It seems apropos that I'm writing about the Oscar's today, because I totally missed my Blogoversary, and what I did on the web before I started this blog was run a semi-successful awards show website that followed all of the shows out there, with much more emphasis on the Oscars, just because I loved them and there is a much more mature system in place to follow them (i.e. it starts with the critic awards, moves to the professional/guild awards, and they all influence the Oscars).
Last year though, I just started getting tired of it. My yearly Oscar Party was still a lot of fun, mainly because it was always a good time to get my friends together, and while I still enjoyed the politics and star power of it all, I was really unmotivated to even see most of the movies that would end up getting Best Picture nominations. Sure, just from being so close to the buzz, I was still the master of the Oscar prediction, but 9 times out of 10, I hadn't even seen the movie. So, I decided it was time to shut down the site, and thus, here I am blogging.
Now, you're probably wondering why I am bringing this up. Well, one of the reasons that I lost interest and the Oscars have been losing viewers on a yearly basis is that the intersection of art and commerce hasn't really intersected since Titanic in 1997. Heck, I think Chicago was probably the last movie to win Best Picture AND make more than $100 million at the domestic box office, and since so few people are invested in the nominees, the interest and viewership has declined precipitously. I think that could change this year, because this is the year of The Dark Knight.
I'm not going to do a full blown review because frankly enough compliments have been spilled about this magnificent movie, but if you haven't seen it, believe the hype (and for gods sake, see it on an IMAX screen). This is probably the most mature movie about a guy running around in a costume ever put on film, and everything from the writing and direction to acting and special effect is absolutely top notch. We're talking Godfather, Part 2 good. Silence of the Lambs good. Forrest Gump good (wait, I hated that movie and it is NOT good). If this is not a contender for Best Picture (especially in a year that has seen so few up until now), then the members of the Academy need to get their heads examined, and by giving it the accolades that it deserves, they can single-handedly make sure that the American public is invested in the Oscars next year.
Of course, I would be remiss to not talk about Heath Ledger. Frankly, I've never been impressed with the guy as an actor, even in Brokeback Mountain. Yes, he was good, but I am sure there were a host of younger actors out there who could have done just as well if not better than him. When he died, while I recognized the tragedy of it all, I can't say I was beside myself with grief. Well, after seeing him as The Joker, I finally see what we have lost. We really have lost someone who could have been as good as Brando, and the fact remains that even if he had not died, he would have won the Oscar next year. Now, it is just a fait accompli. As someone who considers himself pretty good with Oscar knowledge, I can tell you that Oscar voters love nothing more than to reward an old actor for their body of work if they manage to be nominated late in life. In most cases, it is not deserved for the role they currently portrayed. In this instance, the Academy will be honoring Ledger for the career that would have been, and I do not think there will be anyone in this world who can say he doesn't deserve it.
Okay, Academy. You're on notice. I'm ready to resurrect my Oscar party, but I cannot do it if all you nominate are movies that make $10 million at the box office. I understand the elite out there say it should be about the art, and I agree with them to an extent. However, when a movie like The Dark Knight comes along, that is not only exceptional and at the very top of the celluloid art form, it should not be relegated to the ghetto of the special effects awards. This is the real deal. Don't mess it up!
2 comments:
I sort of lost interest in the Batman movies but this one has me interested again. Will be seeing it this week!
You should definitely rent "Batman Begins," if you haven't seen it already. I can't say it has all that much to do with the sequel story-wise (other than a scene at the very beginning), but it will give you a good idea of how Christopher Nolan deals with the mythology.
I love that movie, but it is certainly a different feel than The Dark Knight. You kind of get the feeling that Nolan had studio intervention on the first one, but on the second one, he was able to run with his notions.
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