tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post3174322774427051417..comments2023-07-12T09:16:45.437-04:00Comments on The Cinema: "For a stronger Oscar, vote Coen": The politics of Best PictureTed Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-70297825148239591572008-08-16T02:43:00.000-04:002008-08-16T02:43:00.000-04:00Life is more interesting than film. Even films wit...Life is more interesting than film. Even films with twisted plots are made somewhat predictable by their running time, if not having been "spoiled" by giving away too many details in the trailers. But not even Gene Rodenberry anticipated the fall of the Soviet Union (recall Ensign Chekov's references to his Russian motherland). Just try to predict what landmarks will still exist when you get old!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-22852117845273023432008-02-12T20:07:00.000-05:002008-02-12T20:07:00.000-05:00You say a lot of important things in this essay an...You say a lot of important things in this essay and I agree that the deeper issue is the motivation behind our society's continual categorization and ranking, the disease of what's "Best." What I thought was odd here, though, was your distinction of "Oscar" and "the Oscars" as a monolithic decision-making force. In a way, of course, the Academy represents the industry itself, but in actuality it is made up of thousands and thousands of people. People who work within the industry, have their own tastes--and their own motives for wishing to see certain films and people lauded and others shot down. That's where the true politics comes in, and is certainly the motivation behind the recent trend to turn every category into the Lifetime Achievement Award.Eddie Hardy https://www.blogger.com/profile/03822880732325834062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-82105359107413846252008-01-29T09:56:00.000-05:002008-01-29T09:56:00.000-05:00Thanks, Adam! It's amazing, when you think about i...Thanks, Adam! <BR/><BR/>It's amazing, when you think about it, just how many movies slip out of the collective critical memory when it's time to construct top ten lists and awards nominees. That's not to say that some movies receiving nominees don't deserve it; just that the selection process for the five nominees is more about lobbying and politics than it is about quality. <BR/><BR/>There are so many wonderful movies from last year, and probably so many more that I haven't seen or even heard of. That's why I invest myself in the Oscars only to the extent that I am fascinated by critical canon-making in action.Ted Pigeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-68968209456976766282008-01-23T17:49:00.000-05:002008-01-23T17:49:00.000-05:00Lots to chew here -- thanks, Ted. I share your tho...Lots to chew here -- thanks, Ted. I share your thoughts in the final paragraph about "No Country for Old Men," I adore the movie and it's one of the best I've seen in years ... yet, I don't know if I want it to win. If the Coens accept a Best Picture award, where will their career go from here? Another question is -- do THEY want their movie to win? Something tells me they're kind of ambivalent to it, but who knows.<BR/><BR/>Each year I'm a little annoyed at the Best Picture nominees, but looking back at history you see it's nothing new: Mary Poppins? Airport? The Towering Inferno? Working Girl? The list will only get longer.Adam Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11968051066147134504noreply@blogger.com