On Missing the Oscars
It’s not that I don’t like movies. I do. I really do. When I wore a younger man’s beret and jodhpurs, I pursued a self-directed degree in film history. I haunted Movies Unlimited on Castor Avenue (the retail store closed in 2005). They seemed to have every movie ever made, or at least every movie in my curriculum, although occasionally they disappointed me. (“What do you mean you only have one copy of Battleship Potemkim?”)
I haven’t watched many movies in the last few years, though. When Oscar buzz began to build a few weeks ago, we tallied up all the movies we saw in 2005. Zero. Clearly, I wasn’t qualified to make any Oscar predictions, and I had no interest in watching the awards. I don’t know what happened between me and movies. Maybe it’s the boorish behavior of today’s moviegoers, or maybe I just can’t sit still for two hours. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s me that’s changed and not the movies. I’m confident that today’s movies are just as good as the black-and-white classics I cherish. Maybe someday I’ll see one of these newfangled “talkies” and prove it to myself. Feel free to suggest something inspiring. It needn’t have won an Oscar. (I don’t think any of my favorites ever did.)
As for that degree in film history, I withdrew and gave myself an incomplete.
Comments
How 'bout The Hudsucker Proxy?
I don't know if it's inspiring, but I'm dead sure it never won an Oscar. It's just the movie that came wafting into my mind as I was clicking over here.
Posted by howard on March 13, 2006 at 1:40 AM
Thanks, Howard. I saw Fargo, and based on that, I would watch anything Joel Coen did.
Posted by Tony on March 13, 2006 at 7:19 AM
Actually, it's not you. Movies DO suck more than they used to. In the past they were an art, and now they're brainless blockbusters with forgettable plots and one-liners.
It may seem rabidly weird of me to be posting this, considering, but I'm rabid about movies. Recommendations (though not all new movies):
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fight Club
Spirited Away
Dogville
Ghost World
Falling Down
Amelie
Collateral
Lost in Translation
About a Boy
Love Actually
Kill Bills 1 and 2 (and while I'm at it "Reservoir Dogs" - that was my favorite Tarantino before the "Kill Bills" and now I can't choose)
That should cover you no matter what genre you like. For you, for some reason, I'd say "Amelie" especially, if you haven't seen it.
Posted by Josie Q on March 16, 2006 at 5:07 PM
What a great list. I haven't seen ANY of these, although that's no surprise. I always wanted to see Reservoir Dogs (a classic), I did see Pulp Fiction which I thought masterful and very entertaining, but that's been my only Tarantino experience. Thanks, Josie, I really appreciate it.
Posted by Tony on March 16, 2006 at 8:10 PM