On the Oscars

As sports and acting are both all about passion and inspiration, I thought, especially as there isn’t much to say with conviction about any NY sports team right now, I thought I’d just share my thoughts about the broadcast of the Oscars, a presentation that has a remarkable record of being both moving and inspirational.

So the following are just impressions I had while watching. The broadcast, all in all, hit a home run.

It had some new things, a new emcee, Hugh Jackman, multiple Oscar winners presenting heartfelt commentary on each candidate’s performance and life, and many welcome flashbacks of the great performances of our time.

There was even some good music, but it may have been a down year for that. The segments just taking notice of some notable thank-you’s was great too. But I could’ve lived nicely if I never saw Jackman and Beyonce high-steppin’…

The presentation for Best Supporting Actor was stirring. Cuba Gooding was funny too, commenting on Robert Downey Jr.,….”a white man doing a black man in blackface”….very funny. Christopher Walken was always bigger than life and still is.

And Heath Ledger as The Joker got the prize…an “enduring legacy” to be sure, and accepting were his mother and father and sister…. poignant. Talk about inspiring performances…..even if you’re not into Batman.

Will Smith was great in coming out big-time for action movies, and the real heroes behind all action movies, visual effects and sound editing and film editing. “Slumdog Millionaire” won some of these…..a precursor of things to come.

There was Eddie Murphy, back from obscurity and a tribute to Jerry Lewis, another hero of my own childhood…he was a Batman for the kids with Muscular Dystrophy. I guess. It’s good that the Academy recognizes humanitarians.

Lewis was so gracious in his acceptance that it almost got me teary-eyed, as were many of the audience for Heath Ledger’s Best Supporting Actor. “The movie business…such a joy to be a part of you…”

The “In Memoriam” piece was very touching. Richard Widmark was always terrific. James Whitmore, Charlton Heston….Sydney Pollack and Paul Newman, all being remembered and in the background…. “I’ll be Seeing You”…beautiful…ending with Paul Newman’s piece on the biggest difference between people being that of those who have had pleasure in love and those that haven’t.

There was Reese Witherspoon, looking better than I’d seen her in a long time, presenting for Best Director. Danny Boyle for Slumdog, of course, was jumping up and down, the award received in the spirit of Tigger…priceless..

There were Sophia Loren, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Shirley McLaine and Marion Cotillard…passion, vulnerability and depth….very nice indeed. And Anne Hathaway got a nice accolade from McLaine, one well deserved…I can vouch for her extraordinary voice…she sang in the Millburn Choir with my Jenna…

There was Halle feting Melissa Leo and Sophia Loren looked like one tough broad commenting on Meryl Streep…and her portrayal of a nun, while expressing her appreciation for her 15 nominations…quite amazing indeed…..and there was Nicole Kidman introducing for Angelina Jolie and Changeling. The Oscar went to a breathless Winslet who won for “The Reader”…and that was some great whistle and hat from her Dad….

There were many more filmed thank you’s of course, the funny from Adrian Brody (there comes a time in life when everything seems to make sense ….and this is not one of those times) and quick hitters such as those of Gregory Peck, Dustin Hoffman, crazy Jack Nicholson, “the Duke” John Wayne and of course Marlon Brando and David Niven.

Then we got to see Adrian Brody, Bobby DeNiro, Ben Kingsley, Michael Douglas and Hannibal Lecter (I mean Anthony Hopkins), leading men all for sure. Douglas feting Frank Langella for his portrayal of Richard Nixon….DeNiro for Penn….championing human rights, gently reasoning with the Paparazzi was a great line…there was the serial killer Hopkins for Brad Pitt…And Kingsley on Mickey Rourke, the bleach blonde battered bruiser…good line…for The Wrestler…

It was ironic I thought that a sophisticate like Ben Kingsley should comment on Mickey Rourke, and both were very classy, but the Oscar went to Penn. Yes, Sean Penn won Best Actor….even if he was a bit long-winded in his acceptance, and ….well, you can’t have everything.

Steven Spielberg wrapped it all up, quite fitting of course that the best film maker should present for Best Picture….and for Best Motion Picture, there were : Button…Nixon… Milk… The Reader… Slumdog….. all presented by interleaving great films of the past with each of the nominated pictures, great films all, films that resonated with the same feelings portrayed by the nominated flicks…all very tastefully done.

People capable of anything, from Chinatown and Frost/Nixon; prejudice and a sense of destiny from Twelve Angry Men , Casablanca and Forrest Gump as compared to Slumdog. There was first love, lost love and death from The Graduate to The Reader, anger and outrage as expressed in movies from Braveheart to Raging Bull and Milk; and finally aging and loss from Butch Cassidy and the Godfather and Good Will Hunting to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Yes, it was another successful night for Oscar, giving us something new while reminding us that even the new derives somewhat from the past, and maybe that’s a good thing. I know it was for me.