Blinded by the Light, Academy forgets Dark Knight

10

Author: Gerry Maravilla

Well, it looks like they completely missed the mark again. By “they,” I mean the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science: the Oscars. When looking at the Hollywood elite’s picks for the best picture, director, actor, actress, etc., I wanted to punch something. While I openly acknowledge that the likability of films are strictly a matter of opinion, it is not just their selections in each category with which I disagree. This is not to say that I do not have issue with their selection, because I most certainly do – the most talked about and most obvious one being the snub of The Dark Knight.

I am as angered as the next fan-boy over this one. Christopher Nolan constructed a powerful and compelling crime thriller using one of our nation’s biggest cultural icons. He also did it in way that no one really thought was possible by creating a serious film free of “camp.” Nolan consistently directs great films that do not garner any real attention from the Academy, for whatever reason. The Dark Knight continues Nolan’s near flawless track record and his latest featured top performances from every cast member. While Heath Ledger delivers a performance that will be remembered as one of the greatest movie villains of all time, where was Aaron Eckhart’s nomination for his role as Harvey Dent? Eckhart provided the film’s only real character arc as Gotham’s tragic district attorney.

Aside from its cast, the film offered daring cinematography (the IMAX action sequences), a powerful score, and a storyline that was not only engaging, but also intellectually provocative. I did not see another film in 2008 that I can say did all of these things. The Dark Knight will remain a classic of American cinema with or without the Academy’s acknowledgement. It is just a rather somber thought that they cannot bestow honors upon a film that ceased to be just a film, but transformed into a cultural event. This film proved widely successful and popular with BOTH critics and the movie-going public. How often does a film connect with such a wide audience? In twenty years, or even five, I wonder if anyone will even remember The Reader. One thing is for sure; I have no doubt that audiences, critics, and scholars will continue discussing The Dark Knight.

The next complaint is a little bit more of a personal one: where the hell is The Wrestler? While I admit that this is my personal pick for the best film of the year, I definitely think it deserved the nomination more so than The Reader or Benjamin Button. The Wrestler was an exploration into the world of one compelling character, played by Mickey Rourke, who delivered a powerhouse of a performance. He evoked empathy, pity, and a growing sense within all audience members that they were watching the slowest, most beautiful car wreck they had ever seen. The pacing, performances, and nuances in each scene were consistently on point. Even if some critics argue that they saw the ending coming from a mile away, The Wrestler gave people a view into a world that is often misunderstood and quickly dismissed. The film displayed the intense level of athleticism that professional wrestling demands. It also revealed that when someone is hit in the face with a chair or bashed with barbed wire, it is not fake. I appreciated that Darren Aronofsky’s film offered people the chance to look into the world that is overly glamorized. He revealed its gritty and often tragic reality.

Aside from the Academy’s snub of The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Christopher Nolan, and Darren Aronofsky, the biggest problem lies with the nominations for Slumdog Millionaire. I definitely agree that Slumdog Millionaire is a good film (not great, good), and that it does deserve the majority of the nominations it received. My problem lies with the fact that, excluding Allah Rakkha Rahman for his musical score, no Indians received nominations for awards. The Indian actors, producers, and most importantly, the co-director, Loveleen Tandan, were oddly absent from all categories. While the film is set in India, stars Indians, and photographs the extreme poverty of the caste system within India, the Academy chose to simply ignore them when it came to nominations.

I find that the children actors in Slumdog were far superior to Robert Downey Jr. or even Josh Brolin. Then again, these children actually live in the slums of India and are thus not members of SAG. The nomination of only the British filmmakers is just further example of Hollywood patting itself on the back for being “progressive” without actually doing anything worthy of the word.

Then of course there is Wall-E, an incredible achievement in animation and storytelling that finds itself stuck in the second-tier category like “Best Animated Film.” This category fails to recognize when films like Waltz with Bashir are pushing the medium to new heights. Instead, the Academy rewards two other films that offer the same things we have always seen in Hollywood animation: talking animals. I guess points aren’t given for originality.

Rounding out the snubs were Gran Torino and Revolutionary Road. Gran Torino made some bold statements about racism and social mobility, featuring a performance from American cinema legend Clint Eastwood. Revolutionary Road featured three of the year’s best performances. While Michael Shannon received a nod for his, Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet did not. While the Academy felt it necessary to acclaim Winslet’s role in the The Reader, they do not seem to understand Dicaprio’s evolution as an actor since his days in Titanic.

I hope that following Oscar night the press doesn’t run story after story about how terrible the show’s ratings were. It won’t be a surprise or newsworthy. The Academy has clearly defined what it thinks is a “great film,” and is not interested in altering that. I just don’t want to hear any more complaints coming out of Hollywood as they fail to evolve at the same rate as their audience. It has become no secret that Hollywood creates films that are designed to win awards, and others just to appease “the common” masses. Now, who wants to go download Paul Blart: Mall Cop?

Gerry Maravilla is a senior AHVA major. He can be reached at gmaravilla@oxy.edu.

This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.

Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here