goldman learned from her how to sniff out money, or maybe it is just in their blood.

  23. With all Billy’s moola, couldn’t he afford a better, more natural looking toupe? He was OK as emcee, just OK, nothing outstanding.

    I watched every second of it just to see Angelina’s stick figure. So it was worth it when she came on as a presenter with her stick-thin arms and bulging veins and red overtones in her hair. And as usual, Brad had not washed his long greasy hair. Oh, the follies of GollyWeird, they are in another world.

  24. I agree about the old boys network….will it ever end?? Its 2012 for christ’s sake! wake up! I couldnt believe Angelina Jolie…good god she looks like a concentration camp victim…her arms are extremely twig like and her face is gaunt…wth was with the pose she did on stage…how ridiculous was that?? She is obviously on something!

  25. Is that Jean DuJardin yummy or what? Or as the French would say “oo la la”.

    I’m also beginning to think that this website has got me a little flakey. As soon as Morgan Freeman walked out, all I could think of is “I wonder if Strom is watching”?

  26. Was it Emma Stone with that horrible red dress with the big bow at the chin? Gadzooks, she made a fool of herself when she came on as a presenter and kept blabbing and holding up her arms; it was very embarrassing not to mention irritating.

  27. M.s. Deserve it. My god she has been acting before some of these nominees were born.

  28. ^^^Emma obviously indulged in too many champagne cocktails, as many others did. They showed the elaborate room where the stars stayed until time for them to come on. The champagne was flowing. La dolce vita.

  29. ITA – Hugo was great to look at but boring as hell. The little boy in ELIC was so annoying that by the end of the movie, I couldn’t stand him. I love Meryl Streep but this was Viola Davis’ year to win the Oscar. I slept through The Iron Lady. Chris Rock should host the show next year.

  30. I saw The Artist, and was awakened during the movie by loud snoring throughout the theater.

  31. Billy Crystal was never funny, I really don’t get his appeal at all. He seems like an assholish version of Steven Wright to me. The Oscars needs a TEAM to entertain us through all this rubbish. I’m thinking Alec Baldwin and Ricky Gervais. Now that would be amusing. The Oscars also needs to stop with the political correctness already, no one is going to see a Silent Film or a movie about blacks maids. I mean really? George Clooney and Pitt got hosed IMO, they made movies people actually go to see and that were about subjects we care about. It’s kinda hilarious how Hollywood pushes rubbish down our throats all year long then all of a sudden at Oscar time they get all pompous and political. Gimme a break!

    And apparently, Meryl Streep is the only self aware person in Hollywood. Love her!

  32. Janet, why don’t you comment on how stoned and stupid and foolish A.Jolie was at the awards? Looks like she has gone off the deep end sticking her stick-thin leg out like that, and then grinning(sort of) all at the same time on stage.WTF? What a piece of work! Embarrassing to watch! And I think self- serving B.Pitt(the pits) thought he was going to win!!!!! I don’t know how he got nominated in the first place. He pretty much always plays a version of himself.The two of them don’t fool me for one second.

  33. He reminds me a little bit of Porky the Pig (in the face) on the photo above.

    He’s funny but a reputation of being a bitch behind the scenes.

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