C’mon Hollywood #195

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… Dark Knight didn’t get an Oscar nom…get over it!
by Sturdy

I’m sick of reading about how disappointed people are that the DARK KNIGHT didn’t get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. All I’ve heard/read about since the DARK KNIGHT came out was how great it is and how great Ledger’s performance was, etc. Both of those are true, but that doesn’t mean it’s Oscar worthy. I’m not sure if it’s a blind love for the film, or a lack of familiarity with the Academy that has sparked this outrage, but everyone needs to step back and take a deep breath. The film didn’t get nominated. It’s not the end of the world.

Now, the hard part about taking a negative stance on anything regarding the DARK KNIGHT is that everyone loves it and refuses to accept that someone doesn’t think it’s the greatest film ever made. If I say the popcorn tasted funny while I was watching it, then I’m obviously a stuck-up elitist that doesn’t know a good comic book movie. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you the DARK KNIGHT isn’t a great movie, because it is. It was fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely. But when you compare it to the past nominees for the award, it just doesn’t fit in.


Did it really deserve an Oscar nomination?

But don’t hate completely on the Academy for not nominating the DARK KNIGHT. It’s not like the film has cleaned up at other award shows. The SAG, BAFTA’s, Golden Globes, and a slew of others all ignored it as well. However, it did clean up at the coveted Austin Film Critics Association…sigh. Award shows have consistently ignored popular movies and the DARK KNIGHT is one in a long line of films that didn’t make the cut. Even though the Academy is supposed to acknowledge the best achievements in filmmaking, all too often they go with the films that cater to their likes and not the likes of the public. Also keep in mind that an Oscar nomination isn’t a box-office competition, it’s a competition for which studio puts in the most money on bribing…err…advertising for voters.


Fanboys should be happy ROTK got so much Oscar love.

Look at some of the fanboy-friendly films that have received Oscar nominations over the past 30 years or so. STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and of course, RETURN OF THE KING are the movies I would associate the closest with DARK KNIGHT. They were all hugely successful and fit into a genre that usually appeals to the younger, fanboy crowd. But the thing that sets those films apart from the DARK KNIGHT is that they were all groundbreaking, genre-busting films. Not only were they great, but they really hadn’t been done before. The Academy had no choice but to recognize their achievement in filmmaking. The DARK KNIGHT was a spectacular film, but it wasn’t that long ago that we saw a Batman vs. Joker film, and the sixth Batman film we’ve seen in the past 20 years. Couple that with the fact we get at least two comic book movies a year and the Academy had no reason to recognize it as a “breakthrough” film. And that’s really the only way a movie like the DARK KNIGHT would get recognition from the Academy.


A potential Golden Schmoe upset?…yeah, probably not.

Now, this whole argument would be much easier if I thought the films nominated actually deserved their nominations. But that’s one of the many problems with the Academy. Can anyone remember a year where they honestly thought the five nominated pictures were actually the five best films of the year? But, that’s also why the DARK KNIGHT will sweep every category in the Golden Schmoes and films like MILK, THE READER, FROST/NIXON and others probably won’t receive a single vote.

Source: JoBlo.com
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