Re: Ten Memorable Oscar Speeches L.A. Times blog item. The speeches mentioned are fine, except for Berry's which as I recall was rambling and not great. The article left out Russell Crowe's acceptance speech which was coherent and elegant and noteworthy. Leave it to the Times to eliminate a truly good example.
Scott's Gladiator was not meant to be a Discovery channel documentary,but a film drama.Suspension of disbelief and reading between the lines are necessary. I am familiar with Roman history and was not offended by Scott's take on things.Why should I be I've seen most Roman epics and tales ,including older television productions and as I recall historical accuracy was not strictly adhered to. What does bother me are distortions of contemporary history,the here and now. Gladiator was a thoughtful,entertaining film and quite successful.
2000 was a very good film year,with something for everyone. Brokovich and Traffic were not favorite films,but they were well done. Chocolat was interesting and it had something to say in its own way. Cast Away was Hanks movie and it also has a lot to say about the human condition. Crouching Tiger was fine as was Pollock ,which was not a big box office film. However Gladiator was the grabber that year and it remains a solid ,winning film. Crowe did an outstanding job as the General,and he is not your usual tough guy,but a thoughtful strong individual. Some critics labled this a popcorn movie but after watching Gladiator for awhile I realized that Scott had reshaped Roman epics for the 21st century.Gladiator has become an iconic film,#80 at IMDB for example. Even the soundtrack is a knockout. Pavarotti sang the ,"IL Gladiatore,' theme in concerts and bands have used the music for various events.Brokovich is a good but yet another legal/beagle movie,while Gladiator is an all time favorite.
The Oscars as we know the show and awards was hijacked in 2005 and replaced with the Oscar Film Festival. This is a collection of what Hollywood deems ,"important stories",stories which we cannot do without. Hollywood military views, a general disgust for conservatives and or Republicans, gay rights/marriage,those poor misunderstood terrorists(we made them do it) and big business. Now the movie business is big, huge even, but it will always be a Mom and Pop operation .Now if these folks told these stories with any degree of objectivity I'd be more sympathetic. But...they just don't get it these days.
Personally I would like to see what Spielberg's take is on Moses. The Moses we know is DeMille's film concept and or any books that have tackled the Moses of history .But please Mr.Spielberg don't do the tale through the filter of 21st century domestic American politics,that would be wrong.
Nowadays the Oscars seem more like just another film festival,Sundance in L.A. ,which favors stories of dud drama,open ended plots,personal reprehensible behavior and Hollywood politics.The Oscars used to represent all kinds of storytelling,because movies are about the human condition,past,present and future,all genres, and variations thereof. Someone posted that Hollywood is a closed industry ,sort of like a walled city which doesn't really like ALL opinions and presentations.It will continue to mutate and will be less than what it once was.
so the Harris poll has Johnny Depp at number one,now why is that exactly? Those Pirates films? Alice in Wonderland? Generally he plays eccentric over the top characters. Wayne is fine ,BUT the best actor ever? Perhaps as an iconic American actor ,the westerns, the action/adventure films,nothing too high-faluting. Now Clooney is on that list why? His films don't draw Depp size crowds and his views are problematic. He does have an excellent publicist and he is always pushing to be taken seriously. Some odd company on that Harris list.
Mr. Nolte points out that the movie market has changed and that a lack of ,"stars," is a big problem.I have read a number of comments at Big Hollywood over a few years and the impression I have is that no stars are a good thing,at least coming from the posters.Plus the big movies are comic book.super hero subjects and that situation has grown over this decade. No need for stars who can act just green screens and CGI. Once in awhile an actor puts his stamp on a character, Downey or Depp ,but these big movies aren't made for grand acting.Now there are some actors who can act Crowe,Lewis,Hanks,Washington etc
EEESSSHHH! Prince of Persia looks like a video game film made for children. Good grief, Nolte has stated that Cate Blanchett's character of Lady Marian is acting like a feminist in Robin Hood,now that is a stretch. For what it's worth the folks I know who have seen Robin Hood liked it and I did too.
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