The OFFICIAL Oscar reaction thread

[King Mark 3,631]

I don't think there are other awards are more meaningfull for a film composer than an Oscar.I'm sure Williams doesn't even care about his Golden Globe and Bafta.

K,M.

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

Oh please, they also gave Eminem a friggin award a couple years ago for Lose Yourself.  

It's actually a very good song.

...for me to poop on.

[Ollie 1,059]

I really though he would win because the camera was on him more than any Oscar telecast when it would show the audience. And then with Perlman performing the scores and Memoir winning several awards things looked positive.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

So it's another year for hating the Oscars and disrespecting the Academy.

Can't wait for the next BAFTA's though...

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Here's a picture taken yesterday (from Soundtrack.Net):

See last post on page 2

[nightscape94 965]

Wow, this is a pretty big crock of shit.

Tim

[David Coscina 3]

So it's another year for hating the Oscars and disrespecting the Academy.

Can't wait for the next BAFTA's though...

Oh come now Steef, your beloved Goldsmith was rooked far more times than Williams. Do you not agree that many of the recent Oscar wins has confirmed that the voters have the least understanding about the function of music in film compared to other categories? I honestly think the Academy should re-assess how and who gets to vote. Like let all card-carrying Academy voters who are film composers themselves vote for the most appropriate music. this at least would make things clearer. Same goes for Cinematography and the other technical awards. Heck, this should pertain to all categories IMO. I mean, some actors have oatmeal for brains so are we so surprised of the results when these silly twits can barely articulate themselves about their own craft (or lack thereof in some cases) much less be expected to understand something as complicated as film scoring? I'm not.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

What are you talking about, we seem to be agreeing with each other.

I've know the Oscars are crap for years now, that why I had a good night skeep untill Hitch send me a TEXT message on my mobile phone informing me Williams lost again.

So now I must blame both the Academy and Hitch for robbing me of 2 hours of sleep.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Anyhow, anybody got a recording of Itzhak Perlman's performance?

[nightscape94 965]

It was kinda funny that they had to write a new counterpoint melody for Perlman to play for the Brokeback section because the normal melody is too boring and uncomplex to be taken seriously. He was basically playing a part that isn't even in the film score.

Tim

[Morlock 11]

Oh please, they also gave Eminem a friggin award a couple years ago for Lose Yourself.  

It's actually a very good song.

I can't recall all the competition, but of the one's I do, it was the song I'd rather listen to. But Elfman was sorely lacking in this category. 'Veruca Salt' and any of the 'Corpse Bride' songs should have been here.

The score was a crushing dissapointment- Stefancos is right, JW overextended himself. Even in the campaining, there was too much mention of Munich. It's an excellent score, worthy of a nomination, but that's not how you win an oscar.

Perlman did a fantastic job- initially, I thought, I've seen this before, just with Yo-Yo Man....but then, when he started, ti was just fantastic. And the JW stuff was the least of it- the other three scores benefitted so much from his stuff.....he convinced me that all the scores are excellent, especially Brokeback Mountain.

About the rest of the show- I thought it was the best in years. Jon Stewart was absolutely fantastic. Best hosting Since Crystal 8 years ago. The jokes were edgy, on the spot, and very, very funny.

The montages were expertly done, except for the 'In Memoriam' which was given the usual shabby treatment. The us of Jerry's score was a highpoint for me.

I liked the first two songs, didn't like the winning one, though they did give a great speech.

Lot's of good speeches, tons of great jokes.....one of the definite highlights was the Robert Altman tribute. Lilly Tomlin and Merryl Streep were fantastic, best presentation by far, and Altman's speech was wonderful.

While the silence after JW's loss was deafening, I yelled for joy when Crash won. I was so sure Brokeback was going to take it, as was everyone save Roger Ebert, apparantly. I find myself liking Jack Nicholson more, just for having anounced it.......a breath of fresh air from the academy. First time the best picture of year one in a decade.

A most dissapointing oscar show, yet also one of the most entertaining and heartening ones.

Morlock- who feels bad, but relieved that he's already feeling a lot better about JW's loss after only a couple of hours.

[David Coscina 3]

In practical terms, none of this Oscar nonsense has any real effect on us. We didn't bust our butts to write pages of evocative music, nor campaigned to ensure voters actually knew the score. Williams is no doubt disappointed as well he should be. But really, we all have to take a deep breath, step back and realize this doesn't mean much to any of us in the bigger picture.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

So it's another year for hating the Oscars and disrespecting the Academy.

Can't wait for the next BAFTA's though...

beerchug The Baftas clearly appreciate a well-written score more than Oscar. And contrary to KM's post above, I'm SURE Williams appreciates his Bafta, it's a great honour to receive it.

[Morlock 11]

The BAFTAs sometimes have shown extraordinary taste (this year, Empire of The Sun) where the oscars have not. But some of their nominees and winners have been utterly ridicules, I mean movies with no scores have one. I like the academy's rules. While some worthy scores might be disqualified, at least we won't have The Full Monty win, where I'm sure the score of the film had not an ounce to do with the win (and in that, beating four excellent, worthy scores).

[benefactor 3]

So it's another year for hating the Oscars and disrespecting the Academy.

Can't wait for the next BAFTA's though...

Oh come now Steef, your beloved Goldsmith was rooked far more times than Williams. Do you not agree that many of the recent Oscar wins has confirmed that the voters have the least understanding about the function of music in film compared to other categories? I honestly think the Academy should re-assess how and who gets to vote. Like let all card-carrying Academy voters who are film composers themselves vote for the most appropriate music. this at least would make things clearer. Same goes for Cinematography and the other technical awards. Heck, this should pertain to all categories IMO. I mean, some actors have oatmeal for brains so are we so surprised of the results when these silly twits can barely articulate themselves about their own craft (or lack thereof in some cases) much less be expected to understand something as complicated as film scoring? I'm not.

Wait a minute! Isn't it so? :?

I thought the Composers and Songwriters vote for Best score. Cinematographers vote for best Cinematogrphy. Directors for Directors, Actors for Actors etc.

Only Best Picture choosed by every members of Academy. I thought it is so. Please correct me if I'm wrong. But only if you know for sure.

[Morlock 11]

That goes for the nominations, yes. Every branch nominates the people in it's field, except for best picture, which everyone nominates for. For the voting, however, everyone can vote for anything. This doesn't go for the Foreign film, Short films, or Documentry categories, which are totally messed up. I'm also not sure about the animated film category, but I assume that everyone votes for that one.

[benefactor 3]

Thanks for answer! It really explains a lot!

[Morlock 11]

Happy to be of use.

BTW- In the end, I was not able to successfully tape the show. Anyone who has the possibility or means to send the show PLEASE contact me so that we can work something out. This is important to me, and I can be pretty flexible working out some sort of trade or transaction.

[Eric Hester 0]

When "The Full Monty" won for best score, year ago... I knew that the Oscars were a bunch of crap.

The score category has become a "token" category. If there is a lot of buzz for a film, but the voters don't want to give an award in one of the 'big' categories, they'll throw a bone to the score, costume or make-up category.

The Emmys are a joke as well.

[TimeAfterTime 0]

When "The Full Monty" won for best score, year ago... I knew that the Oscars were a bunch of crap.  

The score category has become a "token" category.  If there is a lot of buzz for a film, but the voters don't want to give an award in one of the 'big' categories, they'll throw a bone to the score, costume or make-up category.

The Emmys are a joke as well.

I'm not sure I would call the Oscars a bunch of crap, but I agree that original score is, to some degree, a token category. However, it has been like that for quite a long time. Both Goldsmith and Williams have been snubbed over and over, dating all the way back to the 1960's, by far inferior scores set to popular pictures. Ehh, that's the politics of it. Music as high art will never exist in film, especially as it applies to the award processes.

[A24 4,338]

Oh no!!! This is so unfair!! A score without complexity won Oscar?!!

:? Complexity is not the basis for winning Oscars.

[Romão 2,274]

Avner's theme did sound wonderful played by Perlman. While Brokeback Mountain score's weakness just became more evident.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

While Brokeback Mountain score's weakness just became more evident.

Only to us it did. That said, Perlman and Bill Conti's gang made every score sound like a worthy winner.

[robthehand 3]

Apart from Brokeback. That still sounded painfully clichéd.

The Constant Gardener actually sounded very good in the "these are the nominees" bit.

[Romão 2,274]

Try to count how many times the word "latino" was mentioned during the after-show interview.

[nicholas 1]

My reaction?

UN. Be. Liev. Able.

[robthehand 3]

Like I said in one of the other threads - I'd have been OK with any of the others (obviously I'd prefer Williams to win), but Brokeback Mountain?

[deimos 0]

Well, since I was tired and ectremely dissapointed last noght, I decided to go to sleep. First of all I must say it was a really cool experince to share with some of you the Oscar night (and night meant moon, stars and silence in the neighbourhood for the europeans who stayed till 4 in the morning to see the guitar thing win). It was my first Oscar night and though it was dissapointing, I liked this international community thing getting together virtually.

That said, I must say I just don't care if John wins another Oscar anymore. Since the last years seem a joke to me, if he wins I won't have no option than thinking it's another joke. The academy knew Santaolalla was winning, and for so they chose Salma Hayek to give the prize. It's an usual practice for them (remember Penelope Cruz giving the award to Pedro Almodovar or Sofia Loren to Roberto clown Begnini). The moment I saw Salma on stage I told Peio John had lost, and it was true.

Memoirs of a Geisha was the best score yesterday. It might not have been the perfect partner for Star Wars and co., but this year was a mild year for score, except for Williams. The Chairman's Waltz alone was better than any of the other music nominated, and that was only one of the themes he has awarded us with this year. It's a real shame that the nominations-wins ratio has gone up to 9:1. Just ridiculous and only surpassed by poor Thomas Newman. At least they didn't nominated him this year either.

Brokeback Mountain has now entered the list of original score winners, and it's probably one of the ones that least deserved it (The Full Monty has the top place, a situation that says a lot from the AMPAS: they still can't make the difference between the score and the music you hear in a movie).

Awarding Crash the best picture is again very significative. Good picture and good intentions, no doubt but, have you AMPAS taken the trouble to see Short Cuts and Magnolia? Probably not, otherwise you wouldn't have picked a movie that was already made twice. I'd dare to say three times, if tou consider Traffic. But at that times (at least the first two) you didn't nominated those movies. By the way, Crash wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for the old pal who get the honorary, Short Cuts' director Mr Altman. AMPAS, you'll never learn.

[Romão 2,274]

I actually thought Crash was the weakest of all thr 5 best pic nominees. The other 4 were all remarkable.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I stopped watching after the supposed "Best" Score win. This is really just another in the long line of shitty Oscar ceremonies. Crash Best Picture? Ang Lee Best Director? Philip Seymore Hoffman is really the only worthy win.

[Incanus 5,715]

The whole Oscars were one big disappointment. But life has to go on. We'll get them next year!

[Romão 2,274]

Yeah, I was glad Hoffman got it. But I was very very impressed with the actor in Good Night and Good Luck (David Sta...forgot his name).

[Josh500 1,615]

What a shitty ceremony! I'm actually too speechless to comment on JW losing yet again.

Some thoughts, though. Did Steven Spielberg's movies (WotW and Munich, not MoG) win ANY award? I don't think so. So back to THAT tired old routine again -- give him the snub like they used to do with relish before Schindler's List. I find that so annoying and infuriating. I didn't really care about the other wins, one way or the other (no real surprises, if you ask me).

What I liked about this show was the host -- didn't really know him before, but he was one of the best: sarcastic, but always VERY funny -- and Reese Witherspoon winning an Oscar -- although that was sort of a given, I was certainly glad she did win. Her speech was corny, but also sort of endearing. Yeah, that's it.

Oh, what the heck, it's just a stupid award. I think anyone who has an ounce of knowledge about film music (in fact, anyone who has an ounce of taste) will see that John Williams is the true winner here. Selma Hayek just misread his name, and no one bothered to correct her. I forgot who, but someone said that JW was honored the entire evening, first by playing Over The Moon during a montage, by putting Itzhak Perlman on stage to perform the samples, and several good shots of our maestro. Also, did anyone notice how, when Selma Hayek opened the envelope, she just stared for a moment at the paper with incredulity before announcing the winner? I think she couldn't believe it herself.

AAAAAARRGGHHHHHH!!!!! This is SO infuriating and annoying.

[TIEfighter 0]

Man...i was so dissappointed yesterday...it just sickens me that they really gave that award to a 13 minute score...and what i also don´t get is why the newspapers seem to have rather negative feelings towards Jon Stewart´s performance...i thought he was a gread host...why do they bash him?

[da_russ 0]

Hi, everybody! Though I'm new at the forum, I'm a big JW fan since many years.

After this ridiculous and disgusting Oscar night I had lost my last faith in the Academy. Not only this uninspired crap score for Brokeback Mountain wins against melodical, bright and at the same time so passionate Geisha, but they also call this piece of sh** from Hustle and Flow best song of the year!!! The same applies to many other Awards this night and in the recent years. At the Oscars the art of film making doesn't mean anything more, there are just politics and political correctness. I'm so disappointed!

[KittBash 282]

It's Chariots of Fire all over again!

Jeremy

[Incanus 5,715]

Hi, everybody! Though I'm new at the forum, I'm a big JW fan since many years.

After this ridiculous and disgusting Oscar night I had lost my last faith in the Academy. Not only this uninspired crap score for Brokeback Mountain wins against melodical, bright and at the same time so passionate Geisha, but they also call this piece of sh** from Hustle and Flow best song of the year!!! The same applies to many other Awards this night and in the recent years. At the Oscars the art of film making doesn't mean anything more, there are just politics and political correctness. I'm so disappointed!

Welcome to the Board! 8O I agree with you entirely.

[David Vincent 8]

Winning an Oscar today doesn't mean anything anymore. The statuette has completly lost its value.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

My reaction?

UN. Be. Liev. Able.

?

[Romão 2,274]

LOL

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

What's the reaction on other film music boards like?

[Josh500 1,615]

My reaction?

UN. Be. Liev. Able.

?

Well put!!! 8O

[Ollie 1,059]

What's the reaction on other film music boards like?

I think most people were disappointed.

[Josh500 1,615]

What are some of the good "other film music boards"?

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I dont know. frankly

[futuremartymcfly 0]

fom what i've seen the Filmtracks scoreboard is in complete uproar, and most of the newer posts on the IMDB's John Williams board are very upset, so mostly similar reactions to here

[Josh500 1,615]

I was thinking . . . well, at least Johnny got the Oscar goodie bag worth about $100,000!!! LOL

[Trumpeteer 302]

It's Chariots of Fire all over again!  

Jeremy

No, it's "Shakespeare in Love" all over again.

Without Harvey Weinstein's money.

[Eplicon 53]

Sometimes I wonder if the Academy is voting in committee. As it stands, most of them don't know what they're voting for, at least in the technical categories. How does Alan Menken win a total of 8 Oscars, coming only behind Alfred Newman's nine? Or that he is only the second composer to win Best Original Score, next to the great Franz Waxman, in consecutives years? Or Ann Dudley winning for The Full Monty, the worst possible choice of the nominees? I despise the trend of giving an Oscar as an "apology" or compensation rather than giving it towards a more deserving nominee.

I really don't know how much the voting process is scrutinized. But I remember from a communications class I took in college, there seemed to be a trend where some voting members would actually let their wives/girlfriends do the actual voting. Or the case where someone apparently rounded up unsent ballots from his colleagues and did all the voting himself to try at least pad out certain categories.

We'll see how Santaolalla fares after this win. Filmmakers will think he's an Oscar winner, so obviously the guy must be great. Then he'll probably be offered some prime projects and get his score rejected like Stephen Warbeck and Gabriel Yared before him. Or maybe he'll go back to obscurity and never heard from again....

[MovieMusicMaestro 33]

Es ist kurz nach zwoelf Uhr mittags (Eastern Standard Time), und ich moechte versuchen, meine Eindruecke der gestrigen Oscar-Verleihung in Worte zu fassen.

Um ehrlich zu sein: Trotz meiner Enttaeuschung darueber, dass John Williams keinen Oscar gewonnen hat, kann ich die Entscheidung der Academy und das Ergebnis verstehen.

Vier kurze Gedanken oder Erklaerungsansaetze:

1. Mathematisch: Die Academy Awards werden nicht in der Kategorie "bester Filmkomponist", sondern in der Kategorie "beste Filmmusik" vergeben, wodurch sich die Doppelnominierung Maestro Williams' erklaeren laesst. Selbst wenn die Mehrheit der Academy fuer die Person John Williams gestimmt haben sollte, musste sie dennoch ihre Stimmen zwischen zwei Filmen aufteilen.

2. Auch in den letzten Jahren haben wir uns immer wieder darueber gewundert, dass die film scores von John Williams gegen (vermeintlich "schlechtere") Kompositionen verloren haben. Allerdings wird ja eigentlich nicht die "beste Filmmusik", sondern "the best achievement in film scoring" ausgezeichnet. Wir als eingefleischte Filmmusikfreaks muessen uns, so glaube ich, davon verabschieden, eine Filmmusik als autonomes Werk zu betrachten und zu bewerten. Filmmusik kann prinzipiell nur mit dem Film zusammen verstanden und beurteilt werden. John Williams' Musik fuer "Memoirs of a Geisha" und "Munich" ist sicherlich handwerklich perfekt, reich and Melodie und Emotionalitaet und ergaenzt die Bilder hervorragend. Besonders eindrucksvoll ist in diesem Sinne "Memoirs", weil die Musik jedem einzelnen Bild die psychologischen Feinheiten und Aenderungen hinzufuegt. (Trotzdem gefaellt mir "Munich" besser.) Wo aber ist das "best achievement"? Inwiefern haben diese Filmmusiken das film scoring vorangetrieben und die Kunstform "Filmmusik" auf eine neue Qualitaetsebene gehoben?

3. Ueber "Brokeback Mountain": Dass "Bareback Mountain" nicht den Oscar fuer den besten Film erhalten hat, wundert mich eigentlich nicht, obwohl ich enttaeuscht bin - hat mich dieser Film doch sehr beruehrt, eigene Wunden aufgerissen und mich mit meiner Identitaet konfrontiert. Allerdings ist "Brokeback" kein Western und kein Film ueber die Liebe (?) zweier Maenner. Es ist ein Film ueber die amerianische Gesellschaft und wie sie mit Homosexuellen und Homosexualitaet umgeht. Wie lange hat es gedauert, bis der/die erste afro-amerkanische Schauspieler(in) einen Oscar als "beste® Hauptdarsteller(in)" erhalten hat? Wie steht es um Filme ueber Vietnam, AIDS, Krieg - die richtig "heiklen" Themen?

4. Gustavo Santaolalla hat fuer "Brokeback Mountain" ungefaehr 13 Minuten Musik komponiert, ein richtiges "Thema" oder eine "Melodie" gibt es nicht. Allerdings - und hier gilt Qualitaet vor Quantitaet - unterstreichen die wenigen Andeutungen und Motivpartikel hervorragend das Thema des Filmes: Ist es nicht so, dass waehrend des gesamten Filmes die Filmmusik sich anstrengt und versucht, etwas "Richtiges" zu sein, ohne es jemals zu erreichen? Hoeren wir nicht eine Filmmusik "auf dem Weg" zu (melodisch-thematischen) Erfuellung? Interessant ist auch die Wahl des Soloinstrumentes Gitarre. Natuerlich erinnert der Klang an die Weite und Freiheit (?) des Westens. Allerdings ist der Klang der Gitarre an manchen Stellen nachbearbeitet und verfremdet worden, "slides" - (ver)stoerende Nebentoene - sind ergaenzt worden und trueben das eigentliche Klangereignis und -erlebnis. Ein musikalischer Schatten legt sich ueber die unberuehrte Landschaft Wyomings und beeinflusst unsere Perzeption der vermeintlich heilen Welt. Ist das nicht ein "achievement"?

Ulrich