What are your impressions of this evening's Oscars?

[lovemydog]

Highlight of the evening for me was Glory, theme song from Selma, performed by John Legend & Common. It brought tears to my eyes.

It seems they're trying to get back to classy. I like that as I think it's the right tone. Even Lady Gaga was sincere. I'm glad she didn't strip off her gown to reveal a bikini made of live squid.

Neal Patrick Harris, I enjoyed. He's pretty calm & subdued. Except for the underwear scene, lol. There have been some real dud hosts in the past. I think Seth McFarlane was the worst I've seen - sexism masked as irony. Not many qualified people want to host - it's nerve-wracking. Other hosts have been viciously insulting, relied too much on Hollywood insider jokes, or just been too aggressively rude.

Overall I think they were trying to convey two themes, and I'm glad they did. First, that movies are by their very nature inclusive. Second, that their audience is worldwide. The President of the Academy spoke most about these two themes. I thought the entire broadcast communicated that in addition to being entertaining, great movies help us empathize with others we may have previously ignored.

What are your impressions?

[marym625]

1. my favorite moments

The kid that won that dedicated it to the kids struggling with being different

Glory and the speech for the win

Patricia Arquette

Lady Gaga and Julie Andrews, a true moment

Sniper being snubbed

There were some real moments and a great deal of happiness which was fun.

Did I miss it or was Philip Seymour Hoffman missing from the in memoriam?

[lovemydog]

4. I think Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the previous year.

I still miss him.

Yeah, Julie Andrews has always been so gracious in accepting newer people. Think of her starring in Vitor/Victoria. I love how Lady Gaga was sincere and gracious. I think it's coming back as being in vogue. I'm glad. I'm sick of sarcasm and irony.

Oh yeah, that best actor winner, mentioning he tried to kill himself when he was sixteen. Someone else mentioned her son committed suicide and we should talk more about it in public. I agree.

Yup, Patricia Arquette talking about equal pay. That rocked as well.

[Stardust]

21. The screenwriter mentioned that he tried to kill himself. Eddie Redmayne won best actor, but I

didn't hear him mention that...

I agree that the ceremony seemed kinder this year. A nice change.

[lovemydog]

22. Oh yeah, my bad.

That screenwriter rocked. I've put many movies into my netflix queue tonight!

[Stardust]

49. His movie, The Imitation Game, was one of my favorites. Benedict Cumberbatch is sublime.

I was lucky enought to see most of the nominees this year, and when three in a row dealt with suicide, I was ready for something a little less sad. And along came Boyhood. If I had to choose my favorite, Boyhood would be it. Enjoy your queue!

[lovemydog]

50. There were also some incredibly entertaining movies this year

Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, X-Men, Captain America. I tend to watch those in the theater. Then during the cold & wind of late winter, watch the oscar nominees at home. Another one I'm looking forward to is the one based on the Thomas Pynchon book.

[zappaman]

53. Inherent Vice.

It's a love it or hate it movie for sure.
I loved it, but you really have to pay attention since it's very dense with dialog.
Make sure to pause it even if you're just getting a drink!

[lovemydog]

54. Thanks. Put it in my queue.

I'm a big fan of PT Anderson. Especially The Master, Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia.

I know I'll love Inherent Vice.

[marym625]

28. yep. that's it

It doesn't seem that long ago he died.

It's a shame they couldn't spend some extra time on some that are gone but I understand them not doing so. Especially with so very many gone.

[AZ Progressive]

8. Haha, Sniper being snubbed

I loved that! That propaganda piece had no place among the other movies.

[marym625]

29. I completely agree

[Suich]

9. Re: Philip Seymour Hoffman

He died on 2/2/14. The Oscars were on 3/2/14. My guess is he was mentioned then.

[marym625]

30. yep. you're right

Just doesn't seem that long ago

[Cha]

2. I didn't see it.. I use to always watch the Oscars when I had a tv but now I just

read others' impressions..

I really liked this, though.. and Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez' reaction!



Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez reacting to Patricia Arquette's Oscar Speech
https://twitter.com/etnow/status/569696497299812352/photo/1

And John Legend and Common's Acceptance Speech!

Mahalo for your thoughts on the Oscars 2015, lovemydog~ I love movies!

[lovemydog]

5. Isn't it great that we can watch highlights right away Cha!

You pointed out two of my favorite moments! Yeah, I love movies too! Mahalo.

[Cha]

7. To the Movies.. and yes I love the Internet, too!

[lovemydog]

10. Oh, and you probably saw that Citizen Four

won the Oscar for best feature-length documentary. That's the movie about Edward Snowden. I'm delighted. I haven't seen it yet but now I definitely will. In fact I'm gonna try and watch a lot of the nominees too. I love great documentaries.

[marym625]

31. Since the Oscars have been so anti political lately

I didn't see that coming. And I loved it

[RoverSuswade]

3. I loved the opening sequence.

Neil Pat was superb - underwear and all.
Lady Gaga brought down the house - tattoos and all.
Glad American Sniper didn't win best picture.
Nice to see Julie.

[lovemydog]

6. Yeah, Lady Gaga & Julie Andrews

really rocked the house. Julie looked so great.

[yeoman6987]

11. Very disappointed. Expected better

Bring back Ellen. NPH was awful!

[liberalhistorian]

13. For once, we are in complete agreement.

I haven't missed a show since I was a child, and I'm now fifty (okay, there was that time back in '86 when I was in college and a minimum-wage drone and my boss made me come in and do the second shift at the convenience store because she just felt like going home; second shift on Ohio time meant I effectively missed the Oscars). I like NPH, but he was horrible. I was really surprised at that. I know he tried and meant well, but it just wasn't happening. He was BORING BORING BORING, had no quick wit (or much of any wit, for that matter) and that stupid bit about his Oscar predictions and having Octavia Paz watch over the briefcase with them was just way off, cringeworthingly bad and stupid.

With a few good spots here and there (most already mentioned on the thread), this was the most boring Oscars in many, many years. No special programs or presentations, flat, wooden presenters (what the hell was up with that, anyway?), very little humor or spontaneity, which all made the usual grouping of many boring awards (they need to cut out at least half of those and spread them around the program, so that they're not all clustered together) even more boring. I am the world's biggest Oscars fan and if even I felt like changing the channel many times (which I almost never do during the program), then I'm sure I wasn't alone in that at all.

I was even upset at the memorial tribute, and not just for their inexplicable shunning of Joan Rivers. We lost many really influential people this year, and many old actors, and they could have, no SHOULD have, done something more with that. Perhaps a special presentation on them, with some clips, etc. And that goes especially for Robin Williams. Given his prolific film career and his significant influence on film over the past thirty years, I'd fully expected some kind of special tribute.

[lovemydog]

14. Joan Rivers was a television personality.

The Oscars honor film achievement.

[liberalhistorian]

16. Is that why a few years ago they included Michael Jackson,

who was not an Academy member and had no "film achievements", but not Farrah Fawcett, who WAS an academy member with several films? Is that why they included Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who not only was not an academy member but had no connection to film? (Don't get me wrong, I love him and his work, but he really did not belong on that list). They've often included many people who had no real connection to films, while leaving out those who do. It's almost become an art form for them in the memorial tributes.

[lovemydog]

17. Jackson starred in The Wiz, wrote the song Ben

& had major video credits like Thriller.

Garcia Marquez wrote a lot of pictures, taught an influential screenwriters workshop & helped introduce magical realism to movies.

Rivers was known for bagging on everyone before every Oscars show - that could have something to do with it.

[liberalhistorian]

19. Jackson was a child when Ben was written;

he sang it but did not write it. And the last time I checked, music videos were not cinema movies. Farrah Fawcett was in many movies and was an academy member. If they were going to include Jackson for whatever spurious reasons, then she should have been included also.

[lovemydog]

20. Okay, he performed it. Thriller,

directed by Stephen Spielberg, revolutionized long form music video. If I'm not mistaken it was the first video by a black artist ever shown on MTV. It helped open the floodgates when it became the most requested video, along with Billie Jean & Beat It. I'm not sure what being an academy member has to do with anything. I think the Oscars honor film (and video) achievements in all forms. You don't have to be an academy member to win an Oscar. I can't think offhand of any movies Fawcett was in. Made for tv stuff, yeah, lots of them. That's what the Emmys honor.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. Farrah should have been included for several films, Michael also appropriate for many reasons

including participation in major films as a performer, participation in technologically pioneering forms of 3-D, techniques for staging and filming dance and being a friend of the Academy since childhood. 45th Academy Awards, 1973:

[tavernier]

35. True but for many years she did the Oscar interviews .

I wasn't a big fan, but it does seem Ike a bit of a snub.

[marym625]

32. Oh you're right

I didn't notice she was missing but you're right

When the academy snubbed Roger Ebert, Whoopi said something about it right there and then. As she should have.

Snubbing Joan rivers was shitty.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. The dresses were a lot better than past years.

I didn't see women showing off all their assets, assorted bizarre shapes and things like that. I actually saw some nice dresses that I would wear to a dogfight, to quote my mother.

She would see something tacky and say "I wouldn't wear that to a dogfight!" She was a Costume Design and Fashion Illustration major way back in 1940, when the only synthetic fabric was rayon. They still wore silk stockings. Didn't even have nylon.

First rule of buying clothes: Rayon is generally bad, because it's cellulose. Throw it in a hot dryer and it messes up.
Now we have extremely fine thread, crumpleable, flexible knits. Polyester has come a long way.

[lovemydog]

15. I thought so too.

I mean, I noticed it. But I don't know as much about fashion design & clothing materials as you!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

23. Look at the shape and the color.

Does it have weird slices out of it where you can see flesh? Does it have strange shapes sticking out somewhere?

Is the color flattering? Does it clash with the person's hair and skin?

Or does it look like it flows with the body under it? (Jennifer Anniston's peachy colored dress with some translucent beadwork. I thought I saw black bikinis under it--big no no!)

Or if it's poufy, does it look like it still goes with the body under it? (Like Lady Gaga's dress--nice).

The most beautiful dress I saw at the Oscars was YEARS ago. Oprah Winfrey was wearing a slinky black wool knit dress with long sleeves and a plunging V neck to show off her bust. There were silver and blue bugle beads all around the shoulders and the neckline to accent her bust. It was designed by Bob Mackie, who has dressed a ton of movie and TV stars. She was plump, too. It followed the basic idea of accenting her best features--her shoulders and bust--and covering everything else up in black wool knit. This might have been when she was up for an Oscar for The Color Purple or maybe Beloved. My mom agreed with me she was the best dressed lady there. I told my mom "I'd kill for a dress like that" since I don't have a wasp waist myself. I did a GIS and couldn't find it.

I'll give Halle Berry points for carrying off an extremely weird dress when she won Best Actress for "Monster's Ball". The top was sheer fishnet with no bra, and it had embroidered flower sections over the bust. The bottom was gathered up purple cut velvet. Not one in a thousand women would have been able to pull it off. She was very flat chested and didn't need a bra, so she could get away with it. On her it looked good.

[lovemydog]

24. Thanks for the education, Manifestor_of_Light.

I'm learning more which is always fun. I love that photo of Halle Berry. What a great dress on her.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

27. You're welcome!

Glad to help. Just start looking at shapes and colors.

[lovemydog]

18. Oh, here's the song Glory.

I love it! You can judge for yourself here:

[renate]

25. I really liked it

It's an awards show, not a comedy show, so I thought Neil Patrick Harris did great.

I liked that "American Sniper" will mostly just have to be happy with its $300 million.

I loved the song for "Selma."

I loved the writer of "The Imitation Game."

I loved how happy Eddie Redmayne was.

I loved the beginning number.

I missed a few things, because I live with people who don't watch the Oscars and I had to switch from delayed-DVR to nondelayed-DVR a couple of times, but as far as I know there were no cringe-worthy moments (although I wondered whether Terence Howard had an onstage panic attack) and to me that is a good Oscars show.

[lovemydog]

26. We liked all the same stuff renate!

In some past shows I've felt like the show was trying too hard to be outrageous or entertaining. I thought this one did what it should - emphasize the nominees, celebrate the global phenomenon of movies, show how they bring us great entertainment & empathy with others.

[HappyMe]

33. I haven't watched the Oscars for years.

It is usually boring, last night was no exception. I did love John Legend & Common, the Polish guy that won, Lady Gaga.

[lovemydog]

43. Yeah, the Polish film, Ida.

I laughed when the director mentioned the irony that they make this movie about isolation & war and here they are accepting an award in the midst of socialization & celebrities.

[HappyMe]

55. Yup.

I also liked how he just powered through the music.

[DrDan]

34. Whiplash winning 3 awards - very deserving - have seen it twice already

love that movie

Lady Gaga's performance was top-notch - what talent

[Bluenorthwest]

41. What a great movie it is, so pleased that it won a few, JK Simmons...very pleased.

nt

[DrDan]

42. it had my vote for Best Picture . . . seeing it the second time was every bit as good as the first

[lovemydog]

44. I haven't seen Whiplash

but now I will definitely watch it. The clips they showed made me want to see it. I liked how JK Simmons thanked his wife and said everyone should call their parents.

I listened today to Lady Gaga's performance without watching it. She really can sing.

[DrDan]

52. I have been a huge Lady Gaga fan since hearing her with Tony Bennett - what a talent she is

and I will definitely see Whiplash a third time - just loved that movie - Best Picture imho

[bigwillq]

36. Was pleased with the winners, thought some of the speeches were amazing

Like Patricia Arquette and Graham Moore

Common and John Legend=AMAZING
LADY GAGA=AMAZING

Neil Patrick Harris: The opening was fantastic, the rest of it was kind of awful.

The show is too long.

But, overall, I thought it was pretty decent.

[lovemydog]

45. Yeah, I loved Patricia Arquette's speech.

The Common & John Legend performance was the highlight for me.

I enjoy seeing work that doesn't usually get much attention. Like documentaries & short films & technical stuff.

[hobbit709]

37. Haven't watched the Oscars since David Niven commented on the streaker.

[FSogol]

38. The Academy flexed it liberal muscles and did a little truth telling.

Lots of stars mentioned liberal causes. Common's acceptance speech was brilliant.

[lovemydog]

46. Yeah - here's Common's acceptance speech:

[FSogol]

47. Thanks. It was quite awesome. n/t

[abelenkpe]

39. Song of the Sea

Should have win best animated film. Or even non nominated Book of Life. But otherwise OK show and results. Many friends were disappointed with NPH but thought he was better than some recent past hosts.
Looking forward to after party tent removal. Miss playing basketball

[FSogol]

48. I agree on "Song of the Sea". An almost perfect blending of music, animation, and Irish

mythology. And this from someone who loved "Big Hero 6". My wife was mad that the "Book of Life" wasn't nominated.

[djean111]

51. Neal Patrick Harris was good in the opening, then all down hill from there.

Hit bottom with "It takes balls to wear that dress" - minutes after the woman talked about her son committing suicide - shared with his Snowden crack. I think Ricky Gervais would have shown more class, at his worst.
Pretty much lost me as a fan.