Post Oscars 2012 Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

If I was going to take anything as artistic then I'd probably go with the critic awards since they usually watch the majority of the films that get released.

Yeah, I find it easy to put the most stock in the guy that actually watches lots of movies over the many Academy members who can't even be bothered to watch a screener that's sent to their house but are still allowed to cast a vote. That being said, I look at the Oscars as a nice guideline of what was good in any given year and it's fun to debate the merits of what did and didn't win but by no means is it some authoritative list of the best movies of any given year. For my own tastes, I think time and how much I want to rewatch a movie is what best determines its quality. Looking back to the recent past, I doubt that many of my favorite movies of the last 5 years or so got much or any Oscar recognition. Off the top of my head, I loved Grindhouse, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Funny People, Zodiac, There Will Be Blood, Inglourious Basterds and The Social Network. I'm pretty sure that Inglourious Basterds had some noms and The Social Network & There WIll Be Blood won a few Oscars and maybe Zodiac got some technical awards but win, lose or no nomination at all, I'll be watching all of those movies for years to come.

 

[WillG]

Apparently, the media is referring to the opening sketch as "Controversial" because Crystal made up to look like Sammy Davis Jr. constitutes "Blackface"

 

[Michael Elliott]

I've seen a few shows and a couple posts on message boards where people were offended by THE WIZARD OF OZ gag because at the end they said "next week we're showing" GONE WITH THE WIND and the guy asked if it featured monkeys. Apparently some are throwing a fit screaming racism but I really don't think that was the intent but the film has been caught up with the PC police so...

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I've seen a few shows and a couple posts on message boards where people were offended by THE WIZARD OF OZ gag because at the end they said "next week we're showing" GONE WITH THE WIND and the guy asked if it featured monkeys. Apparently some are throwing a fit screaming racism but I really don't think that was the intent but the film has been caught up with the PC police so...

Oh sweet Lord...


You gotta be kidding. People will scrutinize anybody's
statement to find a hint of racism that wasn't intended.


No wonder this country is such a mess when it comes

to the PC police.

 

[TravisR]

Apparently some are throwing a fit screaming racism but I really don't think that was the intent...

Yeah, intent is prescisely what you need to look at. Thanks to journalism deteriorating to the point where people expressing faux-outrage on the internet becomes a headline to score website hits, Billy Crystal should have his head examined for getting into 'blackface' to impersonate Sammy Davis but he did it to further his impersonation and not to mock Sammy's skin color. The jokes in some Tom And Jerry cartoons or Al Jolson's act was "Look, his face is black! Isn't that funny?!" but no one can say that that's what Crystal was going for.

 

[mattCR]

The only thing about that sketch is that it made me wish for another Christopher Guest movie.

 

[WillG]

Billy Crystal should have his head examined for getting into 'blackface' to impersonate Sammy Davis

Why? There probably wasn't any second though about the makeup to Crystal or anyone else who isn't a race baiter. The though never crossed my mind as I watched. Crystal's Sammy Davis Jr impression has been a cornerstone of his schtick ever since he was on the scene. And he often impersonated Davis in Black makeup on SNL. Didn't seem to bother anyone then (of course though, that was before the internet). Eddie Murphy has done plenty of "Whiteface" impersonations in his career, no one gets on his case (of course, I realize the reality that in the media only white people can be considered racist)

The jokes in some Tom And Jerry cartoons or Al Jolson's act was "Look, his face is black! Isn't that funny?!"

And that's exactly why the term "Blackface" is wholly misinterpreted in this case. "Blackface" is a term used to indicate deliberate caricature of stereotypical black facial features. Crystal appearing in black makeup to portray Sammy Davis Jr. was not that.

I've seen a few shows and a couple posts on message boards where people were offended by THE WIZARD OF OZ gag because at the end they said "next week we're showing" GONE WITH THE WIND and the guy asked if it featured monkeys.

I could actually buy into this complaint a bit more that Crystal's doing Davis. While I'm sure racism wasn't the intent here (that sketch established fascination with the flying Monkeys of TWoO among the "Test Audience"), I could at least understand how the line could be misinterpreted. What I found more telling during the show was the fact that the actress who won for "The Help" received a standing ovation from the audience. Why? It's like saying her win was more "Special" somehow than others. Especially since nominations/wins for the portrayal of an oppressed/abused Black Woman isn't entirely groundbreaking for the Academy these days. Would Melissa McCarthy have gotten an ovation had she won? A win (let alone the nomination) for her would represent much rarer recognition from the Academy for a raunchy role in a raunchy comedy. I have my doubts.

You gotta be kidding. People will scrutinize anybody's statement to find a hint of racism that wasn't intended. No wonder this country is such a mess when it comes to the PC police.

I've said this before, but sadly, it really is our own mess. It's the way that we as society often just completely overreacts to such matter that is our own undoing. A lot of people on this forum throw vitriol at Disney for not releasing Song of the South. But, I can't really blame the CEO/Board of Directors of Disney for not wanting to get caught up in a Racial imbroglio over a movie that is pretty obscure and mostly forgotten to people who aren't film/Disney buffs and most importantly, Race Baiters. I can't really blame the Executives of Comedy Central for not wanting to receive death threats (or possibly worse) for the depiction of Mohammad in an episode of South Park. And unfortunately, I can't see the situation getting better as time goes on.

 

[TravisR]

Billy Crystal should have his head examined for getting into 'blackface' to impersonate Sammy Davis

Why? There probably wasn't any second though about the makeup to Crystal or anyone else who isn't a race baiter.

Like I said, the media is going to manufacture a story out of nothing to get a headline to boost their views (what's going to get more hits "Billy Crystal: Racist?" or "Billy Crystal: Good Oscar host"?) and if Crystal and the people involved couldn't see that coming, they're not living in the real world. That being said, if they looked at the sketch and thought that the vast majority of people in the world aren't hypersensitive idiots & will understand that no malice is intended and screw the people that are offended over nothing then good for them for doing that part of the sketch. I'd be surprised if the average man (whatever their race) on the street was offended at all by it but the media wants to pretend like this non-story is something so they can maintain their existence.

What I found more telling during the show was the fact that the actress who won for "The Help" received a standing ovation from the audience. Why? It's like saying her win was more "Special" somehow than others. Especially since nominations/wins for the portrayal of an oppressed/abused Black Woman isn't entirely groundbreaking for the Academy these days. Would Melissa McCarthy have gotten an ovation had she won? A win (let alone the nomination) for her would represent much rarer recognition from the Academy for a raunchy role in a raunchy comedy. I have my doubts.

While it's well-intentioned, Hollywood seems amusingly oblivious to the fact that singling someone out because of their race, even for a positive thing like an award, is its own form of prejudice and condescension. As for Melissa McCarthy, I said it a few weeks ago in another thread but there would have been standing ovation for her too because she's fat and every decade or so, Hollywood likes to pretend that they care more than just the young and beautiful.

 

[Steve_Tk]

These are reasons I don't even turn this show on anymore. I could care less to see a bunch of self entitled people congratulate themselves. I love movies, but over the last couple of years I've started to hate the actors.

 

[Michael Elliott]

WillG, I agree about the standing ovation. I want to stay within the forum rules but instead of giving standing ovations or giving an Oscar depending on the type of role someone plays, why don't Hollywood instead try to come up with better roles for these people? That standing ovation isn't going to do anything for this lady if she doesn't have a few more roles lined up for her for the next several years.

 

[Sumnernor]

quote: Billy Crystal should have his head examined for getting into 'blackface' to impersonate Sammy Davis



Where did this happen (Beginning, middle, end etc? I asked someone else and they didn't see it ???????

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sumner,


Happened right at the beginning during Billy's movie montage

from Dakota films.

 

[TravisR]

quote: Billy Crystal should have his head examined for getting into 'blackface' to impersonate Sammy Davis Where did this happen (Beginning, middle, end etc? I asked someone else and they didn't see it ???????

When I said blackface, I guess I should have been more specific but I put it in quotes to indicate that that's what a few people are trying to say it is rather than saying that that's what I felt it was. While I think he should have expected some negative feedback, I'm sure Billy Crystal was only trying to further his impersonation (which, since he's been doing it for decades, must be based on a sincere love of Davis' act) and that's a million miles away from a blackface performance.

 

[RobertR]

These are reasons I don't even turn this show on anymore. I could care less to see a bunch of self entitled people congratulate themselves. I love movies, but over the last couple of years I've started to hate the actors.

I’ve lost interest in the Oscar telecast as well. I used to watch it for two things, basically: To get a view of Hollywood glamour, and to see what awards would go to what “big” movie. The first aspect has largely disappeared to me. I simply find it hard to think of today’s actors in the glamorous terms that the stars of yesteryear had. Other than the physical attractiveness of some of the female stars, I simply don’t think “wow, what a thrill it would be to be in the presence of so and so”. As for the second aspect, the last “big” movie for me was Return of the King. Of the best picture winners since then, I’ve seen Million Dollar Baby, No Country for Old Men, Slumdog Millionaire, and The King’s Speech. That last film had personal meaning to me. I wasn’t excited about the award status of the rest of the films, although I did enjoy watching them (with the exception of No Country). The show seems irrelevant now.