I really enjoyed the Oscars this year and despite all the complaints about previous years, I think watching the Oscars each year is like attending a master class on film. Story-telling, editing, music, everything. Including film history.
The Oscars also provides much fodder for a media literacy exercise (who wins, who doesn’t, who is included, who isn’t, the perspectives and ideologies shared, and so forth.) This is hard to do during the event itself, but an interesting reflection for the day after.
By the way, who pays for the Oscars?
What I liked about this year’s Oscars included the opening song/dance routine; Jackman was terrific. Did not know Anne Hathaway could sing. Wow.
Bringing past winners in to present the awards was wonderful. I enjoyed Whoppi Goldberg’s take the most: it’s not easy being a nun. And thosse who did not win? So gracious.
I was glad “Milk” was recognized by three awards and that Sean Penn won best actor. He deserved it! I did think giving the winners longer than the 45 seconds everyone else had for acceptance comments to promote their agenda wasn’t such great form. (If I recall well, Susan Sarandon, when she won Best Actress for “Dead Man Walking “wasn’t allowed time to promote her platform and beliefs; both films are about human dignity.)
Media literacy point: the Oscars are about more than film. They reflect the world and the culture, what filmmakers value and believe, what Academy members choose to acknowledge and what they don’t. It’s about more than movies.
This actually reinforces my first point: the Oscars is a master class on film: film theory, ideology, story-telling, form and content, and on and on. And the most meaningful way we can respond to the Oscars is to talk about them.
Even the fashions!
Are the Oscars about profit? Of course, but not always about box office.
Here are some photos about Oscar night: 
- Some of the fine folks at our Oscar Party: Rodney Recor, Nanciann, Paul, moi, Ron Schmidt, SJ
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