Posted on 12/21/2005 6:58:28 PM PST by wagglebee
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gay and political films are dominating this year's Academy Awards race with some experts expecting that Oscar will wind up wearing pink, either for left-leaning politics or sexual preference.
As Hollywood starts its annual awards season leading to the March 5 Oscars, key front-runners in main categories are either gay-themed or political films, with Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," a drama of love between cowboys, leading the pack in the all-important best picture race.
"It could be the gay Oscars this year because gay-themed movies could win almost all the major awards," said Tom O'Neill, show business awards columnist for The Envelope.Com., referring to the sudden dominance "Brokeback Mountain" has gained so early in the race.
"'Brokeback' is going to be hard to beat. Rarely do we have this kind of award consensus for a movie, and its director (Taiwan's Ang Lee) is long overdue for an Oscar," O'Neill said.
"Brokeback," the first gay romance to make a bid for mainstream respectability, has already won the top awards handed out by critics in New York and Los Angeles and copped seven nominations for the January 16 Golden Globes, often a key indicator as to which way the Oscar wind might be blowing.
As for political films -- the field is crowded with potential winners: "Munich," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Syriana," and "The Constant Gardener."
Many experts predict that "Brokeback's" toughest competition could come from either George Clooney's "Goodnight, and Good Luck," a steely-eyed examination of the McCarthy era, or "Munich," Steven Spielberg's study of the price Israel paid for its reprisals for the murder of its athletes at the 1972 Olympics.
DON'T COUNT "MUNICH" OUT
Before the race began and before anyone had a chance to see Spielberg's movie, it was being touted as the odds-on favorite to snare the best picture award, namely because Spielberg is a revered figure in Hollywood and had chosen to make his most serious movie since "Schindler's List."
The film is an examination of the cost of fighting terrorism and whether a democracy can use methods like targeted assassinations without destroying or shaming itself.
The film was hit by a backlash as soon as it was shown to Jewish American and Israeli groups, who argue that Spielberg ignored arguments that Israel was justified in using the methods it does in the war against terrorists.
New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier wrote that "'Munich' prefers a discussion of counterterrorism to a discussion of terrorism; or it thinks that they are the same discussion. This is an opinion that only people who are not responsible for the safety of other people can hold."
David Poland of Movie City News said that "Munich" has to overcome the impression that it is anti-Israeli and possibly can do this "because the anti-Israeli accusation is a neoconservative one and not a mainstream Jewish one."
He noted that at screenings at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose members give out the Oscars, "Munich" was well received.
Poland, himself, is optimistic, predicting that "'Munich will still win the Academy Award. I think 'Brokeback' will suffer when it goes into a wider viewing."
Other films with gay characters or gender-challenging themes that have won prominence this year include "Capote," thanks to its standout performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman as writer Truman Capote, and "TransAmerica," with Felicity Huffman winning rave reviews as a man on the verge of completing a sex change.
In this movie, she's a woman playing a man about to become a woman and if that sounds easy, rest assured it isn't.
"Brokeback Mountain" is also doing well at the box office -- even though it is only in 69 theaters, it was last week's eighth-highest-grossing movie.
I wonder who they're going to get to host the Oscars this year? Is Big Gay Al booked? That being said, I have no doubt that Brokedick Mountain will sweep the awards--Hollywood just can't help itself.
Viewership is dropping like a stone so they figure the best way to respond is with an in-your-face movie about fudge-packing sheepherders.
Should I? No, I think I'd better not.
I never watch the oscars and could care less.
Long, boring show.
Who will the host be this time? Not that I'll watch it, there isn't a single movie in their list of "top ones" that sounds any good at all. Munich is distorted too, unfortunately. There was a chance to tell a story that could enlighten us all but they don't understand "fact based" any more. Except "The Great Raid"...Anyone here see that one? Very good! World War II, no exploitation at all, just the story.
Yeah, I decided to pass on that one too!
Oh, goodie. The three worst movies of the year. But frankly I think this guy is smoking something. Hollywood may be nuts, but when it comes to Oscar time I think a lot of professionals will vote their pocket books. Voting for smalltime loser movies just doesn't make economic sense.
Of these three movies, only "Munich" has a chance to do well at the box office. I hope it bombs, but with Spielberg at the throttle it may do well in spite of its vicious message.
I saw "Cinderella Man" last week and it was excellent!
Well of course! It's all the HollyPuke feces licking
freaks voting for each other! No surprise in that.
But they made their money on the movies they sneer at.
Once the Big city Leftie pervert "Blue" centers,
have been milked, "Brokehole Sheepbangers" reciepts
are going to go down like everyone involved in
making this filthy piece of sex defect fantasy porn.
"Cinderella Man" was an incredible movie and it's not even mentioned even though Russell Crowe's big movies ("Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind") have won before.
Yes, Cinderella Man was good too, I just wish they had treated Max Baer a bit better instead of making him such a villain!
From things I've read, the portrayal of him was reasonable accurate.
Ellen Degenerate or one of the deviates
from 'Will & Grace'...Maybe Rue Paul..or
some other equally "classy & cool" pervert.
Would rather think about that in the "normal" way.
This is an excerpt from the pluggedinonline.com review about this movie:
Once, the camera keeps staring as kisses give way to anal sex. (There's no nudity shown, but the sequence is explicit; it includes sexual motions and sounds.)
A movie with a homosexual sex scene like this is supposed to get the nod for Best Picture in the Academy Awards. This is unbelievable.
I didn't see it. I think maybe the title was misleading.
Oddly enough, when I was a tiny tot my parents took me across the Pacific on an ocean liner, with a stopover in Hawaii. I don't remember it, but I was told later that Buddy Baer, Max Baer's brother, was on board, and that he squatted down and pretended to "box" with me.
The Academy has departed earth's orbit as it explores new frontiers where no man has ever gone%2e HAH! With men on men with scared sheep%2e %0d%0a%0d%0aWe can wonder how long their narsissism will roll on%2e
I know what will happen.
Host will read almost-funny lines, singer will sing, folks will walk to microphone to make a few comments and thank a few people.
That's it.
And they'll do it for 3 or 4 hours, and they'll include: Personal Cellphone Category.
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