Sabin wrote:Issue resolved.
Good. Thank you for taking charge.
I was pretty much over-the-moon from the first movie award, to Rockwell, ending the feared prospect of a season-long sweep for Dafoe. I'd probably have been satisfied with just that...but then, an hour later or so later, Janney interrupted Metcalf's potential sweep as well, and I couldn't believe my good fortune. Bear in mind: I'd be just as unhappy to see Rockwell and Janney maraud their ways through BFCA/SAG/BAFTA. I don't think we have to worry about that: the Broadcasters will almost surely echo the critical push for Dafoe/Metcalf, and who knows what SAG/BAFTA will do. (Maybe one of them will actually go for a third person!) What i want is for things to split all along the way, so people have to make gut calls in March, not just ratify the dreary consensus.
It's questionable if best actress, which for the moment is the most wide open category, can retain that status, or if it might find itself compressed and made obvious. For right now, of course, we have two popular winners, and the prospect of Sally Hawkins winning somewhere along the line as well (as soon as Thursday -- which would be great -- or at least by BAFTA time). But I don't know: that applause for McDormand was pretty vehement -- such Globe displays have oft-times in the past presaged Academy runs. We'll have to see how that plays out.
The only disappointment, on my end, was Oldman winning, very likely making his Oscar win a fait accompli, barring miracle. It would have been better (for the fun of the race) if Chalamet had won here, but there was only a fairly slim chance he could make it a contest anyway, and, if there's going to be one race ended early, this might as well be it. (I"ll just have to make it that part of the Oscars where I pretend I'm somewhere else.)
There's a very weird thing going on with Three Billboards -- many of us here love it, and it was clearly popular with HFPA (not to mention Barbra Streisand). But there's a faction on Twitter that's maligning it as racist, insulting to women, and the second coming of Crash. I think we're getting near the point where lefty Twitter is judging art purely through politics (missing the art almost entirely), and it could make things ugly. Remember: last year, a sweet musical about two young lovers in LA was somehow turned into the living embodiment of white privilege; I shudder to think what the next several weeks will look like.
I think, by the way, that best picture -- which in this era of the preferential ballot is probably always subject to surprise -- remains largely up in the air. I wouldn't be surprised if the Broadcasters have a different winner from either of tonight's top choices.
As for the other awards -- I guess I should have expected it, but bringing Tommy Wiseau onstage was truly surreal, and the fact he tried to grab the mic to speak was an over the moon moment.
Guillermo del Toro gave a very touching speech, and seems to me to have an excellent shot at winning the Oscar, however the best picture category goes.
Best song...yeah. It would seem to indicate Remember Me is no juggernaut, suggesting The Mystery of Love has a shot with AMPAS.
Most people online seemed to think Oprah killed. I have to say, my feeling about her most of the time is that I think her heart's in the right place, but somehow I don't connect to the way she says things...and tonight was fully in line with that usual feeling.
Seth Meyers opened with a couple of good jokes, but seemed to disappear as soon as his monologue was over. It makes one more appreciative of how present Jimmy Kimmel was at last year's Oscars.