24 Feb 2009

I Would Like To Thank The Academy

For giving Sean Penn the Oscar for Best Actor. MY GOODNESS I couldn't bear the hype about Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler any longer. All this talk about a stunning performance, deep, powerful etc is pure bullshit. I saw this documentary looking movie [it was made on a $6 million budget after a lot of people pulled out when they heard Rourke was in it]. Nic Cage was supposed to play the lead before Rourke stepped in. In all honesty for this type of movie Rourke definitely would have played it better than Cage without a doubt. The budget was not the issue. I've seen great films done on a lesser budget.

I watched with an unbiased opinion. I saw two movies in one night at the cinema back to back. Seven Pounds and The Wrestler. I had to Google the release date of Seven Pounds to make sure the release was before December 31st 2008 in the USA after I had watched the movie. Anything after this date doesn't make the cut for the Oscar nominations. ALL BIAS ASIDE. Will's performance WAS WORTHY of an Oscar. Even if you think the film wasn't that great or complicated, he delivered in that film and moved the hell out of me. Seriously I was like "Wow" when it was over. Yes it was sad, but I was sure I was looking at a front runner for an Academy Award and potential winner. I then saw The Wrestler and cleared my mind. Decided to give Mickey Rourke a fair shot for the just under 2 hour movie and let him work his acting magic on me.

**POOF**

This was Mickey Rourke, playing Mickey Rourke.

**Looks around. Tumbleweeds pass me by.**

What in the hell was so fantastic about HIS performance I'm still wondering what garnered a nomination when Will was totally snubbed across the board. He was so snubbed it was like the movie wasn't even made or released. Like a dog just walked on by and pissed on his shoes. He was only recognised by his peers [Black award shows and only three of them]. I am not even playing the race card in this blog [it's not a colour issue], but seriously what happened at the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes, BAFTA and the Academy Awards? Did he piss off Jewish Hollywood or something? He was nominated for The Pursuit of Happyness and this [his performance] was on par, if not better. Remember this wasn't even about liking the movie, I'm talking about Will's sole performance. So before anyone wants to comment on the movie I'm talking about THE P.E.R.F.O.R.M.A.N.C.E. In Hollywood the film doesn't even have to be good or make money for an actor to be recognised in the role for a nomination. I'm even a little mad Rosario Dawson wasn't even nominated either.

Back to Rourke and Penn. I haven't seen Milk but I have seen the trailer in the cinema and when I saw the trailer I said to myself, that Sean Penn's performance has Oscar written all over this [I saw the trailer weeks before I saw The Wrestler]. I was more inspired by Penn in a trailer and loved what I saw and thought "damn I'd be surprised if he's not up for Best Actor" than I was from viewing Mickey Rourke in the WHOLE of The Wrestler. In all honesty Rachel Evan Wood albeit small her performance was the most, real, moving and powerful in this film. She almost reduced me to tears dealing with her mainly absent father [Rourke] in this movie.

My dad was MAD when Mickey Rourke won the BAFTA for Best Actor. I had to explain to his old Jamaican self that you get it for that role in particular regardless of your Hollywood history. My dad thought Rourke didn't deserve the award based on him being a bad boy and being away from the spotlight. Again it's not about his personal life or behaviour but what he delivered in this role. I actually had to tell my dad this is hardly Rourke's first movie since 9 and A Half Weeks, the man has been working and earning money quite well over the 80's, 90's and 00's. He's being hired, he hasn't been shunned [that badly] so why all these idiots are calling it a comeback like he's been off boxing for most of his career is beyond me. Comeback as in first major headlining flick in a while yes. Comeback as in a huge career break no.

But thank God for Penn shaking up the Oscars just a tad. All the money was on Rourke, and this category actually made me mad that there was all this hype over Rourke and ignoring other worthy actors this year. For once Brad was GOOD and we hardly heard anything about him this year.

Well let me just say this. If Benicio is not up for Best Actor next year for Ché, then the [acting] world has lost it's damn mind.

Don't even get me started on Kate Winslett. I may blog about that English bit of fluff another time.

3 comments:

  1. OH GIRL...you know they are not going to give Benicio an award for Che...i've heard rumblings of how giving an award in relation to that movie is tantamount to giving the green flag to communism and you know how the Americans feel about that...

    As for Seven pounds...I love me some Will any time but people have so bashed this movie I am even scared to watch it lest I agree.

    congrats to sean penn though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sean did a pretty good job.

    Mickey, Oh nai... u said it one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ K, why not if Forest Whittaker can get one for his depiction of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland? If Benicio's acting was on point for the role he played I see no issue with it at all.

    Looks Oscar worthy to me regardless what me or anyone else thinks about communism or Che Guevara. I think if they were that concerned about this movie it wouldn't have been made, not by a big wig like Soderbergh anyway who's a big player behind the camera in Hollywood. It probably wouldn't have been backed let alone distributed if it was that controversial. It would be cinematic suicide for him to take this on and not realise the consequences. Academy Award winners and nominees have played some very scrupulous roles, and a lot of them have been depictions of characters not favoured well in society at all. Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner [wife beater and rapist]. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuronos [serial killer and prostitute]. Sir Anthony Hopkins as Dr Hannibal Lecter [Serial killer and cannibal]. I would hope in 2009 the possibility of giving an award to an actor regardless of the topic and for the merit of his work alone would be standard. Just because you award an actor for his depiction of a character doesn't mean they support actions of the person depicted or what they stood for. People are going to have their views about politics and communism. If they are intelligent enough to have those views then they should also be intelligent enough to know that awarding a man for his work doesn't mean you support the cause or even the message. Those that do have issues and remind me of those folks that can't even separate soap opera characters from real life.

    But shoot we got 12 months to wait to see if he even makes the list. My gut says he will unless four other actors out trump him between now and 31 December 2009 at the box office on acting merit alone. Benicio is a fine actor, one of the best we have today in my opinion and I'd like this time for him to scoop Best Actor. He got Best Supporting for Traffic.

    Y'all can tell I <3 my movies!!

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.