Weak year
Suddenly there's a consensus that year-end contenders are weak, weak, weak all over. It does kinda seem that way. I'm not just saying that because the more I hear about the supposed heavyweights coming out in December, the less current they seem to have. Warner Bros. managed to keep people from seeing The Departed so there was no advance word, but when a film is really exceptional and a couple of months away the word will usually seep out. A hint or two, minor leakage...something.
I realize studio p.r. people don't want anyone saying anything about their Decem- ber films -- too damn early -- but people are talking anyway. Talking by not talking, I mean. Or by giving you a look at a party, or saying something incon- clusive or abruptly changing the subject. Dreamgirls doesn't have to worry about anything, and I'm not saying German/Shepherd, Blood Diamond and The Pursuit of Happyness necessarily need to either. I'm just saying there's beaucoup silence out there.
The perception of weakness makes it all the more likely that The Departed will end up as a Best Picture contender. (In a stronger year it could wind up being dismis- sed as merely a well-made crime film -- the fact of it being an exceptionally well-made crime film is why I'm feeling more and more that it has Oscar strength.)
It's also a welcome thing that Little Miss Sunshine, easily one of the year's finest no matter what the mainstream winds up deciding, will start picking up renewed heat. This is Pete Hammond 's view, at least, in his latest Hollywood Wiretap column.
And I'm amused by the take-it-or-leave-it bluntness of this statement from David Poland 's latest Oscar prediction column, to wit: Bill Condon's Dreamgirls "is clearly the Best Picture frontunner now that Flags of our Fathers [has] stumbled on exposure to the media (even if the trades and others are still barking up that flagpole)."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 12, 2006 at 2:15 PM
comment #1
Mark
says ...
Worst...year...ever...moviewise. (Thus it must be a great year for music, which is true, as it's always inversely proportional.)
Last year was pretty weak, but still had movies that got lost in the shuffle, e.g., The New World, which would make everyone's Top 5 if released this year.
One or two FLF's, most likely Volver, will be nominated for Best Pic.
Posted by Mark
at October 12, 2006 3:29 PM
comment #2
Kristopher Tapley
says ...
This year is GREAT for movies.
Posted by Kristopher Tapley
at October 12, 2006 3:38 PM
comment #3
sardine
says ...
OH how you are suffering! Read the MA review from the ny times.......you'll all croak! Ha ha ha........lol
Posted by sardine
at October 12, 2006 3:38 PM
comment #4
musealien
says ...
JEFF - what do you think of this: if The Departed is nominated (or even wins) as Best Picture at the Oscars - and let's face it, it's got a damn good shot at the nom at least - they have to decide which 3 of the 5 listed producers are nommed. (When I say 5, there are 5 outright producers listed on IMDB). Who are they? Martin Scorsese's one, of course. And Brad Grey, ok. And Graham King, well he's worked on Scorsese pics before. And who are the other 2? Some guy called Brad Pitt. And someone else called Jennifer Aniston. Is it me or is this the best story right now?!!!
Posted by musealien
at October 12, 2006 3:55 PM
comment #5
Winston O'Boogie
says ...
Wait until you see The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing, a sensation at Toronto -- and audience runner-up favourite -- that deserves Best Picture consideration.
Both musically and politically, it's on the side of the angels.
Posted by Winston O'Boogie
at October 12, 2006 4:00 PM
comment #6
fnt
says ...
Best Picture consideration for the Dixie Chicks documentary? Whatever they're paying you, it's not enough...
Posted by fnt
at October 12, 2006 6:05 PM
comment #7
insidah
says ...
The fact that the god-awful Pirates 2 was the #1 movie of the year speaks volumes about how crappy this year was.
Posted by insidah
at October 12, 2006 8:16 PM
comment #8
The Winchester
says ...
When was the last time the top grossing film of the year was also the pinnacle of quality?
Posted by The Winchester
at October 12, 2006 10:40 PM
comment #9
Rich S.
says ...
To paraphrase The Winchester, when was the last time the Academy Award winner for Best Picture was also the pinnacle of quality? And therein lies the rub. The raison d'etre of this site, and many others, is to "handicap" the Oscars. It is therefore based on the specious proposition that you can somehow objectively quantify which expression of "art" is the best.
When I was a kid, I used to love the Oscars. The reason I loved them was that I honestly thought they meant something. But as I got older, and I realized that politics and professional connections mean every bit as much, or more, than the actual quality of the films, I began to see the Oscars for the dog-and-pony show that they are. It's fun to watch them for the glitz and glamour and celebration of all things Hollywood, but for a rational adult to pretend that they mean anything other than a bunch of well-connected corporate types congratulating one another is absurd. What does it tell you when Halle Berry accepts the Oscar on behalf of all the women of color that came before her...and then thanks her lawyer...twice?
Jeff constantly insults the Red States. But do the Oscars mean anything more than a blue ribbon pinned on a prize quilt or hog? Jeff has described Grindhouse as a "wank-off" movie. But are the Oscars anything more than three hours of friends getting together and wanking off? You tell me.
I think it's fine to have a site to argue the relative merits of film. Each person expressing his or her opinion in an open forum is a worthy exercise. That is where this site excels. But when it starts analyzing insider minutiae about awards, it's about as exciting as listening to that guy scream about stock tips on MSNBC. Because, really, that's what the Oscars are all about.
Posted by Rich S.
at October 13, 2006 5:43 AM
comment #10
durrani
says ...
too bad the proposition can't be considered (it came out in australia in 2005) for this year's oscars. that was the best movie i saw all year. visceral, disturbing, haunting. should be on every critics best lists...
Posted by durrani
at October 13, 2006 7:42 AM
comment #11
L.B.
says ...
We lived through years when THREE MEN AND A BABY, SHREK 2, the first HARRY POTTER, and THE PHANTOM MENACE were the #1 movies of the year. Compared to those, POTC2 is a cakewalk. We'll survive.
Posted by L.B.
at October 13, 2006 8:15 AM
comment #12
L.B.
says ...
And nice post, Rich S. Entertaining and right on the money. I love it when people accept their Oscar on behalf of (fill in the blank). I always want them to add, "But I'll keep it on my mantle and accept the pay raise this entails for me."
Posted by L.B.
at October 13, 2006 8:18 AM