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[Teddman]

Boxofficemojo is one of the most often-used websites for movie returns out here in L.A. within the industry. It's odd they are taking such an anti-Academy stance... Check out the two commentaries prominently linked on the front page, they're scathing!

http://boxofficemojo.com/

From "Oscar Without Glamor" by Scott Holleran:

Hollywood's elite is too busy inflating their own importance, that is, among those who attended (and most stars—Hanks, Cruise, Gibson—did not). Sunday's awards were dominated by a gaggle of shrill, red carpet mongers, twittering about something called swag (free stuff), bling (flashy clothes and jewelry) and the Academy's stupid new rules. Presenters were relegated to the aisles and nominees were herded on stage as if they were being lined up for a firing squad, not an Academy Award.

At times, the show reflected the drift from director Martin Scorsese's Hollywood—where ability can be measured by how deeply one cares about making movies—to actor and director Clint Eastwood's Hollywood, where you get noticed with a slew of squints, sneers and gimmicks in pictures that are typically tragic and really about nothing at all.

Yet another promising actor reminded us that, in the new Hollywood, one's value is based, at least partly, on one's race—not solely on one's ability to act. Best Actor winner Jamie Foxx, like Halle Berry before him (and many before her), transformed an award granted for an individual's performance into a statement of allegiance to his race, which is racism. This attitude is exacerbated by people like Oprah Winfrey, whose quasi-Black Panther salute from the audience is rock bottom for a guilt-ridden billionaire with more power than practically everyone in Hollywood. What a fraud. Cheering a winner for a characteristic beyond his control—race, sex, nationality—is among the ceremony's worst traditions—it is an insult to every actor.

Racism's corollary, multiculturalism—the idea that all cultures are equal—had time in Oscar's spotlight, too, with Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas celebrating a folk song sung in Spanish that was awarded Oscar's Best Song over superior work by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glen Ballard among others. Million Dollar Baby's toothy Hilary Swank chimed in, citing her own subculture—trailer trash—as a claim on the Best Actress award. Someday, sometime, some lone actor will have the self-confidence to rise and say, simply, "thank you." And walk away.

From "The Academy Awards Are Meaningless" by Brandon Gray :

With few and particularly short movie clips featured during the telecast, not much was done to convince moviegoers unfamiliar with Million Dollar Baby to see it, aside from the fact that it won. Hilary Swank's winded acceptance speech and Clint Eastwood's befuddled smugness did not help...

Take away the absurdity of comparing incongruous performances and craftsmanship, and the Academy Awards, like any awards show, be it from the industry, the critics or the public, is a political campaign, a popularity contest among Academy members who are conscious of the Academy's image. By its very nature, it only purports to be about quality because such a thing cannot logically be divined from a vote—and, at that, a vote that offers no argument other than more people marked the ballot for one picture over the other. If the Academy Awards were an intellectually honest institution, movies would be competing for Favorite Picture, not Best Picture.

Also see COMMENTARY: Glamour and Depravity Collide at the Oscars

 

[Boogie]

boxofficemojo is only good for its stats.

Almost every review I've read by Brandon Gray has made me feel that he is a complete and utter douche.

 

[FnordChan]

Almost every review I've read by Brandon Gray has made me feel that he is a complete and utter douche.

I never noticed his name; I just kept saying to myself, "Gosh, whoever writes these reviews is a complete and utter douche".

FnordChan, who does enjoy reading the statistics every now and then

 

[Minotauro]

Am I the only one who finds the following statement at odds with the purpose of the site in which it appears?

At times, the show reflected the drift from director Martin Scorsese's Hollywood—where ability can be measured by how deeply one cares about making movies—to actor and director Clint Eastwood's Hollywood, where you get noticed with a slew of squints, sneers and gimmicks in pictures that are typically tragic and really about nothing at all.

Otherwise, I pretty much agree with what these people are saying.

 

[MASB]

This is sort of different coming from Scott Holleran. He's one of those nutjobs that thought the US would have concentration camps because Mel Gibson dared to make a movie about Jesus. So he can be a bit extreme.

But he does have a point. It seems like lately, whenever a black person wins an Oscar, to some people it's more of a statement about how great it is a black person won, etc. Instead of focusing on, hey that actor was great, he/she deserved it! And the latter is what people should be focused on, not the winner's race. When Morgan Freeman won, I wasn't thinking "Yay for the black man!" I was thinking "Yay! It's Morgan Freeman!" The man's great and he probably deserved to win (I say probably, since I didn't see some of the other nominated performances. From what I saw, Freeman was the best).

So I think Holleran was basically saying we should be happy for the winners because they deserve it and/or are great actors, not take pride in their race. I suppose it is sort of stupid for a person to have pride in their race/skin color, etc. Or sex for that matter. Really, it is something that you had no control over. "I'm so proud to be a man/woman!" "I'm so proud I'm black/white/etc.!" That's good, considering you didn't make yourself so and can't change it (outside of surgeries, which isn't quite the same).

As for his comment about Oprah Winfrey, does it really matter what she does? She's so intellectually and philosophically shallow, she fits her talk show audience perfectly.

 

[number386]

This is sort of different coming from Scott Holleran. He's one of those nutjobs that thought the US would have concentration camps because Mel Gibson dared to make a movie about Jesus. So he can be a bit extreme.

But he does have a point. It seems like lately, whenever a black person wins an Oscar, to some people it's more of a statement about how great it is a black person won, etc. Instead of focusing on, hey that actor was great, he/she deserved it! And the latter is what people should be focused on, not the winner's race. When Morgan Freeman won, I wasn't thinking "Yay for the black man!" I was thinking "Yay! It's Morgan Freeman!" The man's great and he probably deserved to win (I say probably, since I didn't see some of the other nominated performances. From what I saw, Freeman was the best).

So I think Holleran was basically saying we should be happy for the winners because they deserve it and/or are great actors, not take pride in their race. I suppose it is sort of stupid for a person to have pride in their race/skin color, etc. Or sex for that matter. Really, it is something that you had no control over. "I'm so proud to be a man/woman!" "I'm so proud I'm black/white/etc.!" That's good, considering you didn't make yourself so and can't change it (outside of surgeries, which isn't quite the same).

As for his comment about Oprah Winfrey, does it really matter what she does? She's so intellectually and philosophically shallow, she fits her talk show audience perfectly.

The oscars suck the process of picking nomination is built on hollywood politics, not to mention the other side of the spectrum with dumbass news organisations saying that minority actors have arrived with the increase of black nominations, and how hollywood is finally colorblind. It's a shitload of phoney pandering bollocks.

 

[FortNinety]

I'm not familiar with the site, or the writers, but I find little issue with what was said.

 

[MIMIC]

Anything they have to say is fucking ridiculous.

 

[border]

I thought it was a stupid article. For every person saying "Yay for a black man!" there is another saying "He wasn't the best actor, this is just tokenism." This will pretty much continue until black winners become relatively common. After which point the ratio will swell as the diversity-freaks shut up but the "They just wanted to give it to a nigger" folks hold fast.

 

[Lil' Dice]

He's a bitter failur. People who critique films should be given a chance to direct, or write theit own movie; then after they direct/ write a cinematic masterpiece their statements could be meaningful.
Until then, their "opinions" will matter as much as that fat guy on sports radio who never put on a jock-strap in his life.

 

[Boogie]

This is sort of different coming from Scott Holleran. He's one of those nutjobs that thought the US would have concentration camps because Mel Gibson dared to make a movie about Jesus. So he can be a bit extreme.

.

Ah yes, I remember, Holleron was the one who compared the similarities between Gibson and the terrorists who flew the planes into the Twin Towers. Douchebag.

 

[darscot]

The whole race issue and Best Actor awards is about 4 years late. Jamie Fox deserved and earned the award this year. But Denzel over Sean Penn in 2001 was a joke. Then to give it to Sean Penn two years later for Mystic River is a blatant apology.

 

[Duck of Death]

Why do people care so much about the Academy Awards? They can give the awards to whoever they want.

Box Office Mojo is a strange site. It provides plenty of great information and statistics, but the reviews are often nonsensical and bitter.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

The whole race issue and Best Actor awards is about 4 years late. Jamie Fox deserved and earned the award this year. But Denzel over Sean Penn in 2001 was a joke. Then to give it to Sean Penn two years later for Mystic River is a blatant apology.

I dunno, Denzel gave a damn good performance as Alonzo

 

[Prince of Space]

Then to give it to Sean Penn two years later for Mystic River is a blatant apology.

Exactly. The Oscars are a joke because the Academy continually gives away the wrong awards to the wrong people at the wrong time.

 

[BruceWayne]

Prince of Space

Is that a boob grab?

 

[Prince of Space]

GIRL LET ME TOUCH YOU