OT: Oscars

I didn't want to watch it but my wife did.  Afterwards I felt duped.  What a joke and waste of 3 hours watching those clowns.

What did the five fingers say to the face !?

Bummed that Chris Rock didn’t utilize an all time great comeback after Will Smith’s slap didn’t even move him an inch. 

“Will, I see why your Mama sent you from Philly to Bel Air”

dude has so little respect for his wife that he's been linked to multiple extra marital affairs.... but he won't stand for someone to make a joke at her expense, at an event where 80% of the production involves making jokes at attendee's expense...

yeah.....

Chris Rock's comment doesn't even come close to some of Ricky Gervais' comments when he was hosting the now defunct Golden Globes.

As Elaine Benis once said, "Fake, fake, fake..."

The actual slap and Chris Rock's reaction looked totally staged to me in real-time.  But not after seeing later video and the still photo of Rock in the instant after the slap.  Also, seeing how Will acted in the aftermath (and especially his disorganized, rambling acceptance speech) and how none of the presenters had any remotely-prepared remarks afterward, there is zero chance this was staged.  The producers of the show have incentive to draw eyeballs in but they completely cater to the stars, and there is zero chance that an actor favored to win Best Actor would have agreed to participate in a stunt that could backfire horribly for him in terms of public opinion.  Will Smith obsesses over his image.  To him, there is such thing as bad publicity.  Had he agreed to participate in a stunt it would have been in a year in which he was not up for the biggest award of his career, and that stunt would have been so carefully choreographed to place him in the most positive, sympathetic light.  Nothing remotely morally ambiguous.

I don’t care to watch the Oscars. Haven’t in years. Not even sure I could tell you the name of more than one movie that got best picture nominations.

Don’t get me wrong, I always like watching movies, but I don’t really care to spend 3 to 4 hours of my life watching Hollywood’s elite performing self fellatio and reminding us all of how great they think they are. 

If they can bring back Ricky Gervais so he can spend his entire opening monologue tearing them a new asshole, I’ll watch that. Otherwise, hard pass. 

I'm pleased to see someone from Hollywood do the right thing in an age and place filled with passive aggressive sycophants.

I don't ever watch the Oscars or any award shows whether it be for movies for music. I did see this clip because it has gone viral. I generally see "Hollywood" and its stars as the poster children for hypocrisy. I don't understand how Will Smith could have no problem laughing at jokes about the other people and then the moment the jokes about someone close to him, he throws a fit...and the weird thing is that he seemed to be laughing at the joke himself for a few seconds before getting up. Alopecia isn't even an illness. It is like saying that someone going bald is sick. My wife has alopecia and it is incredibly common among women and men. Chris Rock was making a joke about a woman going bald. That is in no way out of line for a comedian. If people don't enjoy a lot of comedians, I understand it. Comedy can seem very insensitive and rude. This joke didn't seem to be near that line.

And then they still allow Will Smith to accept the award. They didn't even kick him out! I swear these actors and actresses are always stressing peace and loving and they don't do a damn thing when someone just straight up slaps somebody unprovoked right in front of them...worse than that, they still allow him to accept his award and give a speech. I will leave my soapbox now.

Really? Glad I missed the show. Haven't watched it in a very long time. Sounds like it had a bit of "Hollywood drama".

My wife likes to see the pre-event show for the red carpet looks and fashions, but she no longer bothers with the show either.

I have never watched any of these award shows, and likely never will.

Unless maybe the slapping turns into cage fights, then I'd watch.  Maybe.

To answer your question. Saw two movies in the theaters. Saw a few of the others on streaming. These two standout and are worth catching on a big screen. 

Nightmare Alley - a Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 1&2) remake of a 1947 noir classic. Worth a look - but remember this is not a happy ending film. You can find the 1947 version with Tyrone Power on youtube and that is actually pretty good. the 1947 version has a "happy ending" on it but the current one is far more blunt. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Willem Dafoe all really get to ham it up but it fits the film. Parts were filmed in Buffalo, NY, so those of you who know the downtown area will recognize the buildings. Not for everyone but if you like noir films and books (e.g. Postman always ring twice, Double Indemnity), then this is a treat. Moral of the story: "Don't play no spook shows." 

Dune - based on the classic sci-fi novel series, this is the Denis Villeneuve's attempt (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049). The novel is from 1965 so bear that in mind and it is interesting how Frank Herbert how he weaves his tale of a space empire's decline and fall. Some have argued it is a counterpoint to Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy. There have been many attempts to film the work - and this may be the potentially the best try.

Know going in that it is only a part 1 - there is a part 2. Consider Lord of The Rings - there was an attempt to cram all three volumes into an animated film but one can imagine how much is lost.

Likewise, there have been other efforts: the failed Alejandro Jodorowsky attempt in 1975, David Lynch's 1984 try - which would have been 3+ hours and got cut by the producers down to 2 hours. Has Kyle MacLachlan (pre Twin Peaks) and Patrick Stewart (pre Star Trek Next GeneratIon), and a surprisingly good 2000 TV series on Sci-Fi by John Harrison. That version clearly lacked the money for good effects but has a early Dr. Who like appeal of doing-the-best-they-can with sets and props.

This is an immersive film - and the audience is just thrust into this world and there aren't a lot of exposition moments so if you don't know the novel, it can seem confusing (e.g. why no computers or robots? why this and that).

If you want to know the bare bones plot there is a youtube clip from the 1984 version that lays this out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSV9S2Ol3bc - it cleans up the audio from the DVD release. At the end of the clip watch for the space navigator entourage vacuum up their mess - as if they were buffing out the scuff marks from the Emperor's beautiful floor. They are vacuuming up any of the drug melange aka spice, but it looks like a general clean up. This new 2021 version is pretty much true to the novel and of course benefits from the huge leap forward in CGI. if you liked the novel or these long big space stories, worth a look. It is a long film so don't drink a lot before the film starts.

My favorite things right now is rival fanbases trash talking about "Will Smith practicing for starring as Juwan Howard in his biopic" as if Juwan getting a biopic starring Will Smith would be a bad thing

double post

That was like the 100th time in Oscars history that somebody deserved to be smacked in the mouth. 

It was just the first time someone did something about it.

I'm good with it. 

I just wish Rock would have finished the thoughts/jokes that were rolling around in his head right after. He is the better man for not, but that would have been amazing. Granted, if any of this was even real. Also, had this been a seat filler, he would have been tackled and jailed before getting within 10 feet of Rock. I'm not saying Smith should be jailed if Rock doesn't want to press charges, I'm just saying the B lister that got a great seat would prob be in jail and would never work in the movies again. 

Totally NOT staged.  Will Smith apologized to everyone during his acceptance speech, and a tearful one at that.  He closed with a statement that he hoped the academy would invite him back again.  Is all of that necessary for a staged event?  It was a strange and knee jerk act of aggression.  I mean, he was laughing at the Jada GI Jane joke at first and then like 10 seconds later he's up on stage bitch slapping Chris Rock.  Will Smith may have some deep emotional problems.

I remember a time not that long ago when the quality of movies was better, actors were more graceful and classy, and the Oscars were organically interesting.  Sign of the times where the click baity events are the most memorable things.

Actual mini movie reviews:

Drive My Car:  best film I have seen this year. heavy topics of loss, guilt, and moving on from a loss, multi layered themes. first 40 minutes of film ( and then the credits!) set up the last 2 hours of the film. Japanese film that takes it time to develop characters and the gravity of their emotions. the book's author (Murakami) has been nominated for the Nobel prize in literature.

CODA: very good , feel good film. Children of Deaf Adults. good date/family movie.

Power of the Dog: I didn't like the last 20 minutes of the film. Very rushed at the end to tie up the plot. Nice visuals.

Dune- True to Herbert's classic. 3 hours to tell first half of the novel. Loved the Sandworms. Sci -Fi geeks like me really liked it. Better than the version with Sting for sure.

King Richard - presents a sanitized version of Richard Williams. Will Smith was very good. No comment after last night's meltdown.

Licorice Pizza- From from the same producer as There Will Be Blood, which I really liked, it is sort of a teenage coming of age recollection film of live in California in the 70's. Not at all what I expected but entertaining. Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn have great cameos. Family members of HAIM are very talented in music and now Alana Haim makes a great acting debut.

Older Mbloggers might especially  like the well done films: Being the Ricardos, Belfast, The Eyes of Tammy Faye as they can relate to events/attitudes of those times when the events happened  and also Nightmare Alley ( film noire with Bradley Cooper).