Awards Aftermath - Part 2

[doodler]

There were a great many people who didn't know Brokeback Mountain was the "gay cowboy" film. The manager of my local video store told me they had to establish a policy of asking people if they knew about the film whenever they brought it to the checkout because they had so many complaints from customers. He said in the 15 years he's worked there, they've never had to do that before. So obviously advertising for the film was not all that clear.

[BayCityJohn]

There were a great many people who didn't know Brokeback Mountain was the "gay cowboy" film.

by the time Brokeback was in video stores everyone should have known what the subject matter was unless they were living on another planet.

The people complaining about it probably knew exactly what they were renting. they just had to complain about it because they didn't want the employees in the store thinking they wanted to see a 'gay' movie.

I used to work in an adult bookstore, and we had customers renting "bi' videos (tapes in them earlier days) all the time and complaining about the content after they viewed it and asking for a refund or exchange.

[doodler]

I know very few people who pay a lot of attention to movies or tv... which is why I treasure the ones who do. Around here we are down to one multiplex and when I was going to the movies on a regular basis, there was never more than a half dozen or so people in same theater as I was. Once, up in Bristol (about 30 miles,) there were maybe 2 dozen people watching Brokeback and I was amazed. Interest in film really depends on your location and I think urban/suburban people are more into that type of entertainment than rural families. Give us a tractor pull or demolition derby!

[BayCityJohn]

that's how it was when i went to see the movie in Michigan. A few times I was alone in the theater.

[dback]

Do you know how many people go into the wrong theater at a multiplex and sit through the first chunk of a film--sometimes INCLUDING THE OPENING CREDITS--and the realize their mistake?  Some people are just too dumb to live.

I think BayCityJohn's theory is right on; people just wanted to make a stink so no one would think anything about them having rented it.  There were four older-ish teenage boys when we saw "The Chronicles of Narnia" who were having a nervous breakdown during the previews, lest they be "forced" to see the "Brokeback" trailer.  (Um, not on the front of "Narnia," you dweebs.)  They were being very vocal and embarassing themselves by making sure that all of their friends--indeed, everyone around them--knew they were all supposedly straight.

The heterosexual male mind is a sometimes embarassing thing.

[trekfan]

I first heard about BBM because of SNL.  I was watching it and saw a skit based on the movie.   I don't think they had many ads on TV for the movie that was why I came into the game late (so to speak) 

BUT I went looking online to learn more and the first scene I came across was the dozy embrace (I had no idea where in the movie this scene was shown)   SO if I didn't know it was about two gay cowboys I must have been watching with my eyes closed.   PLUS wouldn't the synopsis on the cover of the DVD give it away?

I didn't find that focus ever tried to create an image for BBM that took any gay themes out.   I think everyone was proud of this movie, and after seeing just how successful it was (Focus certain was looking at those box office #s)  they weren't about to cover up what the movie was about when it came time for Oscar consideration.

If anyone was really afraid of the content then Focus wouldn't have made the movie and BBM would have stayed in limbo (thank GOODNESS that didn't happen.  I can't think of a more worthwhile story being made into a movie than BBM.   It changed so many lives, affected so many people.    And showed us two actors who brought those wonderful men to life so convincingly that they are very real to us)

[graylockV]

The American Film Institute has named their selections for Ten Best Movies of 2009:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

CORALINE

THE HANGOVER

THE HURT LOCKER

THE MESSENGER

PRECIOUS

A SERIOUS MAN

A SINGLE MAN

SUGAR

UP

UP IN THE AIR

(Notice what's missing:  Avatar; Inglorius Basterds; Invictus)



And the LA Film Critics have just announced their awards:

The gritty Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker” was named best film of 2009 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. this afternoon. The film’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, won for best director.

The runner-up in the best film category was the comedy-drama “Up in the Air,” and Michael Haneke was the best director runner-up for “The White Ribbon.”

Jeff Bridges was named best actor for his performance as Bad Blake, a hard-living, washed-up country singer in “Crazy Heart.” Colin Firth was runner-up for “A Single Man.”

Yolande Moreau earned best actress honors in “Séraphine,” as Séraphine Louis, a devout housekeeper who was a self-taught painter. Carey Mulligan was runner-up for “An Education.”

Christoph Waltz was named best supporting actor as the sadistic Nazi officer in “Inglourious Basterds.” Peter Capaldi was runner-up for “In the Loop.” Mo’Nique won best supporting actress as an abusive mother for “Precious.” Anna Kendrick was runner-up for “Up in the Air.”

Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” edged out “Up” for best animated film. The French drama “Summer Hours” was named best foreign film, with “The White Ribbon” earning runner-up honors.

T Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton won best music/score for “Crazy Heart.” Alexandre Desplat was runner-up in the category for “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Philip Ivey earned production design honors for “District 9,” with Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg named runner-up for ‘Avatar.” “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp won the New Generation award.

Best cinematography went to Christian Berger for “The White Ribbon.” Barry Ackroyd was runner-up for “The Hurt Locker.”

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner won for their screenplay for “Up in the Air.” Runner-up was Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche for “In the Loop."

“The Beaches of Agnés” and “The Cove” tied for best documentary/nonfiction film.

Last year, the critics gave the Disney-Pixar animated hit “Wall-E” best picture honors -- “Slumdog Millionaire” went on to earn the best picture Oscar. The last time the LAFCA and the Academy Awards agreed on best film was for 1993’s “Schindler’s List.”

[graylockV]

And the New York Film Critics weigh in:

New York Film Critics
Association Awards 2009
         
Best Film
“The Hurt Locker”

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”

Best Screenplay
“In the Loop”

Best Actress
Meryl Streep for “Julie & Julia”

Best Actor
George Clooney for “Up In The Air” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox”

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique for “Precious”

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz for “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Cinematography
Christian Berger for “The White Ribbon”

Best Animated Film
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”

Best Non-fiction Film
“Of Time and the City”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Summer Hours”

Best First Feature
“Hunger,” director Steve McQueen

[Lyle (Mooska)]

The American Film Institute has named their selections for Ten Best Movies of 2009:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

(Notice what's missing:  Avatar; Inglorius Basterds; Invictus)

Glad to see A Single Man on there, but they also left out movies like
Star Trek (this year's The Dark Knight) and District 9, sci-fi, ya know,
ain't top ten worthy to most critics groups.

The past few years the AFI has always put on a comedy like The Hangover
so they don't seem like out of touch fuddy duddies.  In 2005 it was The
40 Year Old Virgin.

[dback]

The only consensus across the boards that I'm seeing thus far is that EVERYONE seems to love "The Hurt Locker" and "Up in the Air."  "Precious" "A Single Man" "Nine" "Inglorious Basterds" also are looking like contenders; jury's still out on "Invictus" and "Avatar," though "The Lovely Bones" looks like it's heading for the scrap heap. Acting awards seem to be scattering all over the place, but I'm seeing George Clooney, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Mo'nique and Christopher Waltz with some regularity.   Animated film is looking like a brutal fight this year between "Up" "The Princess and the Frog" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox."  "(500) Days of Summer" and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt seem to be dark horses with some support as well.

I'm a little surprised that Sam Rockwell in "Moon" and "District 9" aren't being mentioned more in year-end awards.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Like I said, sci-fi is not taken seriously by the Academy.
Star Trek was one of the best reviewed movies of the year.
Alien or Aliens could have been a Best Picture nominee.
Back to the Future.  Or more a more serious themed one
like 2001. 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

At the "Whatever Happened to Ennis del Mar?" event
at the Autry last weekend, film critic Kenneth Turan, one
of the panelists, who is based in Los Angeles and presumably
has contact with academy insiders, suggested that although
you don't get to have "do-overs" with the oscars, that if they could,
he believes the academy would reverse this decision and award
Brokeback Mountain the best picture oscar. 

[BayCityJohn]

At the "Whatever Happened to Ennis del Mar?" event
at the Autry last weekend, film critic Kenneth Turan, one
of the panelists, who is based in Los Angeles and presumably
has contact with academy insiders, suggested that although
you don't get to have "do-overs" with the oscars, that if they could,
he believes the academy would reverse this decision and award
Brokeback Mountain the best picture oscar. 

That was nice to hear.

I still think it had to be a pretty close vote.

[BayCityJohn]

Peter Knegt has written a response to James Schamus

Peter Knegt says on December 15, 2009 at 3:25pm:

Though I completely understand where Mr. Schamus is coming from, in my defense I must emphasize that the reference to “Brokeback Mountain” in this story was simply a footnote to another, more detailed one.  I did not intend for it to wholly represent “Brokeback”‘s campaign.  I understand it is a small fraction of a campaign that is very complex and extensive (I actually wrote a chapter of my Master’s thesis on the campaign, so am well aware of its many sides), and apologize if it seemed to suggest otherwise.

That said, I stand by my opinion regarding those three specific ads, but obviously understand that an analysis of something like an advertisement can be quite subjective. 

Also, when I wrote “And we all know how “Brokeback Mountain”‘s Oscar campaign worked out in the end…,” it did not intend to claim that those ads were the reason “Brokeback” lost.  I don’t believe that in the slightest. I was simply attempting to be playful in noting what happened to “Brokeback Mountain”‘s on Oscar night.

It should also be noted that this particular sentence - and the entire quotation used in the above letter - was written on my personal blog, not the article in question.  My blog is one that I do not take particularly seriously, and do not intend for an extensive audience.

More than anything, though, let me make this clear, which is perhaps why I’ve found this situation particularly unfortunate.  I loved “Brokeback Mountain,” I’m a huge fan of Mr. Schamus’s work, and the article in question was 99% about something other than both.  I look forward to giving “Brokeback Mountain”‘s Oscar campaign a more fair analysis on indieWIRE in the future.  But in the meantime, I felt it was necessary for me to defend what my article intended, which was certainly not to be unequivocal, hurtful or remarkable.
 

http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009/12/11/james_schamus_the_assertions_here_are_unequivocal_hurtful_and_remarkable

[BayCityJohn]

Wilshire & Washington on Variety.com

The "Brokeback" Vote, Reconsidered

Much has changed in the years since "Brokeback Mountain," having won nearly all the major awards leading up to the Oscars in 2006, was rejected in favor of "Crash" for the ultimate best picture trophy.

Same-sex relationships have gained a greater acceptance, even if the idea of marriage has progressed in fits and starts.

One of the most prominent critics of the Academy that year, the Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan, believes that the vote would have turned out differently today.

"I can still feel my anger," Turan said at a recent panel on the movie as part of Out West, a new series at the Autry National Center of the American West. "I really think that if the Academy could have a do over they would vote for 'Brokeback.' I think that their decision over time has come to seem less acceptable and less like the right thing."

----------------------------------------------------

"Brokeback" has lived on in the form of "Brokies" fan groups, who write their own stories of the characters and continue to watch the movie, over and over again. Its lines are still part of the cultural lexicon. And the fact that the Autry Museum is spotlighting "Brokeback," and the gay west in general, is considered something of an achievement.

The idea that Academy voters acted on their unspoken prejudices in 2006 is a much debated theory, and one that never can be proven. But it's hard to doubt something else that Turan wrote that night, a prediction that the movie would stand the test of time in ways that "Crash" would not: "Sometimes you win by losing."

http://www.wilshireandwashington.com/2009/12/the-brokeback-vote-reconsidered.html

Wilshire & Washington highlights the enduring relationship between entertainment and politics. More than a mere curiosity, the intersection of these worlds play out daily in fund raising, celebrity causes, show business lobbying and creative expression. Variety managing editor Ted Johnson provides the daily dose with contributions from reporters in L.A. and D.C.

Winner, Blog of the Year 2008, Southern California Journalism Awards.