ABC Happy After 'Million Dollar' Night

I listened to some of Rock's opening monologue or toned down tirade. Some might find his "humor" funny, but his delivery came across to me as shrill, monotoned and forced. The audience didn't really laugh (or get it) on many of his punch lines. I had the thought that the Oscars were being "dumb downed" to an even shallower lowest common denominator. I hit the mute button and went back to doing other things. I'm disappointed to see that viewership was increased over last year's dismal telecast.

I have never found Chris Rock funny so I suppose I'm a little biased. His voice gets on my nerves and his first line of the evening, "Sit yo' asses down!" put me off right away. I'm usually not a prude when it comes to that word but hearing it at 6:00 at night with my 2 and 3 year olds in the room irritated me.

I also felt that it was "dumbed down" and heard on the news that ABC was trying to reach a younger audience. What does that say - lol!

"Critics say Scorsese's best work is decades behind him, noting that recent epics such as "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York" do not measure up to earlier masterpieces such as "Mean Streets" and "Raging Bull." I wonder what critics the author is talking about? Gangs of NY was a much better film than "Mean Streets". Danial Day Lewis' acting in Gangs was every bit a good as DiNiro's in Raging Bull, also. I thought Gangs was a very underrated picture.

I think "Aviator" can be dismissed as a clearly inferior work to "Raging Bull" and "Gangs." Of the latter two, "Raging Bull" alone deserves the sobriquet, "masterpiece" and DeNiro's performance was clearly a quantum level superior to Lewis'. This is because great art must ultimately treat of great themes to be great. "Raging Bull" undertakes to render nothing less than a parable of life's ultimate truth: Hubris leading inevitable to bankruptcy of spirit and renewal through surrender and rebirth. "Gangs" reveals no cosmic truth applicable to all people in all circumstances for all time, but it is merely an indulgence of prurience, a voyeur's peek at depravity with no "ahh" signifying that the viewer has been edified by his encounter with true art. At the end of the third reel, the patron is left asking, "what did I learn?" Regrettably, the answer must be, very little indeed about the human condition although much was shown of a historical period.

I do not quibble with the technique of "Gangs," every scene was technically flawless, but with its reach.

Lewis performance was wonderful but an exploration of madness is not to be compared with DeNiro's searing representation of self destruction and ultimate glimmering of wisdom. His physical transformation alone is a wonder of the film maker's art.

One film was good the other truly great.

I have to say,I grew up in N.Y.,I've known alot of tough guy's.Real bad seed's,murder's,habitual criminal's,I grew up in the ghetto.My family was involved back in the 70's with mafia.Daniel Day Lewis's portait of a tough new yorker was perfect,the best I've ever seen.Deneiro is my favorite actor of all time,and roles from "gang's" are right up his ally.But Danny Day did the perfect job of expressing the cold heart combinded with the trust and respect that all tough guy's carry,not to mention his accent was perfect,for early imigrant's to this country,I should know,my family was one.As far as Scorsese go's any thing he's done is pure art.

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