Over the last 2-3 years I’ve become disenchanted with the Oscars. It used to be something I’d look forward to which would honor films that the odds were pretty good that I had seen them that year. It used to be a pretty classy affair as well.
For me (and call this nitpicky if you like), the first nail in the coffin was watching Joaquin Phoenix at the 2001 awards. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed and slapped on a suit while he was still asleep. He looked terrible and couldn’t even be bothered to snug up his tie. Add to that the bored look on his face every time the camera cut to him in the audience, and that marked for me the beginning of the end.
Sure, the women still get dressed up and look glamorous (for the most part, although it seems to be more about “Who are you wearing?” than looking nice) as do most of the men, but then add to that the Michael Moore/Susan Sarandon/etc. political commentary, the “honoring” of films that are further and further from the mainstream and the mystery of how movies manage to win the awards for “Best Film” while the directors do not win “Best Director” (these movies are awesome despite directors’ efforts to ruin them, it seems), and you’ve got a recipe for “no interest” from me.
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7 Comments
I won’t bother with the Oscars this year; I haven’t watched them in quite a while. My biggest gripe has been that we’re never told WHY certain people/movies win Oscars. What makes them the most deserving? What criteria were used? I realize the whole process is subjective, but there’s a fine line between subjective and totally random (at least by appearance).
Brian
I’ve never had much interest in the Oscars myself. I’m interested to see how Jon Stewart does, but other than that- I haven’t seen any of the films so I don’t really care who wins.
I have to admit that I don’t understand the correlation between a good film and one that is mainstream. I think many of the great films throughout history have been out of the mainstream of the time; it would be hard to be challenging otherwise.
Not that I necessarily think that the nominees are great movies just because they deal with controversial issues. Like I said, I haven’t seen them. Actually, I couldn’t care less about them. I’d rather see the next X-Men or something.
Sorry, I meant to put my name in for that last post.
I understand your comment about mainstream not necessarily being equal to “good”, but I guess if there were two movies out there that were cinematically “good”, one glorifying a pedophile and one about Mother Theresa, I would say the Mother Theresa film would be more “mainstream” yet no doubt the academy would choose to honor the more “edgy” pedophile film.
Vic
Yes, that’s true. The pedophile movie probably would be the pick.
I agree: There’s presenting edgy material and there’s condoning it. A fine line. A lot of people can disagree, though, on whether or not an edgy film does or does not actually condone the activities it presents.
For example: Downfall. I remember really enjoying this film (actually enjoying probably isn’t the right word…how about: it was well done). I was quite sure it was an anti-Hitler film and that the attempts to make Hitler seem as real as possible were just to show that this was a real person who was capable of so much hatred- Not just some special case, never to be repeated. Some reviewers though thought it was too sympathetic and it was trying to show Hitler as a gray, conflicted character. So was Downfall sympathetic or just trying to present the truth? I don’t know.
Sorry for that ramble.
I will NOT be watching.
I haven’t watched in years.
I have been so out of sync with who they pick for so long, with a few exceptions.. LOTR… etc.
that I could not possibly care less what the Oscar committee thinks is a worthy film.
And I am sick to death of seeing awards programs of any kind to tell you the truth.
Sorry for the downer comment. But I have just read this article, and all this Oscar stuff means very little compared to it…
http://amitghate.blogspot.com/2006/03/all-for-one.html
I think I stopped watching it when Golden Pond won and then again with Driving Miss Daisy. Eventually, everyone will come to regard it as kitsch and ‘ironic’ like the Eurovision Song contest, Come Dancing or Crufts and it’ll become popular again, if only to watch the stars’ surgery melt under the lights.
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