Film & Water #29 – Oscars 2016

THE FILM & WATER PODCAST

Episode 29: OSCARS 2016

Host Rob Kelly welcomes film critic Zaki Hasan (MOVIEFILM PODCAST) to discuss this year's Oscar race!

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2 responses to “Film & Water #29 – Oscars 2016

  1. I loved THE MARTIAN; I think it was the best made movie I saw this year. Now, granted I only saw like eight movies, but anyway… Matt Damon did a terrific job as the anchor of the film, but I’m not convinced he did anything with the role that another leading male actor could have done. DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, I’m pretty sure they all would’ve given comparable performances so I’m not so sure he deserves the nomination.

    I also loved CREED and would’ve liked to see Ryan Coogler rewarded with a directing nomination over, say, someone like Adam McKay.

  2. Like you, I know full well the Oscars are no better (and may be worse) than other award galas, but watching them is a sacred tradition. Our annual Oscar Party has evolved into as big a production at home as it is on television. Winning the Oscar pool means you get a ton of used and new DVDs the participants are getting rid of (or have bought special to troll the winner), there’s a pot luck where all the foods are movie puns (my entry this year is probably going to be Brie [Larson] sh’Rooms), many obey a non-existent dress code… and we do try to see as many nominated films as we can, regardless of category together beforehand (around 20 to date).

    I’ve won the Oscar pool often, and usually feature in the top 3 (consider that the Oscar Party’s attendance hovers around 15-20 people), so I’m pretty good at predictions (the trick is obvious, try to figure out how the Academy thinks and never go with your heart). I’m very competitive, but I don’t care if I win, which I think is probably the best definition of sportsmanship. Of the categories you discussed I think you have it right with Spotlight, Miller, DiCaprio, Larson and Stallone, with no way to really know for Best Supporting Actress. I think Vikander might be favored here, but this is one I expect to fail with on my ballot. Unfortunately, while I’ve seen every nominated film in the Best Picture category, many of the Acting films have eluded me. I missed Creed and Trumbo, passed on Joy, and neither Carol nor The Danish Girl came to a theater in my area. Nor will they be out on DVD BEFORE the Oscars, except for Trumbo, which will be a nice film to watch just before the Oscars, I think.

    As for Oscarsowhite, good points made on both sides of the argument, with the truth somewhere in the middle. While it’s true that the lack of diversity in nominations (and I also wonder what the male/female ratio would be if awards were given to “actors” regardless of gender) is indicative of a systemic industry failure to give people of color (in front of and behind the camera) as much in the way of opportunity, it’s also true to say that voters come with a bias concerning black (or Latino, or Asian, etc.) culture. I’m not saying it’s racism, mind you. It’s that to understand, really understand, a minority when you are a member of the opposite majority, you must make a conscious empathetic effort. If you don’t, if you thoughtlessly look at everything through your own culture (or gender, or whatever)’s eyes, you may miss the VALUE of the minority’s narrative. In other words, your median Academy member who is male, white and of a certain age does not “get” why the rise of gangster rap is important, or what the story of NWA is “about”, because he lacks the cultural touchstones to even generate interest in it. That voter, unless he makes an active effort, doesn’t even have the tools to evaluate a performance like Corey Hawkins’s or Jason Mitchell’s in Straight Outta Compton.

    I don’t have any solutions here, as it’s a bit of a vicious circle. White voters essentially elect new voters with each award, and if they make “their own kind” win, the pool of white voters grows, and so on. Nobody wants to see “tokenism”, least of all the people nominated, but my own litmus test reveals that minority candidates do get snubbed. Basically, if there’s someone on a list of nominees that makes me go “really?!” while a sure-shot candidate doesn’t figure on it, that’s suspect. Last year, Bradley Cooper had no business being nominated, while David Oyelowo had no business NOT being nominated in the same category, to name one of the more blatant examples. A “minority caucus” or slot that insures representation at the nomination stage would probably be my fix (and there are various ways to do that). After that, vote for who you want, but minorities are getting face time, and their presence changes the way we think of the industry and its biggest awards show, and that gets the ball rolling.

    Anyway, good show, and I’ll see you on the red carpet.

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