Oscar Talk: Ep. 84 -- Special Edition! -- 2011 Oscars postmortem, Meryl Streep's upset, Billy Crystal, 'The Artist''s big night
Also: What will we be talking about this time next year?
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Welcome to Oscar Talk.
In case you're new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar's stage and we're here to address it all as it unfolds.
As of last night, the season is over. There are no more predictions to make, no more logic to peddle, no more considerations of how voters are responding to this or that. We know how they responded. Now it's time to pick over the rotting carcass of the season. So, with Guy Lodge in tow once more this season, let's see what's on the docket for today...
The Oscars happened, in case you hadn't heard. And there were a couple of surprises throughout, though not too many.
One of them, of course, was Meryl Streep upsetting friend and former co-star Viola Davis in the Best Actress category. Naturally we chew on that for a bit.
There was also "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" popping up in the Best Film Editing category with a show of support from the Academy, clearly being the place where members focused their love.
There was of course the actual show, which was safe and reserved and signaled an overall retreat from the embarrassment of Brett Ratner in November. How did Billy Crystal do? We discuss.
And finally, there is a whole other year of filmmaking to look forward to. What will we be talking about this time next year? Well, we don't get into it too much, but we offer up some things we're certainly looking forward to.
Have a listen to the new podcast below and listen to our final calls. If the file cuts off for you at any time, try the back-up download link at the bottom of this post. And as always, remember to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.
"Can't Truss It" courtesy of Public Enemy and Def Jam/Columbia.
"It's a Process" courtesy of Mychael Danna and Madison Gate Records.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Next 126 CommentsAndrewM679
February 27, 2012 at 9:34PM EST Reply to CommentWas just thinking about Weinstein today. Everyone has been moaning and complaining about Harvey these past two years, but I bet very little people will be complaining this year when he's championing PTA and Tarantino.
Matthew Starr GO HARVEY IN 2012!!!
February 27, 2012 at 9:40PM ESTGuy Lodge Have you listened to the podcast? I make the same point, almost word for word.
February 27, 2012 at 10:25PM ESTAndrewM679 Sorry Guy, didn't make it to that point when I commented
February 27, 2012 at 11:26PM EST
February 27, 2012 at 11:56PM ESTPersonally I'm excited for this new era of Weinstein dominance. The Miramax years were such a huge part of my life. QT and PTA are two of my favorite directors so the 2012 race should be amazing.
Harrison
February 27, 2012 at 9:36PM EST Reply to CommentYou guys have an obvious problem with Meryl.
I think she gave the best speech of the night and the best performance of the year. Who cares about the 3rd Oscar or whatever, it would have been a crime not to honour her for this one, purely for the performance.
When I think about which performance will be remembered the most in 20 years I doubt it will be Viola. But now she will be remembered because she lost and people will feel sorry for her blah blah.
Kristopher Tapley "You guys have an obvious problem with Meryl."
February 27, 2012 at 9:47PM ESTObviously you can't hear. Very clearly I said this was more pro-Viola than anti-Meryl. But of course, her fanatics will continue to see things as they wish, free of nuance.
Harrison No I heard you make that quite clear, but I got the feeling that you just don't like her or. Plus my pro-Meryl stance is similar to your pro-Viola stance...
February 27, 2012 at 10:14PM ESTKristopher Tapley Well you got the wrong feeling.
February 27, 2012 at 10:15PM ESTGuy Lodge Yes, I have an obvious problem with Meryl Streep. Which is why I devoted an entire list and gallery to her ten greatest performances.
February 27, 2012 at 10:28PM ESThttp://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/the-lists-top-10-meryl-streep-performances
Thanks for playing, though.
Matthew Starr
February 27, 2012 at 9:41PM EST Reply to CommentI hope Daniel Day-Lewis wins next year. He is WAY overdue for this third Oscar.
DylanS lol, I know right!
February 27, 2012 at 9:49PM ESTI was just thinking earlier about the fact that DeNiro, Hoffman, Hackman, Day-Lewis and Washington each only have 2 oscars. They're living legends, isn't it about time they get their third oscars? Wait, Pacino and Duvall each only have one oscar? ...oh, I give up, this is all too much ;)
Matthew Starr It's absurd. The only actor that deserves anything is the one that gave the best performance. Anyone who says otherwise is being a fool.
February 27, 2012 at 9:55PM ESTSamuelM Yeah, but guys...Renee Zellweger only has one Oscar. All bets are off. I will not rest until she wins a second.
February 27, 2012 at 10:00PM ESTAndrewM679 Guys... Cuba Gooding Jr. is way overdue for a second one
February 27, 2012 at 10:06PM ESTDylanS we really need to give Timothy Hutton another Oscar, when was the last time he won? 1980?
February 27, 2012 at 10:23PM ESTchristine Seconded.
February 27, 2012 at 10:36PM ESTDDL is so overdue for his third Oscar.
Robert De Niro is so overdue for his third Oscar.
Wait, Julianne Moore hasn't even one yet.
Laura Stewart Christine- god, that makes me so sick that Gwyneth friggin' Paltrow has an Oscar and Julianne Moore has zero. Michelle Williams has zero. Leo DiCaprio has zero. Baby Goose has zero. Gwyneth friggin' Paltrow has an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love. Yucky.
February 28, 2012 at 3:23AM ESTGuy Lodge Jeez, it's not a numbers game. It's luck and timing. We'll go crazy thinking in "x has more than y" terms.
February 28, 2012 at 8:26AM ESTGwyneth Paltrow is fine is Shakespeare in Love. Not a win for the ages, certainly. Not a catastrophe, either.
Matthew Starr If Paltrow was actually the best candidate of the five I don't think people would have as big a problem.
February 28, 2012 at 10:57AM ESTGuy Lodge How often does the best of the five win? Less than half the time, I'd say.
February 28, 2012 at 9:36PM ESTMatthew Starr Oh for sure. I made a comment about this in another thread, it's probably around 30-35% of the time.
February 28, 2012 at 11:01PM ESTDylanS
February 27, 2012 at 9:45PM EST Reply to CommentI can't say this as a definite, because I don't remember them all of the top of my head, but this was the best podcast you guys have done that I can remember. Wonderfully insightful about how things paned out last night, really engaging conversation, everybody getting the chance to speak and nobody talking over each other (which isn't always an easy skill to manage) and as always, Guy, you add so much to the discussion every time you join Anne and Kris, I really with we could get a regular podcast with you.
A wonderful note to end this season, and I've said it before and I'll happily say it again Kris, I really do admire the level-headedness with which you handle awards coverage and how you allow for such enriching conversation on this site year in and year out. You make it a pleasure to return every season.
So to everyone here on the site, it's been a blast this season, and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
Kristopher Tapley Much appreciated, Dylan.
February 27, 2012 at 9:52PM ESTSamuelM I agree with the above. We definitely need more of Guy and his glorious British accent.
February 27, 2012 at 10:03PM ESTHoustonRufus Well said. I agree.
February 27, 2012 at 10:12PM ESTGuy Lodge Thanks! Though I think most born-and-raised Brits would be wary of describing my accent as British. Or glorious, for that matter.
February 27, 2012 at 10:45PM ESTSamuelM I forgot about the whole South African ex-pat thing. I'm Australian, any slightly British lilt sounds classy to me.
February 27, 2012 at 11:04PM ESTJJ1 Yeah, perfectly put, Dylans.
February 27, 2012 at 11:41PM ESTJLPatt Actually, they talked over each other a lot. Kind of hard to control that. But it was lovely all the same, and I thank you all for these great podcasts.
February 28, 2012 at 12:25AM ESTMatthew Starr
February 27, 2012 at 9:57PM EST Reply to CommentGuy is totally on point here. The FX people should vote for the FX winner. I could not care less if Oscar follows all the guilds and we all end up predicting 24/24 categories. If that is the effect of rewarding the right people then so be it.
JJ1 It's so tricky. I would not want repeats of the guilds. How UNbelievably boring would that be, people? But yeah, deserving people would/should get rewarded. I guess there's no right answer.
February 27, 2012 at 11:42PM ESTMatthew Starr Boring but right choice beats surprising but bad choice every time.
February 28, 2012 at 1:10AM ESTWigman
February 27, 2012 at 10:17PM EST Reply to CommentI love that you capped the year off with the music from Moneyball. Best Picture of the year in my book.
PS. Question for next pod cast, I guess not for a while: What are some 2011 films that grew on you, upon multiple viewings?
JJ1 good question
February 27, 2012 at 11:43PM ESTRashad
February 27, 2012 at 10:23PM EST Reply to CommentCrystal was good, and the ratings are up because of him. I want him back next year.
Stone, RDJ and Rock were the best presenters.
Why doesn't the player have a volume adjuster?
RDC1886
February 27, 2012 at 10:30PM EST Reply to CommentWell, there are records in Oscars and Streep deserves to come close to breaking records. She MAY tied Hepburn with 4 wins but I doubt she wins a 5th. You guys are sexist. Nothing was EVER said about Jack Nicholson when he was going for his overdue 3rd and WON over Duvall and Fonda. OR even worse when he was gunning for his 4th for About Schmidt. I think you bloggers are upset because the writing was all over the wall that Streep was the front-runner, but you let history of her being the runner-up blind you. She won many critics awards, not the BFCA as she won it twice recently and SAG she was a winner for DOUBT. Plus, Streep was in almost every frame and carried THE IRON LADY. Viola Davis should have won for DOUBT. You guys werent all upset about her losing then to Cruz. If you are so upset about Davis, it is your own fault.
Chris138 Robert Duvall was robbed for The Apostle.
February 27, 2012 at 10:36PM ESTKristopher Tapley "You guys are sexist."
February 27, 2012 at 10:37PM ESTOh, seriously, just shut up.
By the way, I wasn't covering the Oscars in 1997. If I had, and if people were saying "he's due a third," I'd have called bullshit on that, too.
Stop playing what-if and grow the fuck up.
DeenaJonz "shut up" and "grow the f**k up"?
February 28, 2012 at 7:46PM ESTIt is refreshing to see you(Kris)show off your education.
I am siding with the dark side peeps and saying WHAT SURPRISE in Lead Actress? It was either Streep or Davis, or possibly Williams. Biggest upset since Brody? LOL
So start calling BS on Day-Lewis winning his overdue third next year for Lincoln.
Jones
February 27, 2012 at 10:37PM EST Reply to CommentI have to admit I was also waiting for the Meryl's acknowledgement of her fellow nominees in her speech, and was kinda bummed she didn't. However, later on, upon some reflection it made sense. At least, personally, I think Meryl genuinely wanted Viola to win. Mentioning the other nominees in her speech would've come out wrong in any way. If she had acknowledged the other nominees without specially praising Viola Davis, would've had people speculating why she didn't singled out the "clear" front-runner. But if she had singled out Viola Davis, it would've been unfair to the other nominees. So I think in the end Meryl did the right thing. She walked toward her friend, gave her a kiss, and kept mum about the obvious uncomfortable situation; only hinting at it at the beginning of the speech. This was probably a bittersweet/sore night for both ladies. And the online world knows for lots of other people as well.
JJ1 I don't know. I've always found Meryl to be humble. We know she has such adoration and admiration for Viola. I think she would have been ecstatic if he won.
February 27, 2012 at 11:50PM ESTBut ... I also think Meryl was thrilled to have won. Thrilled. She puts so much work into her roles. She loved the character. She loves Phyllida Lloyd, etc.. And I think she honestly wanted to soak up her minute and a half, or so (perhaps forgetting or choosing not to acknowledge her competition for once). Meryl was emotional, here. That was clear. This meant something to her; perhaps more than we assumed (given her humble, cheerfest for pal Viola, really, for over 3 years now).
JJ1 "she" (first paragraph)
February 27, 2012 at 11:50PM ESTdaveylo Streep acknowledged all her fellow nominees in the Thank You cam and said they are deserved to win the award. I think she was very surprised when she won and was half expecting Davis to win.
February 27, 2012 at 11:58PM ESTKristopher Tapley
February 27, 2012 at 10:38PM EST Reply to CommentAlso, everyone acting like "the writing was on the wall" as it pertains to Streep is so unbelievably, hilariously, pathetically full of shit. Just be happy your horse won and leave it at that. Don't paint a fictional portrait.
Jones Can I like this? Like, very much? I can't believe the Meryl Streep army that emerged out of this. It's seriously sickening.
February 27, 2012 at 10:47PM ESTJorge To be fair though, we all kind of fell into the Viola narrative when there were clear signs pointing to Meryl. (I say we because I picked Viola in all of my pools, I fully believed Viola would win). In retrospect (and, of course, hindsight is 20/20) Meryl won NYFCC. Globes, and BAFTA. Viola won SAG and BFCA. SAG of course has the highest predictive value, but with both campaigning hard and Meryl playing the real life character, etc. etc., it probably should not have seemed as much of a sure thing as it seemed to many of us.
February 27, 2012 at 11:06PM ESTIn a sense, it's similar to how many of us (noticeably, not you Kris) simply created a "Tree of Life for Cinematography" narrative that we all decided to believe.
Guy Lodge Not that similar. The Tree of Life (which I didn't predict either) won virtually every precursor but the BAFTA, where it hadn't been nominated. On paper, it looked an obvious frontrunner.
February 27, 2012 at 11:20PM ESTJorge I seem to recall that the Tree of Life narrative started even before the precursors came out though - am I misremembering?
February 27, 2012 at 11:24PM ESTIn any case - sorry if it's a bad comparison - my main point really is that there were definitely signs there about Meryl but that some times narratives take hold that make them hard to see.
Guy Lodge Well, the second people saw the film it was launched into the Best Cinematography discussion because the work was obviously too spectacular to ignore. Is that what you mean by its narrative?
February 27, 2012 at 11:41PM ESTJJ1 Jorge sums up my feelings pretty well: "In retrospect (and, of course, hindsight is 20/20) Meryl won NYFCC. Globes, and BAFTA. Viola won SAG and BFCA. SAG of course has the highest predictive value, but with both campaigning hard and Meryl playing the real life character, etc. etc., it probably should not have seemed as much of a sure thing as it seemed to many of us".
February 27, 2012 at 11:59PM ESTI'm one who has said for quite a while now that I thought Viola would win, but that it would be very, very close. And many people poo-pooed me.
I'm also one who, while preferring Viola Davis for the win, was happy for Meryl, because I found the performance to be excellent and towering in an otherwise (very) flawed film.
So, I feel twisted, as well. So happy for Meryl. Soooo sad for Viola. But on the record, I always thought it would be very close for the very reasons Jorge provided above.
Jorge No, I meant that after the nominations came out most early predictions for Cinematography were for "Tree of Life," (Deservedly, I might add - Lubezki has been robbed twice) and that that narrative sort of took on a life of its own. My point is to compare that a bit to what happened with Viola/Meryl, but I think of course it was worse in the Best Actress race (after all, many people smartly realized what would happen in Cinematography, fewer in Actress) - i.e. despite the fact that so many precursors had gone to Meryl, the conversation was always so assured about Viola, that it seems strange in retrospect how assured it was. (Again, very easy in hindsight, of course)
February 28, 2012 at 12:52AM ESTcrossie Jeez, Kris, they're just mostly semi-anonymous Internet commenters ... you know, idiots. Don't let'em get to you.
February 28, 2012 at 1:33AM ESTcrossie Though, honestly, anyone who was watching the Oscars should've known it was a surprise from the obvious LOOK OF SURPRISE on Streep's face when the winner was announced.
February 28, 2012 at 1:36AM ESTKristopher Tapley Yea I know. I'm good. I think I was just still steaming over being called sexist.
February 28, 2012 at 2:45AM ESTAndrej
February 27, 2012 at 10:41PM EST Reply to CommentLooking forward to Django Unchained. Tarantino doing an extreme-genre movie with an insane, killer ensemble, I just hope he'll do better this time around than he did with Inglourious Basterds.
There's The Dark Knight Rises too. I just hope they'll pull a Return of the King with Nolan and that cast which by now only has two people not nominated by the Academy. It's a pipe dream, but after seeing sweet movies like The King's Speech and The Artist win consecutively, I'm praying this year we'll see something darker and wilder take the gold, because it feels like No Country For Old Men won a million years ago (yeah, I'm not entirely enthused over The Hurt Locker).
Also, I don't know if anyone bothered to mention this, but what about the worst quote of the entire ceremony? When Billy Crystal sang so joyfully "9 is the new 5!"...
I cried a single tear of blood.
But overall, yeah, they were a really good, fun Oscars. The presentations and clips were very nicely chosen and edited (though for the VFX ones I dearly missed the render and composition stages for the CGI based films). After the last two years, it's a healthy return to form.
Thank you so much for yet another year of Oscar Talk! This year should see the hundredth podcast, so I'll be looking forward to that special episode :)
Chris138 I've been wondering if the Academy is going to announce that they are going back to 5 nominees in a few months from now or something. That would be sort of ironic, since they changed it after The Dark Knight and the last film is out this summer. Obviously it's impossible to say whether or not TDKR is going to be a sure fire Oscar contender (I'm not holding my breath for it), but I have high hopes for the film to be a good conclusion.
February 28, 2012 at 1:32AM ESTJLPatt
February 27, 2012 at 10:43PM EST Reply to CommentI, and everyone watching with me, enjoyed the show a great deal. I'm actually rather baffled - to say the least - about all the hate Crystal and the telecast is getting. What more did people want? It was funny, entertaining, celebrated the movies, moved along quickly, and was filled with some truly wonderful moments and speeches. I loved Galifianakis and Ferrell dropping those cymbals; Downey Jr. making a "documentary" on stage; Crystal's sarcastic quip about Sherak "whipping the crowd into a frenzy"; his "What are the Actors Thinking?" skit; "The Wizard of Oz" focus group; stars reminiscing about movie moments in their lives. And then there were lovely speeches from Spencer, Plummer, Dujardin, and Streep among others.
Honestly, I don't know what else could have possibly made it better (well, for me I wish it was longer :P). I guess it's lose-lose - every single damn year people will complain no matter what. A shame.
SamuelM My main criticism of the broadcast was that it was unfocused. It was just about 'movies in general' and the various segments - the focus group, Cirque - didn't really bear any relationship to one another.
February 27, 2012 at 10:58PM ESTCrystal was competent without being brilliant. I think this obsession the Academy has with trying to capture the younger demographic is silly and ultimately counterproductive, so I didn't mind that it the show skewed safe.
Of the broadcasts I've watched properly (which isn't many, to be fair), I think the Hugh Jackman one was the best. It's a shame he doesn't seem interested in doing it again.
JJ1 That's just IT. People complaining about Crystal. "Ohhh, I love him. But no. He was bad, here. So dated. So boring. He tried, though". Seriously??? I thought he was good and gave the Oscars a near return-to-form. For those who wanted someone else at this time or something different ..... just what do they want? What do they want? Rgh, irksome.
February 28, 2012 at 12:03AM ESTSamuelM
February 27, 2012 at 10:50PM EST Reply to CommentOut of curiosity, I remember you, Kris, mentioned somewhere that InContention won't fully shut down in the off season, so what can we expect between now and Cannes?
I'm kind of excited about the prospect of a few months of just talking about movies without the shadow of Oscar around.
JJ1 Word. Cinejabber. Tell us What You Thought of. Box Office. Stuff like that will return, right? New stuff?
February 28, 2012 at 12:05AM ESTEvan
February 27, 2012 at 10:57PM EST Reply to CommentTotally agree with the idea that my disappointment today is more with the fact that Viola lost than the fact that Meryl won.
On a semi-related note, I'm surprised that Anne said there was goodwill toward Harvey within the Academy. If you had solicited questions for this podcast, my first one would have been: when will Harvey start to get backlash? I know that he's great at picking films that they like, but it just seems that when a guy is getting Best Picture two years in a row and the four biggest awards in a single year, at some point the Academy would rebel against his influence. But I have no clue-- just wanted to hear your opinions and it sounds like the answer is "That's not likely." Even though I liked The Artist, it does make me feel like I'm being manipulated a bit...
And I have to say: I got a little sentimental at the end of this podcast when the Moneyball music started playing. This podcast has my lifeline during the Oscar season and I'm so glad to have two dedicated and informed pundits (and sometimes three when Guy joins in) giving me the skinny on this year's race. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and I'll look forward to the May episode.
Prettok Weinstein lost his magic touch a bit at the end of the '90s after a pretty succesful decade. He started pushing obviously mediocre stuff like Chocolat and The Cider House Rules, and the Academy started to resist. Eventually he will start doing it again. But so far, I don't believe the Academy would have awarded The Artist and The Kings Speech unless they really, truly liked them
February 28, 2012 at 12:23AM ESTJorge
February 27, 2012 at 11:06PM EST Reply to CommentGreat podcast! You guys should invite Guy more regularly! (Not that there is anything wrong with the podcast as is). Thanks for another year of great coverage - can't wait for next year.
Bryan
February 27, 2012 at 11:11PM EST Reply to CommentWhen the Moneyball music started playing, I started getting emotional, and wondered whether I'd underestimated the score or was sincerely saddened to close the chapter on the last Oscartalk of the season. Probably both.
Thanks for the wit, delight, sharp criticism, and general love for movies that you guys bring to your work. The quality of the content of this site is more than commendable, and leaves me a little bummed that the off-season has arrived, no matter what a relief it will surely be for all of us.
So thanks guys. And good luck with your wedding, Kris.
Kidman
February 27, 2012 at 11:31PM EST Reply to CommentI guess it is the right place guys, to thank you for this amazing awards coverage. And that includes Anne Thompson whose blog I read daily.
It is my second year following the Oscar race on In Contention (starting every August) and it is always the right spot to find daring opinions and commandable columns.
Cheers and you deserve a good vacation!
Angelo
February 27, 2012 at 11:54PM EST Reply to CommentGood work this year, all.
My favourite bit of Oscar commentary all season was Anne's bit on EL&IC: "That's dead." If only!
JJ1
February 28, 2012 at 12:06AM EST Reply to CommentThank you Kris, Guy, Gerard, Roth, Guy, and all else who make this such a wonderful place to read, discuss, listen, and play.
Mykill Definitely win the award for Best Oscar/movie blog IMHO :^D
February 28, 2012 at 10:12PM ESTtemo
February 28, 2012 at 12:11AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the show was going really well until Viola lost. It looked like the life had been sucked out of the building after that moment.
Does anyone know if Best Actress had been ever been presented that late in the show in the modern era? I thought it was usually presented before director and actor.
Looking forward to next season. Enjoy some much deserved rest you three.
Guy Lodge Another commenter said the same thing about Actress usually being presented before Actor. I don't know where people got this idea from, because it's simply untrue. They tend to flip them from one year to the other. Two years ago, for example, Sandra Bullock's win came after Jeff Bridges's.
February 28, 2012 at 8:33AM ESTJason T
February 28, 2012 at 1:06AM EST Reply to CommentI remember coming on here two days ago saying Meryl Streep was still very much in this race and had momentum to win, and got SLAMMED for it- being told Streep never had the momentum and it was Viola from day one. AND NOW WHAT? Streep wins, just like I said. Again, Drama Globe plus BAFTA means you have momentum. I think it was a close race, but never underestimate someone like Streep just because you're used to seeing her lose year after year to less worthy actors who win often because of politics (Sandra Bullock anyone?) So glad I was able to prove my point.
Kristopher Tapley Yep, you got slammed. She didn't have momentum. It was a complete surprise. Period. The BAFTA and Globe could be explained for a number of reasons - HFPA being in Harvey's pocket, a Thatcher portrayal being in BAFTA wheelhouse, etc. - and so the veil was up. It was just an odd scenario. I don't think a point was proven here but soak it up nonetheless!
February 28, 2012 at 2:48AM ESTJason T Sorry Kris, Streep did have the momentum, hence why she won the Oscar. Drama Globe plus BAFTA does equal Oscar sometimes, as it did for Kidman and Cotillard as well. I'm in the same camp with Tom O'Neil who told me never to lose the faith. Surprising she won, yea a little. But this race was a race, and she was obviously stronger then so many thought.
February 28, 2012 at 4:00AM ESTJason T You could say Davis's SAG win could be explained because voters knew Streep won it in 2008 for Doubt, or that they wanted to vote for two black women in one night, or that they wanted to shower The Help with everything....there can be a theory for the Davis camp too. Not trying to be obnoxious or anything, just trying to show you my point of view.
February 28, 2012 at 4:03AM ESTJames
February 28, 2012 at 1:09AM EST Reply to CommentI'll probably be a hypocrite if The Master and Django Unchained are as good as they sound and Weinstein champions them.
JLPatt
February 28, 2012 at 1:09AM EST Reply to CommentSome more random Oscar stats, because the "Bullitt" one is just so darn neat:
"The Artist" becomes the first film to win Best Picture without also winning for its screenplay since "Million Dollar Baby" in 2004.
This becomes the first year since 2004 both of the films that won for Screenplay won for nothing else. Incidentally, that was the year Alexander Payne won his first Oscar for "Sideways."
Christopher Plummer is the first Supporting Actor winner in 20 years who served as the sole nomination for his film. The last time was 1991 and Jack Palance - another old guy who won after decades of legendary screen roles. The Oscar ceremony that year, of course, was hosted by... Billy Crystal!
"The Artist" is the first Best Picture winner to be shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio since "Marty" 56 years ago.
John-Paul I'm pretty sure Michel Hazanavicius is also the first person to ever win Best Director for his first nomination in a category against four previously nominated directors.
February 28, 2012 at 10:02PM ESTDeena Jones' wig
February 28, 2012 at 1:28AM EST Reply to CommentViola Davis circle jerk. Now you know how Meryl felt for the past 29 years.
Micguar The past 29 years? You mean when she already had two Oscars by the age of 33 and had far more opportunities than Davis has ever had? Yeah, I'm sure Meryl was feeling really low all those years...
February 28, 2012 at 2:26AM ESTKristopher Tapley Hey, you can go back into hiding for another 30 years. See you when Meryl's due for a fourth.
February 28, 2012 at 2:49AM ESTSamuelM You know, it never occurred to me until this Oscar season that Meryl Streep would evoke such passion in people.
February 28, 2012 at 3:16AM ESTIt's a little bit weird.
Guy Lodge Clearly, you weren't around for the 2006, 2008 and 2009 Oscar seasons. Consider yourself lucky! ;)
February 28, 2012 at 8:37AM ESTDylanS Kris: Didn't you hear? Meryl's a living legend of the screen, we most certainly need to give her another Oscar. It's just unfair to her otherwise ;)
February 28, 2012 at 1:56PM ESTLaura Stewart
February 28, 2012 at 3:27AM EST Reply to CommentI want Kris to drunkenly record a podcast. His drunken tweets are the best... and most honest :)
JJ1 Yes!
February 28, 2012 at 9:48AM ESTMykill agreed - Anne, Guy, and Kris should all get drunk and just rip apart bitches and say whatever comes to mind. I love when that happens :^O
February 28, 2012 at 10:14PM ESTLaura Stewart
February 28, 2012 at 4:05AM EST Reply to CommentWhy is everyone so nervous about The Great Gatsby?! When Baz is on point, he really delivers. I was a little iffy about Carey Mulligan as Daisy but early pics give me hope... she actually looks the part more and more and I'm not at all worried about her talent-wise.
Maybe Gatsby will become my new Young Adult of this awards season ;) Ha.
Jake D It's such a tricky work to adapt. It's 100% novelistic and dependent on the language and first-person narratives where the narrator isn't the protagonist generally don't translate easily to the screen. Plus Leo's not really on his game lately (although the role might minimize his weaknesses) and Mulligan's casting is weird (but after Shame, should we really try to box her in?).
February 28, 2012 at 4:42AM ESTEnough to worry about, I think. But obviously it -could- come together.
JJ1 Right. I think the stills of Mulligan look amazing. And yes, after 'Shame', I have high hopes.
February 28, 2012 at 9:55AM ESTDylanS "When Baz is on point, he really delivers."
February 28, 2012 at 1:59PM ESTI know he's got plenty of fans (especially here on the site), but Baz has never been on point for me (probably one of my least favorite directors) and I'm dreading this adaptation. I hope Leo can manage a strong performance as Gatsby (he's well cast), but this film sounds like it's going to be a complete disaster.
Mykill aww Laura, I still feel bad for you about Charlize Theronand the Fassbender getting snubbed >:^( This was such an odd year to see such great films and performances get completely railroaded over by mediocrity. Oh well.
February 28, 2012 at 10:18PM ESTI am SOOO EXCITED about The Great Gatsby. I have no fear that it isn't going to be amazing. He has an entire year to do post production and I think it's going to really be a big deal. He is just one (of many) of my favorite film makers who have films coming out this year that I'm really excited about.
Jake D
February 28, 2012 at 4:38AM EST Reply to CommentThank you all so much for the most balanced and consistently entertaining commentary throughout the season! It's great to have a dose of sanity every Friday from you guys. Obviously I love Kris and Anne but if I had a wishlist for next year, more Guy on Oscar Talk is at the top of it. :)
Fantastic work guys. Can't wait for Cannes (which looks like it's gonna be even starrier than usual--should be interesting).
Jenny
February 28, 2012 at 5:38AM EST Reply to CommentDon't worry Jason T, Kris and his partner in crime Anne Thompson are just bitter their little pony Viola Davis lost, despite the fact that she only had SAG under her belt. If they had bothered researching, they would have known Streep's victory wasn't that shocking- her globe, bafta and slew of critic awards were a strong indicator. It kind of shows you how ignorant and stubborn people can be, and in Kris's case he's just mad he made a complete fool of himself by totally disregarding Streep and acting like Viola was the only woman people were going to vote for. Sucks to be stupid, doesn't it Kris?
JJ1 eek
February 28, 2012 at 9:56AM ESTKristopher Tapley Yeah, complete fool. Because everyone was picking Streep. How could I have been so blind?
February 28, 2012 at 2:28PM ESTChild.
Deena Jones' wig Oh snap! Jenny shut it down. LOL!
February 29, 2012 at 7:09PM ESTNando
February 28, 2012 at 5:45AM EST Reply to CommentThe analysis of the Best Actress race this year was poor, and I suspect far too influenced by the pro-Viola feeling in the blogosphere. There was a WILL among oscarwatchers to see a Viola win that wasn't actually matched by objective analysis of precursors and the feeling among awards bodies.
GG Drama/BAFTA/NYFCC and minor critic's awards is in no way less indicative of an Oscar than SAG/BFCA and minor critic's awards. Especially when the main competitor won SAG just a couple of years ago. If anything, the argument can be made that Streep actually had the edge with precursors.
The only objective edge Viola Davis had was being in a BP nominee. But people should have realized on nomination morning that the love for The Help was overestimated. It was only really supported by the actor's branch, the same group of people that have given Streep all those nomninations year after year. Add in the fact that Davis was part of what was fundamentally an ensemble movie with virtually as much screentime as the Supporting Actress winner and it puts her at a disadvantage when Lead Actress wins are usually given to women who are the main actress front and center in their films.
Take the emotion and personal will of the Oscar media/bloggers out of it, and Davis never had the strong lead that it was made out to be or people convinced themselves of. This was never a Mirren or Firth like sweep. Not remotely close. And looking at the race objectively, actually ends up revealing that there wasn't even any real evidence to suggest Davis had a lead at all.
matt Can't believe those bitching about Meryl Streep winning the Oscar for Iron Lady. She gave the best performance of the year. Deal with it.
February 28, 2012 at 9:12AM ESTKristopher Tapley It had very little to do with emotion. Meryl was a 15-time loser, after all.
February 28, 2012 at 2:31PM ESTI also wonder if she realizes she has a lot of scumbag fans. (Not you, necessarily, Nando.)
Matthew Starr lmao. Meryl said on stage that she is sure half of America sighed and said "her again". So she must know that the other half are her "scumbag fans".
February 28, 2012 at 2:47PM ESTMatt
February 28, 2012 at 11:40AM EST Reply to CommentNice job all season to Kris, Anne, and Guy!
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