Are you SURE about that?
13 July, 2008
I have no doubt that The Dark Knight will be an awesome film. I had mixed feelings about Batman Begins but I’m confident that the sequel will work out the kinks. But a Best Picture nomination? Call me cynical but something tells me that if Heath Ledger was alive and well, people wouldn’t be this enthusiastic in their hype. I don’t recall anyone calling for a Best Picture nom for Iron Man and yet the reviews were phenomenal (93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) I can see nominating Ledger for Best Supporting Actor but let’s not go nuts here.
Then again, I could be wrong. It would be awesome if I’m wrong. There was a concern after the last ceremony that the films being honored were too obscure. Personally I don’t think the Academy should pander to anyone and vote without politics on whatever honestly spoke to them the most. Unfortunately it’s all about the ratings and the last show was the lowest-rated ever. So they have no choice but to pander to the average moviegoer. And luckily this particular film has prestige (no pun intended) written all over it. Sure, there’s Ledger, but we’ve also got Christopher Nolan directing and a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman. It’s an easy film to bridge the gap between cineastes and the common man.
But then I have to wonder about the critics. They overhype movies all the time, I’m aware of that. I would as well if I constantly had to see the junk they’re forced to experience. So any movie that is only marginally well-done is automatically going to be lauded over because of the relief factor. But Best Picture worthy? Then there’s the comparisons to Heat and The Departed, not just by Roeper but other critics as well (I also saw The Untouchables mentioned.) This is just too much.
I will see The Dark Knight next weekend. And maybe I’ll love it just as much as Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips (Is Roger Ebert ever coming back? If not, why not make it Roeper and Phillips?) But the hype machine is really scaring me now. More than ever.
Friday Night in the Kingdom of Doom 
Well…
Here’s my thing. IRONMAN was a fun, entertaining movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s Oscar worthy. Though Downey was good, I don’t think he had to act much. (And I have problems with the CGI in that film, but that’s another story.) Ratings are just ratings – You can enjoy a film, but not think it’s spectacular. (Casion Royale was the highest rated movie of that year, for example. No one would nominate that film for an Oscar.)
Granted, I haven’t seen TDK, but you MUST remember who the director and writers are. They’re not about blockbusters so much as story-telling. And yes, it’s getting greater hype becuase of Ledger’s passing, but a part of me thinks it would almost be the same had he survived that night. I remember being blown away when the trailer and prologue were revealed back in December — I wanted to see Ledger as the Joker right then and there.
Somebody pointed out on another blog that The Dark Knight is like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Fugitive, blockbuster films that normally would have no Oscar buzz but got that very thing because of unusually great performances. I suppose Ledger would’ve been nominated had he lived. From what I’ve seen, clearly he’s brilliant. But when we start going further than that, I have to be cautious. I don’t want to be let down this weekend.
You might find this hilarious. Nothing to do with Batman. It’s a brilliant parody of a terrible 80’s sci-fi show. Hilarious.