mruzick3
11-17-2003, 07:37 PM
When I read FilmThreat’s Frigid 50 list I couldn’t help but see a theme from the start. Jack Valenti’s name at the top of the list is certainly a good addition and one that begs the question; Are the Oscars relevant anymore? And given the unveiling of the 76th annual Academy Awards poster, my question seems to be valid. I mean really, where do I start? I have been watching the Oscars now every year for as long as I could remember. I have watched them with the same excitement and glee as a bookie watching the Super Bowl. Aside from the annoying musical numbers, which provides the perfect opportunity to grab more snacks from the kitchen, the ceremony has been an anticipated tradition in the Ruzicka household….and will continue to be.
Yet, going over the last decade you can really see just how superficial this event has become. Well I know, it’s always been superficial, but there seems to be something else going on. I have been waiting, with many others I’m sure, for a time like the 70’s where the Oscars turned into much more than a fashion show. Think about it, back then you had Brando making the first and most controversial statement in his acceptance speech, you have an X-rated film receiving the Best Picture award, and countless other films that took risks to break Hollywood away from the mass-produced studio film product of the 50's and 60's. Now what do we have? If there is a political statement it’s because Billy Crystal made it in his monologue or Michael Moore was nominated. You have the standard give-away supporting actor/actress awards that usually go to a soon-to-be retired film star or a surprise younger (and nearly child-age) up-and-comer. The best animated feature always goes to the Pixar or Disney money-maker of the year (where the hell was ‘Waking Life’ for Pete’s sake.) And the best picture has consistently gone to an overblown, overrated piece that could’ve just as easily been a movie of the week—‘Titanic’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Silence of the Lambs’ just to name a few. It’s not that I think the entire thing is a sham. There have been some deserving writers and tech people who have been awarded their just desserts. I’m just annoyed at how damn predictable it has all become. And at three to four hours for the whole thing to wrap up it’s almost pointless to see the five seconds given to Ron Howard or whoever lobbied to be the most popular give his thank-yous.
What are the Oscars for if not to inspire a new group of filmmakers to reach for something better? At least that’s what I, in my enduring optimism, would like to think. The Oscars have become this, sort of, finish line for the people who receive them. For what has anyone really ever done after the all-night party at Spago’s. Jonathan Demme has been a proven hack as of late. Spielburg really didn’t even need an Oscar to release the easy-money blockbusters he’s made since ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ The supporting awards have nearly always resulted in long hiatuses or a long string of bad script choices. And the producers of the best-chosen pictures continue to cater to the grand scale melodrama for an assured Oscar nod. Hell, Scorsese himself went the way of the Do-Do when he cast Diaz and DiCaprio.
Now I’m no seasoned veteran. I haven’t an ounce of talent when it comes to acting, directing, writing, or producing. But I am a movie-fan. I do take this art seriously and I wish the Academy would too instead of giving me a poster with a paparazzi caricature flashing a camera at themselves…how narcissistic! I find it funny and sad when thinking about the big name directors of today’s Hollywood and the big name directors of the 1960’s in Europe and the 1970’s in the United States. It’s like comparing a master sculptor to a car salesman. Forgive me, I just saw the Criterion DVD of Goddard’s ‘Contempt.’ It’s no wonder that a documentary had to be made of 70’s filmmaking. I guess there just needs to be a reminder of just what kind of influence films are under…at any given time.
___________________________________
Mike Ruzicka
Yet, going over the last decade you can really see just how superficial this event has become. Well I know, it’s always been superficial, but there seems to be something else going on. I have been waiting, with many others I’m sure, for a time like the 70’s where the Oscars turned into much more than a fashion show. Think about it, back then you had Brando making the first and most controversial statement in his acceptance speech, you have an X-rated film receiving the Best Picture award, and countless other films that took risks to break Hollywood away from the mass-produced studio film product of the 50's and 60's. Now what do we have? If there is a political statement it’s because Billy Crystal made it in his monologue or Michael Moore was nominated. You have the standard give-away supporting actor/actress awards that usually go to a soon-to-be retired film star or a surprise younger (and nearly child-age) up-and-comer. The best animated feature always goes to the Pixar or Disney money-maker of the year (where the hell was ‘Waking Life’ for Pete’s sake.) And the best picture has consistently gone to an overblown, overrated piece that could’ve just as easily been a movie of the week—‘Titanic’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Silence of the Lambs’ just to name a few. It’s not that I think the entire thing is a sham. There have been some deserving writers and tech people who have been awarded their just desserts. I’m just annoyed at how damn predictable it has all become. And at three to four hours for the whole thing to wrap up it’s almost pointless to see the five seconds given to Ron Howard or whoever lobbied to be the most popular give his thank-yous.
What are the Oscars for if not to inspire a new group of filmmakers to reach for something better? At least that’s what I, in my enduring optimism, would like to think. The Oscars have become this, sort of, finish line for the people who receive them. For what has anyone really ever done after the all-night party at Spago’s. Jonathan Demme has been a proven hack as of late. Spielburg really didn’t even need an Oscar to release the easy-money blockbusters he’s made since ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ The supporting awards have nearly always resulted in long hiatuses or a long string of bad script choices. And the producers of the best-chosen pictures continue to cater to the grand scale melodrama for an assured Oscar nod. Hell, Scorsese himself went the way of the Do-Do when he cast Diaz and DiCaprio.
Now I’m no seasoned veteran. I haven’t an ounce of talent when it comes to acting, directing, writing, or producing. But I am a movie-fan. I do take this art seriously and I wish the Academy would too instead of giving me a poster with a paparazzi caricature flashing a camera at themselves…how narcissistic! I find it funny and sad when thinking about the big name directors of today’s Hollywood and the big name directors of the 1960’s in Europe and the 1970’s in the United States. It’s like comparing a master sculptor to a car salesman. Forgive me, I just saw the Criterion DVD of Goddard’s ‘Contempt.’ It’s no wonder that a documentary had to be made of 70’s filmmaking. I guess there just needs to be a reminder of just what kind of influence films are under…at any given time.
___________________________________
Mike Ruzicka