comment #1

JLC says ...

I see the "Last 2010 Oscar Shot" lasted all of two posts.

comment #2

JLC says ...

Besides, by this logic, the winner should be Toy Story 3. Appeals to multiple generations and was the biggest box office of 2010.

comment #3

tate4 says ...

The Oscar telecast, like the Miss America paget, no longer has such mass public interest. The Oscars used to feature huge movies, that had mass appeal. Now, not so much. A large part of nominated pictures are movies the general public isn't interested in seeing. The end of the year Oscar publicity push raises their visablility somewhat, but they're still what they are. I'm surprised the Oscars are still shown on a major network. Maybe the Sundance chanel is in their future?

comment #4

JR says ...

Is the argument that "Titanic" was the last BP winner to appeal to young folk?

And is the argument that the same youngsters are only invested in TSN?

I don't believe either of these is true. If the inclusion of the blockbuster "Avatar" in the BP race, considered one of the favorites in the race, couldn't attract younger viewers, no movie can make the Oscars more relevant to a wider viewing audience.

Thus the problems Oscar has with declining viewership is more structural - it comes too late in the year (should be held much earlier; awards show exhaustion kills it), and the show is WAY too long (cut out some of the lesser awards for the live telecast), etc.

comment #5

dayXexists says ...

I'm still not really buying this argument.

Yes, while The Social Network does do a good job at realistically capturing a snapshot of modern day Generation Y, I still wouldn't call it the film that "defines a generation" or even really resonates with them all that strongly. Next to The King's Speech, of course, but overall I'm not sold.

I'm 22 and I'd have to say my group of friends- while most went to see TSN and did enjoy it- have been much more enthusiastic about films like The Fighter, Black Swan, and The Town (which I believe was robbed of a nomination in favor of Winter's Bone). It's not a put down to The Social Network but this idea that young people are sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the Academy to pull the lever for them just isn't true in my opinion.

comment #6

shanes5 says ...

If they want to connect with the younger crowd, they should select either BLACK SWAN or TRUE GRIT. I'll say it again. I've talked at length with many 20-somethings and TSN just didn't connect with them at an emotional level. One in five had it as their favorite of the year, but it was third or fourth for practically all the rest of them. This argument doesn't hold water (and TSN is MY favorite movie if the year).

comment #7

bluetide says ...

No no no no no no no a million times, no.

I don't know a single person under 40 who responded nearly as strongly to TSN as you did, Jeff. It was about the biggest, most recognizable brand in the world to young people and it still did only OK business. The non-cinematically inclined who saw it thought it was interesting but kind of tame. The wannabe cineastes who saw it viewed it as mid-level Fincher (that is, a million steps above TCCOBB and below Fight Club and Zodiac). It's a film that has really resonated with middle aged film critics, not young hipsters.

Most young people I know have, as shanes5 said, really responded to Black Swan, the Fighter, and True Grit in addition to the Town (kind of mediocre to me). Some like the King's Speech too, but it is more likely to be the film your mom tries to convince you to see with her.

I just don't see young people - even urban young hipsters - responding to TSN the way earlier generations did with Trainspotting or even Fight Club. Or even the way that the Neanderthal segment responded to the Boondock Saints. A win for TSN makes no difference either way for the Academy's credibility among youngsters. Sorry.

comment #8

pantingkitty says ...

It's not a matter of pleasing the young people - it's a matter of picking a film worthy of being called the Best Picture of the year - that is, in no way it can be reasonably argued by anyone - The King's Speech. Sorry, it just isn't. They will pick the movie but it will reflect horribly in retrospect - their credibility, if they had any at all left, will be shattered. At least if they pick TSN they are picking a film that is widely regarded to be the best film of the year.

comment #9

dogcatcher says ...

shane5,

No one, especially young people, talk about "movies connecting on an emotional level." That's absurd. Either something was cool or it wasn't.

The pro-TKS people almost always give themselves away whenever they talk about which film "connects with them on an emotional level."

comment #10

bluetide says ...

TSN is about the lives of the gilded - as is the King's Speech, obviously. The difference - and I think this is in part why a large section of the country only tepidly responded to TSN - is TSN masquerades a story about some already-rich kids who create a better version of myspace as "generation-defining." A real generation-defining picture would be about what it's like to work as a server at the Cheesecake Factory with a sideline in selling marijuana and prescription drugs and no health insurance even though you've got a master's.

comment #11

ModernLifeIsRubbish says ...

Almost everyone above is correct, in my 21-year-old opinion. The Social Network is hardly a sensation amongst people my age or even moviegoers in general.

By the way, I wonder if Wells, Stone, and the rest would be this upset in an alternate-universe where Another Year is not only nominated for Best Picture, but the frontrunner (ahead of TSN). Would it be regarded as The King's Speech is now: an OLD FOLKS MOVIE trying to steal the Oscar from the zeitgeist-y flick that, like, totally defined my generation? Would the fact Another Year is by Mike Leigh and a richer movie than The King's Speech in general lessen the "This'll prove the Oscars are for fogies and out of step with today's youth!" angst?

comment #12

Rashad says ...

41 million in this day and age is tremendous.

And yeah TSN does not resonate with the young generation. Inception is truly the movie of the times.

comment #13

JR says ...

The members of the younger set I know rate TSN a big yawn. I thought TSN was well made - great screenplay, great direction - but it didn't stick to my ribs.

They responded to Black Swan, The Fighter, and Inception.

I am a charter member of the "anything but TSN" movement. TKS is not my favorite in this race, but it beats the hell out of TSN...

comment #14

actionlover says ...

The fate of Oscar itself? That's nothing.

Be honest.

Nothing short of the fate of mankind rests on which movie will win the Best Picture Oscar.

I picture Jeffery driving around L.A., Dennis Woodruff-style, in a car painted top to bottom with "Vote Social Network".

comment #15

Mr. F. says ...

Careful, ModernLife -- that kind of crazy talk is enough to get you banned ! TSN is a movie ABOUT young people -- ergo, ALL young people love it and it's their favorite movie, like, EVER! I mean, seriously -- how can TSN *not* have been a sensation to the young generation? Didn't teenagers go back to see the movie again and again? Didn't it make hundreds of millions of dollars? Weren't showings sold out for for weeks at a time?

Oh.

The other fallacy, of course, is that anyone below the age of, oh, 30 or so even gives a crap about the Oscars. Anyone who really loved TSN owns it on DVD or BD -- they aren't waiting to see what the Academy thinks before they make their decision.

It's a great movie, nominated along with a number of other great movies. Whether or not the Academy awards it Best Picture is irrelevant... ESPECIALLY to the "young generation."

comment #16

LexG says ...

I was 21 when "Pulp Fiction" came out. There was a seismic generational deal that ALSO had tons and tons of critical props. Kids would go see that four, five times in theaters, it changed everything, everyone tried to write a script like that, everyone talked about it for hours and hours. A little less so, but just 'cause I was in the right age range, it really seemed like "Clerks" and 'Trainspotting" and "Seven" all had a lot of that same HOLY SHIT factor, where literally EVERYBODY had seen it, would watch and rewatch them over and over again, those movies really were like Gen X mission statements... a few years later, "Fight Club." Same deal, that one hitting in the early days of DVD! where it was THE movie everyone had and went ONLINE! to discuss and everyone was naming themselves I AM JACK'S WHATEVER and Durden69 and it wasn't just a movie, it was like a generational badge of pop culture honor.

Independent of its quality, is anyone really arguing The Social Network is THAT kind of movie? It's terrific, but when they say, "SOCIAL NETWORK, the movie that defines a generation," they should add "....a generation of 45-and-up white film critics."

comment #17

bluetide says ...

Goddamn how did I forget Inception. Seriously, it's been a few months but that was the one film that my friends of all types were actually watching multiple times. Biggest cultural impact of any non-franchise film this year and it's not close.

comment #18

Abbey Normal says ...

bluetide @10 makes a good point: TSN and TKS are two sides of the same coin. They're both about privledged people living lives that are totally foreign to 99.9% of their audiences. They both skew old (though of course TKS skews a bit older), and it's crazy to say either film defines any generation at all, but particularly Gen X, Y, or Millenials.

I'm solid Gen X, and in my friend group it's all Black Swan, True Grit, and/or Inception, all the time. Especially Inception. There's grudging respect for TSN and TKS, and most everyone has seen them, but for the most part were left cold. And yet as Lex points out, nobody REALLY cares all that much, certainly nothing like when Pulp Fiction got beat by fucking Forrest Chump.

Besides, the biggest outrage has already occured: Nobody I know can comprehend how Nolan didn't get a director nod....that's just stupid.

comment #19

shanes5 says ...

Dogcatcher

I haven't seen TKS. It's a Netflixer for me. My favorites are 1) TSN
2) TG
3) BS

So much for your projections of my intentions or knowledge of my discussions with ten or twelve 20-something moviegoers (friends of my college age son and people I work with) .

I had these discussion because I too felt sure that their generation would feel strongly about TSN and when I began reading and hearing that they didn't I wanted to find out for myself so I began questioning them about their favorite films of the year. I was stunned when 4 out of 5 rated TSN 3rd or below. The general consensus was that it was very well done but that there wasn't really anyone to root for or care about (which I define as emotionally connecting to).

The only person projecting their biases onto others is you, suggesting that anyone even questioning TSN must be in TKS corner. Nice try, but wrong.

comment #20

Hunter Tremayne says ...

Yeah, whoever said that TSN is a picture for 45+ year-old white movie critics is on the money. Inception is the picture twentysomethings cared about this year.

comment #21

corey3rd says ...

by the time they give the best Picture Oscar - the show is OVER. There's no more ratings for the night. They got your money and they're off to the party with Wolfgang Pucks' gold plated twinkies.

They gave the stupid award to Lord of the Rings - that didn't bring in the big ratings. Did it? And everybody knows if there's any real highlights of the night, they'll find them linked on the Facebook page so they don't have to waste 4 hours watching a school awards day.

Killdozer is supposed to be on Showtime Extreme that night.

comment #22

JR says ...

My 2 kids are in their 20s, and they LOVED Inception - their favorite movie of the year.

comment #23

corey3rd says ...

far as audience is concerned - that turd Yogi Bear film has made as much box office as Social network - why not give Yogi an Oscar to keep his viewers interested.

comment #24

wildphantom says ...

I had a look round to see how the critics best of year lists/ awards handed out to date, looked in Network's favour. I knew the lead would be huge but the figures astounded me.

http://features.metacritic.com/features/2010/film-critic-top-ten-lists/

http://features.metacritic.com/features/2010/film-awards-and-nominations/

Link to these in an article Jeff. Give these academy voters one last look at what they're about to do, showing them just how out of touch they're about to make themselves with reality. They're about to turn their noses up at by far the most lauded film of last year, and its a disgrace.

comment #25

George Prager says ...

When I read these comments, I'm reminded of Robb Cordray in HOT TUB TIME MACHINE: "I almost passed out you're such a dork."

comment #26

pantingkitty says ...

It isn't a movie that defines the YOUNGER generation - it's a movie that defines the way we are evolving - all of us - old, young, black, white. The problem is, young people aren't yet wise enough to get this - it will take a while. They've grown up with social networking - old people haven't. They don't know nor care about the change. They care about wow! I can watch Inception while stoned! Or the instant gratification Black Swan delivers upon. We should smart up our younger generations, not dumb them down and cater to their wants and desires. They will, the lot of them, discover The Social Network but it is going to take time. It would be the best film of the year if it could be gotten in one go.

The King's Speech resonates more with younger people because its story is as simple to understand as an animated film.

comment #27

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

You'll miss almost all of the nice touches and sly winks if you watch Inception while stoned (don't speak from experience). If Black Swan delivers "instant gratification," I'd really love to see your "analysis" of early Polanski.

This pantingkitty person is consistently ridiculous.

If I see her claim that the Best Picture should be about voting "for the best movie" -- which is somehow inarguably TSN by her standards -- one more time , I think I'm gonna puke.

comment #28

LexG says ...

Nah, pantingkitty is pretty cool. Her handle is also about as tough to crack as Gregg Henry's Indian disguise in Body Double.

(I'm-a keep using that reference till it gets a laugh.)

comment #29

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

Yeah, saw that the first time. Clever, but not quite LOL-worthy, IMO. You could be in for a lengthy wait.

comment #30

Rashad says ...

Yeah, smart up our younger generation by glorifying greed. It's so funny how sympathetic liberals (let's face it, that's who most bloogers and critics are) make Zuckerberg, yet the Wall Street brokers and bankers are the criminal scum, even though they're just as smart. I think these people need to take a step back and look where Mark is: billionaire, head of a mega-corporation, and has access to all your personal information, which he shares with other companies without your approval. If he were in his 50s with a suit, instead of his 20s with a hoodie, I wonder how he would be received

comment #31

davie says ...

Jeff,

Why do you care so much about the Academy Awards? Honestly?

comment #32

Abbey Normal says ...

How is TSN smarter than Inception, exactly? Tighter, snappier, sure. But imagination is a form of intelligence too (though you might have to be under the age of 45 to remember that), and Nolan's movie has that all over TSN (or any other nominee, save for possibly Black Swan).

comment #33

BobbyLupo says ...

yeah, 'Social Network' doesn't speak to kids. But it sure reflects the way that generation looks to the older folks -- that is, critics and Academy voters. It's the movie of a "generation"... but sort of like 'Skidoo', where it's made by people from a different generation who obviously don't understand the younger one.

comment #34

pantingkitty says ...

Funny, Lex. :-)

I haffta crack up at CitizenKanedforLife, though - he's totally the boil on the ass of HE.

comment #35

BobbyLupo says ...

"and has access to all your personal information"

No, not true. He has access to all the personal information that you give him access to. Big difference. Another major difference is the way that Zuckerberg didn't need to re-write and/or break laws to acquire his money, didn't fuck up the economy terribly and need to be bailed out with taxpayer dollars, didn't invent ATM fees to nickel and dime you out of your money, etc.

Basically, the guys you're comparing him to are the ones who rig the game in their favor. It's rigged to take money out of the pockets of everybody else, especially the lower classes, and fill their pocket. Zuckerberg took money out of their pockets, put it into his own pocket, and then put most of it into charitable pockets. Removing all context and then saying "They're both rich and run companies" is seriously disingenuous.

comment #36

Kristi says ...

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comment #37

Rashad says ...

"No, not true. He has access to all the personal information that you give him access to. Big difference."

This is true of every company. Banks, credit cards, etc. Doesn't make it any better

"didn't need to re-write and/or break laws to acquire his money, didn't fuck up the economy terribly and need to be bailed out with taxpayer dollars, didn't invent ATM fees to nickel and dime you out of your money, etc."

Most of what they did was legal, and I put some of the initial blame on the people who took outrageous homes they couldn't afford as well. However that's besides the point; we're talking about character traits.

"Basically, the guys you're comparing him to are the ones who rig the game in their favor."
It was announced last week Facebook is increasing their lobbying power in Washington.

"Zuckerberg took money out of their pockets, put it into his own pocket, and then put most of it into charitable pockets."
Does this make Madoff any better? It's okay to lie, cheat, steal and betray if you're doing it to rich people? Obviously it was illegal what he did, because he still had to pay these people because he took from them. There isn't a single sympathetic or admirable trait about him. He shares the same with Wall Street's worst.

That's also why there's a disconnect with the young crowd, because he still ends up a billionaire in his mid 20s. How sad. The person who comes out the worst is still getting away with 60 million.

And he's worth 6 billion. He hasn't donated most of it, and his biggest contribution coincidentally came on TSN's release

comment #38

CitizenKaned4Life says ...

Well, to be fair to the Zuck, when you're worth 6 friggin' billion dollars, it becomes a bit of a full-time job to figure out how/where to donate money. And he's got a company to run. He can always go the Gates route later in life if he actually ends up "retiring" with billions of dollar.

Net worth =/= actual cashflow.

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