The discussion about the great films that entered the Oscar race this year will continue. But we have to stop and pause and acknowledge that yes, something I personally thought was all but impossible is coming true. I said on my last Oscar Poker podcast that if Tom Hooper won the DGA I would quit. The reason being, not out of disgust — it is their choice, their club, their statuette. But because it would show that I learned absolutely nothing in the eleven years I’ve been doing this website. And that is absolutely true: I know nothing.
I was lulled into thinking that since 2005 Oscar voters were paying closer attention to the critics choices. WRONG. They only align with the critics if they watch “their movie” and like it. Too many people watched The Social Network and thought, “I don’t get why it’s such a great movie. Great films reveal themselves slowly over time. But if you watch them once you’ll never get what makes them great. Plenty of people still say to me “I don’t get why Citizen Kane is such a great movie.” I’m not saying there is anything wrong with them – after all, movies are made for people, not for critics. If anyone ever needs to know once again why I think The Social Network is a great film, I will be happy to oblige.
2. In a year of great visionary American productions and filmmakers, the industry couldn’t possibly reward a British story by a British director made by a British production company. What about Obama’s State of the Union? What about keeping our industry here alive and thriving? WRONG. The King’s Speech is a movie you “feel” whether you are an American, a European, a dog or a cat.
3. The director is not well known enough: DOESN”T MATTER. If they love the movie, they love movie.
4. The unprecedented sweep of the critics awards DID mean something. This is the first film in Oscar history to win that many awards and not win Best Picture. Surely the voters would see that? WRONG. The heart wants what it wants. The King’s Speech is plenty good enough to be their choice for Best Film of 2010.
5. 2010 will be a split year because there were so many exceptional films in the race! WRONG. It will be a sweeps year and The King’s Speech will clean up. That means, Geoffrey Rush will win Supporting Actor, and the film will win Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Art Direction, Score, Costume. And it will do so without blinking. Oscar 2010 is over and they went across the pond to find their Best Picture of the year.
I apologize to you Oscar watchers whom I might have misled in either my podcasts or my site. It was not my intention. After all, for the many years I ran this site we all already knew how the Oscar race goes. It was only the last few years that things seemed to change a bit and they WERE rewarding films because they were great films, not just because they moved them. I’m not saying to some people The King’s Speech isn’t a great film. I’m pretty sure it. I do not want to diss the movie. It isn’t that I want to talk about how bad it is, because it isn’t bad. I just want to say that, in my opinion, it isn’t better than the other nine. But my opinion was tainted. And I apologize.
Next up, A Tale of Two Movies — the similarities and differences between The Social Network and The King’s Speech.
