Posted on 09/06/2004 4:10:34 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Moore says he won't submit "Fahrenheit 9/11" for consideration as best documentary at this year's Academy Awards. Instead, he's going for the bigger prize of best picture.
Moore's critically acclaimed film slams President Bush's war on terror as ill-advised and corrupt. The movie has cheered Democrats but enraged the president's supporters, who booed Moore when he visited the Republican National Convention last week.
"For me the real Oscar would be Bush's defeat on Nov. 2," Moore told The Associated Press during a phone interview Monday from New York.
The $6 million film has become a sensation that collected $117.3 million in the United States this summer, despite an early roadblock when the Walt Disney Co. banned its Miramax Films division from distributing the political hot-potato.
In the midst of the presidential campaign, Moore's announcement is a strategic move for his Oscar campaign. Documentaries and animated films have their own categories, but the conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that those niche awards can limit a film's appeal in the overall best picture class.
Moore said he and his producing partner, Harvey Weinstein, agreed "Fahrenheit 9/11" would stand a better chance if they focused solely on the top Oscar.
He also said he wanted to be "supportive of my teammates in nonfiction film."
So many documentaries - such as the gonzo fast-food satire "Super Size Me" and the sober look at Arab television news in "Control Room" - have made the rounds in theaters recently that Moore, who won the best documentary Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine," said he wanted to give others a chance.
Moore also hinted in a recent interview in Rolling Stone he would like the movie to play on television before the presidential election. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, playing on TV would invalidate its contention in the documentary category, but not for best picture. With the movie coming out on DVD Oct. 5, it's not clear whether the TV deal would happen.
Regardless of who wins the election, Moore said the movie's presence at the Academy Awards in February will provide another forum for Americans to think about its message.
"The issues in the film - terrorism, the war on terrorism, the Iraq war - will be with us five months from now, sadly," Moore said. "The issues that the film raises will be no less relevant, in the new year."
TM & ©2004 WJLA/NewsChannel 8, a division of Allbritton Communications Company
Too funny - if he wins it will be the death of Hollywood as it exists today.
I thought he wasn't going to be eligible because they showed it on Cuban TV and that's against Academy rules.
"The Passion of the Christ" is the picture that deserves to win the Oscar."
Amen....and agree!
His remarks about what his real Oscar would be says it all. This is nothing more than a hit film, and knowing the leftist in Hollywood, he just might win Best Picture.
Actually, I don't think they would. It's easy for them to favor moore in documentaries, no competition against the big hollywood machine. If he runs for best picture, especially after the election, he will drop to the bottom of the stack.
I think the documentary filmmaker crowd is still PO'd about what happened at the last Oscars. I wouldn't doubt it if they're not even going to submit any films in that category if Moore is even considered. The Academy is probably being informed of this through back door sources.
Proverbs
MR. Moore - Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.
I think it'll be a riot if he wins an Oscar after Bush wins the election. The award would end up being so...so meaningless. ROFL!
This tub of goo is just a TAD full of himself, isn't he..........
Words cannot be typed without me getting into trouble of the outrage I have for this man. sheeeshh
Everythings's going to be okay.
He is nothing.
I predict right now that it will win.
That only would disqualify it from the documentary category. It'd still be eligible for best picture.
Well, I for one loved Kill Bill Vol. 2, but your point is taken. There just aren't that many big Oscar contenders and I'm sure that Moore knows this. And Weinstein will be out for blood after his string of consecutive Best Picture nominees was snapped last year.
I meant to add, Kill Bill is the only film apart from The Passion that I really loved this year and it's not really going to contend for many Oscars.
If this wins or if The Passion of the Christ is not nominated for something, I will probably swear off the Oscars.
I know! Moore and liberals raved so much about how F9/11 would cause the country to turn against President Bush. Really, they thought that it would convince the entire country that Bush was evil. So much for that.
So now Moore needs to keep his name in the lights. He's already won a documentary Oscar, and he milked that for all its worth, spewing from the podium, getting booed of the stage, etc. It resulted in his speech being hyped by the media, and that's what he wanted.
With his gunning for a best picture nod, it's sort of a win-win situation for him in terms of media coverage. If it gets nominated, his film goes down in Oscar history as a Best Picture nominee. On the other hand, Miramax will not let us forget that he's campaigning for Best Picture, so if it doesn't get a nod the media will rant about how he got snubbed, and he gets some more coverage. Moore is happy as long as his ugly mug is on the news.
The documentary filmmakers are a tough crowd. I think this is still the standing rule; documentaries are shown at certain theaters at assigned times. In order to vote for the documentary you have to be at these specific screenings. Other categories don't require any proof that you have even seen the film.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.