Watching the Oscars...and Memage...
Mar. 15th, 2026 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatAccomplished next to nothing this weekend. Slept horribly last night - so ended up falling asleep while attempting to watch the Oscar nominated Brazilian film "the Secret Agent" but it's mostly people talking to each other and investigating things...and in Portuguese with subtitles. I kept falling to sleep, then jarring awake and thinking this movie hasn't advanced at all - it looks the same. But I did kind of sleep off and on for about two hours today. Also been wrestling with hot flashes today. Menopause is fun, and strange, and confusing.
Tried "Sung Song Blue" - on Peacock - and will definitely go back to it.
It's good, but I wanted to watch the Oscars tonight...god knows why? I don't know why? Tradition? Curiosity? I am admittedly curious about the musical performances. Conan's comedy routine however is making me cringe? And I wish there was less of it. But the audience seems to be enjoying it.
So far, so good - no real surprises.
Amy Madigan won best supporting for Weapons, which having not seen it? But having read the reviews and knowing folks who did - it made sense. (I didn't see it - because not my genre.)
And KPop Demon Hunters won best animated film. It deserves it - it did things in animation no one has done before. I honestly think it will clean up. That film is the best anime that I've seen in years. Best Animated Short went to the Girl who Cried Tears - which is stop action puppet animation.
Ah, they did the "Sinner's" best nominated song first - which makes me happy. I wanted to know how they would do it. It was moving - like the film, it showed all the black music styles throughout black music history blending and merging on stage, with diverse cultures borrowing from them and dancing to them.
Hmm, Costume Design went to the Guillermo film Frankenstein. It also got Makeup and hairstyling. It shouldn't be too surprising - Guillermo Del Torro's films always clean up in theose categories. While One Battle After Another - got best casting director.
They got a tie on the short form live action film - so it took twice as long to get the awards out of the way.But it is an incredibly diverse category - about five different countries were involved. They tried to retract the microphone and camera on one of the guys, and use music to get rid of the another one. It did not work. And Scean Penn won another Oscar for best supporting, he was the only one not there.
Say what you will about the Oscars - they do have the best commercials.
***
Mememage
10. It’s International Wig Day – have you ever worn a wig or a hairpiece?
No. Or not that I recall. My mother had one once - they were in fashion in the early 70s and late 60s.
11. How organised are you with household paperwork (or is everything just in one big pile)?
Mixed bag? I throw it in binders, in a file cabinet, and in bags. If it's junk - bag, if bills - shredding bag, if have to keep filing pouch or cabinet.
12. When was the last time you vacuumed the floor?
Last weekend? It's just me. I don't have any mud, and leave shoes at the door or foot of living room. And don't really have any rugs.
13. It’s International School Meals Day. Did you ever have school meals, and what dish still sticks in your memory if you did?
Not really? I usually brought my lunch, and in college - I remember the ice cream bar and hot chocolate machine, and mocha shakes.
14. International ‘Ask Me A Question Day’. Go ahead – ask me a question!
(Assuming I've not already answered everything you could possibly want to know...)
15. What’s the weather like today?
Gloomy. Overcast. And in the 30s and 40s F. I didn't see the point in venturing out in it.
Tried "Sung Song Blue" - on Peacock - and will definitely go back to it.
It's good, but I wanted to watch the Oscars tonight...god knows why? I don't know why? Tradition? Curiosity? I am admittedly curious about the musical performances. Conan's comedy routine however is making me cringe? And I wish there was less of it. But the audience seems to be enjoying it.
So far, so good - no real surprises.
Amy Madigan won best supporting for Weapons, which having not seen it? But having read the reviews and knowing folks who did - it made sense. (I didn't see it - because not my genre.)
And KPop Demon Hunters won best animated film. It deserves it - it did things in animation no one has done before. I honestly think it will clean up. That film is the best anime that I've seen in years. Best Animated Short went to the Girl who Cried Tears - which is stop action puppet animation.
Ah, they did the "Sinner's" best nominated song first - which makes me happy. I wanted to know how they would do it. It was moving - like the film, it showed all the black music styles throughout black music history blending and merging on stage, with diverse cultures borrowing from them and dancing to them.
Hmm, Costume Design went to the Guillermo film Frankenstein. It also got Makeup and hairstyling. It shouldn't be too surprising - Guillermo Del Torro's films always clean up in theose categories. While One Battle After Another - got best casting director.
They got a tie on the short form live action film - so it took twice as long to get the awards out of the way.But it is an incredibly diverse category - about five different countries were involved. They tried to retract the microphone and camera on one of the guys, and use music to get rid of the another one. It did not work. And Scean Penn won another Oscar for best supporting, he was the only one not there.
Say what you will about the Oscars - they do have the best commercials.
***
Mememage
10. It’s International Wig Day – have you ever worn a wig or a hairpiece?
No. Or not that I recall. My mother had one once - they were in fashion in the early 70s and late 60s.
11. How organised are you with household paperwork (or is everything just in one big pile)?
Mixed bag? I throw it in binders, in a file cabinet, and in bags. If it's junk - bag, if bills - shredding bag, if have to keep filing pouch or cabinet.
12. When was the last time you vacuumed the floor?
Last weekend? It's just me. I don't have any mud, and leave shoes at the door or foot of living room. And don't really have any rugs.
13. It’s International School Meals Day. Did you ever have school meals, and what dish still sticks in your memory if you did?
Not really? I usually brought my lunch, and in college - I remember the ice cream bar and hot chocolate machine, and mocha shakes.
14. International ‘Ask Me A Question Day’. Go ahead – ask me a question!
(Assuming I've not already answered everything you could possibly want to know...)
15. What’s the weather like today?
Gloomy. Overcast. And in the 30s and 40s F. I didn't see the point in venturing out in it.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-16 01:59 pm (UTC)The Big Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson.
After going 0 for 11 for his career, PTA finally cleans up with three statues for the night. (He probably should have won something for There Will Be Blood... but I doubt he's complaining this morning.) Plus: his life partner is Maya Rudolph! She held one of his Oscars! (Could life get any better for this guy?)
The Big Loser: Timothee Chalamet.
My wife hated his version of Bob Dylan. Thought the character was obnoxious, narcissistic and condescending. I keep telling her: "Yes! He nailed it!" I think Chalamet is a talented actor and his Oscar time will come (but he needs to keep a lower profile in February and March).
Stealth Winner of the Night: Zach Cregger. Amy Madigan wins Best Supporting Actress for Weapons and Conan O'Brien duplicates Weapons' climactic, spellbound-kids-chase-down-the-witch scene for an audience of about a billion people. Mr. Cregger's capital in Hollywood just took a big upswing.
Stealth Losers of the Night: the Safdie Brothers.
The Smashing Machine and Marty Supreme? Shut out.
Can't Win 'em All: Chloe Zhao.
Lost best director to Anderson. Her Buffy reboot canceled by Hulu. Not a good day....
Michael B. Jordan: Hollywood's new top leading man.
Hope to see you soon!
J.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-17 01:42 am (UTC)My wife hated his version of Bob Dylan. Thought the character was obnoxious, narcissistic and condescending. I keep telling her: "Yes! He nailed it!" I think Chalamet is a talented actor and his Oscar time will come (but he needs to keep a lower profile in February and March).
Eh, that was last year? This year, he played Marty Supreme in Marty Supreme. I agree - he nailed Dylan - Dylan is a narcissistic, obnoxious, condescending jerk. Great song-writer though. Joan Baez's rendition of Dylan's Don't Think Twice - is excellent by the way, and better than Dylan's, as is her song about their relationship, "Diamonds and Rust".
But yes, Timothee killed his chances by not knowing when to shut-up. He and by association Marty Supreme became the villain of this year's oscars as a result. (Timothee? We really don't need to know your opinion on ballet and opera, please keep it to yourself and for heaven's sake? Don't state it as if it's everyone's opinion? People really shouldn't use the words "everyone", "nobody", "no one", or " anyone" when stating their opinion on something. It never ends well.) The Oscars always needs a villain.
Did you see One Battle After Another or Sinners? I saw both, so I was kind of amused that they seemed to be playing a ping pong match with the awards jumping back and forth between them, both got best screen play. Sinners deserved cinematography - damn, that was a beautifully shot film. I thought when I saw it - it should get cinematography. (Train Dreams - I also saw - but it's not quite as compelling as Sinners in regards to cinematography.) Both One Battle and Sinners drug in places, Sinners more so than Battle. And both picked up speed in the second half.
I highly recommend you check out Sinners, when you get the chance. That's a fascinating film.
Michael B Jordan may have taken Will Smith's spot as up and coming go to movie star. He plays similar roles to Smith, but I think he's the better actor. He has the distinction of starting off as a child actor in The Wire, All My Children, the Sopranos, and Friday Night Lights.
He certainly gave Leo a run for his money.
I can't watch Weapons. That's the portion of the horror genre that I can't watch.
Love Amy Madigan (have ever since I saw her in Streets of Fire as a kid) but not enough to watch Weapons. I was happy to see her there with Ed Harris.
Curious to know your thoughts, assuming you have any you want to share - on Hulu's cancellation of the Buffy revival?
no subject
Date: 2026-03-17 08:06 pm (UTC)I did see One Battle, and while I have some issues with it, the direction is absolutely phenomenal. The sequence in the middle of the movie where: Lockjaw calls for the raid, there's panic in the Streets, Bob is staggering through town, racking his brain for the fucking code word, Benicio del Toro's sensei is navigating the crisis with zen cool... Anderson's camera work is just incredible.
I think Thomas Pynchon's satirical/cartoonish characters work better on the page than on the screen. Lockjaw and Perfidia are just a little.... much. But maybe that's just me. Great movie.
Didn't see Marty Supreme yet but I'm looking forward to it. Loved Uncut Gems and this looks like more of the same. I've seen Chalamet in three movies: Call Me By Your Name, A Complete Unknown, and Wonka--he hasn't disappointed me yet.
*****************
And as for Buffy? (Sigh again.) What can I say? The entertainment industry is like a minefield for creative people. One wrong step, and you hit a land mine/clueless vice president in charge of programming, and boom! Your project is blown to pieces.
But (taking a philosophical view) how can I be sad about Buffy's cancelation when Buffy is all around us? After all, what is Kpop Demon Hunters but (quoting my wife) "the Buffy musical episode... only all the time"?
Whedon's combination of horror, superhero tropes, coming of age drama and metatextual hijinks are the common language of a lot of today's entertainment... whether the mother series is here or not.
Besides, FIREFLY IS COMING BACK! And nothing in the 'verse can stop it!
(I hope.)
no subject
Date: 2026-03-18 02:01 am (UTC)But I'd agree that Perfidia and Lockjaw were gratingly cartoonish and most likely work better on the page. Although Penn was rather brilliant in the role of Lockjaw and made him slightly less of a cartoon. I like Willa better than Perfida.
Sinners...does require attention. I may watch it again. I kept going to sleep during the first half of it - when I watched it last year. The first half is beautiful cinematography and basically Black Post-Civil War Reconstruction Era historical piece...with jazz. Then - it becomes something else entirely, and I woke all the way up. That's a film that will always stay with me.
I remember thinking during the first part - why did Wales run out of the theater, scared, and unable to watch the rest? (I didn't find it all that scary, jump scares yes, and gore...what's odd is Wales was able to watch M3GAN without any issues.)
I agree - the direction of One Battle was stellar. There are sections of that film that are hilarious (mainly featuring DiCaprio trying to find Willa).
On Timothee Chalamat? You should see Dune I and Dune II - he's really good in both. Also the cinematography in that is amazing. I've not seen Call Me By Your Name. So, I've seen Complete Unknown, Dune I, Dune II, and Wonka. Haven't gotten to Marty Supreme yet.
**
Chloe Zhao is rather zen about the whole Buffy thing - and seems to think there's still a chance.
Geller is understandably furious. They apparently did everything short of doing the hoochie koochie and spinning themselves around. They did the teen version, the more adult one centered on Buffy. But alas, didn't fly. I think Firefly has a better chance because it's animated - and that's easier to find a home for in the wide world of streaming.
KPOP is getting a sequel.