February 25, 2008 12:47 PM
Academy Awards - so what?
I guess I've passed a milestone of sorts.
I remember how exciting it was when I was young to watch the Academy Awards. I really stopped watching years ago when it turned into such a coarse, narcissistic and consistently anti-American ordeal.
Not to mention that the winners usually seemed the darkest possible movies around. I mean, I watched Mystic River because it won best picture and I thought it was the most depressing and pointless movie I'd ever seen.
This year I didn't even have the vaguest inclination to find out who won. It's 12:40 and I still don't know. Maybe I'll click on Drudge. . . .
What about you?
Newsflash: this just released - this Oscar Night was the least watched in history:
Analysts had forecast a relatively low-rated affair because most of the films nominated for major awards were not crowd pleasers.
Well, duh.
Posted in Culture, Current Affairs, Movies | Permalink
Comments
I used to be a MAJOR movie fan: left work early to catch matinées, followed video releases on Tuesdays, and what was coming out on Fridays. I've even been know to stay up and search out the middle-of-the-night Oscar nomination announcements.
No more - I haven't cared in years. Hollywood is not putting out films I'm interested in. Too much sex, violence, lifestyles I can't relate to yet no really good STORIES! Stories I want to seek out and/or characters I care about.
Plus, local theaters are charging ridiculous prices. It's MUCH easier to rent a movie and make a snack and hang out together.
Finally, I've been way happier and much more entertained sitting home for the last few Sunday evenings watching PBS's "The Complete Jane Austen" than I have going to a first-run movie in years! LOL
Posted by: Beth/Mom2TwoVikings | February 25, 2008 2:47 PM
I've never watched them. Thy always seemed like such a pointless waste of time. I rarely, if ever, have watched even ONE of the movies nominated, and if I have, generally speaking, I didn't like it!
Plus, I was never one of those girls who would watch the Miss America pageant, either. Call me weird. LOL
Rachel (who has NO idea who was even "in the running"--much less, who won!)
Posted by: Rachel | February 25, 2008 4:18 PM
Personally I have never been much interested in the whole Hollywood scene. Most of the movies that come out these days are full of things I don't care to watch -- depressing, violent, ego-centric -- and moreover they are boring.
The stars themselves are more of the same. I haven't quite figured out the draw in keeping up with who's on drugs, who's in a mental health facility, and who's jealous of whose family.
I guess that's why the Oscars have never held my attention. People I am not interested in getting awards for movies I don't care to see.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | February 25, 2008 5:02 PM
I had to watch them, because I review films for family websites, but aside from some lovely evening gowns, it was a colossal bore. Film Critic Michel Medved echoed your opinion, Barbara, on his interview on EWTN's "The World Over" when he stated how out of touch the Academy was with what the American people actually watch, and noted that this is of course, reflected in their low audience.
None of the "Best Picture" nominated films, besides "Juno" sold more than $100 million. Family friendly films like "National Treasure", for example, took in nearly $300 million.
Medved did note, however, the trend in pro-life films(Juno, Bella, Waitress, Knocked Up) as Hollywood taking several years to latch on to a social trend. When will they wake up and realize they live in an alternate universe?!
Posted by: Leticia Velasquez | February 26, 2008 4:41 AM
I'm with Beth. I used to love to go see movies and to look forward to the new ones, but honestly within the last couple of years, there has been such a huge lack of good movies that it gets very frustrating. We rarely go anymore and I felt kind of bad this last Christmas when I was given a Movie pass but knew it would be months before I would even use it.
I'm going to save it for when the new Indiana Jones comes out, the new Narnia, and of course Harry Potter in the fall. Other than that I really can't think of anything worth seeing in the theatre. Thank goodness for netflix!
Posted by: Jennifer K. | February 26, 2008 8:23 AM
I was glad to see that Juno had been nominated for several academy awards. It's not often that you see a pro-life movie recognized in Hollywood! I'm glad it won best screenplay.
Posted by: Becky Miller | February 26, 2008 10:17 AM
