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So let me get this straight; Nicolas Chartier who financed The Hurt Locker and is one of the 4 officially credited producers can’t attend the Academy Awards because he sent a mass email that never even mentioned Avatar by name? And the Oscars governing body thinks his badmouthing is so much worse than what nearly everyone in the Best Picture category has done year after year? I find it ludicrous that the Academy of shame has made a decision so lame. So I must ask: is it mere coincidence that Academy president Tom Sherak (at one time a bigtime Fox movie exec), Oscars producers Bill Mechanic (at one time a bigtime Fox movie exec) and Adam Shankman (currently a bigtime Fox Broadcast talent), and Academy Board Of Governors member Jim Gianopulos (currently a bigtime Fox movie exec) all have strong ties to the Avatar studio? The Academy should have leaned over backwards not to appear Fox-sympathetic because of this. (Especially when I have emails from the studio accusing “the Hurt Locker people of running the dirtiest campaign and getting away with it”.) And would this draconian action have been taken if Chartier’s name had been Grazer or Rudin or some other Hollywood insider? I think not. Know that I ask these questions as someone who thinks Avatar should win Best Picture (because it changed the way Hollywood makes movies) and James Cameron Best Director (because he changed the way Hollywood makes movies). So, please, no baseless accusations that I’m biased.
OSCAR BARRED: Academy Of Shame Makes Decision That’s Lame
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“So, please, no baseless accusations that I’m biased. I’m just being honest.”
Bigger question, why did you need to “qualify” your opinion? I think most would agree with you how fickle that the Weinsteins and many others have gotten away with alot worse, more fragrant abuses yet this guy was unlucky (or stupid enough?) to get busted for this?
And yeah I didn’t know about those Academy people with former Fox ties. I’m surprised nobody has previously blown the whistle on that.
This is ridiculous. Let’s not forget what Oscar campaigners did to John Nash. They got away with that. Sherak, Mechanic … shame on you.
Hypocrisy is the Vaseline of social intercourse.
Sorry but this conspiracy theory is a complete stretch. Mechanic was notoriously shitcanned from Fox and had a terrible relationship with Murdoch. Just google him. There’s no reason why he would hold any loyalty towards Fox.
It’s a relationship business. Mechanic was the exec when Cameron made Titanic at Fox. Just google it. Or better yet, learn your Hollywood history.
The Academy must take some blame as well as it does not distribute the Regulations to nominees, only to members and marketers/studios. Therefore, the producer had no way of knowing that he was breaking any rule. It’s a shame the Academy allows the Weinsteins and Quentin to throw party after party for Academy members, also in violation, with no reprimand, yet this putz does a dumb thing and he’s in Siberia.
I honestly thought there was no way Avatar would win Best Picture against the industry-fave Hurt Locker, but now I’m not so sure. I loved Avatar. It was a good film. It had a lot of heart and was technically revolutionary. But it was a poorly written, mediocrely acted film at the same time. So for it to win Best Picture, especially against Inglorious Basterds or Hurt Locker just doesn’t seem quite right. But at this point, it seems pretty likely.
oh , come on be honest. Is HL the best war film made– not by a long shot. Is she the best female director doing revolutionary work- not by a long shot.If Avatar doesn’t win I hope it goes to Inglorious – at least that did have a good script. HL–not so much
Agreed. The storytelling is hackneyed, unoriginal, derivative, filled with stereotypes perfected for XBox.. If the stories had been as good as Cameron’s older films, and the tech enhanced the storytelling I would say it deserved a win. With Avatar, this is not the case. I finally saw the film and though there were some good bits like the scorched earth sequences that had me bawling, it truly is “dances with smurfs”.
So… are you saying negative publicity campaigns work? If they work on you, shame on you. Any film should be appraised on its own, without any of this extraneous b.s.
I imagine him sitting at Graham Taylor’s party, the only one in a tuxedo, surrounded by friends… and missing out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. Imagine a baseball player having to skip the world series because he talked trash. This is ridiculous.
“Imagine a baseball player having to skip the world series because he talked trash.”
I think you nailed it. everyone does it, he just got caught.
I have already lodged my protest with the the Academy and I urge others to do the same. It is facile and banal in the extreme. By the way, those blue people are MADE UP, they are not a real race. If this punishment was applied retrospectively to all Oscar years half the audience would have a premanent red card and never be allowed to attend.
Chartier is a champion of small films who made a silly error – why so serious!!!!!!!!!!
there is a FACEBOOK you can join too.
star wars and george lucas changed the way hollywood made movies. I’m not necessarily sure they deserved oscars though.
Star Wars not winning the Oscar is STILL a tragedy. What Lucas and the franchise turned into is irrelevant — Star Wars was and is one of the most magical films of all time and deserved best picture.
I can’t disagree. But the difference is that Star Wars was great storytelling. Avatar was everything but.
Could not agree more! Best picture goes to best picture. To be a best you need a great story, great character development, great acting. Avatar was a great theme park ride. Come on folks! And while I’m on it…Wow, was Shutter Island awful! Awful! If that were not Scorsese that movie would be reviewed as a mess with no scary moment. Not one.
Thank you.
Star Wars was screwed that year.
“star wars and george lucas changed the way hollywood made movies. I’m not necessarily sure they deserved oscars though.”
Uh huh. Right.
And I suppose Annie Hall was a revolutionary tour de force, giving audiences something they had never seen before.
Thou needs to learn to remove thine head from thine asshole before speaking.
Avatar was not a good movie. I don’t get the hype.
either was Hurt Locker
You know, I thought both were firmly in the “pretty good” category. Kind of sad. I’m an Up in the Air guy, and these other two have hogged the whole spotlight.
ok i can play this game too: Inglorious was a good movie and should get several oscars. hows that?
Nikki, it makes no difference what you think should win or shouldn’t win, you see the hypocrisy of the entire situation. I would even argue that Chartier’s email wasn’t derogatory to anyone at all. Either way, I hope that Bigelow and Boal say something about it at the podium (they’ll win something, I’m sure).
…but you are, and have been since the get go.
People should just give up these shi!ty politics and let the movies speak for themselves. Hurt Locker producer is first stupid, and then plain ass.
Why would you put the movie credibility in joperdy by bad mouthing the competition, especially that THL has such a huge chance, why?
Avatar ain’t changed nothin’! It only figured out how to make everyone not only pay but charge higher ticket prices. More filmmakers have shot IMAX sequences for their films after The Dark Knight came out than shooting in 3D. When they start making movies in the exact same fashion as Avatar, then you can say it changed the game. As of now, they’ve only retroactively made 2D into 3D and no one but Spielberg is making a mocap 3D film with Avatars tech. Oh, yeah, that and Jackass. Right. You got me. Game Changer all the way.
Besides, after Inglourious Basterds, I bet you’ll never look at another WWII flick the same way, especially the ones where everyone speaks English.
Take a second and cast your view farther out than a few months.
The tech for Avatar is revolutionary and 10-15 years ahead of its time. You can’t just adapt that to films in an instant — unless maybe you are Spielberg.
Avatar’s effect will be felt over the coming decade — just as Star Wars was. Don’t judge it based on the knee jerk reactions of film trying to cash in. Judge it on what SFX blockbusters look like in 10 years.
Apparently you’ve never heard of “development,” “preproduction,” “production,” or “postproduction.”
Avatar did indeed change things, however the timeline of motion picture production means we won’t be seeing films made “in the exact same fashion as Avatar” for at least 18 months if not more. Films take years to make, and Avatar came out a little over 2 months ago.
“More filmmakers have shot IMAX sequences for their films after The Dark Knight came out than shooting in 3D.” TDR came out in mid-2008, you’re only proving my point here.
If you think fingers can be snapped and a film that took Cameron over 10 years to make can be mimicked in 2 months, you’re delusional. Granted there are some giants’ shoulders to be stood on to shorten that timeline, however you cannot develop, prep, shoot, edit, post, and release a film of Avatar’s scale in 2 months – even if you are Spielberg.
I think everyone understands that filmmaking has changed due to Avatar, however using the fundamental inability to create a film in 2 months as evidence against this statement just smacks of ignorance.
Do you guys not remember the budget for Avatar? How many filmmakers can actually command that and make a movie that’s event-worthy? As to the technology being so far ahead of the curve? What was Beowulf? Granted, Avatar’s tech was more advanced but one thing I’ve noticed about CG blockbusters is that they start to look dated and inferior because the technology always improves.
And please illustrate how “using the fundamental inability to create a film in 2 months as evidence… smacks of ignorance?” Who’s actually using this tech in pre-production now? Who’s actually greenlit the flicks that are going forward with it? It’s the price of 3D ticket that matters to studios, not the tech or the film itself. They will be making more 2D to 3D conversions. It’s just cheaper to do so. You won’t see much change in the way of actual filmmaking where 3D is concerned.
really how so? i am serious. I hear all of these “changed movies” mantras but I simply do not see it. where is the supposed change?
Zhit people, Burton changed movies LONG BEFORE CAMERON AND HIS SMURFS.
Cheers & careful what you wish for folks.
Therefore, when those films come out (2 years from now), and I can truly make the connection that those films would not have existed without Avatar, then I will agree that Avatar changed the way films are made. Until then, I draw no conclusions.
Nikki: It’s pretty irrelevant that Avatar wasn’t officially mentioned by name when it was obvious to all what he was talking about.
You’re right. It’s irrelevant. In my opinion, he could’ve mentioned the film by name and still go to the Oscars. This is a case of overreaction from the Academy, picking on someone who, though naive and over enthusiastic, can’t fight back.
It was pretty obvis they circled the wagons for Avatar. Hollywood is a high school clique and Mr. Chartier got slapped down pretty quickly for trying to step out of the social order.
I don’t think it will win best picture. I think it will end up Best Director to Katherine Bigelow (cause those voters will not be able to resist voting for the “first woman winner”) and Best Picture Avatar cause nobody will turn down King Cameron.
From what I can tell as an ardent watcher, Fox has run a damn clean campaign, so interesting that you are crying conspiracy theory now. And if you knew anything about Fox, you’d know that Mechanic hates Fox, and there is no loved lost between Rothman/Gianopulus and Sherak…it would be more likely for Harvey and Eisner to join together than any of those guys. I hope Summit took a lot of ads for all you have done for them.
I too lodged a complaint with the Academy. Making a patsy of Chartier for a practice that has LONG dominated the Oscar race. Just talk to the Bros. W about THEIR past tactics.
Unlike most people, I found Avatar to be lacking in meaningful, dialog and original ideas although the tech side was incredible. Hurt Locker on the other hand was a fine piece of work delivering emotional levels to the audience unseen in recent years on a shoestring budget.
Perhaps the punishment given the somewhat misguided producer should be seen more as an act to prevent, what has become the norm in our society with talking heads attacking each other in very unprofessional and negative ways, our industry from stooping to the same level.
It seems like they are punishing because they CAN. It absolutely has to do with him being small potatoes in the producing game.
I don’t get the “other people have done worse” argument. Do you use that argument when you get pulled over by a cop? Other cars were going fast too? Of course other people do it too, and it’s just unlucky to be the one who gets caught. And you just have to love how this is being turned into just yet another excuse for people to bash Avatar. How dare someone out this guy’s unsportsmanlike behavior and how dare he be punished for it? It’s obviously somehow Team Avatar’s fault. PS since the opportunity has presented itself, let me just say for the 3,495th time how shitty I think Avatar is. *rolls eyes*
Ms. Finke, I commend you for writing an objective article free of soul-robbing put-downs. A journalist of your stature should just report the news and leave the ugly commentaries to readers, although readers themselves should not resort to the ugly comments. God Bless!
“I ask these questions as someone who thinks Avatar should win Best Picture (because it changed the way Hollywood makes movies) and James Cameron Best Director (because he changed the way Hollywood makes movies).”
The exact same thing can be said of George Lucas’s Star Wars, and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. They both changed the film industry forever with their cutting edge technology (as well as breaking box office records). Yet neither of them won Best Picture. The only prize Avatar deserves is the same one those movies got: special effects.
I have to agree that, as an Academy member, I am really ashamed that the Academy is taking this overly harsh step. He clearly DID NOT undertake a full-blown campaign to undermine the competition, but rather misguidedly sent out his email to a small group of colleagues. He was wrong in doing this, but the punitive action is way too much for an event that will probably never come again in his lifetime.Slap him on the wrist, but don’t chop his hands off. Come on, Academy..let the guy go!!!!
Assume The Academy will also require that Chartier wear an ankle monitor the evening of the awards How lame!
If he had undertaken a full-blown campaign, he would have been denied an Oscar had he won (= hands chopped off). This is the Academy’s way of taking a not-so-harsh step — he gets an Oscar, but can’t publicly accept it (= slap on the wrist).
Funny, all I’ve been hearing is that notifying the Academy of Chartier and the “Hurt Locker” guy lawsuit are all Harvey’s doing in a last bid effort to get “Inglourious Basterds” to sneak in and win. Not that it will matter…
I disagree with one thing only that you said Nikki. That Avatar should win best picture. I “film” that has great FX and pushes us to new heights in one area does not make a great film. If what you were saying was correct than if there is some great technology advance in sound editing that picture should win. Avatar as a nothing story. A bad script. Terrible character development. But it was fun to watch for 10 minutes. Please retract what you said.
Thank you.
I disagree with what you said, AnHonestAnswer. Therefore, please retract what you said. Thank you.
Disappointed in you, Nikki. “It changed the way Hollywood makes movies” – how so? Sacrifice of story for eye-popping visual effects? It may have changed how Hollywood makes movies, but not for the better, and that’s certainly not something worth awarding.
@Liz: I agree that Avatar belongs with Star Wars and Jurassic Park in that its effect on the entire industry will be substantial. And it delivers a transcendent cinematic experience. And for that, Cameron deserves Best Director.
But the difference between Best Director and Best Picture (IMHO) is screenwriting. And we all know Avatar’s story, while sufficient to sustain the movie, isn’t what the movie exists to do. And my opinion is that the story is sufficiently thin to prevent the movie from taking the step from Best Director territory to Best Picture territory.
So: Best Director to Cameron, but Best Picture to The Hurt Locker.
“Dear Nick,
We sure will miss you at the awards. For future reference, enclosed please find a copy of my Oscar campaign playbook, “Killing Private Ryan.” I suggest you check out Chapter Five which deals with delegating the dirty work to underlings and ensuring that nothing is directly traceable back to you, and Chapter Six about mainstream media manipulation.
Better luck next time!
xo,
Harvey Weinstein”
second worst decision the Academy has made in recent years. only topped by allowing 10 best pic noms at the first place.