And so Christmas comes early with this NY Times review of Benjamin Button, which closes:
That power, though, is something to be reckoned with, and it resides in Mr. Fincher’s ability to use his unbelievable skills to turn an incredible conceit into a plausible love story. The romance between Daisy and Benjamin begins when both are chronologically pre-adolescents and Benjamin is, physically, a codger, but the initial element of pedophilic creepiness in the relationship gives way to other forms of awkwardness. Their love is uniquely perfect and enduring. At the same time, like any other love — like any movie — it is shadowed by disappointment and fated to end. In the case of “Benjamin Button,” I was sorry when it was over and happy to have seen it.
It has been surreal, watching how the critics have handled Benjamin Button because it brought to mind the whole point of critics, their role in the awards race and what it actually means to have a chorus of voices declaring a film good or bad. We all know that our own experience is as valid as anything. Yet, here we are in the business of trying to figure out the “best” from the rest. Critics come into play most in helping to distinguish this. But it comes at a cost. Therefore, the critics, in the end, can be as frustrating as the Academy because no one gets to decide what is good and bad except those of us handing over our money, taking a ride, and deciding for ourselves.
No Response for "AO Scott Happy to Have Seen it"
As you indicated earlier, for every critic that likes it, there’s one that doesn’t.
Morgenstern: “‘Benjamin Button’ is all of a visionary piece, and it’s a soul-filling vision.”
Hornaday: “It’s utterly conventional and predictable, its moral payoff nothing more than a maudlin, anodyne mumble.”
And so many others. (Revolutionary Road isn’t doing too well with the critics either)
Besides The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire, there is nothing remotely similar to There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men this year – and even the two I mention aren’t unanimously praised.
Also – Scott didn’t include Benjamin Button in his Top Ten List for the year.
Can I just tell you how amazing you are, Sasha?
I have been Oscar Watching here since the year Moulin Rouge was nominated (2001?), and you just get better with time. Your commentary is always so refreshing and insightful. Where others are wannabe critic blowhards, you are the reasonable calm in this crazy storm. I’m just as motivated to see a film based on your thoughtful summary of its position in the race as I am based on its overall critical response. Thank you for all you do…I think I speak for everyone when I say that none of us takes your work here for granted.
P.S. Seeing Benji tomorrow…can’t wait.
bravo zach! i agree by far, sasha is the calm in this crazy storm AND IS AMAZING. the best so far..u know what, I DISLIKE THE L.A Times> ENVELOPE site GREATLY…tom o’neil and his peeps have the nerve to have me BANNED from POSTING IN their forums, for slamming SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE OVERRATEDNESS. the nerve! anywayz, ! the bloggosphere is a cruel world…and she does calm ppl down!
By the way, has anybody heard about this new movie called… umm.. something about a Curious Benjamin or something…? Anyway I just thought I’d tell you about it in case you weren’t aware of it.
Merry Christmas everyone
)
T.
Seriously whats the use of all these reviews when few critics consider it fit to include it in their Top 10 films of the year.
The problem with top 10 lists is that they often leave off great movies.
I think film lovers agree that The Edge of Heaven was a great movie yet it seems a lot of US critics didn’t even see the film or dismissed it because it was foreign.
No Daveylow, the Edge Of Heaven made quite a few top 10 lists. Check this poll
http://www.indiewire.com/movies/2008/12/critics_poll_08.html
The Edge of Heaven was deemed the 16th Best Film of the year.
It came in before
22 The Dark Knight
28 Slumdog Millionaire
34 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
75 Frost/Nixon
94 Revolutionary Road
99 Doubt
It also came
7th in Best Director &
9th in Best Screenplay.
Its just the Oscars which have completely ignored it.
“Therefore, the critics, in the end, can be as frustrating as the Academy because no one gets to decide what is good and bad except those of us handing over our money, taking a ride, and deciding for ourselves.”
And in the end the American Movie Goer named ‘The Dark Knight’ that film.
I agree!
Merry X-Mas Movie House!
I was figuring out the probability of Ben Button getting the axe at Oscar time, and this is what I think the 5 nominees for BP will be.
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog
and Wall-e*
*It’s between Wall-e and The Wrestler. Having not seen the latter, I think the Academy members might see it as a rip-off of Rocky and only good for Mickey Rourke. So I think they’ll go with their hearts and nominate Wall-e.
It seems every time I come to this site, there is yet another article about how great “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is and how silly or stupid anyone who doesn’t agree on the matter is.
To me, this site is losing its integrity. You should stop worrying so much about plugging your favorite films and just work on covering pertinent issues that regard the Academy Awards race.
I have little idea what is being buzzed about in LA right now. This site, in gaining more exposure over the years, has lost some of its objectivity. If I want a review, I’ll read the New Yorker or Manhola Dargis – the real professionals in terms of taste. I come here to get the lowdown on Oscar, period.
Button was a very good movie, but it just didn’t leave me in awe as Slumdog did, or several key moments in The Dark Knight…
Overall the mixed reviews are small telling signs that the Dark Knight might actually have a chance at taking the big prize….
I think the point is, Sasha, that there is some autonomy in these reviews. It may make it harder to decipher, but the point is that what has happened the last few years with ‘No Country for Old Men’ and performances like Phillip Seymour Hoffman in ‘Capote’ for instance is that too many reviewers were banging the same drum, and it made things really boring. It’s great that small films, Hollywood films, not necessarily the predictable Oscar films are getting some notice this year. The Oscars will be predictable in their nominations as usual. Deciding whether Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio will get a Best Actor nomination isn’t that thrilling. I just saw The Wrestler last night and that’s one film that isn’t overrated. It’s a great film and has great performances by Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. I encourage everyone to go see it.
John, I have gotten this same complaint for nearly a decade. We go in phases here. We write analysis, predictions, report on reviews – this is a site that takes a look at every aspect of the Oscar race but we don’t leave our hearts out of it, never have. This is not for everyone. Here’s the good news. There are hundreds of Oscar sites, literally hundreds, and most of them are fairly objective about the race. If strict analysis is what you’re looking for you can find it at so many sites — here are just a few of them:
The Envelope
Oscar Igloo
Oscar Frenzy
In Contention
The Carpetbagger
These sites tend to do less advocating and more objective observing. I suggest you point your browser there instead of coming here to complain. It isn’t that I am not listening, it’s that I’ve been at this for ten years. The last thing I’m going to do is stop doing what I like to do to please you or anyone else who complains. This site has been my blood, sweat and tears for most of the time my now ten year-old daughter has been alive. I am not the kind of business that allows for customers to come at me and complain and expect I’ll do something about it. This is a subjective site — I keep a pretty good eye on the race on my contender tracker but when I write about film I write about what interests me, as does Ryan. Perhaps this means I will get less traffic – my traffic seems to be doing just fine. But if I didn’t do this for love of it all, trust me pal, I wouldn’t do it.
You come here and get all of this content for free. You come here of your own free will. I wouldn’t waste my time whining if I were you. You have an embarrassment of riches at your fingertips with the internet. You should enjoy it and be grateful for it.
See, I wrote the whole thing without once saying STFU.
This is all about expectation Sasha. They who disagree with you expect this site to be as fair as possible. If it can not reach at least to their taste, at least it (according to them) supposed to be in line with the professional critics’ opinion in general outside.
However you are right, this is your site and you are free to state whatever your opinion here. Though mostly I disagree with your opinions but I can respect that.
I come here from time to time just for the sake of having fun reading all those wannabe critics in your comment site. Believe me It’s so much fun!
These are just a few of my favourite lines;
– I will never watch Oscar again if my fav movie doesn’t win! The first two years reading that it gave me smile and the following years it gave me vomit, I think if somebody says that again this time it’d give diarrhea for sure!
– Those emptyhead critics know nothing about my fav movie!
– My fav words so far; Contrived, One or Two deminsionals, Pretentious, Manipulative, Fifth grade (like any fifth grade is stupid not naive), Overrated, Juvinile, Self Important, etc.
– and any other
(I just don’t want to sound bitter or sarcastic here to mention too much).
At the end Movie is one medium of art, it’s not Math. When it comes to art reviewing it’s very subjective. However please be humble with your words (not you Sasha
) Just because you use bunch of words from Webster and use so complicated thesaurus that your opinion matters! You just don’t like it and we get it! now move on.
Well Sasha, I have been visiting Oscarwatch/AD for a few years now and I always thought it was one of the best, if not the best, Oscar sites. I wasn’t aware that this site was supposed to be about the subjective whims of the authors – no, I was under the impression that this was the place to go for people who were interested in the game.
There are many articles here about Benjamin Button, which would lead one to believe it is pretty hot right now, but in reality, I don’t think it has much positive buzz within the industry. That means its Oscar chances are going down. I predict lots of nominations with very few wins at this point – a kind of “GONY” scenario from 02.
So where is the real heat? I’d say “The Wrestler”, “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “Wall-E”.
Oscar has never been about the best film, nor is it about our individual favorites. It’s the game that we’re all watching, I think. Objectivity can only help this site, IMHO.
BUTTON is a visual marvel and not much more. I couldn’t stand that the final 20-30 years of his life were glossed over so quickly and yet his youth in the retirement home dragged on for what felt like forever. Having Button grow “young” with his daughter could’ve been incredibly interesting. The decision to not go that route is something I can’t wrap my head around.
thanks sasha for all the postings i do love awards daily and of course i love ben button. peace to all.
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