Posted on 01/15/2006 4:48:17 AM PST by napscoordinator
Columns Why I'm skipping the Oscars this year Jan 13, 2006 by Ben Shapiro ( bio | archive | contact )
Every year since I was old enough to stay up late, I've watched the Academy Awards. This year, however, I have absolutely zero desire to watch the Oscars. In recent years, lack of quality from Hollywood has turned the Academy Awards into a special-interest-group get-together. If you're crazy, gay, have a disability or are a member of a minority race, you'll likely be nominated for an Oscar; if your film tackles a "deep social issue" (normally an issue dear to the hearts of Hollywood's liberal glitterati), you'll have an excellent shot at grabbing a gold statuette. The combination of declining product quality and rising Hollywood disdain for mainstream America has opened the door to the agenda-film crowd. It began with the 1994 Oscars. "Schindler's List," "The Fugitive" and "In the Name of the Father" all received Best Picture nominations; other excellent films of 1993 included "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" "Searching for Bobby Fischer," "Shadowlands," "Fearless" and "In the Line of Fire."
Still, Hollywood had to take a shot at mainstream America, and they found their vehicle in "Philadelphia," throwing their honorary liberal activism award to Tom Hanks for his weak performance as a dying AIDS-stricken gay lawyer in "Philadelphia." Unbelievably, Hanks' cheesy hospital-bed routine beat out Liam Neeson in "Schindler's List" and Daniel Day Lewis in "In the Name of the Father." "Philadelphia" is, clinically speaking, a maudlin, ham-handed attempt at social commentary.
The remaining 1990s were filled with weak movies and weak performances. On average, high-school audio-visual clubs make better movies than Hollywood put together in the late 1990s.
Then, our illustrious decade: With great films scarce and politically mainstream Academy voters even scarcer, 2000 featured the victory of repulsive anti-suburbia and pro-homosexuality hit piece "American Beauty." Of course, it beat out a film lionizing an abortionist ("The Cider House Rules") and another attacking the tobacco industry ("The Insider"). Most disturbingly, the Academy handed Hilary Swank a Best Actress Oscar for playing a transgendered biological girl murdered by a bunch of hicks. And 2002 was the year of the African-American honorary Oscars, when Denzel Washington took home Best Actor for his decent if overrated performance in "Training Day" and Halle Berry took home Best Actress for her highly touted simulated orgasms in "Monster's Ball." In 2003, homosexual agenda films like "The Hours," "Frida" and "Far From Heaven" grabbed the largest share of nominations. In 2004, Hollywood couldn't hold off "Lord of the Rings" any longer, but Charlize Theron, playing an ugly lesbian serial killer in "Monster," won Best Actress. And last year, the Best Picture was forgettable pro-euthanasia film "Million Dollar Baby."
And then there's this year. "Brokeback Mountain," the stomach-churning story of two 1963 cowboys who get cozy while bunking down in Wyoming and then carry on their affair over the course of decades, is likely to grab Best Picture honors. The critics love it, mostly because critics love anything that pushes homosexuality as normal behavior. The New York Times raves about it, mostly because the Times has always wanted to carry a ridiculous story proclaiming that "there has always lurked a suspicion that the fastidious Eastern dude of Owen Wister's 'The Virginian' harbored stronger than proper feelings for his rough Western compadres, and that the Red River crowd may have gotten up to more than yarning by the campfire whenever Joanne Dru was not around." Maybe that's what Pinch Sulzberger thinks about when he watches John Wayne on screen, but the Times should be more careful when speaking for the rest of us. By the way, don't believe the "hit movie" hype -- this supposed blockbuster has netted a grand total of $8 million. "Hostel," last week's No. 1 movie, a cheap horror film, has already netted almost $15 million.
Best Actor honors are likely to go to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his performance in "Capote" -- this would mark the first time that an actor in a gay role has actually deserved his Oscar. Best Actress will probably fall to Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line," but supporters of Felicity Huffman's transgendered father/mother in "TransAmerica" could push her over the top.
Aside from pimping for GLAAD, the Oscars will provide a platform for other leftist talking points. "Good Night, and Good Luck," George Clooney's blatant attempt to bash the Bush administration through the mouth of Edward R. Murrow, and "Munich," Steven Spielberg's attempt to equate Arab terrorism with Israeli self-defense, will likely garner nominations. And to top it off, Comedy Central partisan hack Jon Stewart (who is less and less funny each day) hosts this self-congratulatory leftist feting.
I won't be watching. Neither will most Americans.
Disagree with Shapiro here. While race may have been a consideration, Denzel's performance was FAR superior to Russel Crowe's in the AWFUL "Beautiful Mind" which took best picture.
According to both the Oscars and the New York Film Critics Circle, the best picture of 1947 was Elia Kazan’s Gentleman’s Agreement, in which Gregory Peck’s gentile journalist goes undercover to expose anti-Semitism in America. At the time, I’m sure critics felt they were striking a blow for social justice by voting for it, but in hindsight, that movie seems more earnest than artful. In any case, it can’t touch Monsieur Verdoux, Shoeshine, Out of the Past, Great Expectations, Black Narcissus, Kiss of Death, The Lady From Shanghai or another polemic on anti-Semitism like Edward Dmytryk’s searing, superior Crossfire (which was originally supposed to be about homophobia). The National Board of Review went with Monsieur Verdoux, which now seems, if not the right choice, than certainly a wiser one. As I’ve said before, awards are just the first draft of movie history. First drafts are full of mistakes. Source
Why I skip the Oscars every year: I couldn't give a rat's patootie about Hollywood or the sewage it produces.
About every week starting in late January through May that is all that is going on is these awards shows where they are patting the same people over and over. Obvious winners are best male and female (the two in the Johnny Cash movie). Big su
Halle Berry deserved her award for Monster's Ball. Not so for Denzel. He's a great actor...but not for that role. I won't watch because I just can't stand Jon Stewart. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, politics or no politics. He's just Smarmy.
Proudly not watching the Oscars since 1965. I care about the product, but not a whit about their self-congratulatory log-rolling or their personal lives.
The thing I don't understand is that why should hollywood care about what we think when no of us have watched the show forever? LOL.
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