I'm Angry!

By Thomas Willett

I remember what I did on February 22, 2009 around 9 PM. I called my mom and without any prior context said “I’m angry!” in a very concerned fashion. Somehow she understood what it meant. The 81st Academy Awards had just come to a close and Slumdog Millionaire just took Best Picture. During the closing credits where they showed possible future nominees, I made that call. What was the context behind it? I wasn’t literally angry. It was a reference to Gus Van Zant’s Milk, which I had as my frontrunner. At that time Sean Penn was just another actor. I had no prejudice towards him. He did a movie I enjoyed and felt like supporting. Looking back, I think it had a lot to do with my friends fighting Proposition 8. However, it was an interesting year because it was the year I discovered David Fincher (Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire): two directors that I came to adore. But somehow I was still calling to say “I’m angry!”

Somehow the Oscars have that pull over me. Because I become so immersed, I can recall how I felt at the end of most of the years. The more attentive I became to the actual odds of winning, the more passionate I got. I didn’t perceive these actors as random actors anymore. I could properly state little foibles that they did during the show. Yet my choices for Best Picture have been consistent losers since 2005’s winner Million Dollar Baby. I had reasons to say that I was angry, even if the context became removed from irony.

I remember where I was on February 26, 2012. It was at an event held by Cal State Fullerton’s Journalism department in Anaheim called Hollywood’s Biggest Night. I went to a theater with a bunch of enthusiastic Oscar fans and watched it all on the big screen. Prizes were given out and some surprising moments followed. This was the first time I watched the show around strangers, and to hear them cheering on Bridesmaids and Max von Sydow was a small relief, if just because I didn’t expect it.

They were probably annoyed with me when I groaned the moment that Meryl Streep won Best Actress. The part that made that one of this year’s highlights was when she said “When they called my name, I had this feeling that I could hear half of America going ‘Oh, come on. Why again?’” It seemed perfectly timed and almost made me fine with Viola Davis getting robbed.

I am not here to share every memorable moment from the event. They will be with me for years to come, and I’m sure they will be referenced. If you are interested in following, here is a link to the videos I will be referencing. I am going to spend this entry trying to explain to you what makes these shows good for me and why I disagree with a lot of the feedback I’ve heard on podcasts and read on various websites that have decided to waste time with stupid Angelina Jolie leg memes.

I try to block out the world when the Oscars are on. I don’t want outside opinions shaping my night. Maybe it’s why I wasn’t as disturbed by the notorious James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting job last year. I also already had expectations for Billy Crystal. He’s very much a showman form a certain era, and he delivers on that promise. He’s only as good at satire as the movies let him be. Maybe the joke about having no jokes during the Moneyball parody during the opening video was a little on the nose, but he did the same shtick he did last time he hosted. I felt that he knew that after the first 20 minutes, his role was to transition segments while spitting one-liners.

It’s true that Crystal’s humor is reflective of an older demographic, which is what numerous critics complained about. It boils down to your preference. If you like his shtick, you’ll be fine with the hits and misses. It’s like music. No one goes to see the Monkees perform new material. They want “Last Train to Clarksville.” They want some comfort in knowing what they will be getting. I’m not saying that Crystal shouldn’t try new things, but why taunt him and skip out on bits that are proven successes? I loved those moments when he gave a new spin to everything I grew up with. His Thought Camera bit always makes me laugh, and I will honestly say that the part with Martin Scorsese is up there with Crystal saying “I see white people” in 2000 to Michael Clark Duncan.

Many considered Chris Rock’s rant during the presentation of Best Animated Feature to be the liveliest. Other parts that I considered equally were trashed on websites. Robert Downey Jr. making a documentary during his presentation called “The Presenter” was one of the notable victims. Maybe it’s because I love Downey Jr.’s persona, but I felt that it was fitting and different. He didn’t come out and try jokes. He had a whole routine that seemed reminiscent of the cocky Tony Stark. It was my favorite bit because I didn’t expect it. As for the rant that Rock gave? I don’t see much difference. Both of them have these well-known personas and they played to them. What confuses me more is that this got trashed while Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell opened by playing cymbals out of time and stumbled through a presentation but received no criticism. I understood the proposed joke, but it was far worse than Downey Jr.’s camera hogging.

I want to also explore another current event that makes me forgive the presenters at the Oscars. On Saturday, Seth Rogen hosted the Spirit Awards. His opening monologue was sharp and attacked the Oscars in a very clever way. I would argue that this was the funniest thing that I saw all weekend, if just because it felt raw. Most websites would agree and have encouraged him to host again. I would be fine with that, if just to see Michael Shannon threaten him with a plastic knife again.

As the Spirit Awards continued with voice over jokes by John Waters, I was ready for a good time. At first the presenters felt like they were commenting on the opening monologue. It wasn’t until an hour in that I began to loathe them. It was obvious that they wrote their own jokes and it made very clear what we should think of them. At moments it felt too self-involved and desperate. It even ended with Ben Kingsley handing out Best Picture with a statement that basically stated “I love getting awards.” If it wasn’t for some passionate speeches by Shailene Woodley, Will Reiser, Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams (my favorite of the night) and Michael Hazanavicius, I would have turned the show off after Seth Rogen presented the first category.

Is that what we wanted from the Oscars? Stilted pace? I will not lie that the last half hour dragged, but up until that point, I found no inconsistency to complain about. At most I could complain about the show being too infatuated with its history as opposed to recognizing its nominees, but as I saw at the Spirit Awards, sometimes presenting nominated clips just drags. I am actually proud of the Oscars for not doing that for the first time this year. I missed the musical performances, but that’s about it.

If we’re going to complain about awards shows, let me ask a question. What makes an award show great? Maybe it includes a great speech or a surprising win? I am sure that music events like the Grammys can get away with lively entertainment, but movies are tricky. You’re not supposed to watch a four minute clip of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. You’re supposed to already be familiar with it. Maybe it could be shorter, but then it eliminates the spectacle that makes the night so special. The reason that this event gets so much respect is because it’s the ultimate recognition of the year in cinema. Why not make a night of it?

The problem with award shows has little to do with format. You open the show, hand out awards, and go home. If something fun occurs, then it’ll be a great example of happenstance. With that said, you’re only as interesting as your nominees. I have gone on record as saying that this year’s selection wasn’t very interesting at the Oscars. The Artist was the clear front runner and there was no belief that it would fail. Maybe the suspense was missing from this year’s show, but you cannot always have No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood fighting for the top prize. Some years there is a clear favorite. This was one of them.

It’s impossible to please everyone, let alone critics who complain that award shows aren’t interesting. Some complain that Billy Crystal is too old. He’s hosted nine times and succeeded at doing at least an average job every time. Bob Hope has hosted 18 times and no one complains about him. Maybe in time this year’s event will just go back to being just another awards show, but there wasn’t anything worth complaining about. There wasn’t an upset that Crash won Best Picture. It just happened and a few fun moments occurred. Whether or not you liked it determines your level of interest.

I have come to terms with the fact that not everyone likes the Oscars. Maybe it’s the average voter being white males over 50, but I’ve always had a clear view of what this show should be. It’s recognition of movies for that year. At most the presenters break the monotony with funny routines. I agree that maybe this is problematic in that it appeals mostly to an older crowd, but it’s an awards show nonetheless. When scrolling through memorable moment annexes, you’ll find that majority of them derive from off the cuff actions where Adrien Brody kisses Halle Berry or Roberto Benigni climbs over chairs. Even then, these are mostly in rendezvous to accepting a trophy.

This past weekend, I finally realized the best part of these programs. It’s the speeches. One by one people got up and thanked people. I have become too enamored with Christopher Plummer after hearing him give speeches at both the Spirit Awards and the Oscars. At the latter, I declared that I wanted him to accept my Oscar if I ever get to that level. He’s so eloquent and interesting. If the shows have proven anything, it’s that I like hearing good speakers talk. The Oscars is the moment that I can see people I’ve only seen speak written dialogue be human. Like when Jeff Bridges won for Crazy Heart, you remembered it because it didn’t sound scripted. I haven’t forgotten the name T. Bone Burnett because of Bridge’s speech. This year, I felt that these moments just made me like these people more. I almost wanted Max von Sydow to win just so I could hear what he would say.

What I dislike most about the show is the same thing that I generally hate about society in general. They say that everyone is a critic. They have opinions and with the Internet firmly classified as a phenomenon, it’s hard to even escape an illiterate’s thoughts on new releases. It bothers me notably because it diminishes credibility. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I try to justify statements by putting in time to understand my points. The general public has no time for that. They want immediacy and things to come fast. The Oscars is not a fast event. Three hour shows rarely are.

It’s only been in recent years that I have come to loathe certain aspects of social networking. I am fine if someone says “I think Viola Davis should have won,” but to just comment on everything as it is happening never appealed to me. Let the moment sink in and understand that it’s a three hour awards show. I am notably against Twitter for similar reasons, as I felt it was the last nail in the coffin of people’s attention to the moment. When I would see jokes about people writing on Twitter during the Teen Choice Awards, I felt like slapping them and saying “You are in public at an awards show! You’ll miss something more important than your dumb thoughts if you pull out your phone right now!”

I also think the desire for people to read those posts at that moment is ruining patience. Instead of waiting and having a reasonable discussion, there are moments of just cracking jokes. I felt that James Franco also suffered from this when I saw that his Twitter account had backstage pictures that he posted throughout his hosting gig. There is no focus. I’ll admit that award shows can be boring and to a large demographic, the Oscars are. However, I don’t think the entertainment is the crucial key. It’s the flow. As long as things happen at a steady pace, who cares if the show wasn’t funny? We’re here to give people trophies for acting, not laughing.

As for the overall show, can I break away from making a call and shouting “I’m angry!”? Yes I can. For the first time in seven years, I have voted correctly for the Best Picture. That is an achievement, if just to me. It shows that my tastes and the Academy overlapped for once. I remember where I was when I broke my seven year itch. I was at an event hosted by Cal State Fullerton in a room full of strangers cheering. That glee is what makes this my favorite night of the year. The only way it was made better was getting a surprise visit from Uggie after he was rumored to ditch the show. That alone made me the happiest of all.

I’m going to miss Uggie, but at least we said goodbye on a happy note. I am happy with the way the show went this year. It wasn’t the most entertaining, but Billy Crystal did a great job. Every bit that he did reminded me on why he is so trustworthy. Maybe these shows need some pizazz to draw in a younger crowd, but with the way things are going, that’s going to be hard to gauge. Even if you get the hippest host, they will complain about it on Twitter. Just keep being what you are, Oscars, and things will be all right.

You can read Thom’s blog every Wednesday and hear him on Nerd’s Eye View every Tuesday and Thursday at nevpodcast.com. Send your thoughts to nevpodcast@gmail.com. You can also read Thom’s movie reviews for Cinema Beach at