Posted on 01/12/2006 12:43:04 PM PST by SirLinksalot
Why I'm skipping the Oscars this year
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© 2006 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Every year since I was old enough to stay up late, I've watched the Academy Awards. This year, however, I have absolutely zero desire to watch the Oscars. In recent years, lack of quality from Hollywood has turned the Academy Awards into a special-interest-group get-together. If you're crazy, gay, have a disability or are a member of a minority race, you'll likely be nominated for an Oscar. If your film tackles a "deep social issue" (normally an issue dear to the hearts of Hollywood's liberal glitterati), you'll have an excellent shot at grabbing a gold statuette.
The combination of declining product quality and rising Hollywood disdain for mainstream America has opened the door to the agenda-film crowd. It began with the 1994 Oscars. "Schindler's List," "The Fugitive" and "In the Name of the Father" all received Best Picture nominations; other excellent films of 1993 included "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" "Searching for Bobby Fischer," "Shadowlands," "Fearless" and "In the Line of Fire."
Still, Hollywood had to take a shot at mainstream America, and they found their vehicle in "Philadelphia," throwing their honorary liberal activism award to Tom Hanks for his weak performance as a dying AIDS-stricken gay lawyer in "Philadelphia." Unbelievably, Hanks' cheesy hospital-bed routine beat out Liam Neeson in "Schindler's List" and Daniel Day Lewis in "In the Name of the Father." "Philadelphia" is, clinically speaking, a maudlin, ham-handed attempt at social commentary.
The remaining 1990s were filled with weak movies and weak performances. On average, high-school audio-visual clubs make better movies than Hollywood put together in the late 1990s.
Then, our illustrious decade: With great films scarce and politically mainstream Academy voters even scarcer, 2000 featured the victory of repulsive anti-suburbia and pro-homosexuality hit piece "American Beauty." Of course, it beat out a film lionizing an abortionist ("The Cider House Rules") and another attacking the tobacco industry ("The Insider"). Most disturbingly, the Academy handed Hilary Swank a Best Actress Oscar for playing a transgendered biological girl murdered by a bunch of hicks. And 2002 was the year of the African-American honorary Oscars, when Denzel Washington took home Best Actor for his decent if overrated performance in "Training Day" and Halle Berry took home Best Actress for her highly touted simulated orgasms in "Monster's Ball." In 2003, homosexual agenda films like "The Hours," "Frida" and "Far From Heaven" grabbed the largest share of nominations. In 2004, Hollywood couldn't hold off "Lord of the Rings" any longer, but Charlize Theron, playing an ugly lesbian serial killer in "Monster," won Best Actress. And last year, the Best Picture was forgettable pro-euthanasia film "Million Dollar Baby."
And then there's this year. "Brokeback Mountain," the stomach-churning story of two 1963 cowboys who get cozy while bunking down in Wyoming and then carry on their affair over the course of decades, is likely to grab Best Picture honors. The critics love it, mostly because critics love anything that pushes homosexuality as normal behavior. The New York Times raves about it, mostly because the Times has always wanted to carry a ridiculous story proclaiming that "there has always lurked a suspicion that the fastidious Eastern dude of Owen Wister's 'The Virginian' harbored stronger than proper feelings for his rough Western compadres, and that the Red River crowd may have gotten up to more than yarning by the campfire whenever Joanne Dru was not around." Maybe that's what Pinch Sulzberger thinks about when he watches John Wayne on screen, but the Times should be more careful when speaking for the rest of us. By the way, don't believe the "hit movie" hype – this supposed blockbuster has netted a grand total of $8 million. "Hostel," last week's No. 1 movie, a cheap horror film, has already netted almost $15 million.
Best Actor honors are likely to go to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his performance in "Capote" – this would mark the first time that an actor in a gay role has actually deserved his Oscar. Best Actress will probably fall to Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line," but supporters of Felicity Huffman's transgendered father-mother in "TransAmerica" could push her over the top.
Aside from pimping for GLAAD, the Oscars will provide a platform for other leftist talking points. "Good Night, and Good Luck," George Clooney's blatant attempt to bash the Bush administration through the mouth of Edward R. Murrow, and "Munich," Steven Spielberg's attempt to equate Arab terrorism with Israeli self-defense, will likely garner nominations. And to top it off, Comedy Central partisan hack Jon Stewart (who is less and less funny each day) hosts this self-congratulatory leftist feting.
I won't be watching. Neither will most Americans.
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Benjamin Shapiro is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently enrolled at Harvard Law School. In "Porn Generation," he explains how mainstream acceptance of pornography is destroying his generation ... and our nation. Ben also shows how students are duped into becoming socialists, atheists, race-baiters and narcissists in "Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth."
Last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it!
That is what my husband indicated. He taped it and watched the parts he was interested in... I won't give these over-paid prima donnas the time of day for now.
I need some help here. As a female, I don't pretend to know much about you guys and what makes you tick and what you will do and won't do with another man. So, here is my question: How accurate is the premise of Brokeback Mountain? Shepherd #1 proclaims that he "ain't queer." Then he has a few shots of whiskey because it is cold out there on the Wyoming mountainside; he scoots over to the tent of Shepherd #2 just to get warm; they have frantic ferocious (according to the reviews) anal sex. Next morning, neither is talking about what happened the night before, but now they're in love. And the Critics rave!!! Let our minds be opened to true love - Hallelujah !!!! I say give the Oscar to King Kong - now that was acting....
Great point - people used to go to the movies when there was something worth seeing - so the awards show was more entertaining and worth watching... and the stars weren't political blowhards (except for Marlon Brando, whose antics seem tame now).
They were in my parents house also, but that is when I could look at them without contempt probably some 20 years ago. I tried again, one year about 7 years ago but ended up at some point disgusted with some actor and turned it off.
BTW I love going to the movies always have. I did a very interesting study this week after all the articles about the decline in movie going....I went to box office mojo and looked up and counted the movies in the top 100 I had watched. This year I watched 16 of the top 100, sounds like a lot until I went back and figured I had gone to the movies on average 25 times a year with the largest numbered year at 32 movies seen in theater.
Then I looked at the list of movies that are coming out this year and counted only 8 that I might be interested in going to this year.
Not a movie I want to see more than once, however. Too many of those now days.
I only watch for the dresses anyway.
What made Philadelphia wasn't the story (too predictable), or Hanks (too over the top), but Denzel Washington's great performance. HE deserved an oscar. But he played a "homophobe", even if he did "grow".
He had some great lines:
"Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old. "
"Are you a homo? Are you a queer? Are you a faggot? Are you a fruit? Are you *gay*, sir? "
Judge Garrett: In this courtroom, Mr.Miller, justice is blind to matters of race, creed, color, religion, and sexual orientation.
Joe Miller: With all due respect, your honor, we don't live in this courtroom, do we?
To this day, I use, "Tell it to me like I'm a 4 year old" in my dealings with fellow geeks that start throwing a little too much jargon into their speech.
Most gay men I know will confess to having a "straight" fantasy, especially if the straight is married and has children. Forbidden fruit ;) if you will. This whole premise is a gay man's wet dream and has nothing to do with reality.
I don't know why but it bothers me when people misinterprit sarcasm or something similar and I feel like I have to correct it haha, I really shouldn't care if people think Unforgiven was a also a gay cowboy movie or if Eastwoods a fruit, but I think post 66 meant that as a joke finding a gay agenda in all the best picture winners gladiator etc when they obviously all aren't, maybe I didn't recognize you were joking too.
This theatrical crowd (Hollywood and elsewhere) holds more self-congratulatory ceremonies than any other occupation or profession in the country! That alone should tell us something.
I would only watch if "Narnia" is nominated for anything, and even then, I'd just pop on it from time to time to see if that category was up.
People who skip the Oscar presentation are joining a large group. Viewers have fallen off each year. I'm surprised that any sponsors buy time to see these flakes present awards to each other.
Once again the winners will be a list of names I never heard of.
Who wants to watch these girly men and airhead women trash the only nation on earth that would so greatly reward such meager talent?
Hollywood's utter contempt for their audience is exceeded only by the really bad movies that follow one after another.
Depends on the viewer I guess. With revival of sci-fi, and the return of movies based on comic books has put me in movie going heaven the last few years.
Errrr, nice tits, Gweneth?
Mark for later reading.
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