Hollywood? Meh.
I usually get pretty excited about the Oscars. Even though it's always on Sunday night, the busiest school night of the week, I watch every year. Sometimes I watch with a stack of essays in my lap, grading during the commercials and technical categories while the TV is muted. This year, I'm just not that excited.
Part of it may be that I haven't seen many of the nominated films. My Old Man and I actually made it out to the theater to check out the creepy, dark, but well acted and beautifully twisted Black Swan. (I recommend it, especially if you've seen The Wrestler, also directed by Darren Aronofsky. I see them as companion pieces.) And we rented The Kids are Alright, which I found a compelling portrait of a family in transition and a basically good marriage in crisis. (I also appreciated that the fact that it was a lesbian marriage was simply part of the story, not the main point.) But as much as we wanted to see True Grit, The King's Speech, The Social Network, and 127 Hours, we just didn't make it to any of them, nor any of the other films that got the big Academy nod. We made a point of trying to get out to see more live theater and music performances this year, and I think all those tickets bought in advance to edifying cultural events ate up most of the evenings of babysitter-scored.
(We did take the kids out a few nights ago to see all the animated shorts nominated this year - Thanks, local art theater! Long may you thrive. - and I'm rooting for Madagascar, Travel Diary. O. and Roo are both hoping that the hilariously depressing Let's Pollute wins.)
More than the lack of having seen many of the movies that are going to be in the spotlight tonight, however, I think there's not room in my head and heart this week for thinking about movies, actors, and scripts. My mind has been straying toward Madison, Wisconsin in pretty much every free moment I've had for the past couple of weeks; keeping up with events there and trying to spread the word to my networks of friends and acquaintances about how to support the fight against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's anti-Union, anti-democratic budget bill has taken up all my extra thought and energy. I feel like the future of the American labor movement - and by extension, American democracy and the American middle class - is hanging in the balance. With all that's going on in Madison, I just can't get it up for Hollywood tonight.
Part of it may be that I haven't seen many of the nominated films. My Old Man and I actually made it out to the theater to check out the creepy, dark, but well acted and beautifully twisted Black Swan. (I recommend it, especially if you've seen The Wrestler, also directed by Darren Aronofsky. I see them as companion pieces.) And we rented The Kids are Alright, which I found a compelling portrait of a family in transition and a basically good marriage in crisis. (I also appreciated that the fact that it was a lesbian marriage was simply part of the story, not the main point.) But as much as we wanted to see True Grit, The King's Speech, The Social Network, and 127 Hours, we just didn't make it to any of them, nor any of the other films that got the big Academy nod. We made a point of trying to get out to see more live theater and music performances this year, and I think all those tickets bought in advance to edifying cultural events ate up most of the evenings of babysitter-scored.
(We did take the kids out a few nights ago to see all the animated shorts nominated this year - Thanks, local art theater! Long may you thrive. - and I'm rooting for Madagascar, Travel Diary. O. and Roo are both hoping that the hilariously depressing Let's Pollute wins.)
More than the lack of having seen many of the movies that are going to be in the spotlight tonight, however, I think there's not room in my head and heart this week for thinking about movies, actors, and scripts. My mind has been straying toward Madison, Wisconsin in pretty much every free moment I've had for the past couple of weeks; keeping up with events there and trying to spread the word to my networks of friends and acquaintances about how to support the fight against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's anti-Union, anti-democratic budget bill has taken up all my extra thought and energy. I feel like the future of the American labor movement - and by extension, American democracy and the American middle class - is hanging in the balance. With all that's going on in Madison, I just can't get it up for Hollywood tonight.
posted by E. | 4:07 PM
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