Properly reviewing an Oscar ceremony can be tedious business, so I'm not gonna do it. Not properly, at least. The whole never quite amounts to the sum of its parts (although the Condon/Mark production from 2009 comes awfully close), so it's easiest just to look back and assess those parts at face value. Let's take a look at some moments that stood out (for me anyway) at the 86th Academy Awards
After last year's show hosted by Seth McFarlane came under such harsh critical fire, the pressure was on returning producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to atone. They made all the safest possible choices, and it started with the selection of Ellen Degeneres to return as host after her first kick at the can seven years ago.
Ellen assures viewers around the world, "We're fine. Thank you for your prayers" in regards to the rain.
Ellen's dancing her way back onto the Oscar stage for a second go. You may remember that she hosted the show in 2007. Or you may not. She was very warm and genial and did a fairly agreeable job, but it wasn't a gig I would exactly describe as memorable.
After taking a lot of flack for Seth MacFarlane's provocative stint last March, one can't help but feel that AMPAS is retreating to the safest choice they could possibly make to atone. I'm not complaining. I liked Ellen fine enough the first time she emceed the ceremony, but I can't even come close to pretending that this has me the least bit excited. Her style of cheery, inoffensive comedy is safe, but the lower the risk, the lower the reward.
So I got in from work this afternoon to discover that the Oscar-web was abuzz with some news. The creator of hit animated television series Family Guy and American Dad, Seth MacFarlane, has been confirmed as the host of next year's Academy Awards. Word abounds on Twitter and the like that he will be very involved in the writing process, and that, befitting a man of his musical gifts, there will of course be a musical number.
Normally, I look skeptically upon "TV" personalities hosting the biggest movie event of the year. The hosting gigs by Ellen Degeneres and John Stewart never impressed me, but then again, movie-star hosts can fall flat too. I say it's got potential. MacFarlane's talents as a comedian and singer are considerable, but it all depends on how producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (of the musical series Smash) intend to tap those talents. If they aim for a level of showbiz cheese that's somewhere between Billy Crystal's one-man shtick and Hugh Jackman's all-out razzle dazzle (with only subtle hints of MacFarlan'es new-age smarm), I daresay they may have a winner on their hands. If they try to replicate the sort of raunch and cynicism that's made MacFarlane such a huge success on the small screen (and so help me, one single Family Guy reference is an automatic deal-breaker), then I smell possible disaster. Call me conditionally hopeful.
Finding Nemo is a film best described with superlatives: of all Pixar films to date, it is the most moving, most resonant, and most sincere, presenting the fears and struggles of parenthood through a funny, touching, and truly original story. Thanks to the meticulous effects animation and production design, it is also the most gorgeous computer-animated movie you're likely to see, relishing in vibrant colours set against an oceanic backdrop of deep pastel blue. Equally as vibrant are the characters, fleshed out by perfectly written dialogue and an exceptional voice cast, boasting standout performances from Albert Brooks and especially Ellen Degeneres. Another important character is the one-of-a-kind music of Thomas Newman, who captures the emotional ebb and flow of the story like no one else could.
All said, Finding Nemo is an unrivaled gem of a movie, the acme of refined and intelligent family entertainment, and quite simply the best animated film of the decade.
BRILLIANT SCORE ALERT:
(For those keeping track, this gives director Andrew Stanton the distinction of being the only film maker with two movies in my top ten of the decade.)
