In 1990 Martin Scorsese lost to Kevin Costner for Best Director and at that moment a sword plunged into me piercing skin and veins and nicking major arteries and damaging fully-functional organs. It was painful and bloody and I screamed and did a little crying.It took years and years of rehab at a nice L.A. location that has really good coffee and an on-the-premises massage therapist named Chloe. I had to learn to walk again and form sentences and how to trust and smile because man was I messed up. I mean can you blame me? Kevin Frickin' Costner who mowed down a field of corn to build a baseball field pulled down the trophy of trophies for Dances With Wolves. And there sat Marty, I'm sure flipping off every academy voter from behind his lush red chair trying to grin and bear it. And can you blame him? How can you not mention Goodfellas and masterpiece in the same sentence. And who the hell wants to get into a discussion longer than 3 seconds about Dances With Wolves.
So here we are some 16 years later and I am somewhat back to normal, but that wound has still never healed. It has re-opened a couple of times. Like when James Cameron won for Best Director. But I am much better now, thank you.So you would think that since there seems to be no doubt that Scorsese will walk away with Best Director come Sunday, the wound would heal once and for all. Not true. Why? Because it's a gimme. It's a make-up for past wrongs. Scorsese doesn't deserve it for The Departed like he deserved it for Goodfellas. Not even close. The stars were aligned for Goodfellas and the Academy missed it. They fucked up. The Oscar will look pristine and shiny when Scorsese holds it, but it will be damaged goods. And that still hurts.
Well, Well, Well....Piper...we finally agree! The Departed clearly does not deserve best picture. For a movie with such hype, it was a TOTAL let down. Dances with wolves and Goodfellows were both great in their own area. I think, however, in the end, the best picture won. It told a side of American History that no one really wants to see or talk about. As for Goodfellows....honestly, haven't there been enough Mob movies? Is everyone simply trying to redo the Godfather moives? Don't get me wrong...it was good....just not great!
ReplyDeleteAnyonymous,
ReplyDeleteDo you actually read my posts or just look at the pretty pictures? I didn't say The Departed deserved or didn't deserve best picture. I was talking about Best Director. But that seems to be par for the course with you.
Anyways, no movie to my knowledge told a story about the mob the way Goodfellas did. And Godfather was completely different. Two different stories were told. Godfather was a different time and took a more glamorous approach. Goodfellas was much more gritty. And I feel completely fine with saying it was a GREAT movie and few, with the exception of you who thinks that Tim Burton is among the most brilliant directors, would debate me on this.
And no the best picture did not win, nor did the best director. You sound like an Academy voter. Are you? I'm sure a lot of them thought they were making a social statement and making up for years of wrong against the American Indian by awarding a lesser movie.
And you missed a part. No comment about James Cameron? I'm sure that you of all people would have fought the good fight for Cameron and claimed him, right behind Tim Burton of course, to be the second most brilliant director of our time.
Keep it up anonymous, the world of Lazy Eye is much more interesting with you in it.
Piper,
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you for the compliment of your world being more interesting with me in it! As for reading your post, yes I do….the real question is do you watch the movies you talk about? James Cameron is an excellent director. Tim Burton is an excellent director. Did I say either of them was the best? No. I agree Goodfellas was “gritty.” I also think it was a good movie….not great. Next I suppose you will say “Reservoir Dogs” was a masterpiece!
As for being a member of the Academy….hardly! I am simply a person who enjoys movies for what they are supposed to be….an escape from reality! I enjoy movies for their message, but I also get tired of directors putting out various pieces of crap and hiding behind, “Oh, it’s ART!” Give me a break!
Some of the most moving movies of our times are simply great movies. No hidden message, not “gritty,” no metaphors…just great movies.
BTW, the world of Lazy Eye is pretty interesting!
If you're going to be a regular anonymous, you should give yourself a name. Preferably an Arch-Nemesis name.
ReplyDeleteI will agree with you that I go to movies to enjoy them. I'm not too interested in subtext or double meanings or blah, blah, blah. And I think that if you have truly perused this blog, you already know that.
So you say that you hate directors putting out various pieces of crap and hiding behind them... I agree which is why I am so disappointed in Tim Burton as of late. Here's a guy who made a string of great movies in Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood and then goes on to remake heaven with Planet Of The Apes and Willy Wonka? Come on. I think Burton is drinking his own Kool-Aide a bit too much. He needs to go back to what made him great.
I look at the directors whole career and judge him/her from that. James Cameron is one of the best when he's directing action and Sci-Fi. He is not good at drama and he can't write serious drama to save his life. He deserved to be best Technical Director for Titanic, but he did not deserve to be Best Director because take away the boat crash and you've got a Romeo and Juliet re-hash and how many of those have we seen.
Which leads me to Little Miss Sunshine. It was a good movie. But did it do anything new? Did it show you anything you hadn't seen before? I have seen countless road movies and I love them. Fandango probably being my most favorite. And sticking dead Dad in the backseat of the car, reeks of Vacation. I don't hate the movie because of those things, I just don't think it deserves to go down in the books as the best picture of the year.
And what's wrong with Reservoir Dogs?
Absolutely right, Piper. Scorcese does NOT deserve this one.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they'll screw it up somehow and give it to Alfonso Cuaron anyway.