My interest in the Academy Awards was heightened this year by nominations for a number of films I deemed exceptional such as “Carol”, “A Bridge of Spies” and above all “Trumbo”. I was also curious to see what Chris Rock would have to say about Hollywood racism.
The Academy Awards are mostly of interest to me as a barometer of mainstream tastes, especially how it relates to a few categories that are more important to me than the “craft” awards such as special effects, etc. that the dreadful “Mad Max: Fury Road” swept up. For me, films are mostly about drama so naturally I would hone in on best picture, screenplays, foreign film, and documentary. I was not surprised to see “Spotlight” named best picture since it helped to burnish the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that had fallen on hard times in the wake of complaints about Black actors and directors being neglected. This is a film about how Boston Globe investigative reporters broke the story of Catholic Church sexual predation, just the kind of “message” movie Hollywood can show off. Not only did it win best picture, it also got the award for best screenplay based on original material. full: https://louisproyect.org/2016/03/01/notes-on-the-2016-academy-awards/ _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
