It was a very good year for movies and it was a very good year for the Oscars. No Country for Old Men dominated as everyone thought it would, but still, there were some upsets. And yet, for some reason, I feel as I did after my high school prom–empty and aching. Maybe it’s because I felt Heath Ledger deserved more of a tribute, or maybe it’s because I didn’t get a Cuba Gooding Jr. moment, or maybe it’s just because I realized I’m never going to be the first man to inpregnate Jessica Alba. Nevertheless, below is what I’ve taken away from the 80th Academy Awards and the movies of 2007.
The Host: Jon Stewart was not only funny, he was classy. It was touching to see him call Marketa Irglova back onstage after her mic had been cut during the “Falling Slowly” acceptance speech. I didn’t expect much from Stewart after his last hosting job at the Oscars, but I was impressed with him tonight.
The Best Presenters: Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill were hilarious. We’ve bashed Rogan plenty of times on this site, but I’m starting to come around on the guy. I vote he and Hill host the Oscars next year and bicker the entire time.
Biggest Upset: Tilda Swinton. WTF!?!?! Best Actress in a Supporting Role was a category full of outstanding performances this year and they give it to a woman who wore half of a cat for a dress.
*On a side note: I believe I am the only WHAP writer to see La Vie en Rose, and Marion Cotillard was fabulous. Part of me was rooting for Julie Christie, another part for Ellen Page, and part of me for Marion Cotillard. I’m happy she won.
Most Touching Moment: This is a tie for me between Diablo Cody’s win and the win for “Falling Slowly.” Diablo Cody’s walk up to the stage was wonderful, it was evident how much she means to everyone in that film. Both Ellen Page and Jennifer Gardner (who looked stunning) were overjoyed. Cody’s emotional speech was elegant, she thanked her family for “always supporting who she was.”
As for “Falling Slowly,” what a great win for a beautiful song. The duet from Once acted as if they had just won the lottery when their names were announced and they gave speeches that summed up how magical the Oscars can be. Their performance was just as beautiful, the blue light on stage reminding me of the chills I got when Tom Petty performed “Free Falling” at the Super Bowl.
In Summary: It was a nostalgic year for the Oscars, as replays of past winners and old acceptance speeches dominated the show. Jon Stewart brought his smirk and his witt, his best joke being his comment, “That guy is so arrogant,” in regards to Glen Hansard after he gave a very humbling speech in regards to “Falling Slowly.” The Coen brothers proved to be just as “creepy” and “little” as Josh Brolin has described them at the SAGs. And in a year of great films, No Country for Old Men proved to be the greatest film of 2007. We have not seen a year like this for movies since 1999, a year that gave us Run, Lola Run, Eyes Wide Shut, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Boys Don’t Cry, Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, The Green Mile, The Cider House Rules, Magnolia, and The Hurricane. 2007, you will be remembered as the year we almost didn’t have the Oscars, the year other years will be compared to in terms of quantity of quality of films, and the year No Country for Old Men reigned supreme.
For more Oscar thoughts, click here to access Bryan and Jon’s liveblogging.
Wet, Hot American Produce 
yes, we also loved “Falling Slowly” from Once winning the Best Song – that gives us such a sense of hope, y’know.
[…] Annual Academy Awards, and the first one covered by us here at WHAP. So we liveblogged it. Then we summarized it. Now we give cheers and jeers to some of its most visible moments and speeches in this […]