COVERITLIVE.COM

2:00	Ty Burr - Welcome to the chat, folks -- hope some of you are taking a late lunch break so we can proceed with the questions and comments.

2:01	Ty Burr - What's on your mind? Oscars? Madea? Mickey Rourke's dog? Send 'em in to the comment box on the side and let's get started.

2:02

[Comment From LittlEthel]
So ... Spongebob seemed to get a little *too much* love last night. I mean it was good and it hit a nerve but .... an Oscar for best drop-by guest to the set who used a port-a-potty is a bit much. Not one single surpise the entire evening (except Bashir). The show itself was very good, I thought. Kill the singing and dancing because it never works. If they must, then recreate for the stage a number from a musical movie, but otherwise, keep people like Baz away. If I were Katie Holmes, I would be packing now to further enhance my career.

2:02	Ty Burr - Spongebob? You mean Slumdog? Me confused.

2:03	Ty Burr - If you mean the latter, well, it was written.

2:03	Ty Burr - Seriously, it was the only movie that anyone felt any actual enthusiasm for, so it was sort of a bygone conclusion.

2:04	Ty Burr - As I've said, I'm of the opinion that's it's the most old-fashioned Hollywood movie of the bunch: Iconic characters in a classic hero-journey narrative with a fab finish.

2:04	Ty Burr - Beats a sex symbol aging backwards any day.

2:04	[Comment From Marc] Hi, Ty. Did you think the Oscars were appropriately toned down last night so as to show a respect for a large part of the nation who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the economy?

2:06

Ty Burr - Hi Marc -- I thought Jackman and the show struggled to find the appropriate tone, really. The opening number, with the Craig's List dancers, et al, worked in spots but not overall, and the Baz Luhrmann production number was a train wreck -- exactly the sort of glitzy camp overkill that makes you watch the show through your fingers.

2:06

[Comment From Rubi-kun]
I'm not gonna be here for the chat unless it goes on long, so I just want to submit one question to check later: is Baz Luhrman some sort of one-hit-wonder hack? I loved Moulin Rouge, but didn't like his Romeo and Juliet movie, Australia's been panned, and that Oscar number was horrifically bad. And he thinks he has what it takes to direct The Great Gatsby?

2:06	Ty Burr - I do shudder to think what he's going to do to Fitzgerald -- though it can't be any more of an overhaul than Benjamin Button.

2:07	Ty Burr - I think he's got a style he feels comfortable in and isn't sure how to apply it elsewhere. He needs just the right combination of material and stars and energy or it all collapses like an overdone wedding cake.

2:07	Ty Burr - I liked "Romeo + Juliet," by the way. "Australia," not so much.

2:08	[Comment From whippy] Hi Ty- I'm curious about your thoughts on Mickey's loss. I thought his perfomance was amazing. I was happy to hear Penn mention him though in his speech.

2:08	[Comment From Matt] Thoughts on Sean Penn's win? I really thought Rourke was going to get the award, but I was pleasantly suprised that Penn won.

2:09	Ty Burr - To me, this category was neck and neck to the wire. I would have been happy to see either man win, and Mickey did get his Indie Spirits speech, which will live on in YouTube eternity.

2:09	Ty Burr - It really was a question of which message was going to win the day: We're sorry about Prop. 8 or we love a comeback.

2:10	Ty Burr - The two are good buddies -- don't know if you've seen the video of the two of them accepting the joint best actor award from the Boston Society of FIlm Critics. It's on the Movie Nation blog, and it's hilarious.

2:10	Ty Burr - And Mickey still has his dog. :(

Page 1 Next >