As certain as carols on Christmas Eve, you can always rely on the pre-Oscar weekend to bring a surfeit of “why the Oscars don’t matter” pieces — all other angles on the race having been exhausted in the preceding months. Hey, I sort of did one myself yesterday.
True to form, today we have David Thomson in the Guardian dismissively asking, “Who cares about the Oscars?” (If Mr. Thomson did some digging around the web, he’d be in for a nasty surprise.) Elsewhere, you’ll surely be stunned to learn that Armond White doesn’t approve of the annual ceremony, either: Kathryn Bigelow is better than a stinky Oscar, runs his general argument.
Both pieces contain several nuggets of truth, but highbrow film critics kicking the Academy to the curb is hardly revelatory. More fun, then, is Vanity Fair’s slightly more inside view from filmmaker Terry Gilliam, a one-time Oscar nominee for “Brazil” whose latest effort, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” will compete in two technical races on Sunday.
It’s hardly surprising that Gilliam hasn’t much time for the award he calls “the silly little gold guy”: though his films have received a scattering of nominations (and even an acting win) over the years, his oddball fantasy wheelhouse doesn’t really jive with the Academy’s sensibility. Like many pundits, he dislikes the “controlled ritual” of campaigning, with its heavy emphasis on year-end releases.
A more personal grudge — albeit a wholly justified one — comes in this hilarious reflection on his one trip to the Oscars 20 years ago, accompanying his wife Maggie Weston, herself a Best Makeup nominee for his film “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”:
It was great. I went with her. It was a chance to see all the Italians we had worked with. When Driving Miss Daisy won over Munchausen… To make Jessica Tandy look old? She IS old! And to make Morgan Freeman look black? He IS black! All this elaborate makeup we were doing on Munchausen and we don’t win? That was the bar. After that point, I said “Fuck it.”
On a more positive note, in addition to the nominees for his film, Gilliam mentions that he’ll be rooting for two former collaborators, Jeff Bridges and Christopher Plummer. In at least one instance, then, he should be quite happy with Sunday’s results.
Comments
16 responses to “Terry Gilliam calls bullshit on the Oscars”
I don’t approve of Armond White, so I’d say it’s a fair trade off.
Can we please all agree to stop linking to articles by Armond White?
The man is a joke and nobody really takes him seriously. I don’t understand why anyone would waste their time reading his cynical drivel.
So could we please try and pretend that White doesn’t exist?
Terry Gilliam tends to hate on everything.
LOL at Gilliam’s words…
I must say, that is one of the most hilarious tirades I have heard regarding the Oscars. Thank you, Mr. Gilliam. You rule, as always.
I am one of the few people who actually went to see Doctor Parnassus, and personally, if I am being the judge, it would flood the technicals. It was a beautiful film that was supremely entertaining and enjoyable.
Another witticism from my favorite director. Terry Gilliam knows whats up.
On another note, Gilliam was robbed for Director and Screenplay back in ’86
Ordinarily, I don’t mind Armond White, but this thing he has going where he is pretending that he never gave “The Hurt Locker” a rave review is annoying. He loved it, and now all he can do is trash it. Irritating in the extreme.
Armond is a pretentious idiot of the worst kind but unfortunately he has a point with this:
”Think about it: Does anyone care anymore about The English Patient? Shakespeare in Love? American Beauty? Chicago? A Beautiful Mind? Million Dollar Baby? Slumdog Millionaire? None of these films are artistic landmarks.They didn’t mean much even while watching them. But the further you get away from the first impression or from the marketing, they mean nothing.They’re just… Oscar winners.”
Apart from No Country For Old Men and perhaps LOTR 3 i don’t think any of the movies that won in the last 10 years or so were anywhere close to be being the best of the year or even great movies at the very least.
The oscars are like an abusive relationship…you know you should end it,you know the bad things overwhelmingly outnumber the good and yet year after year you watch and hope that things will finally change for the better.
After Bullock wins everyone will curse that the oscars have no legitimacy and come summer start mentioning the potential nominees for next year.
I love The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, American Beauty, Chicago, A Beautiful Mind, Million Dollar Baby and Slumdog Millionaire.
Shut the * up Armond. Your views don’t mean anything to me.
Me too. “The English Patient” is one of my personal favorites.
Gotta agree with Mimi and Speaking English: The English Patient and some of the others mentioned with it are some of my faves of all time.
American Beauty is still one of my all time favorite films.
Me too….I heart American Beauty and The English Patient, fantastic fillms.
Terry Gilliam should concentrate on making a decent movie first
I suspect there’s some bitterness that Ledger’s last role went without a nomination or fanfare.
Oscars, kind of like Hip Hop, everyone claims to hate it, but hey, its still live and kicking and even the haters do a little jiggle now and then.