Watched maybe 45 mins of the Academy Awards tonight while eating dinner. I found it mostly dull and self-congratulatory. Only thing that made it even somewhat watchable was Jon Stewart, who -- after a montage of clips purporting to show how Hollywood has helped address social issues -- said something to the effect of "And none of those were problems ever again."
I also couldn't believe the incredibly lame speech given by the president of the Academy, who talked about how great movie theaters are with their huge screen, surround sound and how they help bring people together. Honestly, are theaters really known for their socialization? I remember talking to some Dutch tourists before seeing Gladiator, but that's about it. And maybe the guy didn't realize this, but you can get a superior picture with your HDTV and surround sound on a home stereo. Oh, and renting a movie is cheaper than a ticket, you can pause the movie when you want, the popcorn is cheaper and you don't have to listen to random people around you.
But I'm sure he has our best interests at heart rather than concern over declining theater attendance and revenue.
Update: Just saw that Crash won Best Picture. Well, that's the only movie out of those nominated I had seen. Wow, that's a really sad commentary on movies these days -- and a possible explanation about those declining theater crowds. While there were a few moments that genuinely made you think I found much of it to be absurd and overwrought. In sharp contrast to the theme presented in the movie -- basically that we are all racist and disconnected from one another -- back here on planet earth just today at one point I met up with two friends, one of whom has parents from Israel and the other whose parents are from Iran. And no one got hurt.
And Ludacris is not a good actor.
I also couldn't believe the incredibly lame speech given by the president of the Academy, who talked about how great movie theaters are with their huge screen, surround sound and how they help bring people together. Honestly, are theaters really known for their socialization? I remember talking to some Dutch tourists before seeing Gladiator, but that's about it. And maybe the guy didn't realize this, but you can get a superior picture with your HDTV and surround sound on a home stereo. Oh, and renting a movie is cheaper than a ticket, you can pause the movie when you want, the popcorn is cheaper and you don't have to listen to random people around you.
But I'm sure he has our best interests at heart rather than concern over declining theater attendance and revenue.
Update: Just saw that Crash won Best Picture. Well, that's the only movie out of those nominated I had seen. Wow, that's a really sad commentary on movies these days -- and a possible explanation about those declining theater crowds. While there were a few moments that genuinely made you think I found much of it to be absurd and overwrought. In sharp contrast to the theme presented in the movie -- basically that we are all racist and disconnected from one another -- back here on planet earth just today at one point I met up with two friends, one of whom has parents from Israel and the other whose parents are from Iran. And no one got hurt.
And Ludacris is not a good actor.
No comments:
Post a Comment