After The Oscars
Posted by Bill on March 23rd, 2010
Now that the Oscar huff and puffery has died down, it’s time to judge the glories, the gaffes, the frocks, the speeches.. the…blah, di blah… yawwwwn.
Sorry, almost put myself to sleep there.
I watched The Hurt Locker again, and while I quite enjoyed it the first time, it’s just another unremarkable war film.. one-note performances, clichéd dialogue, action and characters. I thought District 9 was a far better film – witty, gripping and ambitious. And every year I cringe at the patronizing and insulting category Best Foreign Language Film.. foreign for who? For timid, parochial west-coast ninnies who think that an adventurous holiday is a hotel in Hawaii, that isn’t full board. Weirdly, English is a foreign language in some parts of the world…
Avatar is a big simplistic wagging dog of a film, so it’s hard not like it, and even though it’s as morally complex as an episode of Last of the Summer Wine, it still is an extraordinary spectacle in the cinema.
But really, Oscars are like any awards, they shine a light for a moment, and then we’re back to reality, and the reality is, people will watch what they want, you can only influence them up to a point because the most powerful tool in marketing a film is word of mouth. No amount of critical garlands heaped on a film will sustain it if people come out saying it was boring.
Up rightly won Best Animated Feature, and is a joy to behold – the opening 10 minutes are probably the most moving and ambitious of any animated film I’ve ever seen.
But as always, I feel that we in the UK are like the kid who doesn’t know about the party, when films which haven’t even been released here are up for Oscars.
So now I’m away to watch District 9 again, those fookin prawns, man!
BB March 2010
March 29th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Totally agree with you, Bill. This years Oscars were exciting and fresh, yet it wasn’t all at the same time. British film was, as usual, overlooked, and, like you said, what’s the deal with “foreign” film? Was it fair to pit gigantour “Avatar” against so many smaller films? I was pleased to see “The Hurt Locker” turn out in such good fortune, but, as you said, it’s just another “…unremarkable war film”.
Eh, the Oscars. I enjoyed the Independent Spirit Awards much more than the Oscars. No over the top (if not somewhat embarrassing) introduction or Barbara Walters show; just a great, fun, no-holds-barred awards show for great film.
As always, love to hear your opinion, Bill!
Jake
April 3rd, 2010 at 1:30 pm
I took my younger brother and sister to the cinema to see ‘Up’. They ended moving as far away from me as possible as I kept crying! But I never cry in movies!
However, I did cry once while at the fish markets, all those big sad eyes staring up at me from the icy tubs. My fiance got embarrassed, swore at me (which caught the attention of everyone around us) and then walked off. I do the groceries alone now.
Please come to Australia soon. I’m sick of only being able to see your face on the TV screen.
Zoe