I am absolutely infuriated by the Oscar nominations this year, and it turns out I am not the only one. I thought 2011 was a transformative year in filmmaking. There were so many fresh, passionate and all around quality films from every genera, from established filmmakers and from new comers. While the year had a few disappointments, New Years Eve and Jack and Jill take my top spot, over all, 2011 delivered a film for every type of movie goer. Drive, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Shame, The Ides of March, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Rampart, Harry Potter, Bridesmaids, are all amazing films, by amazing directions, with an outstanding casts. Yet we hardly see any of these films on the Oscar nomination list. Why? Why? Why?
Instead we see films like War Horse, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, My Week with Marylyn, Midnight in Paris. Midnight In Paris? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is a sin. It is a sin to honor "feel good" and "trite" films because (as Peter Travers says above), people want films that make the feel good.
People want to complain about the state of the movie industry, constantly proclaiming that, "movies suck these days," and "there are never any good movies out." Well, ya know what. Shut the hell up. There are always spectacular movies to be seen. But the average American viewer and, apparently the Academy as well, don't want anything that challenges them in any way. Everyone says they want quality movies, but what they really want is for the women to be delicate and nice, and their men to be heroic and white, they want their stories tied up in nice little bows with a little wink at the end so they don't have to think about it once they leave the theater. It makes me want to scream.
Anyway, Travers echos my sentiments much more eloquently. Watch above.
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