Oscars Aftermath

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Thu, 2010-03-11 19:17

ceti

Oscars Aftermath

Some critical commentary on the Academy Awards and the convergence of liberalism and imperialism that elevated Hurt Locker, trounced Avatar, and embraced old school racism in Precious and the Blind Side:

"This year’s Academy Awards ceremony was a spectacle of banality and cowardice.

The three films the Academy rewarded most highly, The Hurt Locker, Precious and Inglourious Basterds, collectively embody something retrograde and foul in the film industry, and all fly under false flags."

- The Hurt Locker, the Academy Awards and the rehabilitation of the Iraq war

"This year’s Academy Awards ceremony has come and gone. The broadcast Sunday night from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, at three hours and 32 minutes, was a long and dull affair in which relatively little of real life found its way into the proceedings. It is difficult to think of a sustained moment that one could single out for praise. Self-absorption, self-congratulation, insincerity and cynicism prevailed."

- The 82nd Annual Academy Awards: Hollywood celebrates itself, undeservedly

"What a shame that the one movie about the Iraq war that has a chance of being viewed by a large worldwide audience should be so disappointing. According to press reports, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally found a movie about the Iraq war they liked because it is "apolitical." Actually, The Hurt Locker is just the opposite; it's an endorsement of the politically chauvinistic view that the world is a stage upon which Americans get to deal with their demons, no matter the consequence for others."

- The Hurt Locker Oscar Win Is a Prize For American Hubris

Thu, 2010-03-11 19:24

Papal Bull

Up deserved best picture. It was easily the best film of the year. It was endearing, beautiful and amazingly well written. Simply one of the best movies I have ever seen. Hurt Locker? Everyone who says it is amazing simply doesn't understand pacing. Fuck, there were some great scenes in that movie, but I couldn't care less. It was ponderous, slow. I don't remember how long it was, but I remember getting to the end of it and looking at the clock and saying 'Christ almighty, it was only THAT long?'

Plus, I do think that the Fantastic Mr. Fox deserved best animated feature, while Up deserved best picture.

I can't sing the praises of that movie enough.

Thu, 2010-03-11 19:33

Tommy_Paine

You know, I rented "Inglorious Bastards" because I like Tarrantino's movies. I mean, I like Tarrantino's movies, and this thing stank. I mean, it stank on sooooooo many levels. When it didn't insult your intelligence, it was boring. And whatis name who won for best supporting actor did turn in a good performance.... compared to all the other crap that was going on. Easily Brad Pitt's worst effort. Who'd look bad up beside that?

Geesh, I avoided the whole Oscar thing, until this thread. I'm really shocked just by this news.

Thu, 2010-03-11 21:29

Timebandit Timebandit's picture

I don't watch war movies, so didn't see Hurt Locker - the blond guy watched and said it was okay, but not fantastic. He also saw Avatar with the kids while I was out of town, and said it was tepid in the story department, not much originality, but the effects were pretty fantastic. If they weren't going for animation, then An Education should have been a shoe-in - I loved it. Great performances, solid writing, best coming-of-age story I think I've ever seen.

I have seen Up about 5 times now, once in the theatre and four times at home and am still not bored with it. I love the dog. That dog is just such a bird dog. "I was hiding under your porch because I love you!" Reminds me of Lu. And my long-gone Labradors.

Thu, 2010-03-11 22:50

Unionist

Tommy_Paine wrote:

You know, I rented "Inglorious Bastards" because I like Tarrantino's movies. I mean, I like Tarrantino's movies, and this thing stank. I mean, it stank on sooooooo many levels. When it didn't insult your intelligence, it was boring. And whatis name who won for best supporting actor did turn in a good performance.... compared to all the other crap that was going on. Easily Brad Pitt's worst effort. Who'd look bad up beside that?

Well, finally, a soul mate. Insulting, boring, infantile, pointless - the kind of movie that when watched at home, you could get up, go to the bathroom, crack open something to drink, sit back down, without bothering to use the "PAUSE" button, and still hesitate between "FAST FORWARD" and "STOP". I have spoken to a few people who say they loved it - and one who claimed to really like Brad Pitt, "especially" his painfully phony accent!

Thank you, Tommy. Sometimes, in life, it is so important to know that one is not alone.

Thu, 2010-03-11 22:57

BillBC

yes, Unionist, YES...I hated that movie a lot...I disliked it so much that I had to think for a while about why. Partly it was because Brad Pitt was just so incredibly awful, with that fake cornpone accent. Partly because it was so long and so slow. Mostly I think it was that revenge fantasy sequence against Hitler and Goebbels--"oh look, they are getting what's coming to them." Just awful awful rubbish. And then just a few days ago I rented KillBill2---horrible pointless nihilistic violence...I'm going to avoid Tarentino films from now one...

Fri, 2010-03-12 08:29

Tommy_Paine

Well, see I liked the Kill Bill's, and Pulp Fiction, Reservoir dogs and the Grindhouse movies and in particular, Jackie Brown. I can usually accept Tarrantino's creation of a slightly alternate universe where there's a Katana holder in your airline seat, where you can order a Royale with cheese. It works for people who have no real connection or knowledge of the world he creates. The reason it doesn't work with Inglorious Bastards is that everyone is in some way a WWII history nerd, or has some kind of emotional attachment to that event so we can't suspend our disbelief so easily.

Fri, 2010-03-12 10:30

al-Qa'bong

Quote:

The Hurt Locker is just the opposite; it's an endorsement of the politically chauvinistic view that the world is a stage upon which Americans get to deal with their demons, no matter the consequence for others.

Sounds like Platoon II.

I don't much care for Tarrantino movies, and so will give that Brad Pitt picture a pass. Besides, I saw ads for it on TV, and it looked really dumb.

Fri, 2010-03-12 11:00

Timebandit Timebandit's picture

I liked Pulp Fiction (one has to admire an elliptical narrative that actually works, so often they're a brave but failed experiment), but I haven't liked anything Tarantino's done since. I'm not the target audience, though. I just find the worldview wankerifically juvenile.

Fri, 2010-03-12 12:26

#10

al-Qa'bong

Is the fact....what?

I won't see this film until the public library has the DVD on its shelf, if then.

Fri, 2010-03-12 15:18

#11

Catchfire

al-Qa'bong wrote:
Is the fact....what?

Sorry, that's all you get. (Okay, I was a bit rushed.) Edited!

Fri, 2010-03-12 15:19

#12

Catchfire

Wrt Tarantino, I thought where Pulp Fiction was innovative and fresh, Kill Bill was plagiarized and, well, colonialist--which may well have been the point, but I'm not sold yet. As for Inglorious Basterds, I'm a bit torn--there's a new technique that Tarantino first brought out in Jackie Brown (although it's also present in his earlier flicks in a way) that is by now really well developed in IB. That is, the very long, drawn out scene, filled with seemingly mundane dialogue, ending with a very quick, very violent conclusion. Remember the perfect opening scene of Sergio Lenoe's Once Upon a Time in the West? It's like that, but with dialogue. I'm thinking of the opening scene to IG (which is a clear reference to another Leone film--you might have heard of it--The Good, the Bad, and oldgoat) and the card-playing scene where almost all the main characters die in the French bar. I can't figure out if this technique is brilliant or boring. It has a way of sustaining dramatic tension and ennui simultaneously in a very compelling (at least to me) and unique way. I can't speak for the rest of the film--there's too much Nazi nostalgia and anti-semitic fantasy that I can't work through in a positive way.

The Hurt Locker? Tight action film. Forgettable. Totally whitewashed. If you claim to have no ideology, it usually means that you are in the grip of hegemony. Also: is the fact that a (let's face it, mostly mediocre throughout her career) female director won Best Director for a film with no women in it at all, which presents a pro-war, pro-imperialist, pro-testosterone message in a film targetting a mostly male audience, a desirable or laudable thing?

Fri, 2010-03-12 15:33

#13

Tommy_Paine

I think what Tarantino is obsessed with, concerning violence, is how in reality for the most part it's like that. One moment you're bored as hell, waiting in line at the bank, maybe having an inane conversation with the person next to you, then BLAM! there's a hold up gone wrong in front of you, and someone's blood and brains are against the wall. It doesn't happen often, but when it happens it's like that for the people around it. You're oblivious until it happens.

What isn't plagerized, Catchfire? Yes, Kill Bill was a Tarantinoed "The Bride" just like the Magnificent Seven was stolen from "Seven Samouri." There's only so many stories to go around, you know. One could probably find reviews of "The Bride" or "Seven Samouri" pointing out that it was stolen from some folk tale from Kamchatka, or Inner Mongolia.... and they stole it from.....

Fri, 2010-03-12 15:52

#14

N.Beltov

War, according to the Nuremburg Tribunal that put the Nazis on trial, is the worst crime possible because it contains within itself all other crimes. Those are the words of the tribunal paraphrased.

Hurt Locker is another US war film. It fails to come anywhere near addressing the causes of the Iraq War. Why should it? The US Empire doesn't have a leg to stand on, in terms of justifying this war - now in its 7th or 8th year. So the fundamental question is ignored.

I should stick to foreign films.

Fri, 2010-03-12 15:54

#15

Timebandit Timebandit's picture

As I said, I highly recommend An Education - a foreign film for you, N.Beltov!

Fri, 2010-03-12 16:20

#16

al-Qa'bong

Last time I checked, Hollywood was in a foreign country.

Fri, 2010-03-12 16:26

#17

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

I watched An Education on your recommendation last night Timebandit and it was indeed well done.

Fri, 2010-03-12 16:27

#18

jrose

I've got to say, my favourite film of the year was The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I don't know if I've ever bought a new-release movie; I think this may be the first.

Fri, 2010-03-12 17:37

#19

Catchfire

Tommy_Paine wrote:
What isn't plagerized, Catchfire? Yes, Kill Bill was a Tarantinoed "The Bride" just like the Magnificent Seven was stolen from "Seven Samouri." There's only so many stories to go around, you know. One could probably find reviews of "The Bride" or "Seven Samouri" pointing out that it was stolen from some folk tale from Kamchatka, or Inner Mongolia.... and they stole it from.....

Oh yes I agree--in fact, I defended plagiarism with my usual weak mixture of verve and vinegar in one of the copyright threads. Really, Pulp fiction is all about pastiche and plagiarism, and it is a brilliant film. The difference with Kill Bill--at least, I thought at the time, was it wasn't making any kind of statement with its plagiarism, and he was also ripping off his contemporaries who weren't white enough for Western audiences. I don't really have time to fully explain what I mean, maybe I'll come back later, but that's the gist.

jrose: I've been trying to get out to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox forever! I'm glad it's so good--I can't wait to see it.

Fri, 2010-03-12 18:21

#20

Tommy_Paine

I think it helps with Tranatino to understand he was an usher in a grindhouse as a kid. It's all about the movie itself. I think if I was looking for something in his movies beyond just being entertained, I certainly wouldn't be much a fan of his stuff. All I expect is to have a few visceral buttons pushed.

I mean, you can't read Titus Andronicus with the same brain you read Hamlet.

Now if you want to argue that Kill Bill stepped over the line into cultural appropriation, I could argue both ends.

But Uma Thurman in a yellow leather jump suit.

Fri, 2010-03-12 18:24

#21

Bacchus

Dusk til Dawn

Fri, 2010-03-12 21:46

#22

500_Apples

Catchfire wrote:

If you claim to have no ideology, it usually means that you are in the grip of hegemony.

That quote should go on a wall somewhere.

Mon, 2010-03-15 13:37

#23

CMOT Dibbler

Has anyone seen "Mary and Max"?

Mon, 2010-03-15 14:52

#24

PraetorianFour

Hurt Locker. I understand what they were trying to descrube- adrenaline junkies. I didn't like the movie though. three man team rolling around righting wrongs and dpong random tasks. Seemed like a video game.

I didn't like Inglorious Bastards very much. Something about the flow of the movie or story just bugs me. I found it pretty boring but I liked how the ending was done. It was nice seeing a different spin.

Up, great movie but embarassing. During the part where the man grows old with his wife and they keep putting off going on vacation then she passes away made me really choke up. Right when it's the sad part and you could hear a pin drop my daughter says rather loudly "it's okay daddy don't cry" then stands on the seat and hugs me. Awesome little girl but I wanted to melt into my seat LOL.

Book of eli was good. Green Zone looks like another rah rah army fluff film but Matt Damon is just so dreamy I can't help it!

[Actually I just go for the popcorn with extra butter]

Thu, 2010-05-20 13:29

#25

al-Qa'bong

I saw Hurt Locker on TV last night.

There went a couple of hours that I won't get back.

Fri, 2010-05-21 00:55

#26

Timebandit Timebandit's picture

That bad, huh? I don't do war movies - I like to sleep through the night. The blond guy had to watch that one alone.

Tue, 2010-05-25 14:55

#27

al-Qa'bong

That bad? It's worse.

It's beyond being merely unfocused, it actively promotes the US war effort. US troops are recklessly brave while Iraqis put bombs in the dead bodies of children or lock them to live people, all the while being hard to distinguish from goats. Brits are bloodthirsty bounty-hunters who nevertheless are easy prey for snipers - snipers that the crack US troops kill with casual military efficiency.

One review of the film, from the "Rotten tomatoes" website, summed up the slant of the film nicely:

"May be to the War on Terror what Apocalypse Now is to Vietnam"

See how easy that slipped in? The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is just another theatre in the "War on Terror"®; and this film reinforces that perception.

And it was praised at the Oscars.

Tue, 2010-05-25 19:42

#28

N.Beltov

Check out the Russia Today website for a series of 30 minute short films about WW2. None of them are meaningless. They may not have the flash of 2010 Hollywood, but I promise that you won't feel dirty after you see them, and will not lament the loss of time.

Witness to War

I understand the short pieces with the veterans are extraordinary.

Thu, 2010-05-27 13:22

#29

al-Qa'bong

I watched a few of the videos, which are basically recitations by people who played a part in the war. I don't like the overdubs, though, and found it easier to simply read the text of the speakers' words that accompanies each film clip. The effect is comparable to reading one of Barry Broadfoot's books.

Thu, 2010-05-27 19:21

#30

N.Beltov

I've been meaning to buy myself a copy of "The Unknown War" but it is impossible to get in Canada. The videos are a kind of cheap alternative.

Sun, 2010-05-30 23:30

#31

al-Qa'bong

If you want a really cheap alternative, watch Enemy at the Gates. You've probably seen it already, but the Reds (and Khruschev, especially) are made out to be callous wasters of Russian lives, while the Nazis aren't much better. The English accents are annoying as well. The German film, Stalingrad, is much better.

Then there's the 1959 Russian film, Ballad of a Soldier (Баллада о солдате), which is also good.

Mon, 2010-05-31 00:20

#32

N.Beltov

I've seen them all, and more than once. Ballad of a Soldier is, I think, based on Sholokov's The Fate of a Man. Sholokov's short story is one of the best, if not THE best, anti-war short stories in any language.