"you laugh, you cry, and you go to the kitchen"

If you are looking for bracing, unadulterated Oscarspleen, go to (of course) The Reverse Shot Blog.

But TNY has some pretty hilarious things to say about last night's Oscars, too. Richard Brody, Judith Thurman and Tad Friend chat with readers at The New Yorker online. Nothing profound, but a funny and slightly mature perspective (they love beards - the kind on the face, they don't love John Hughes).

Thurman disagrees with the Fug Girls, re. Bullock's hair and lipstick. Friend didn't immediately get something obvious to most of the Gawkers who were commenting live, ie. that Bridges was not, so to speak, unprepared. Halfway through the convo it clicks. Maybe someone texted him.

And there's some cute shtick:

"RICHARD BRODY: My favorite performance of the night was Whoopi Goldberg’s, in the commercial for Poise."

On the horror film montage, and The Shining:

"TAD FRIEND: My favorite Kubrick film, that one. Shelley Duvall’s highwater mark.

JUDITH THURMAN: Diane Johnson wrote it, right?

RICHARD BRODY: I thought that Shelley Duvall’s high-water mark was Popeye."

And more Kubrick (these conversations are actually woven together and internet stuttered, time-wise, in a fun way, in the original):

"RICHARD BRODY: My favorite Kubrick film is the last, Eyes Wide Shut; I think it’s deeply personal and it shows.

JUDITH THURMAN: I disagree, Richard. I don’t think it translated to the modern era. It was a fin de siecle story of decadence and Weltschmerz.

RICHARD BRODY: No, it’s just a story of modern marriage.

TAD FRIEND: Judith, we’re conducting the conversation in English.

JUDITH THURMAN: Okay—let’s see—world weariness,

TAD FRIEND: I was kidding."

Maybe not hilarious, but funnier than Martin and Baldwin.

And maybe a bit too much favorite this and favorite that. The three of them don't make a real effort to discuss the politics of Hurt Locker (or Avatar), but an online chat is hardly the time and place for it. Brody basically thinks he's got it pegged on both accounts, but I don't quite agree with him. Brody on Hurt Locker (and on Jim Emerson on Hurt Locker) and Avatar, (again) and on the nominees in general. I might write more about this later.

Also, Honest Movie Posters, via kottke.