not surprisedNot the best Oscar ceremony I've seen -- for one thing, it was so well-behaved (whereas I still cherish the enormous gasp in the crowd when Kathy Bates won for Misery) -- but some good people got awards. Yes, I cheered at Forest Whitaker winning, and smiled at Helen Mirren winning, and felt good that Jennifer Hudson won, and was really happy with Pan's Labyrinth doing well. And, hey: Marc Shaiman was on piano! And we got to hear John C. Reilly sing! (Now that's someone who can do anything...)
I admit I feel a little disconnected to the movies of 2006. As I told a friend yesterday, I saw only three films in the theatre in the entire second half of last year, and those films were Snakes on a Plane, Borat, and Casino Royale (though all three got at least some mention on the Oscars last night, which amuses me). Probably the year I felt the strongest connection to was 1991's slate of Oscar nominees: where the winners included The Fisher King and Beauty and the Beast ("But it is bittersweet," Howard Ashman's partner Bill Lauch said; "this is the first Oscar winner we've lost to AIDS"), and where The Silence of the Lambs had a sweep I was genuinely happy about, and where Jack Palance (rest in peace, good sir) showed how much energy he still had. So that's my gold standard for Oscar ceremonies.
But, still: Marty won! As he should've done many years ago...