Conservative Film Scholar Knocks Oscar® Picks

February 27, 2005 | None

[Simi Valley Tom]

“The Oscars® have gone back to their old ways of honoring junk.”

So says Dr. Tom Snyder, a leading conservative film critic, who added, “I guess last year’s ceremony, where the Academy honored one of the greatest classic novels of all time, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and one of the most popular movies of the year, THE RETURN OF THE KING, was just a fluke.”

Dr. Snyder noted that none of the nominees for Best Picture tonight were very popular with the public.

“I predict a further decline in the TV ratings,” Snyder said.

Instead of honoring “immoral” movies like SIDEWAYS, FINDING NEVERLAND, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, THE AVIATOR, KINSEY, and CLOSER, Snyder said the Academy should have given many more nominations to THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, THE INCREDIBLES, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and SPIDER-MAN 2, which he said were “far more deserving.”

“Hollywood has lost touch with its past,” he added, “when popular movies like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, BEN-HUR, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, MY FAIR LADY, GONE WITH THE WIND, REBECCA, GOING MY WAY, HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, and CASABLANCA were recognized instead of the depressing, pretentious shlock put out by the so-called independent filmmaking community.

“Then again, the Oscars® have always had an affinity for being pretentious.”

Snyder said the Oscars® also snubbed “the most important, most powerful, documentary of the year,” IN THE FACE OF EVIL: REAGAN’S WAR AND DEED. Another documentary deserving recognition, he said, was AMERICA’S HEART AND SOUL.

Snyder concluded that THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was not only one of the best movies of the year, along THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE INCREDIBLES and SPIDER-MAN 2, but it is a “great classic that will stand the test of time.”

“It brilliantly portrays the biblical image of the suffering of the Messiah,” Dr. Snyder said, “even down to its Old Testament allusion to Gen. 3:15, God’s great promise to Adam and Eve of the suffering but victorious Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. Mel Gibson is clearly the Best Director of the year, Jim Caviezel as Jesus is clearly the Best Actor of the year, and Maia Morgenstern as Mary is clearly the Best Actress of the year.”

Dr. Snyder has a Ph.D. in film studies from Northwestern University, where he has also taught, and has done post-graduate work in philosophy, theology, hermeneutics, history, politics, and aesthetics at the Simon Greenleaf School of Law in Anaheim, the Southern California Center for Christian Studies, and the Mars Hill Institute in Costa Mesa, Calif. He is the author of MYTH CONCEPTIONS (Baker Books) and co-author of FRODO & HARRY (Crossway Books, 2003), and a professional film critic, freelance writer and editor.

[Borges]

Dr. Snyder sure has bad taste. 'Phantom of the Opera' was horrible. He probably thought 'The Godfather' was immoral junk.

[big'ol_freeper]

Oskah Ping.

[AHWilde]

The Godfather glamorized evil thugs ie; immoral junk.

[sam_whiskey]

"FINDING NEVERLAND"

Why is a PG-rated movie about the author of "Peter Pan" immoral??

[NorCalRepub]

yup....just like Clint being bashed for Million Dollar Baby cause of the end....funny these same people didn't bash him for Dirty Harry which showed a cop that didn't have much use for Miranda rights......I don't think Clint glorify's either, just like you said, The Godfather was a story and wasn't saying the mob was a good thing.....

[Borges]

It was a great movie. Lolita glamorized a pedophile. It was still a great novel no? You don't have to agree with a movie's morals to like it. and The Godfather 2 certainly did not glamorize them.

[jocon307]

"FINDING NEVERLAND"


I believe Michael Medved said this was the best movie of the year.

And "The Incredibles" IS up for "best animated feature" or whatever it is. Which I guess is pretty prestigious nowadays.

[sam_whiskey]

I guess Dr. Tom Snyder disagrees

[Zeroisanumber]

Ah... "The Passion of the Christ". All of the pain, none of the grace.

"America's Heart and Soul" was tripe pumped out by the Disney company in response to the criticism that they got for backing "Farenheit 9/11". If I want a real patriotic film I'll just stay home and watch "Saving Private Ryan". "Spiderman 2" was good, a better movie overall than "Finding Neverland", but lighter on the acting. "Sideways" was excellent and deserves any award that it wins. I saw "Kinsey", but I thought that it was overlong and boring with a above-average performance from Liam Neeson.

I didn't catch "Closer", was it any good?

[gaspar.manny]

The Incredibles just won tonight for best animated feature!

[Bernard]

I always thought Dirty Harry was the ideal cop for liberals - no regard for the law, just do whatever you think needs to be done. Make that character a lawyer with a liberal bent, and you have Jack McCoy from law and Order. It's just that the movie Dirty Harry was put together, the character looked like a conservative.

[supercat]

Dr. Snyder sure has bad taste. 'Phantom of the Opera' was horrible.

It had its moments. The overture was pretty cool. And they stuck the wimpy new song in the end credits. But some parts of the movie were just goofy.

A few examples:

1. What was the point of all the flash-forwards?
2. As in the stage show, the "Phantom of the Opera" song was a verse too long.
3. It is reasonable in a movie to have characters sing in voice over. It is reasonable to have them sing on-set. It is not reasonable to have them go from one to the other on camera-angle changes.
4. Could someone explain the physics of the chandelier collapse?
5. The scene where Raoul was trapped in a tank until he could operate the valve just didn't work for me.
6. What were all the bits of flaming stuff drifting through the air in the later underground scenes?
7. Why didn't the mirrors in the Phantom's lair fall to pieces when struck? It would have been a much better visual and I would think it would also have been more historically accurate (when did safety mirrors enter common usage?)
8. "Wishing you were somehow here again" is a great song, but for Christine to wander through the cemetery while singing it doesn't seem to work, especially since she'd asked the driver to take her to her father's grave.

I like the music, and Phantom was a lot more watchable than Cats, and parts of the production were magnificent. I just wish they could have done with less of the goofiness.