Oscar has spoken, and the nominees are in. When the lights come down and Hugh Jackman takes the stage, I can promise one thing:I will not be watching.
This year casts all Oscar clichés into gleaming bronze. Each film nominated for the top prize this year (with the possible exception of The Visitor) was built to be a contender—dense, sophisticated, literary looking titles released over the last two months, all waving a sign just begging for a nod.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the Academy would take the occasional look outside the November/December window. The Sixth Sense, a late summer 1999 release, earned both public and critical favor before landing a nomination in a year that included American Beauty and The Cider House Rules.
I do not get to see enough movies anymore to really weigh in on what makes the best movie of the year. But I did get to see Benjamin Button. Wouldn’t miss a David Fincher film. And after sitting through a three-hour, uninspired retread of Forrest Gump, I can easily say that both Wall-E and The Dark Knight, are better films.
Related: Jeffrey Overstreet outlines his thoughts of Oscar’s outrageous behavior, and John Nolte offers up his picks of the top five films overlooked by Oscar’s 81 year run.
When the Oscars air on Feb 22, do yourself a favor and go read a book. It’s the best act of rebellion.
0 comments:
Post a Comment