I can go on forever about numerous issues I have with the Academy in general but I want to start my attack on the news media themselves. I was at the Barnes and Noble, sifting through the lukewarm publications of Entertainment Weekly and Premiere magazine when I noticed that both magazines made similar statements in terms of their Oscar nomination predictions. There are all kinds of issues, the main one being it was a pretty lackluster year for film, so far I have what is called a top 4...
1. Little Miss Sunshine (which wins by default)
2. The Departed
3. Babel
4. Borat. (It was funny)
Yup. Wow. That's it. There have been some good Docs but they are generally consistent by nature. There are also some coming up. Hoping big for Inland Empire.
This isn't the issue I want to discuss though. The magazines picks for Best Supporting Actor are my target. It's a pretty non-controversial category but it's the principle of the thing and it's specific to one film, The Departed. Both publications state that Jack Nicholson is the front runner for the nomination in this Category. Let me state first that I thought he was great in the film, there is no doubt about that. But this is the third time that one of the performances of the year is going to be ignored by one of this generations greatest talents, Mark Wahlberg. Can someone give me a fucking break here. I would like to note that his performance in Boogie Nights is unparalleled, and his performance in I Heart Huckabees was criminally overlooked. Now here it will probably happen again. Let me also say that Alec Baldwin deserves the nomination over Nicholson. Nicholson is great because he is doing the Jack Nicholson shtick, and doing it well, but you shouldn’t award consistency of persona over fantastic performances.
I will say this again as to not seem like I am bashing him, he was great, but this was an ensemble cast, and everyone was great, including that girl no one knows. That being said I am going to be a lone ranger campaigning for Wahlberg. The fact that he wasn't nominated for I Heart Huckabees, or Ziyi Zhang for 2046 shows that these nominations aren't based on performance, but some other mitigating factors. Of course, we all know that Julia Roberts did not give a better performance than Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream, that's an insult to anyone’s intelligence. I know it's a lost cause as this is the body that gave last years Best Picture to Crash, a conveniently plotted superficial film.
The other obvious thing to mention is poor Scorsese. Is The Departed the film he should win for Best Director? No. But it's a hell of a lot better than the last two he was supposed to win for. But Taxi Driver? Raging Bull? Goodfellas? The vastly underrated Casino? It's really a joke, and that's why he'd be better off without it. The man lost to KEVIN COSTNER. If he lost again he would join the ranks of people who represent how off base the Academy is when determining what is the best. He should join the ranks of Hitchcock, Altman, Welles, Lumet, Fellini ,and Kubrick. Not to claim there is a conspiracy or anything but there seems to be a disproportionate amount of actors who have won for Best Director . Redford, Beatty, Howard, Gibson, and Eastwood. Hmm. The greatest directors of all time loosing to some of acting’s heavyweights. Perplexing.
2 comments:
Bah. The magazines don't know what they're talking about.
The only thing I disagree with you about is Nicholson. I DO think he deserves a nomination; he is so fascinating to watch. But I also think you are right that he is nowadays doing a parody of himself, even dying with red lips like the Joker he played in Batman.
So, a nom for Nicholson, AND THAT'S IT -- but for lead, not supporting. Wahlberg, though, should be contending for the little statue as Best Supporting Actor. His role was truly supporting, whereas if Jack or Leo get nommed in this category it would be disgraceful. The supporting Oscars are meant for the gems in smaller roles. The Departed was a THREE-HOUR movie: Jack, Leo and Matt were ALL leads with bodacious amounts of screen time.
Yeah I have sort of been taking back my attack on Jack (horrible rhyme). It just I am sick of these strange consensuses reached by the mainstream media, and the academy for that matter, when they almost unanimously ignore better or stronger performances or films that are more deserving.
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