"Somewhere over the Rainbow" sung by New York's P.S. 22 choir concluded the Academy Awards and it pretty much summed up the cheerful mood that Hollywood was in this year as they reached out to award the Best Picture Oscar to The King's Speech. Maybe America and the world need it now, who knows, we can always use some hope.
The King's Speech is a classically enacted British drama about chasing dreams and overcoming obstacles. It's somewhat reminiscent of the 1981 Oscar winner Chariots of Fire in that it too was a British drama whose protagonists have to overcome adversity to achieve success at the 1924 Olympic Games.
The Social Network is about dreamers too but they dream of making fortunes and live in a dog-eat-dog world of shifting loyalties. They're both great films but there's no rainbow at the end of The Social Network and you don't leave the theater feeling good.
So I don't have a problem with the choice but I do find it a little amusing that in a year where the Academy chose Anne Hathaway and James Franco to host the ceremony because they want to project a young, hip image they went with a traditional, conservative drama for Best Picture.
So lets sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
The Oscar telecast itself was excellent. The film montages were beautifully seamed together and the show itself went off without any real gaffs or disasters. Melissa Leo did drop the F bomb after winning Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter but it wasn't done on purpose. She was just swept away by the emotion of the moment.
Anyone who remembers Kirk Douglas must have been shocked by his appearance but the screen legend is 94 years old and as someone once said ---old age is a train wreck.
2010 was a great year for movies and the Oscarcast did a really good job of conveying that and at the end of the day that's what's most important.
"Somewhere over the Rainbow" sung by New York's P.S. 22 choir concluded the Academy Awards and it pretty much summed up the cheerful mood that Hollywood was in this year as they reached out to award the Best Picture Oscar to The King's Speech. Maybe America and the world need it now, who knows, we can always use some hope.
The King's Speech is a classically enacted British drama about chasing dreams and overcoming obstacles. It's somewhat reminiscent of the 1981 Oscar winner Chariots of Fire in that it too was a British drama whose protagonists have to overcome adversity to achieve success at the 1924 Olympic Games.
The Social Network is about dreamers too but they dream of making fortunes and live in a dog-eat-dog world of shifting loyalties. They're both great films but there's no rainbow at the end of The Social Network and you don't leave the theater feeling good.
So I don't have a problem with the choice but I do find it a little amusing that in a year where the Academy chose Anne Hathaway and James Franco to host the ceremony because they want to project a young, hip image they went with a traditional, conservative drama for Best Picture.
So lets sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
The Oscar telecast itself was excellent. The film montages were beautifully seamed together and the show itself went off without any real gaffs or disasters. Melissa Leo did drop the F bomb after winning Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter but it wasn't done on purpose. She was just swept away by the emotion of the moment.
Anyone who remembers Kirk Douglas must have been shocked by his appearance but the screen legend is 94 years old and as someone once said ---old age is a train wreck.
2010 was a great year for movies and the Oscarcast did a really good job of conveying that and at the end of the day that's what's most important.