Why I think the Oscars are a load of crap
According to which films won Best Picture, and which films were nominated:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a better film than Lost in Translation
Gladiator is a better film than Traffic
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Elizabeth
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Life Is Beautiful
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than The Thin Red Line
Titanic is a better film than L.A. Confidential
The English Patient is a better film than Fargo
Forrest Gump is a better film than Pulp Fiction
Dances with Wolves is a better film than Goodfellas
That's only going back as far as 1990, and doesn't include the films that weren't even nominated (obviously the American establishment didn't go anywhere near Fight Club). Not to mention the travesties in the acting categories (I wish the name Helen Hunt was just rhyming slang).
And, looking at this year's most talked about nomination, don't get me wrong, I think that Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was absolutely superb and deserving of recognition. But, does anyone really believe that he'd be the short-priced favourite for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a comic book villain if he hadn't so tragically lost his life?
Saying that voting in the Academy Awards is "all political" is putting it mildly. Both self-congratulatory and deeply flawed, the Oscars measure neither a film's popularity, nor its artistic merit. Enjoy the party, Hollywood, but don't think it's any more than that.
Originally published at Prosthetic Cerebrum.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a better film than Lost in Translation
Gladiator is a better film than Traffic
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Elizabeth
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Life Is Beautiful
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare in Love is a better film than The Thin Red Line
Titanic is a better film than L.A. Confidential
The English Patient is a better film than Fargo
Forrest Gump is a better film than Pulp Fiction
Dances with Wolves is a better film than Goodfellas
That's only going back as far as 1990, and doesn't include the films that weren't even nominated (obviously the American establishment didn't go anywhere near Fight Club). Not to mention the travesties in the acting categories (I wish the name Helen Hunt was just rhyming slang).
And, looking at this year's most talked about nomination, don't get me wrong, I think that Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was absolutely superb and deserving of recognition. But, does anyone really believe that he'd be the short-priced favourite for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a comic book villain if he hadn't so tragically lost his life?
Saying that voting in the Academy Awards is "all political" is putting it mildly. Both self-congratulatory and deeply flawed, the Oscars measure neither a film's popularity, nor its artistic merit. Enjoy the party, Hollywood, but don't think it's any more than that.
Originally published at Prosthetic Cerebrum.