Friday, January 26, 2007

It's The Academy, Dear Watson

So some of you may or may not have realized that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year's Oscar Awards this past Tuesday.
Now I need to be really honest about this... but I really am not impressed with this years nominees. For whatever reason, this past year seems to have sucked for cinema.

With the possible exception of The Departed, pretty much none of the other movies nominated were real blockbusters either financially or on the news front. This seems to be an increasingly popular academic trend. Last year's Best Picture was Crash, which really only gained financial equitability after the win. Last year also saw the snubbing of Tim Burton for The Corpse Bride in the animated category, and the elevation of Three 6 Mafia to legendary status with their "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" winning for Best Original Song.

One of the things I keep hearing is people complain about the nominations. Mainly because most of these movies have not been seen by the masses, the masses can't believe they would be any good. On the other hand, I generally make it a point to see all the movies the Academy does choose for at least Best Picture either on the big screen or the little.

Here's the thing... the Academy is made up of those who are in the business. Anyone who has a creative career path will tell you that while it may be an honor to receive accolades from your bosses and the public... it means more when it comes from your fellow artisans. It is in a very primitive form validation of your art, and at its most complex it is an acknowledgment of superiority in your field. In general, they know what they are talking about.

There are instances where I freely admit, the Academy members must be seeing stuff I am not seeing. Animation was a sticking point for me last year because I thought The Corpse Bride was by far a better movie, but this year I don't see how Cars can lose and in my opinion rightfully so. Of course if either Happy Feet or Monster House win, well I can understand those too. This isn't the People's Choice Awards though, so I can understand losses.

Unless of course it was Keira Knightley. If she doesn't win... and soon... then I'll be castrating Oscar while the Academy burns.

*SWOON*

Labels: Film, Keira Knightley

Posted by New York City's Watchdog :: 1/26/2007 01:42:00 AM :: Permalink :: 3 Bones Added to the Pile

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