February 26, 2007 12:44 PM

Robert Denerstein on the Oscars

Mark_Wolf(Q) Biggest upset of the night Alan Arkin over Eddie Murphy for best supporting actor?
Robert_Denerstein(A) No question. Here's my theory. I'd say Arkin won a career-achievement Oscar over Murphy, whose big-screen reputation may have taken a hit when all the negative reviews of "Norbit" started rolling in. Beyond that, voters may have been reacting against the consensus established in other awards shows. And, who knows, Murphy may not be all that popular with his peers. In any case, I've long admired Arkin's work and have no compalints with the choice.

Mark_Wolf(Q) What do you make of The Departed winning best picture?
Robert_Denerstein(A) As just about everyone knows, this was a very difficult year to settle on a best picture. I thought "Little Miss Sunshine" had a good chance, but in the end, the victory went to a studio picture that had both audience and critical support. Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" never had a chance. "Babel" may have been viewed as too close in its approach to "Crash," last year's winner. And "The Queen" probably didn't have enough heft. Personally, I was not thrilled to see "The Departed" win. I thought the Oscar for Martin Scosese was enough.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Why did they change the format to push the first major awards so far back?
Robert_Denerstein(A) I'm not sure, but I'll take a guess. Maybe they thought they'd build suspense in a show that didn't have a lot going for it by way of stars and major pictures. Whatever the reason, it seemed a terrible miscalculation. You could hear channels changing all over America.

morganvon(Q) I thought Ellen was the worst host (other than Whoopi Goldberg) in recent memory. Why couldn't they just bring back Conan or Jon Stewart?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Good question. I thought she did a particularly poor job. Her relaxed style seemed at odds with what you're looking for in an Oscar host; i.e., someone who can bring snap and a bit of tension to the show. Where was the electricity? Where was the magic? Where were the jokes?

Mark_Wolf(Q) Finally, Martin Scorcese wins, saving a forest from perishing under the demands of a million "Why didn't Marty win this year..." stories.
Robert_Denerstein(A) Another typical scenario. Scorsese wins, but not for his best picture. Oh well, who cares? Although I wasn't a big supporter of "The Departed" for best picture, I had no problem with Scorsese's win as best director. He has a substanial body of work; he's been a tireless supporter of filmpreservation and he's one of the most avid and knowledgable film fans in creation.

morganvon(Q) Any thoughts on Pan's Labyrinth? I thought it was the best film I saw all year.
Robert_Denerstein(A) I was a great fan of "Pan's Labyrinth," but I wonder if it wasn't a little too odd for Oscar voters. "The Lives of Others," which won best foreign-language film, is a morally complex and very strong film, but it's more conventional than "Pan's Labyrinth." That may have been the deciding factor. If I had had a vote, I would have voted for "Pan's Labyrinth," and if you want to compare moves outside of their catagories, it was a lot better than "The Departed."

history_buff(Q) I thought the musical number with Will Farrel was good. Maybe he should be considered for next year's show, since comedians don't win oscars.
Robert_Denerstein(A) Well, we disagree on the musical number. I didn't particularly like it, but I think your suggestion is a great one. Ferrell would make a fabulous host. He easily could master the right mix of phony sincerity and scathing wit. He has some personal magnetism. Let's start a lobby.

morganvon(Q) Leading up to the Oscars, some old Scorcese films were shown. Taxi Driver and Raging Bull just to name 2. In my mind, films in general seemed very weak this year. Little Miss Sunshine was good, but it hardly seemed worthy as the best picture of the year. Was this a weak year for movies?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Depends on which category you're looking at. The five films nominated for best picture may not have been the strongest ever, but if you slip over to best foreign-lanugage film, you'll see at least four exceptional movies. I was a big fan of "Little Miss Sunshine," but I agree, it's not the kind of movie you expect to see nominated for an Oscar. The documentary category was also quite strong, and, no, the best documentary didn't win. That award should have gone to "Iraq in Fragments" not to "An Inconvenient Truth."

Mark_Wolf(Q) Jennifer Hudson was terrific in Dreamgirls and has a great story but I thought she was no better than third in the Best Supporing Actress category behind Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal and Rinko Kikuchi for Babel.
Robert_Denerstein(A) I had that thought, as well. Rinko Kikuchi, for example, was amazing in "Babel." Cate Blanchett is always terrific.Still, I don't have any probelm with Hudson's win. Here's why: Her performance was a tremendous act of will ,and she obviously has talent. The big quesiton for Hudson: What's next? Will she be one of those Oscar winners who fades into oblivion or can she sustain a movie career? She's got an Oscar, but the jury is out..

Mark_Wolf(Q) I thought Ellen Degeneres did an OK job hosting but I was waiting for her to be, how do you say it, funny?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Yes, funny would have been good. It's possible Al Gore got more laughs.

Mark_Wolf(Q) How would you tweak the Oscars show to make it livelier? Or is it a victim of its format?
Robert_Denerstein(A) I would do the following: Rather than worrying about the length of acceptance speeches, I would cut all production numbers, eliminate pointless film montages, and diistribute the major awards more evenly throughout the show. But the quality of the Oscar show also has something to do with the movies. When you've got a big frontrunner -- say a "Lord of the Rings'' -- the show is bound to generate more interest. And part of the problem is beyond the Academy's control. I mean how to you sustain interest when you come at the tail end of a string of awards programs, many of which have been televised? You also need a host who can play to both "the room" and the TV audience. It seemed to me that DeGeneres was playing mostly to the audience inside the Kodak Theater.

morganvon(Q) Since you brought it up, how can a documentary like AL Gore's even be considered? It was little more than a powerpoint presentation. I can't believe that it won based on its film making, not it's basic premise. This is the same problem I had with Farhenheit 911. It was not balanced in its presentation of the facts in any way. Yet is appeals to the basic political leanings of the Oscar electorate. Do you see this as a flaw in the documentary selection?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Probably, but I'm not sure what can be done about that. Global warming (you'll pardon the pun) has become a hot topiic, and voters can feel especially virtuous about having supported "An Inconvenient Truth." It's easier to vote for a movie about global warming than to swear off rides in stretch limos.

Mark_Wolf(Q) If you were giving your own Oscars, even to films that weren't nominated, what's your Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress.
Robert_Denerstein(A) I have no problems with the selections the Academy made for best actor and actress. But if I had to pick the best picture, I would have gone for "United 93." Its director, Paul Greengrass, did receive a nomination in the best-director category, but "United 93" easily could have bumped "Little Miss Sunshine" off the list.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Do you think the Dreamgirls songs cancelled each other out and let Melissa Ethridge slip in as the winner for best song?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Yes. Three nominations for songs from "Dreamgirls" turned out to be a disadvantage for the movie, and opened the way for yet another award for "An Inconvenient Truth."

Mark_Wolf(Q) What was with the Michael Mann film tribute to America through its films?
Robert_Denerstein(A) Beats me. For some reason, Mann incldued a clip from Stanley Kubrick's great war movie, "Paths of Glory." What that has to do with images of America escapes me{. "Paths of Glory" is about the French army during World War I. Maybe Mann meant America and its allies. This tribute to America is just the kind of bloat that makes it a challenge to stay awake during the Oscars.

history_buff(Q) I thought the award to An Inconvenient Truth and Ellen Degeneres' jokes were part of a statement. Hollywood was saying, if you are going to make us a political issue, all righty then -- we can play your game. Here's right back at you.
Robert_Denerstein(A) Nah. To believe that you'd have to think that more than 5,000 Academy voters somehow agreed to make a statement. I'd say it was more a case of following the current fashion.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Do you think all the attention paid to international films takes some of the luster off the Oscars for the American audience?
Robert_Denerstein(A) it's possible, but American audiences better get used to it. Movies have gone too far down the road of "globalization" to turn back. International co-producitons and the rise of the so-called indepedent film may be good for film quality, but the combined effect tends to deprive Hollywood of some of its glamor. That and a host of other factors, say the narrowing of the window between theatrical and DVD release. But that's a topic for another day. Hey, let me look at my watch. Is the Oscar show over yet? Has it ended? Or did I just go sleep when I couldn't take any more?