tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post1803523744171593468..comments2024-03-17T18:53:56.416-07:00Comments on Cosmic American Blog: Sracso Ehtyoggothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00233852251148460524noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-20401352265926179352007-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:002007-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00Another theory is that talking about the Oscars le...Another theory is that talking about the Oscars lets us forget about actually doing anything about war, politics, and economics. <BR/><BR/>I do appreciate the possiblity that worthwhile films will be seen by a few more people in Iowa. But isn't it possible that this good will be outweighted by the message that the stars of movies and their personal lives are the only interesting thing happening in America? <BR/><BR/>My recommendation: do away with best actor awards altogether and give more awards for various genres. Or spend more time examining the movies and their subjects. The current Oscars are mostly just an ego massage for the Hollywood royalty. <BR/><BR/>Oh, and don't let anyone give a speech about anything.yoggothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233852251148460524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-2102183932591456042007-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:002007-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:00But see, you guys have to realize a couple of thin...But see, you guys have to realize a couple of things:<BR/><BR/>1) You aren't really the target audience for the Oscars. You guys are sharper and smarter than most of the American moviegoing public. But for that section of the public, I think the Oscars serve a good function. They're valuable because, at their best, they call attention to (what I often feel are) valuable little bubbles of insight and wisdom in the vast wasteland that is popular culture. Maybe some suburban loser will go rent Letters From Iwo Jima and learn something interesting about life. I find it hard to harbor too much hostility towards something that calls attention to at least a few things I like about American popular culture. The time I get mad at the Oscars is when they call attention to movies that I don't feel represent valuable ideas in our culture - but no one will ever agree on such a standard.<BR/><BR/>2) Compare the Oscars to the Grammys, which really are totally ridiculous and basically irrelevant. The Grammys have always been so far off the map that they've never even been worth paying attention to. At least the Oscars nominated movies like Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now and Pulp Fiction for Best Picture. Imagine the Grammys nominating punk albums! Never happened. I'm not defending the Oscars as the summit of good opinion, but they've always had at least one toe in the edgier side of their industry.<BR/><BR/>But yes, the winner of Best Picture is very meaningless. As I said before, I just like reading the nominations and could care less about who actually wins. As far as Eddie Murphy goes, I also doubt that he deserved an Oscar, but none of us have actually seen the movie, so who knows? The Oscar talk is completely meaningless, but at least it's a break from overtly negative and unproductive subjects such as war, politics, and economics.Little Earlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415022026000282965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-73543739967312031352007-02-28T23:28:00.000-08:002007-02-28T23:28:00.000-08:00Well said yoggoth. I don't really hold the oscars...Well said yoggoth. I don't really hold the oscars in high esteem. I mean Penelope Cruz in Volver!? That movie was playing in 2 different theatres just in my zip code. It's not like she's an unknown spanish actress. <BR/>You're right, these aren't the Independent Spirit Awards because nobody knows what the fuck those are. That's why these movies stay in obscurity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-66901566873834101712007-02-28T16:53:00.000-08:002007-02-28T16:53:00.000-08:00I'm not very impressed with the Oscars myself. Al...I'm not very impressed with the Oscars myself. All the talk surrounding them sounds suspiciously like english grad student nonsense. Eddie Murphy deserves an Oscar? Yeah, in the same what that Aphra Behn is a great writer. The idea that it matters who wins best picture is as silly as the idea that writing ecocriticism helps the environment. In terms of national competitions I'd put it below the superbowl but above the PGA tournament in cultural importance.yoggothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233852251148460524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-9690178144453303842007-02-28T11:50:00.000-08:002007-02-28T11:50:00.000-08:00Both the foreign film and documentary categories l...Both the foreign film and documentary categories looked pretty enticing and eclectic, I will say that. As for Oscar not reaching out to indies, lately they've actually been in the habit of nominating people in the acting categories for movies that nobody would have gone to see otherwise. I'm thinking of Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson, or Penelope Cruz for Volver, or that chick from Maria Full Of Grace. I mean these aren't the Independent Spirit Awards we're talking about; these are OSCAR nominations. It's the difference between a movie that disappears into obscurity or a movie that people will remember and watch years later (whether we like it to work that way or not). I mean, they could have nominated Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat, or Matt Damon for The Departed, but those are movies that got plenty of attention and press as it was. They were under no obligation to nominate Ryan Gosling, but they did it anyway, and to me that says that the Oscars are not a total joke.<BR/><BR/>I guess I still need to see Brick, but first I've got to finish Sin City. I just watched the first half last night, and damn, it was hard to turn it off. But I had to go to sleep.Little Earlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415022026000282965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-63948927494197198022007-02-28T09:15:00.000-08:002007-02-28T09:15:00.000-08:00I'm sorry that I didn't watch the Oscars this year...I'm sorry that I didn't watch the Oscars this year so I can't really make too many comments.<BR/>I'm glad Scorsese won, even if it was only because he had it coming for all of his other great movies. <BR/>I agree that there weren't too many good movies this year, but I still think that academy and the studios miss out by not searching out more indie films to nominate. (I'm going to root for <I>Brick</I> until the end of time no matter what any of you say.)<BR/>I also hear the foreign category was full of gems also.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-53721932370294427672007-02-27T23:02:00.000-08:002007-02-27T23:02:00.000-08:00Only 12 years older.Here's some more Oscar links:h...Only 12 years older.<BR/><BR/>Here's some more Oscar links:<BR/><BR/>http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2007-02-27/<BR/><BR/>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17351684/<BR/><BR/>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17339214/<BR/><BR/>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17358477/<BR/><BR/>http://movies.msn.com/movies/oscars2007/photos/undressedworst?GT1=9075<BR/><BR/>Plus:<BR/><BR/>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17348991/Little Earlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415022026000282965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-39983668378795754182007-02-27T20:48:00.000-08:002007-02-27T20:48:00.000-08:00Hey now, isn't Peter O'Toole 25 years older than L...Hey now, isn't Peter O'Toole 25 years older than Lucas?yoggothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233852251148460524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-14436076636942009722007-02-27T11:59:00.000-08:002007-02-27T11:59:00.000-08:00Lucas looked fine. Compare Lucas to Peter O'Toole...Lucas looked fine. Compare Lucas to Peter O'Toole, who really did look like he was about to die any day (although I wish him a long and happy life, of course).<BR/><BR/>So what films did you root "against" in the past? I can almost see a new kind of broadcast being born: the Inverse Oscars.<BR/><BR/>And listen to this: "I was writing a Chaucer essay and the first half of the oscars is always boring anyway." Oh ho hum Muffy, perhaps I'll leave my Chaucer essay for another time and peruse the telly for a change. You know the first half is always a DREADFUL bore. Well let me get you your slippers Percy.Little Earlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415022026000282965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-161694830669099204.post-15099501736371690762007-02-26T20:11:00.000-08:002007-02-26T20:11:00.000-08:00I started watching it past the halfway mark. I wa...I started watching it past the halfway mark. I was writing a Chaucer essay and the first half of the oscars is always boring anyway. I was also struck by how much I didn't care about most of the films this year. Usualy there is one I can root against which gives me a reason to care. The documentary category seemed more interesting than the feature films. <BR/><BR/>Oh, Lucas does not look nearly as good as he used to. Coppola looks decent, but Spielburg looks like he's got 30 years left in him. Jewish genes I guess.yoggothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233852251148460524noreply@blogger.com