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January 28, 2005
Did Michael Moore and Mel Gibson Get Snubbed?
No. They didn't. It's funny reading over 100 publications that put out some lame attempt at controversy by suggesting that Michael Moore or Mel Gibson got snubbed by the Oscars this year.
You see, to get "snubbed", suggests that you were seriously deserving to get nominated, and I'm sorry, but neither of them deserved it.
Don't get me wrong, I think both Fahrenheit 9/11 and Passion of the Christ were wonderful films, I really do. However, just because a film is really good, doesn't mean it was one of the top 4 or 5 films of the year. I'd personally put "Passion" in my top 10-15 of the year, and the same goes for F-9/11... but neither of them were (or should be) in my top 5.
And don't forget, Moore decided to not allow F-9/11 to be considered for the Best Documentary category (which he easily would have won), and instead opted to go for Best Picture instead. He never stood a chance.
To fail to get nominated for Best Picture doesn't mean you didn't make a great film, it just means it wasn't one of the top 5 of the year. With all due respect to Moore and Gibson fans who are shouting out "SNUB", in reality niether of their films were in the top 5 (or very close to it).
Good films? Yes. Deserving of Best Picture nominations? No. Were they snubbed? No. Just my two cents worth.
Posted by John Campea at January 28, 2005 08:26 AM
Comments
Posted by: Mitch Slater at January 28, 2005 08:42 AM
Oh come on Mitch. Not every film in the universe has to be about "america's can do spirt".
Did Jesus have the American Can-Do spirit? :)
Posted by: John Campea at January 28, 2005 09:01 AM
'Fahrenheit 9/11' certainly was about the American 'can-do spirit'! They can kill anyone who is not American they want - and they do!
Posted by: Bart Wang at January 28, 2005 09:48 AM
Hey, weren't these two movies nominated for Razzies?
And what's the big deal about **(Edited By John For Spoiler)** at the end of Million Dollar Baby? It's just like the ending to Passion when Jesus **(Edited By John For Spoiler)**!
Posted by: Mark at January 28, 2005 11:53 AM
I didn't like either of them. Suits me that they weren't nominated and saves the Academy the expense of reinforcing the stage to bear the weight of either director's ego. However, "Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind" should have been nominated for both best picture and best director imo. As good as Jamie Foxx's performance was in "Ray", I didn't think it was an Oscar caliber film overall and would have cut that one. Best actor, yep. Best picture, nope.
Posted by: Midgard at January 28, 2005 03:27 PM
OK, I know I'm gonna piss off a lot of people here... but I don't see what the big deal was about Eternal Sunshine. Seriously, I thought it was overrated. Its "plot twist" was based on an editing sleight of hand. That's it really.
Jim Carrey's character was whiny as hell. Annoying as fuck. I couldn't stand his character.
But Kate Winslet's... I was disturbed by the fact that her character was manipulated/fucked around with, and she didn't really "exist" per se in Carrey's character's inner struggle. She existed only as an idealized figment in his fading memories. Thus, there wasn't any developing drama for Winslet's character, other than to be cute and quirky. I found it cloying, and that the plot just wasn't fair at all in its treatment of her. She was just The Girlfriend that Whiny-Ass Depressed Guy was going to get back in the end, thanks to Fate, Destiny, The Editor or whatever such bullshit.
Sorry, and I really wanted to like this movie when I went in to watch it. But I was surprised, shocked actually, at how fucked it was -- elevating whiners, and disregarding the struggle of the female lead almost entirely. I cannot believe that so many people see this movie as "romantic". It's rather creepy, cynical, and, frankly, a bit misygonistic.
Posted by: Franklin at January 28, 2005 03:38 PM
Talk about elevated whiners. Misogynistic? Good grief, go change your panties, sit down with "Steel Magnolias" and have a good cry.
Posted by: Grotus at January 28, 2005 06:05 PM
Fahrenheit 9/11 didn't get nominated for anything because Michael Moore released it to pay-per-view before the end of the year, which made it ineligible. Smart move, Moore.
Posted by: Luke at January 28, 2005 07:16 PM
the oscars shouldn't be overshadowed by politics, as it is the celebration of the best in motion picture filmmaking. not nominating fahrenheit 911 and passion of christ was a good idea. one's strength was propaghanda, and the other made lots of money. at least we are spared of moore using yet another forum to bash bush.
however, f911's rejection in the documentary category will free up more chance for supersize me to win. i hope it loses cause it was awful and troy wins for best costume.
Posted by: B_A_T_M_A_N at January 29, 2005 03:19 AM
I have to say that Michael Moore is a very clever man. Would we have talked so much about the movie if it had been nominated as per normal and won or lost?
I don't think so, he's marketed this very well, manouvered it so people can start saying "it's snubbed" and other, more intelligent sites, will realise what really has happened.
However, what he hasn't reckoned on is that all this media attention and focus around it is detracting from what it really has to say, and it says a lot.
I just saw it on TV last night, and some of the messages in it are incredibly powerful, and incredibly chilling. That's what we should all be talking about.
So although he's been very clever with the marketing and getting us to talk about it, we're not talking about the facts in the movie.
Posted by: Richard at January 29, 2005 06:04 AM
i think passion of the christ was not entirely snubbed. it got three nominations: cinematography, makeup, music (score). in that way, it has already got its recognition, deserving or not deserving.
Posted by: dinispachadoro at January 29, 2005 11:03 AM
Well Franklin, for the most part, I agree with you. Eternal Sunshine WAS overrated! 70% of the movie was a dream with neat special effects just to let us know his memories were being erased. The twist was interesting, but.... I really liked Kate's performance, but I hear you about her character. And I'm a huge Jim Carrey fan, but the guy REALLY needs to understand that just because he doesn't act like a bafoon doesn't make him a great dramatic actor. He didn't even deserve that Golden Globe nomination for this one.
If anything got "snubbed" in the best picture category, it's The Incredibles! (yes, i'm serious)
Posted by: Mike at January 29, 2005 11:23 AM
Isn't there a separate animated category? Not that there's really enough for a category like that to be justified bu that's probably where they stick all them animated films so they don't have to consider them in best pic category, gosh forbid an animated film or even a comedy ever win best picture. Then again maybe it's like the best foreign film category (what? a foreign film can't be best picture?).
Technically isn't Farenheit 9/11 technically not even a documentary? Aren't documentaries not suppose to impart the director's opinion on the subject(s) of the movie and rather just show them for what they are? Or in other words not be too heavily biased one way or the other?
I personally didn't like Passion, thought that it only emphasized the "Jesus got beat real bad." I probably would've learned more in the same amount of time in a Bible studies class.
I thought Farenheit 9/11 was good but way too heavy handed in the obvious anti-Bush stance. Most of the footage was stuff that most people knew or saw anyway so it wasn't nearly as informational or eye opening as I had hoped. It probably opened my eyes more than say your well informed political analyst since I don't always follow the news closely.
Posted by: shadopup at January 30, 2005 04:18 AM
"I personally didn't like Passion, thought that it only emphasized the "Jesus got beat real bad." I probably would've learned more in the same amount of time in a Bible studies class".
I agree with this shadopup. After the 3rd beating, whipping and scourging being shown I already felt numb, I mean okay do I really have to see that scene being done over and over? The violence was just over the top, okay I know that's what exactly they did to Christ, but hang on, if I made this movie, what exactly is the message I am trying to get across to the moviegoing public here, that he died violently or he died to save me from my sins?
Posted by: Simone at January 30, 2005 10:06 AM
I think Moore was very smart in not going for the best documentary Oscar. He didn�t get snubbed, I just think he was intelligent enough to know that if he won the best doc. Oscar there would be even more publicity about how it wasn�t a documentary because it was all his opinion. And all the other rants of propaganda would come up.
And as for Gibson�s Passion�it�s a tough break, but I would never want it to be my job to try and push a religious movie in today�s very diverse and open minded movie going public.
In the end neither of'em got snubbed!!!
Posted by: Justin at January 31, 2005 09:37 PM
Well... 2 things:
1) F9/11 was a documentary. All documentaries are told with an angle of bias and from a certain point of view. They're documentaries... not new casts.
2)Open minded??? If anything there's an awful lot of anti-religious bigotry out there right now. I don't know how one would call that being "open minded"
Posted by: John Campea at February 1, 2005 06:49 AM
I agree that F9/11 was a documentary, but there are always seem to be sore losers, particularly in politics...I was merely trying to affirm that it is my belief that If Moore won this award...we might be here debating some Lunatics response to his triumph that was headlining the news!
I don�t know about in Canada�but here in the U.S. there were a lot of news interviews of people just coming out of the theatre and some of them were spouting off about how it wasn�t a documentary�now that�s not my opinion, in fact�I thought it was hilarious, brilliant even! But again, I was simply trying to forecast some of those sore losers reaction�s in the result that Moore had won for best documentary.
He would have won easily, in my opinion!
I was plainly dancing around with words here trying not to cause offense to anyone...but yes that was the point I was trying to make clear....anti-religious narrow-mindedness, if you will.
Once again, I must thank you John for taking the time to correct and clarify my message, keep up the great work!
Posted by: Justin at February 1, 2005 04:30 PM
By open minded I meant to say the diversity of religions that individual movie goers hold�here in Portland, Oregon you could be sitting with a Buddhist, Atheist, Muslim, Wicca, Pagan, Jew, Christian, and that guy that tried to create his own religion�and not even know it.
Posted by: Justin at February 1, 2005 04:38 PM
I hope this was not posted by anyone affiliated with the movie blog.
They should send you guys a check for advertising here!
Posted by: Justin at February 2, 2005 02:48 AM
Not sure that I would say that the Passion didn't rank about Million Dollar Baby, though. Come on, all Baby offers is a cheap **(Edited By John For Spoiler)** at the end instead of demonstrating the real American "can-do" spirit.