Seems like everyone's buzzing online about the L.A. Times article by Kenneth Turan blasting the AMPAS for awarding the Best Picture Oscar to Crash over Brokeback Mountain (plus three movies he's conveniently forgotten about). Now, as noted earlier, I haven't seen any of the nominees this year yet (yes, what's available has been added to my Netflix queue), and I'm beginning to think from what I've seen and read that my initial reaction to Crash (that I'd already seen Grand Canyon) might be on-the-money, but I still have to wonder whether Turan's success and whatever amount of carte-blanche he's got at the Times might prove to hurt him. His column is as reactionary as any, well, blog entry I've read, and it also strikes me as hateful and childish. So your favorite didn't win. Get over it. Even your paper's reaction poll for online readers makes fun of the 'controversy' with its last option: "Forget 'Crash' — how could the academy snub 'Star Wars'?"
The one thing I haven't seen noted so far this year (and it may be that I just haven't found it yet) is the idea that the Oscars show is a four-hour commercial for the movie industry, and I'm wondering how many tickets that show was supposed to help gain over last year's slump. For every fun moment in Stewart's monologue, there was a montage that seemed pointless. For each laugh Stewart got, it seemed like there were two gags that resulted in sour acknowledgement from the nominees. Come on, guys, lighten up. No one's going to tear up your voter registration card if you laugh about Gore and Kerry not getting elected. If you look like you're having a little fun, maybe you can wipe off that smear that you're out of touch with the rest of the country.
Getting a nosebleed up on this soapbox. Stepping down.
3 comments:
Ken Levine had the best comment I heard -- the irony that all night they are pushing the idea that you should watch movies on the big screen, while showing montage clips of movies that no one ever shows on the big screen any more.
I neglected to mention that I committed what in years past I'd have thought to be a sin, but now seems almost blissful: I TiVo'd through a great deal of the show. Commercials, to be sure, but the songs, parts of montages...I was almost scornful in my abuse of the the banquet the Academy set before me. At least the Crash dancers were moving in real time.
I hated Crash.
A film like Walk The Line, that is actually good story-telling, instead of contrived monologues and coincidences, that actually MADE MONEY, doesn't get nominated.
Ditto to Narnia...
What about, for a change, something like Batman Begins? Yes, it may be a "superhero film." And yes, it may be a quasi-sequel/prequel, but... damn it had incredible writing, excellent performances and had as much a message in it as Crash. Oh yeah, and it made money!
Yeah, the Academy is smugly out of touch...
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