In contention?

[Eric Boellner]

I've been thinking a lot lately, with Telluride going on right now, and Toronto just around the corner, and every industry trade is pounding out article after article, review after review, and they're all saying the same thing with every film that premieres: "Is [insert Oscar-baiting film here] an early frontrunner for [Best Picture/Best Actor/etc.]?"

Maybe it's always been this way, but I can't stop thinking about how great it would be if Hollywood did away with the Academy, did away with the HFPA, and all these guild and critic awards ceremonies. I would just be able to enjoy a film without thinking about whether Leo DiCaprio is REALLY dedicated to this role, or if he just REALLY wants his f--king Oscar.

In the past, I've been one to complain when a given actor, film, writer, cinematographer, etc. was "snubbed" by Oscar voters (see: Nolan for TDK, Gosling for Drive, Hoytema for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). But I was watching The Town again recently as a bit of research for the script I'm working on, and I kept thinking, "My god, how did Amy Adams get nominated for The Fighter, and Blake Lively didn't get nominated for this?" But then I kind of laughed and wondered why the hell it even mattered.

Why do I, as a consumer of entertainment, give two s--ts what a couple thousand old white dudes think about the best performances in cinema in a given year? Or the best writing? Or the best cinematography?

Why should anyone care? Why should these actors care? Or these directors? Does Nolan care that he wasn't nominated for The Dark Knight?

I think Woody Allen said it best:

I have no regard for that kind of ceremony. I just don't think they know what they're doing. When you see who wins those things -- or who doesn't win them -- you can see how meaningless this Oscar thing is.

You have to be sure to keep it very much in perspective. You think it's nice at the time because it means more money for your film, but as soon as you let yourself start thinking that way, something happens to the quality of the work.

They're political and bought and negotiated for - although many worthy people have deservedly won - and the whole concept of awards is silly. I cannot abide by the judgment of other people, because if you accept it when they say you deserve an award, then you have to accept it when they say you don't.

But it's not even whether or not a given artist wins an award for a given work, or even gets nominated. I feel like it's gotten to the point -- and again, maybe it's always been this way, and I'm just now catching on -- that every film out there is turning into The Butler: such obvious, desperate Oscar-baiting. And it's not even that the artists themselves are just in it for the Oscars, it's that, that's the only thing the trades even report on. Dallas Buyers Club is gearing up for its premiere at TIFF, and all anyone's talking about after the release of the trailer is NOT how great McConaughey's performance is likely to be, it's whether or not he's in contention for the Oscar.

After watching McConaughey's "comeback" over the last year, he's taken a lot of roles that could be considered Oscar-bait, but I don't think he's in it for the awards, I feel like he's just found something he loves more than taking his shirt off: good f--king roles. But in this post-Philadelphia age, you can't play a dude with AIDS and NOT expect Oscar talk. And I think that's a really s--tty thing for the film industry.

I remember one of the first few episodes of Sorkin's The Newsroom, McAvoy says something to the effect of: "When Congress mandated that broadcast stations provide at least one hour of informative news in the evening, they made the mistake of not requiring that it be commercial free." I feel like the Academy Awards are just commercial slots for actors, directors, writers, etc. and roles like The Butler and The Wolf of Wall Street have become the headline-grabbing equivalent of a Miley Cyrus twerk video.

-EMB

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

I...Miley Cyrus twerk video.

-EMB

I think the Twerk Performance is the most important thing Miley Cyrus the Great has done ever.

As for Allen... getting about 15 Academy Award nods, with 4 wins, suggests that his statements may just be feigned disdain. He does have to keep up appearances for his fan base that does disdain the Awards...

 

[Eric Boellner]

As for Allen... getting about 15 Academy Award nods, with 4 wins, suggests that his statements may just be feigned disdain. He does have to keep up appearances for his fan base that does disdain the Awards...

I don't think constant praise is any confirmation of a person's narcissism. I can understand the idea that he might be "trying to keep up appearances," like Kevin Spacey who for the longest time, refused to do interviews because he believed they destroyed the mystery around acting and made it harder for audiences to watch a character instead of the actor playing him. And who says his fanbase disdains the awards? He's loved by half of Hollywood, all of whom attend the awards regularly and pursue their own little golden men. I love what Allen films I've seen, and I still watch the awards every year, though I think I'm going to try to move away from that in light of the thoughts that brought about this topic.

I'm pretty cynical, but I don't have any reason to suspect Allen is insincere about his feelings re: the Oscars, particularly because aside from a couple quotes here and there spread out over four decades, he's not like some Sean Penn figure, going around telling everyone what a great person he is because he's not a sheep like the rest of us. The fact that Allen has largely forsaken American audiences also tends to indicate he really doesn't care too much what Hollywood thinks of him, though I could also see that as being something he does intentionally. That is to say, Allen strikes me as the kind of guy who knows he cares what people think of him, and because he is aware of this, goes to great extent to avoid feeding this insecurity.

You made a good point, and it's certainly a valid possibility, but I'm not feeling it. Either way, Allen's words stand as a clear representation of the way the Oscars corrupt the process of art and entertainment, whether he himself believes that or not.

-EMB

 

[Josh Bass]

For what it's worth (and that probably isn't much), I've never understood people's (in general) fascination with awards shows that they aren't involved him. I agree exactly with the first post. . .who the eff cares who/what wins best whatever? The fact that people seriously sit and watch this 3-4 hour thing every year blows my mind. That's in addition to the fact that I just generally think the whole thing is silly. As a low level filmmaker, you may not make any money or have anyone outside of a small circle know you exist. So awards are at least some validation (even if, in reality, they're worthless) that you've done something of merit. However, when you rake in $20 million+ for a few months worth of work, are fawned over by the public constantly, do talk show circuits dedicated to telling you how great you are, etc., I wouldn't think you'd still need that validation of the Oscar, especially since, as the OP said, due to all the politics/bribery/etc. involved that make the whole process impure.

 

[ilauzirika]

For what it's worth (and that probably isn't much), I've never understood people's (in general) fascination with awards shows that they aren't involved him. I agree exactly with the first post. . .who the eff cares who/what wins best whatever? The fact that people seriously sit and watch this 3-4 hour thing every year blows my mind. That's in addition to the fact that I just generally think the whole thing is silly. As a low level filmmaker, you may not make any money or have anyone outside of a small circle know you exist. So awards are at least some validation (even if, in reality, they're worthless) that you've done something of merit. However, when you rake in $20 million+ for a few months worth of work, are fawned over by the public constantly, do talk show circuits dedicated to telling you how great you are, etc., I wouldn't think you'd still need that validation of the Oscar, especially since, as the OP said, due to all the politics/bribery/etc. involved that make the whole process impure.

But if you think it trough, the same happens with sports. why do people care about what basketball teams do. why do they they sit through a 10 hour tennis game, when it has nothing to do with them... they even fight and die for soccer teams as history has shown us, for something that won't give them more than entertainment and sense of belonging to a group (except if they bet)... I guess people need that as much as they would love receiving an oscar, just for the simple fact of being famous. I guess it comes down to envy or fascination for someone that has already achieved your dreams. I guess this kind of events are rooted deep in our society... But who knows...

 

[jghenderson]

While I personally think the Academy usually gets it wrong (often my favorite 2 or 3 films of the year aren't even nominated for best pic), ultimately I think it does more good than bad. I like that there is something for filmmakers to strive for (or not), and I think the Oscars hold a very important place in our culture. I would be sad if there was no longer one night a year where the world seems to celebrate films and the people that make them. Also I think it's great that people that usually never get any recognition (cinematographers, editors, production designers, etc.) can have their moment. Yes it's crazy political, and yes they often overlook truly great films, but I wouldn't want them to go away for good.

 

[Gillvane]

For what it's worth (and that probably isn't much), I've never understood people's (in general) fascination with awards shows that they aren't involved him. I agree exactly with the first post. . .who the eff cares who/what wins best whatever? The fact that people seriously sit and watch this 3-4 hour thing every year blows my mind. That's in addition to the fact that I just generally think the whole thing is silly. As a low level filmmaker, you may not make any money or have anyone outside of a small circle know you exist. So awards are at least some validation (even if, in reality, they're worthless) that you've done something of merit. However, when you rake in $20 million+ for a few months worth of work, are fawned over by the public constantly, do talk show circuits dedicated to telling you how great you are, etc., I wouldn't think you'd still need that validation of the Oscar, especially since, as the OP said, due to all the politics/bribery/etc. involved that make the whole process impure.

That's because you're focusing on the awards and people don't watch for who wins or the awards. People watch these shows to see the movie stars they love. If you understand what a "fan" is, and forget about the awards themselves, it will make much more sense.

As for the stars themselves, this is your co-workers in the industry saying hey, you did a good job! Yea, it means something when your comtemporaries, your equals as it were, pat you on the back. What's wrong with that?

 

[Eric Boellner]

That's because you're focusing on the awards and people don't watch for who wins or the awards. People watch these shows to see the movie stars they love. If you understand what a "fan" is, and forget about the awards themselves, it will make much more sense.

As for the stars themselves, this is your co-workers in the industry saying hey, you did a good job! Yea, it means something when your comtemporaries, your equals as it were, pat you on the back. What's wrong with that?

I think this makes sense to me. Like jghenderson, I've always tuned in to see what I considered a celebration of movies. I still think that's a good thing, but I feel like the industry has become so obsessed with it, and it's led to what I used to consider good acting to often just be Oscar-baiting. Instead of everyone who saw Prisoners at Telluride coming out of there saying "Oh my god, it was an amazing film," all anyone was saying was, "Oh my god, is this 2013's dark horse for the Oscars?" There were dozens of jokes made on Twitter during Telluride about how all the trades were prematurely ascribing Oscars to every film that played the fest. "Twelve Years is guaranteed to be a front-runner in the Best Pic race!" Please, nobody's even seen it except for industry insiders, and there are literally dozens of other awards-season films yet to play.

Maybe I'm just tired of being drowned in Oscar buzz before the summer's even over. I feel like John Oliver and Jon Stewart talking about how the presidential race is already being reported extensively... 3 years before anyone can actually even campaign. And watching great actors take great roles is becoming akin to watching Rand Paul do a photo-op at a soup kitchen.

-EMB