Anybody watch the 81st Annual Academy Awards last night? (I don’t have those magical things known as “cable,” “satellite TV,” or even “reception,” so I “watched” the awards by refreshing the Web site every few minutes.) While award shows like this one have been falling out of favor of late, they are still a topic of much speculation and conversation, so we thought we’d dive into the debate.
First, the big, contentious question: Who deserved their statues and who was robbed?
Every year, a few of the awards are given to nominees that nobody would have bet on–for better or for worse. Which winner surprised you the most?
It’s highly unlikely that there were only five worthwhile movies released in a particular year, and yet in recent years, the same 3-5 movies seem to be up for all of the awards. Which movies released in 2008 do you wish had been nominated that were left off the ballots?
Even straight-to-video movies (which Slumdog Millionaire, the big winner at the Golden Globes and a heavy Oscar contender, almost became when it lost its original distributor) can have merits, so why not give them their moment? Do you have any straight-to-video movies from 2008 you would have liked to see sharing the red carpet?
And, last but not least, was the show itself worth watching? How were the hosts? Were there any acceptance speeches that needed to be cut short or that were worth a second listen?
Weigh in!
Related posts:
- Monday Debates: A Redo of a Remake of a Reimagining
- Monday Debates: Cartoon Horrors
- Monday Debates: See You in the Funny Pages
APEXOLOGY: Horror
Like many of us, I feel that The Dark Knight deserved nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. I’d even consider Iron Man worthy of those two nominations as well.
Of course, the other question some people are asking is if Heath Ledger would have won for his portrayal of the Joker had it not been for his tragic death. Sadly, there’s no real way to answer that question, so I personally feel it’s best left alone.