Luke
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Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoThe 2008 Oscar Nominees
February 1st 2008 05:49
Anyone who knows me well will know that I am obsessed with the Oscars. This year is really no different... I've been racing against time to watch all the nominees. Unfortunately, I have been without a TV for well over a year, so I am not sure if I will actually get to watch the Academy Awards this time around. Oh well. As usual, there seems to be a pattern to this kind of thing, but these Oscars are however looking like the best round of nominees in a long time.
Today I'm just gonna look at the nominees for Best Film.
Best Film.
Best Film
Atonement
Michael Clayton
There Will Be Blood
Juno
No Country For Old Men
I've managed to see three of these films so far (Atonement, No Country For Old Men and Michael Clayton) and I have high hopes for There Will Be Blood, and I will be seeing Juno soon. It's a pretty safe bet to say that none of these films really stink. What does amuse me though is how predictable the Academy can be sometimes... the last few years have seen a steady formula of nominated best films. Of the 5 nominees it can be expected that four of them will be made up of... a) a literary adaptation, usually British, or a serious film about a British historical figure b) a serious modern film that deals with the human condition, c) an indie drama-hyphen-comedy, and d) a film made my a director with a huge fanbase who the Academy are yet to recognise with an award. To further illustrate my point, here are some examples
a) Atonement (2008), The Queen (2007), Brokeback Mountain (2006), Finding Neverland (2005), The Hours (2003), Chocolat (2001), The Cider House Rules (2000)
b) Michael Clayton (2008), Babel (2007), Crash (2006), Million Dollar Baby (2005), The Pianist (2003), The Insider (2000)
c) Juno (2008), Little Miss Sunshine (2007), Sideways (2005), American Beauty (2000)
d) There Will be Blood (2008), The Departed (2007), The Aviator (2005), Gangs of New York (2003), Gladiator (2001)
and etc, etc. Of course there are exceptions to the rules and all that stuff, but at the end of the day it's still pretty cut and dry. What will it take for a science-fiction film or something wildly experimental to get nominated? It took over 70 years for a fantasy film to even get nominated, and now that the Academy has awarded the Best Film award to the third Lord of the Rings movie (and not without a lot of pooh-poohing from certain parties in the critical and would-be-critical worlds) it seems like it's gotten such a radical move out of it's system and it's unlikely we'll see another fantasy film nominated for another couple of decades.
When I say to people, "I am a fan of the Oscars" I usually get told how rigged and shithouse the Oscars are. I am the first to admit that the Awards are flawed, but I think to criticise them so completely is flawed as well. Next to literature, film is still a fairly new medium. Believe it or not, some people still view film as a fairly frivolous art form when compared to, say, music or painting or writing. It is with this in mind that I believe there is a need to build a film Canon, and the Oscars are the closest thing we have to this. The reaction to the nominees each year is what helps streamline and perfect the process. Picking apart the choices and putting forth your own opinions is all a big part of it.
And it's a lot of fun.
So far I'm pushing for 'No Country for Old Men', but I've a feeling 'There Will Be Blood' will be very impressive.
Today I'm just gonna look at the nominees for Best Film.
Best Film.
Best Film
Atonement
Michael Clayton
Juno
No Country For Old Men
I've managed to see three of these films so far (Atonement, No Country For Old Men and Michael Clayton) and I have high hopes for There Will Be Blood, and I will be seeing Juno soon. It's a pretty safe bet to say that none of these films really stink. What does amuse me though is how predictable the Academy can be sometimes... the last few years have seen a steady formula of nominated best films. Of the 5 nominees it can be expected that four of them will be made up of... a) a literary adaptation, usually British, or a serious film about a British historical figure b) a serious modern film that deals with the human condition, c) an indie drama-hyphen-comedy, and d) a film made my a director with a huge fanbase who the Academy are yet to recognise with an award. To further illustrate my point, here are some examples
a) Atonement (2008), The Queen (2007), Brokeback Mountain (2006), Finding Neverland (2005), The Hours (2003), Chocolat (2001), The Cider House Rules (2000)
b) Michael Clayton (2008), Babel (2007), Crash (2006), Million Dollar Baby (2005), The Pianist (2003), The Insider (2000)
d) There Will be Blood (2008), The Departed (2007), The Aviator (2005), Gangs of New York (2003), Gladiator (2001)
and etc, etc. Of course there are exceptions to the rules and all that stuff, but at the end of the day it's still pretty cut and dry. What will it take for a science-fiction film or something wildly experimental to get nominated? It took over 70 years for a fantasy film to even get nominated, and now that the Academy has awarded the Best Film award to the third Lord of the Rings movie (and not without a lot of pooh-poohing from certain parties in the critical and would-be-critical worlds) it seems like it's gotten such a radical move out of it's system and it's unlikely we'll see another fantasy film nominated for another couple of decades.
When I say to people, "I am a fan of the Oscars" I usually get told how rigged and shithouse the Oscars are. I am the first to admit that the Awards are flawed, but I think to criticise them so completely is flawed as well. Next to literature, film is still a fairly new medium. Believe it or not, some people still view film as a fairly frivolous art form when compared to, say, music or painting or writing. It is with this in mind that I believe there is a need to build a film Canon, and the Oscars are the closest thing we have to this. The reaction to the nominees each year is what helps streamline and perfect the process. Picking apart the choices and putting forth your own opinions is all a big part of it.
And it's a lot of fun.
So far I'm pushing for 'No Country for Old Men', but I've a feeling 'There Will Be Blood' will be very impressive.
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Comment by Luke
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Cane Toad Warrior
things I'd like to edit...
the way the nominees are split across either side of an ad!
and the way my list is split across either side of the ad!
someone in the know (cibby, jon) - can we kick these ads out? they're really obtrusive and it's not like I'm getting any money from them. I felt good about today's blog right up until I saw it with ads spread all through it.
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by James Rickard
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