Am I getting confused or did Argo really win the Oscar for the best picture? I mean, it’s not a bad movie, but it’s like a billion other movies that get made every year. I liked it because it glorifies Canadians at the expense of Americans even though the intent is the exact opposite. But that’s about all I can say about the film.
Does anybody understand this?
I’m very glad I stopped watching the ceremony the year when Titanic won every award there was.
What, you’re not outraged the movie downplayed the role of the Canadians CONSIDERABLY in the Canadian Caper
How would you say it inadvertently glorifies the Canadians? I noticed that they made the escape much narrower (the army on the runway never happened; only one set of documents and one flight instead of several, a last minute approval of the flight instead of running into the problem before the Menendez character went to Iran). Is that what you mean by glorifying the Canadians, the fact that the movie rescue was so slapdash the Canadians had to save the day? The ambassador did take a huge risk.
I was totally motivated to google it after seeing the movie. Argo is a victory lap for the CIA and Hollywood so maybe that’s why the Academy voted for it. This makes the glorification of the Canadians even funnier.
LikeLike
The hostages were saved by the Canadians while the Americans did nothing but create a clown show around the whole thing. According to the movie, that is.
LikeLike
Have you watched “The Gatekeepers”? I haven’t yet, but will in the future. Sounds very interesting.
National Society of Film Critics selects ‘The Gatekeepers,’ which explores Shin Bet intelligence operations, as best nonfiction movie of 2012
From wiki:
The Gatekeepers is a 2012 documentary film by director Dror Moreh that tells the story of the Israeli Shin Bet from the perspective of six former heads of Israel’s secretive internal security service.
The film combines in-depth interviews with archival footage and computer animation to recount the role that the group played in Israel’s security from the Six Day War to the present.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gatekeepers_(film)
LikeLike
test…
LikeLike
Four theories:
(1) “Argo” may have been “like a billion other movies that get made every year,” but this year, there was no other movie that was head-and-shoulders superior to the rest (at least in the minds of the Academy electors). No movie “swept” the Oscars this year (I think “Life of Pi,” with three awards, had the most Oscars for a single film!), and the Academy electors seem to have wanted to spread the praise around. Note: movies that featured one really strong performance won in the respective category (“Lincoln” in Best Actor, “Silver Linings Playbook” in Best Actress, “Les Mis” in Best Supporting Actress, etc.). (fwiw, “Argo” previously won “Best Acting Ensemble” in the Critics Choice Awards back in January.)
(2) Affleck was not nominated for Best Director; so the electors gave Best Director to Ang Lee, but gave Best Picture to Affleck.
(3) The Academy electors chose the movie that shows CIA agents saving people rather than the movie (“Zero Dark Thirty”) that shows CIA agents torturing prisoners and orchestrating kill missions.
(4) “Django Unchained” was too controversial, or too violent, or too vulgar, or something (but it did win “Best Writing – Original Screenplay”). “Les Mis” was too popular.
LikeLike
I definitely thought “Zero Dark Thirty” would have made a lot more sense. Not that it is a masterpiece or anything but it is a bit more serious.
LikeLike
Actually when you consider who makes up the Academy, it makes sense that they’ve voted for Argo. It’s the movie that makes them feel the best about themselves. I know this is trite reasoning but consider:
1)Amour Subtitled in French about an elderly couple and their decline after one of them suffers a series of strokes. It ends with the husband mercy killing the wife. If they got past the French, it hits way too close to home.
2)Lincoln –Oscar bait, but also kind of ponderous and dull. Lincoln isn’t a pure saint. Plus Lincoln dies at the end — bummer.
3)Silver Linings Playbook — Too much about relationships, also depressing but not in an Oscar scene chewing way. The lead character is bipolar and does not get the girl he’s chasing after.
4)Life of Pi— Not serious enough. Relies on CGI. Unknown actor by himself. Indian protagonist. More about the director really.
5)Les Miserables — A musical (singing is difficult) about the redemption of an ex convict –who dies at the end. Features a prostitute who gives up her teeth and dies of consumption. if you don’t like the musical you will not like the movie.
6)Beasts of the Southern Wild — Impoverished black girl uses the power of her mind to not deal with her harsh reality.
7)Django Unchained — pulp movie western reimagined as a revenge slave flick. So many people are barely over the Civil War, this is like a thumb in their eye.
8)Zero Dark Thirty- Dark, ponderous — posits that America got Osama Bin Laden by torture (we didn’t). Too much about recent very painful events.
LikeLike
This is brilliant. 🙂 You created a resume of all the notable films of the year, and in such a pithy, humorous, insightful way, too! There is no need to watch the Oscars when somebody can provide a great overview of the films. Thank you, I love this comment!
LikeLike
+1 what Shakti said.
LikeLike
Contrast all of the above with Argo America “wins” against Iran! It’s educational! Hollywood helped save hostages! Hooray!
LikeLike
“Contrast all of the above with Argo America “wins” against Iran! It’s educational! Hollywood helped save hostages! Hooray!”
🙂 🙂 Yes, the educational and patriotic aspects are huge. 🙂 🙂
LikeLike
A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment