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Modern Life is Confusing Part 2
Published Monday, February 26, 2007 by Sonic Avenger | E-mail this post
Ok, I admit it, I don't understand The Oscars. Mind you who the hell does?To me the whole selection process, in terms of hazy-mysteriousness, resides somewhere between The Freemasons, The Offside Rule and Long-Division. I think this dates back to 1992, when Marisa Tomei scooped the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for My Cousin Vinny.
Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against goofball/buddy-buddy/feelgood/knockabout comedy, (I love Caddyshack for God's sake) and I'm a fan of Joe Pesci generally...but come ON, My Cousin Vinny and Academy Awards??? I was confused then and I'm still confused now.
Why? Because last night Martin Scorsese won the Best Director Oscar for The Departed. Now, I'm a long-time Scorsese fan and was excited that this flick signalled a return to the Gangster genré that he's so firmly stamped his own indelible - and highly influential - mark upon ever since Mean Streets in '73.
So, dear reader, you could've woken me up and knocked me down with a rolled-up copy of Empire magazine when I nodded off several times during it's first-day showing down at the local Über-plex. I just didn't get it. Still don't.
Gone was the kinetic visual style so long associated with the best of Scorsese. The locations mostly looked like routine film-sets. As regards
the casting, I was initially taken with the idea of Jack Nicholson's inclusion, but what we got was the same tired old performance he's been trawling out ever since The Witches of Eastwick. Someone should have a word there.
The triumvirate of Di Caprio/Wahlberg/Damon was never a thrilling prospect for me either to be honest. Personally, I see their finest moments as being What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Boogie Nights and Team America: World Police respectively.
So, dear reader, you could've woken me up and knocked me down with a rolled-up copy of Empire magazine when I nodded off several times during it's first-day showing down at the local Über-plex. I just didn't get it. Still don't.
Gone was the kinetic visual style so long associated with the best of Scorsese. The locations mostly looked like routine film-sets. As regards
the casting, I was initially taken with the idea of Jack Nicholson's inclusion, but what we got was the same tired old performance he's been trawling out ever since The Witches of Eastwick. Someone should have a word there.The triumvirate of Di Caprio/Wahlberg/Damon was never a thrilling prospect for me either to be honest. Personally, I see their finest moments as being What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Boogie Nights and Team America: World Police respectively.
Not a popular view I'm sure, but even without these considerations, the end product is one generic-looking, big-ass budget TV-movie.
Granted, it's now the highest grossing of all Marty's flicks, but that cast-list alongside his name was always going to get bums (U.S. readers: fannies) on seats.
However, what those statistics can't tell you is whether that record-breaking box-office audience thought the movie was any good or not....and by that stage, public opinion is irrelevant anyway. Once your ticket has been punched and your petit paddling-pool of popcorn purchased Pop-Kids, you're just one of the adoring masses whether you manage to stay awake in there or not.
So I'm baffled that this offering succeeded with the Awards selection committee where say, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino and The Last Temptation of Christ didn't.
Ok, in the case of the latter there was that whole Right-Wing Christian Loony backlash to consider, along with David Bowie's casting as Pontius Pilate (and I agree that someone should definitely have been at least shot at for that), but certainly the other three.
All that said, The Departed has garnered pretty favourable reviews generally, so maybe... inconcievable though it may seem ... I'm on my own with this one.
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