"The one and only, Adele Dazeem!" - Random thoughts on Oscars

 
           We all know who won and who lost and who ate the pizza. Therefore, doing a proper recap is pointless. However, I have some Oscar-related thoughts and I'd like to share them. Simply put, here's what I liked and didn't like about the Oscars:

Liked/Loved-

1) Lupita's princess dress was just gorgeous. It makes me want to wear a big flowy gown myself and just twirl around.
2) Among other fashion-related stuff, I liked Kristin Chenoweth's and Karen O's outfits, Emma Watson's hairdo and Naomi Watts' necklace.
3) Coming to speeches, there were a few that stood out. Lupita's was the most heartfelt and inspirational. "It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's"- this was an incredibly powerful and perceptive sentence and I have been thinking about it ever since. All these biopics we watch, most of them are based around someone's struggle and Patsey definitely had one of the hardest lives ever. We see numerous actors thank and pay tribute to the people they play or their hardships but I don't think anyone has put it the way Lupita did. Also, the way she ended it-

4)The other speeches I liked were Cate Blanchett's "The world is round, people!" and "Hashtag: Suck it" badass woman power declaration, Darlene Love's acceptance ballad, the "Let It Go" duo with their perfectly rhimy speech, the short documentary winners' heartfelt tribute to the woman who was their subject, and all winners whose hands shook while they were on the stage.
5) Lupita, Meryl and Amy dancing with Pharrell. Goddesses.

6) That selfie.

7) And all its subsequent parodies.

8) Lupita Nyong'o's brother who is my new role model.
9) The other selfie where Benedict Cumberbatch just popped up from the back.

10) Cumberbatch photobombing U2. Not once, but twice. #winneratOscars

11) Cumberbatch crying during Lupita's speech.
12) Lupita photobombing Jared Leto.
13) Lupita and JLaw fake-fighting.

14) The fact that JLaw looked happier than Lupita when Lupita won. Bullet dodged.
15) Brad Pitt handing out plates.

16) ALL the pizza photos.
17) Kevin Spacey presenting.
18) Bill Murray standing up after Darlene Love sang.
19) The "Moon Song" performance and the fact that Ezra Koenig's socks matched Karen O's dress.

20) "Possibility number 1: 12 Years A Slave wins Best Picture. Possibility number 2: You're all racists. And now welcome our first white presenter, Anne Hathaway!" #burn
21) Steve McQueen jumping in the air after they won Best Picture. I love this so much. As much as people hate on the Oscars, and they are definitely not decisive word on what is best or not, even someone as unconventional as McQueen was overjoyed at his film getting the award because it is a recognition of efforts and that's always a good and happy thing.

22) The fact that 2 of the Fight Club cast members now have Oscars.
23) Alfonso Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki- Oscar winners. FUCK YEAH!
24) Actually, just the fact that Gravity won Best Editing. That movie is so clever with its cuts. I am super impressed with the Academy for this.
25) Daniel Day-Lewis. Such a puppy.

Sidenote: Meryl Streep gave DDL his Oscar last year. Imagine if she had won this year. Actually, imagine if they keep winning alternate years, giving each other Oscars for all eternity because true artists never die and time is a flat circle and ZOMG!

26) Lupita Nyong'o's lip balm.
27) I will talk about the montages later but just the fact that the last "heroes" montage included Indiana Jones, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Speed, The Princess Bride, Independence Day (speech and all), Harry Potter (more on that later too), Aliens, Back to the Future and Air Force One.
28) Spike Jonze winning Best Original Screenplay.

29) And Spike Jonze.

30) SPIKE JONZE!!!!!!!!

31) I love you, Spike Jonze. Please marry me.
32) The fact that I later dreamt that Joaquin Phoenix was hosting the Oscars. I don't remember more than that. Sorry.
33) Leo lost and that sucks but seriously though, WoWS is such a IDGAF movie that I can't feel that bad. But all the "Poor Leo" memes have been hilarious. This one's my fav-

34) Matthew McConaughey was very sweet when he presented with Kim Novak. She was definitely having some problems and he was very gracious.
35) Ditto for Angelina Jolie.
36) Ellen making all of the JLaw falling jokes, so that we didn't have to. Chill humans. We've all done stupid things when drunk (more on this later too though).
37) Ellen in Glinda's costume.

38) Ellen in general.
39) Nicholas Hoult. Dawwwwwwww.

40) Not playing most of the winners off.
41) That American Hustle didn't win anything. MUAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

42) I laughed like hell in the Bradley Cooper nomination clip though. Best in show.
43) And my absolute favourite thing that happened at the Oscars- the coming together of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Watson. Such a perfect unison of good looks, charm and talent. Of course, I want them to get married now, but for the time being I will be totally happy with both of them starring in a romcom together. Preferably something set in the 1st half of the 20th century and screwball-y. You can see it, right? It can be all witty and stuff. DanRad can be there too. Remember when he and JGL danced at last year's Oscars? It's all perfect.

Disliked/hated-
1) The whole "heroes" theme. I happened to like Pink's performance but it was so unnecessary, as were the montages. No one bloody tunes in to watch the Oscars because of whatever theme they decide to go with. That's just silly and confusing and distracting.
2) Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto's white tuxedos. They looked like really good-looking waiters, but waiters nonetheless.
3) Harrison Ford. What happened, Indy?
4) Jim Carrey. It was super awkward to watch.
5) Most of the intros were awkward to watch. ADELE DAZEEM!!!!!!

6) Jared Leto's hair but that's like one of the things I hate most in the world. Well, not the hair but the hair on him. Annoyances!
7) I didn't listen to U2. BOTH times I watched the ceremony. I can't. Nope.
8) Also, Bette Midler singing "Wind Beneath My Wings". That song is one of the many we were made to sing throughout school and I will always feel resentful towards it. And it wasn't a very good performance either.
9) Jennifer Lawrence was a bit mental yesterday. When she came on stage to give Best Actor and randomly started screaming at the crowd- not funny, JLaw. Such a misfire.
10) Speaking of, the entire Jimmy Kimmel thing during the red carpet- what the fuck was that? If you must know, I was eating salsa at like 6:30 in the morning while watching the show. Problem?
11) Chris Hemsworth's wife was super preggers. The Loki in me kind of wanted her to give birth then though, just to see how people would react.
12) Where was Hiddles? Why was he not there? You must rectify this next year, Oscars.
13) Back to the "heroes" thing- why the fuck would you put the new Spider-Man and Superman only? They are barely heroic.
14) Also, I kind of hate it when anything Harry Potter-related is used during the Oscars. You had your chance, bastards. Avada kedavra!
15) The Great Beauty winning Best Foreign Film. Boo you pretentious whores.
16) I mean Mads was sitting there, razor-sharp cheekbones and everything. He could have come up if The Hunt had won. Dumasses.
17) The constant standing ovations. They just weren't cool anymore.
18) Matthew McConaughey's speech was actually kind of terrible. I listened to it twice to make sure. He should have just said "Alright alright alright" and left.
19) Those Oscar statuette shaped bauble thingies at the back. Terrifying! I'm surprised drunk JLaw didn't fight one of them.
20) In totes agreement with all who are angry at Oscars not including honorary Oscars in the main ceremony. Angelina Jolie's speech for that was one of the most beautiful things ever.
21) That I should really get off the net while the ceremony is going on. I missed a lot the first time tweeting and chatting with friends. Also that the whole Twitter shutting down thing made me panic a tad too much.
22) My absolute least-favourite thing about these Oscars- just how incredibly predictable and boring the winners ended up being. There were people on my Facebook page who have barely watched any of the movies but were announcing how they did with the predictions because they had obviously read about it in 150000 sites already. I really want Oscars to change its airdate. We need some excitement, come on! Nothing against the winners, just that an upset or two is always fun.

         And that's it. As you can see, I was quite happy with the ceremony in general. Let's end this with what has become the catchphrase of this award season. See you next year, O sweet headache-inducing Oscars.

“I like things that look like mistakes.”- 25 FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES OF 2013

        2013 was an amazing year for performances. I had an especially tough time with this list because at one point, every movie I was saw had a performances I greatly loved or appreciated. Since this is a subjective list, I am going to go with my "favourite" performances over what may be considered the "best" performances, except my for number 1. That is THE best.

Honourable mentions- Well, my shortlist has 62 names and so if I were to name the ones that didn't make it into the final list, my honourable mentions will exceed the latter. I am cheating in this list as it is.

25.

Bradley Cooper in American Hustle

In a movie where everyone is trying to out-act each other, Cooper's Richie is the only character that ends up feeling real. There is a sincerity that Cooper is able to bring to the role, even when Richie is going nuts. And man, those rollers.

24.

Emma Watson in The Bling Ring

I don't think I have had more fun listening to a character this year as much as I did with Watson's Nicki Moore. That interview scene alone guaranteed her a place in this post.

23.

Pauline Burlet in The Past

In both of Farhadi's movies that I have seen, I ended up feeling the worst for the children. They are subjected to the complex and perplexing workings of the adult world and the results are ruinous. When we first see Burlet's Lucie, we just think she's a moody teenager. But she is full of layers and the more we find out about her past and what she did, the more we feel for her. She is riddled with guilt and confusion and seeing her coming to terms with her actions is devastating.

22.

Alden Ehrenreich in Beautiful Creatures

I really think Ehrenreich's performance in Beautiful Creatures puts him in the league of John Cusack in Say Anything. Playing the small-town boy with the big dreams, he is full of charm and intelligence and has fantastic charisma on screen. He also gets my vote for "breakthrough actor of the year".

21.

Bruce Dern in Nebraska

Dern plays a man completely obsessed with his lottery win in Nebraska. There are so many ways this performance could have been a caricature but instead, it is the perfect mixture of sad and funny. He doesn't say much and often appears almost oblivious to everything around him, but that look in his eyes full of some kind of longing is enough to make him one of the most human characters of last year.

20.

Julie Delpy in Before Midnight

As depressed as I was by the transformation of beautiful, inspiring Celine of the first two Before movies into this crazy, neurotic, argumentative person, one cannot deny the work that Delpy achieves here. She lets herself get ugly and awful, but this Celine is also the most fleshed out that we've ever seen her. And I do think she would be more attached to the character than all of us so to explore her unsavory side like she did here is commendable.

19.

Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street, Mud and Dallas Buyers Club

The order of the pictures are given according to my favourite performances of Matty M. last year. Witnessing McConaissance has been a privilege and 2013 was another great year for one of the most shockingly (at least for me) versatile actors of this era. All his performances were excellent though that money chant really takes the cake.

18.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Prisoners

This movie questions our ideas when it comes to what makes someone a hero and what makes them a villain. Captain Loki is not a likeable person but he is the good guy. From the blinking to the hair, Gyllenhaal makes Loki a very compelling character to watch.

17.

Léa Seydoux in Blue is the Warmest Colour

While watching Blue is the Warmest Colour, we are mesmerised by Adèle. And Adèle is mesmerised by Emma. Seydoux had to create a character that would justify this devotion because only then would the subsequent break up ravage the way it did, and she did so beautifully. 

16.

Matthew Goode in Stoker

There must have been a lot of pressure on Mr. Goode for playing a character based on one made famous by Joseph Cotten. But he more than matches up. He is the quintessential psychopath- attractive, disturbing and lethal. He has an iciness that creeps under your skin but goddamnit, you like it!

15.

Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now

In very simple terms, Aimee is a good girl who falls for the (sorta) bad boy. It's kind of a cliché, but I've never seen anyone play it the way Woodley does. She is so sweet but so real at the same time that we feel almost angry seeing her go down that path as though she's someone we know. Woodley's natural charisma is the reason why.

14.

Joaquin Phoenix in Her

Her is an incredible film for many reasons, one of the biggest being that a lot of it is, like the College Humour poster said, close-ups of Joaquin Phoenix's beautiful face as it registers the myriads of emotions that Theodore goes through. They are all so subtle and so precise. Phoenix probably has my favourite cinematic face and in my eyes, no one else could have played this role.

13.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Enough Said

While we would expect it to be something purely comedic, JLD in Enough Said gives one of the most layered performances of the year. Yes, she is funny but in the humour, one can see elements of sadness, fear and confusion, which is what makes her so human.

12.

Sandra Bullock in Gravity

I love films that are basically one-man or one-woman shows (See also: The Pianist, 127 Hours) and Gravity, in all its visual splendour, would not have worked if it didn't have one immensely strong lead performance. Bullock gives just that, and not only is her physical accomplishment praise-worthy but also the emotional depth she brings to the film. 

11.

Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips

Of course that ending is devastating, but it would not have had half its impact if Hanks didn't play his role with such a vulnerable self-control throughout most of the film. We can almost feel his fear but he IS the captain and he has to stay composed and brave at the face of adversity. And finally, he lets it all out. It is a masterclass in acting.

10.

Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in The Lunchbox

There is a certain pleasure you get in seeing two actors playing off each other. In the movie, in spite of his initial reluctance, Irrfan Khan's taciturn Sajan finds a friend in Sidiqui's openhearted Shaikh, and for the latter, the former becomes a sort of father/brother figure that he always wanted. This bond, though unusual, is strengthened throughout the film in an effortless manner because of the way both these actors play their characters. Khan, who also has a great cinematic face, reveals the inner grief of his character without saying much, and in contrast, Sidiqui's character is hilariously loquacious but he too has a poignancy to him.

9.

Tye Sheridan in Mud

Sheridan's Ellis just breaks my heart. We go through the film seeing the faith that Ellis has in the idea of true, everlasting, almost heroic love. He doesn't talk a lot but you can see this wonder in his eyes. When he finally comes face-to-face with the reality of the world, his reaction is shattering. There is such hurt and anguish. Like I said in my Making a Case post, "it is astonishing to see someone so young capture all these emotions with such intensity that even grown-ups sometimes can't." Really blew me away.

8.

Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street and This is the End

Hill was definitely going to be in this list after playing the self-parody he does in This is the End, playing a cockier, crazier, possessed-er version of himself. And then I saw WoWS. Teeth, glasses, coke, fish, Fucksville- all of them would have been pointless if we didn't have a comic genius (yes, I totes believe that he is one now) playing such a character who makes it completely his own without letting all of that overpower him. Both these roles could have been mere caricatures but Hill makes them more than that.

7.

Simon Pegg in The World's End

I think barring my number 1, no other performance this year has managed to surprise me the way Pegg's did here. Specifically, when we find out Gary King's "truth" at the end. There is such sadness and anger and disappointment that I was absolutely amazed by Pegg's acting abilities. That one scene then puts the rest of the movie in perspective. He is definitely hilarious in the film but under all that frenzy, there is a darkness that I didn't know Pegg was capable of portraying.

6.

Scarlett Johansson in Don Jon and Her

I think ScarJo is an incredibly gifted actress and 2013 was the year when she showed all of her talents. In Don Jon, she went all va va voom on us with her Barbara. Like Hill earlier, she could have been just a farcical characterisation of a certain type of person, but she finds ways to give her character depths which are surprising. And man, that scene in the hallway. I remember whispering to my friend sitting next to me in the theatre, "I can't believe she just went there." Coming to her performance in Her, it is plain astounding the way she manages to make someone who is as real and as human as one can be through just her voice.

5.

James Franco in Spring Breakers

Speaking of being stunned at someone "going there", remember when Franco's Alien fellates a gun? I can handle all of Franco's artistic nonsense if he continues to give performances like this one. It's not just the look but the utter conviction with which he pulls it off. From his extolling speech about all of his shit to the "Everytime" scene, Franco owns this motherfuckin' role.

4.

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine

There is something of a tragedy about Jasmine. Then again, she's also awful, manipulative, greedy and crazy. Leave it to Blanchett for making a role so funny and so pitiable at the same time. Just listen to every time she starts talking about the song "Blue Moon". It is obviously hilarious, but at the same time, you can't help but feel for her misfortunes, not that she didn't deserve them but the way they have affected her is, well, tragic indeed. Oscar #2 could not have been received for a better performance than this one.

3.

Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Colour

A part of me is unsure about how much of Exarchopoulos' performance is in fact a performance. Yet, I am equally impressed by an actor who would let someone film them so intimately. I actually feel it would be harder for someone to just be like the way Exarchopoulos is in the film. Every emotion, every tear, all the eating, all the feelings- we see everything and while she might frustrate us with her irrationality at times, we are ultimately transfixed by her.  

2.

Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha

Up until the new year, I was sure that no one will be able to replace Gerwig's performance as the struggling almost-grown up protagonist of Frances Ha from my top spot. I kind of adore her. Frances is flawed but Gerwig puts so much charm into this performance. It is effortlessly real and humorous and just endlessly relatable. It might not be the best performance of the year but it's definitely one of my most favourites.

1.

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street

And then there was Leo. I kind of don't want to say anything because there is just SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE OH MY GOD!

Once upon a time I had written a post about how the majority of Leo's characters end up dead or mad or grieving and how I wanted him to tackle something lighter. Yes, WoWS has a terrifyingly dark reality to it, but it is also an outrageous and hilarious movie and much of this duality is thanks to Leo's performance as the wolf himself, Jordan Belfort. We don't realise when the three hours go by as we are completely entranced by the madness that is Belfort's existence and Leo sells every fucking minute of it. He plays a horrible human being but makes him insanely entertaining. The faces that he makes, my goodness! And then there is the physical comedy bit when he's suddenly doing straight-up slapstick. The drugs, the candle, the thumping, the flexing, the speeches, the curses- it is ridiculous the things that he does in the movie. But at the end of the day, it is the commitment to play so bold a role and do it using all of his gifts. I cannot tell you how happy it made me that Leo gave this performance looking the way he does. There are such set ideas about how appearances and "seriousness" in a role contributes to a better performance. Comic performances can be great performances too, as Leo proves here. Watch a clip of Jordan Belfort on Youtube and see how close a portrayal this is. And no, it is not simply funny. Though this film has no place for reflections, Leo still puts complexities into this role.

The first thing that had struck me about this performance was how it was simultaneously surprising and something I always knew Leo had in him. Oscar or no Oscar, this is the best performance of one of the most talented actors of our time and that is something to cherish. I don't know if Leo will ever be able to top this but I hope that he continues to dig into his comedic talents. Also, to really give a sense of how much I loved this performance, in case you were still unsure, it has definitely joined my top 5 male performances of all time.