[Dana Fillhart]

For those who were wondering what Colin Farrell said in Irish (Gaelic)...

I recognized the saying right off the bat but couldn't remember the exact translation. I'm pretty sure this is what he said and what it translates to:

Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris!
"May we be alive at this time next year."

It's a flowery way of saying goodbye, if my memory serves me right, in the same way that Cead mile failte ("A hundred thousand welcomes") is a flowery greeting. However, given the political nature of so many speeches that night, I find his use of the phrase to have a double-meaning.

[Vickie_M]

Quote:

For those who were wondering what Colin Farrell said in Irish (Gaelic)...

I recognized the saying right off the bat but couldn't remember the exact translation. I'm pretty sure this is what he said and what it translates to:

Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris!
"May we be alive at this time next year."

Wow, that's greatly at odds with what people.com (yeah, I know) says:

When Colin Farrell introduced Best Song nominees U2, what was it that he said in Gaelic?

Irish actor Farrell gave a tip of the hat to his countrymen by saying, "Go raibh mile maith agat. Agus anois U2!" Translated: "A thousand thank-yous. And now U2!"

Both translations are nice though.

(I'm still laughing at someone, somewhere, saying that they thought Colin Farrell's accent was pretty fakey.)

[Dana Fillhart]

I've heard that saying, too (as well as the simple "Go maith agat", a slightly more plain "thank you"). It very well could've been that, if he said "U2" at the end of it (which was very hard to make out).

Actually, now that I think about it, the one you quoted makes more sense in the context of what he was up there for.

[Seth Paxton]

GONY

I think films can age for better or worse, though I'm not sure that GONY will change much either way in my perception. I did have an improving fondness for the film on successive viewings, but that mostly came from me focusing on the positive aspects and learning to overlook the flaws.

That doesn't mean that I think the flaws are acceptable in terms of the film's greatness or place in history. I don't think GONY was one of the 5 best films of the year and I think a big part of the problem was in how MS tried to tell the story, ie his direction.

But his vision does come through in segments, in the art direction, in the dialog, and most of all, in the acting of DDLewis. So now when I see it I take note of those items more than the flaws. As an overall film I would be hard pressed to view the film as a better told story than even Bringing Out the Dead (which I think was unfairly maligned to be honest).

The structure of the film did not lend itself to an overall cohesiveness that allows an audience to anticipate future scenes (including subconsciously) nor does it allow them to feel the building of an overall moral theme.

For example, after the first hour if you were asked what the major theme of the film is, the most likely response would be the danger of getting too close to the enemy or the faults in seeking revenge. The film itself explicitly states such a theme with the "heat of the dragon" line that, IIRC, appears just after the boxing match on the barge.

However, in the end the theme is again explicitly stated in the film's dialog, only now it's that the city was born in the boiling pot of turmoil and violence, and the "hands that built America" were mostly those of forgotten men or men that were never even known.

And of course either of these themes is strongly muddled by the "forget violence and let romance save you" theme that pops up in the middle and returns out of nowhere in the end.

The conflicting themes are also echoed by the film's conflicting narrative style, such as the sudden awkward presence of the voice-over reading of telegraph messages during the city riot.

Such confusion, to me, indicated that MS was either too close to the material, or that the scale and scope of the film was a little too big and got out of hand for him. Generally his films are less epics and most intimate portraits of personal turmoil. And to be honest that feels like where the film was going with DeCaprio's story until DDL turns on him. It's at that point the film takes a drastic turn in focus. Considering such problems should also give us greater appreciation for what Peter Jackson has been able to do with LOTR.


To me GONY is a perfect example of a film being better than the direction effort. Most of the other aspects brought to the film were top notch and still come through, making the film very watchable even if the telling of it is inconsistant.

I'm not sold on the idea that Polanski was the best effort, but it was better than MS's effort, IMO.

I have no doubt though, that in 10 years at least some people will refer back to this year as just another example of how MS got robbed, when the reality is that he had everything going for him and failed to deliver, in contrast to someone like Rob Marshall who had everything going against him (except a Miramax connection) and pulled it off beautifully, surprising just about everyone.

For me it was further proof that the Academy is not all about lifetime achievements and "last year's make-up call". People have said Kidman's award was, but honestly her performance was one of the top efforts of the year. I don't think any "best actress discussion" would be valid if it didn't include her. And Brody, Cooper, and Jones didn't "have one due to them" either.

[DaveGR]

VICKI M DO YOU EVEN READ ANYTHING BEFORE YOU START shooting off at the mouth? after LEW asked if I could . I then said YES,,What dont you understand about YES?

Yet you then remark on the same thing. Is that Intelligent?
Why dont you read things thru before you comment.

And Frankly If I did choose to keep typing the same way,I could. I chose to change because Lew asked,and wasnt being a jerk.I understood that it does seem to tight.

I did so as a courtesy to readers.

[Robert Crawford]

Vickie and Dave stop with the heated exchanges about Dave's postings. Also, Dave please help others read your posts easier by properly spacing your words and commas, otherwise, the gist of what you're trying to say gets lost by those trying to understand your viewpoint. Thank you.




Crawdaddy

[Vickie_M]

Robert, you read my post as being heated? Mildly snippy, maybe, but I never intended to come off as heated. I won't be saying another word about his posts. I'd certainly rather ignore him than be in dutch with a mod. Sorry.


Getting back on topic, I was thinking that Adrien Brody is in the same situation that Marisa Tomei was in: unknown actor from a little-seen film, winning over 4 well-known heavy hitters. Sure, there are differences. Adrien was in a critically respected drama and his co-nominees were movie stars, while Marisa was in a slight comedy and her co-nominees were British non-movie stars, but still...it's all very familiar.

Yet, Adrien will never face the barrage of jokes and eyerolls that Marisa has had to face. That's a good thing (believe me, I am a HUGE Adrien Brody fan and screamed when he won), but it makes me feel even worse for Marisa. She didn't have her Internet supporters willing to jump in and say "hey, wait, MCV is a pretty funny little movie, and she's brilliant in it" and giving cases for splitting votes and whatnot. She became an immediate joke, and still has to fight that (I heard a reference to the reading-the-wrong-name urban legend just the other day). I wonder if Marisa is feeling just a tinge of...regret, bitterness, I don't know, something tingyv. I would.

[Cees Alons]

Vickie,

Well, you could safely be in Dutch with this mod... .

Cees

[Stevan Lay]

Well as this thread and oscar discussions is coming to its last curtain for this year I just wanna say how personally pleased I am with Chicago's Best Picture award and IMO it was a fitting finale to the always enjoyable hoopla that the oscars generates each and every year.

With all the best categories mud-slinging, studio back-lashings, box-office ass-grabbing, and all the political spit-balling, there's only one thing that can be left to be said and that is...
"That's the Oscars for you, baby!" - Billy Flynn

[DaveGR]

If you didnt mean anything Vicki,sorry. I may have just taken it wrong. And I did change the way I was writing.

Moving on. I am at least happy Chris Cooper got what he deserved. And Im happy with how Best Actress turned out.

[Lew Crippen]

Many thanks Dave. Your posts are much easier to read.