TOLDJA! Really Lousy 80th Oscar Ratings

COMMENTS (30)

• Mark Clark-

  Perhaps the fact that Christopher Guest does not make “documentaries” is the key to the problems you are having with Hollywood. (And if your comment was a snark, it wasn’t clear to me)

  And did you ever consider that many of us find retrograde attitudes in this country (regularly aired on conservative talk radio) insulting? Some people vent on the radio for 4 hours a day, other people make 2 hour movies (and are good at it).

  And I’d put George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Nicole Kidman up with any screen legend you want to name. Sorry they don’t ring your bell.

  JoeCool-

  I am only “far left” if I’m going to be compared to the lunatic fringe that runs around this country calling itself merely “conservative.” By the more reasonable standards of Canada and Western Europe I’m closer to “in-between.” I can find plenty of people to the left of me, thank you very much.

  Comment by PG — Tuesday February 26, 2008 @ 4:25pm PST  Reply to this post

• Hey PG

  I dont know if it was Marks point or not but Michael Moore doesnt make documentaries either. At Least Christopher Guest is honest enough to call his mocumentaries.

  Comment by Steve — Tuesday February 26, 2008 @ 4:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• Steve–

  That was indeed my point about Michael Moore and his “documentaries”. I thought most people were aware that the Academy issued a statement in response to Moore’s films which said, essentially, that documentaries did not have to be truthful in their execution. I’m not making that up. They actually said something like that!

  And I can’t believe anyone would truly put modern actors alongside the alltime greats. Putting aside their political leanings, they just won’t hold up. Admittedly this is a personal call on my part and everyone has and is entitled to their own opinion. I know many people can’t stand to watch a black and white film anymore and I truly pity them.

  I’m not blind to the fact that the oldtimers put out their own trash in their day (The Duke’s “The Conquerer” is far worse than anything that Clooney has thus far crapped out), but by and large I don’t think films today are nearly as entertaining nor the “stars” of today anywhere near as impressive as they were in the “old days”.

  With respect to politics, I know some of the “classic” stars also had problems keeping their mouths shut– the already mentioned John Wayne being one of them! But even he (I don’t think) came across as being as shrill with respect to causes as the latter day celebs are (and I’m not even including Fonda or Redgrave with the modern days).

  Comment by Mark Clark — Wednesday February 27, 2008 @ 5:53am PST  Reply to this post

• As much as I appreciate your news coverage, Nikki, you should really steer away from commentary like this. I side largely with PG on this. I saw four of those five films, except for the uninteresting JUNO, and really liked them. The point of the Oscars should be to reward quality, not commercial success. When those two coincide, as they did with RETURN OF THE KING and THE DEPARTED, AMPAS should take note and recognize them. In fact, it’s done that more often this decade than some like to complain about.

  I will say though, that 40yearoldstitzer is right on the money. Major studios should offer at least one major prestige-level film a month beginning in September. Believe it or not, there can be an audience for films like this and offering more than one or two a year could be a very good investment. I would go a step further and argue that they shouldn’t confine their larger-scale awards projects to just Oct-Dec. They should offer them in the summer (worked for Gladiator) and even the beginning of the year (worked for Silence of the Lambs, and that came out 13 months before the Oscars that time around).

  BTW, I’m all for insulting the knuckledraggers who saw that full-length Hasbro toy commercial,bobd. That being said, I would like to have seen better recognition of the films that did, or could have, meshed quality with commercial success. American Gangster is an obvious choice, and I would also include Sweeney Todd (AMPAS needs to get over its dislike of Burton; it’s really becoming childish).

  Mark Clark: Personally, I’d gladly put any of today’s talented actors (DiCaprio, Damon, Bale, Depp, Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis, Viggo Mortensen, and Robert Downey Jr especially) over any of the moldy “legends” you name. In fact, I despise John Wayne with a fiery passion. The rest I have ABSOLUTELY no interest in. Now if you’d said Alec Guinness, then you might have a point.

  Comment by elessar — Wednesday February 27, 2008 @ 1:39pm PST  Reply to this post

• I pine for the days Forrest Gump and American Beauty wouldn’t be greenlighted.

  Comment by mc — Monday March 3, 2008 @ 1:51pm PST  Reply to this post