91st Annual Academy Awards

[DACrowe]

I think Green Book would not be nearly as controversial if it didn't win. But now that it has won Best Picture, it has that spotlight on it now. Again, this would not have been the movie I would have chosen to win the award, but I don't think the movie is garbage either. That is something different for me. Just not being my personal choice to win the award doesn't make it awful. The movie does have strong points to it.

I agree with this. I didn't hate Green Book. I quite enjoyed it when it came out in November. I thought it was formulaic, and noted in my head that it would've been better if told from Don Shirley's perspective, but found it a nice light entertainment. Another movie I still enjoy, although it is unfashionable to admit, is Shakespeare in Love. It's an amusing romcom with a literary bent. No one remembers that because it absurdly won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan. That too might be the fate of Green Book, a solid piece of fluff that because it won Best Picture over more deserving fare will be hated by movie lovers forevermore. Then you add in the racial dynamics and... well, here we are.

 

[Guts]

Victorian or not Im tired of movies like that with women in puffy dresses or there faces painted white in dramas noatter what era there set in. Its still oscar bait no matter how you spin it and sell it. Moonlight is the exception it sounds like but for every moonlight you have 12 years a slave and green book and django unchained or crash. The majority of african american movies nominated still by and large deal with racism and Im tired of it.

Still an odd complaint since there aren't a ton of those movies getting nominated for best picture.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I have to concur with above post about The Favourite. The film is amazing and filled with outstanding performances. I honestly think it should have won.

 

[Da-Scribe]

I had no clue this thing even existed either. I'll hazard a guess and say it primarily an American thing. The weird thing to me is people saying we shouldn't have that type of movie anymore. On Twitter anyway, I've seen phrases along the lines of 'we need to move beyond that type of story'. That to me is absurd, even if they don't like a particular type of story, they're making the assumption those stories can't have any relevance or value. But I actually think there's more to this. People mad at this film, especially Film Twitter, I believe are mad not because the film is a problem per se, it's more they've realised they don't have anywhere near the influence over the industry that they think they have. They're in their own little bubbles, they think they can write their articles and tweet all day to help push whatever cause is trendy, under the misguided idea they're changing the industry, and for some weird reason Green Book was this bogeyman to that. That is the only explanation I can think of for the ridiculous response to this movie winning.

I don’t get why it’s so hard to fathom that a lot of people just found a movie you appreciated to be offensive and poorly made. It’s especially confusing when it’s over an issue you admittedly have no understanding of.

 

[jmc]

I don’t get why it’s so hard to fathom that a lot of people just found a movie you appreciated to be offensive and poorly made. It’s especially confusing when it’s over an issue you admittedly have no understanding of.

Because the outrage towards this was ridiculous. The very same people who crap on about superhero/comic book fans for being ungrateful and whiny toxic basement dwellers are showing the exact same behaviours towards this film. The hypocrisy is beyond astounding. Something didn't go their way and they cried and moaned like little children. I'm certain there is more to it than that. It's the Twitter bubbles that give them a false sense of authority that as come crashing down in front of their eyes.

 

[Enriquespy]

So I'm glad Roma got three Oscars, I still wished it had won best picture, but it's ok. It won everything everywhere else.

Also: Olivia Coleman.

Good.

 

[Boom]

Watched The Favourite again.

Yeah. It's criminal that this didn't win.

 

[moviedoors]

I didnt see moonlight honestly, didnt appeal to me from the trailers. Saw fences and have zero desire to see the favourite because
Of reasons I already stated.

You shouldn't let your preconceived notions keep you from THE FAVORITE. It's masquerading as a typical costume drama. When I saw it last year, the crowd was almost entirely older than me, and I'm 35; I was also the only one that found it uproariously hilarious. It's a dark, demented, vulgar movie about spoiled, awful, shallow, sociopathic people; it's actually a pitch black comedy in the guise of a historical drama.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Because the outrage towards this was ridiculous. The very same people who crap on about superhero/comic book fans for being ungrateful and whiny toxic basement dwellers are showing the exact same behaviours towards this film. The hypocrisy is beyond astounding. Something didn't go their way and they cried and moaned like little children. I'm certain there is more to it than that. It's the Twitter bubbles that give them a false sense of authority that as come crashing down in front of their eyes.

The mental gymnastics on display here are astounding. You don’t actually understand why people are complaining about this film, but when it’s explained you just ignore it in favor of some half baked Twitter conspiracy.

Yes, it just has to be that people are mad something didn’t go their way. As it’s simply impossible that maybe all of the people providing well reasoned arguments and actual evidence from the film to support their discontent could have a point. Nope, it’s this “Twitter bubble.”

Jesus...

 

[MadderMaximus]

You shouldn't let your preconceived notions keep you from THE FAVORITE. It's masquerading as a typical costume drama. When I saw it last year, the crowd was almost entirely older than me, and I'm 35; I was also the only one that found it uproariously hilarious. It's a dark, demented, vulgar movie about spoiled, awful, shallow, sociopathic people; it's actually a pitch black comedy in the guise of a historical drama.

And that's exactly why I am interested in it.

 

[moviedoors]

Because the outrage towards this was ridiculous. The very same people who crap on about superhero/comic book fans for being ungrateful and whiny toxic basement dwellers are showing the exact same behaviours towards this film. The hypocrisy is beyond astounding. Something didn't go their way and they cried and moaned like little children. I'm certain there is more to it than that. It's the Twitter bubbles that give them a false sense of authority that as come crashing down in front of their eyes.

Dude, you're just arguing in bad faith now. It's like you've committed to not wanting to have a discussion or even listen to why someone might not like this movie, why in fact, it might deeply upset them.

Personally, I found it quaint and dated, like a relic from the mid-to-late eighties. It's maudlin feel good Baby Boomer catnip. 2018 had movies like BLACKKKLANSMAN and BLINDSPOTTING and IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK; unflinching, angry, passionate, original, nuanced films about race and class that were all novel and specific in their approach to filmmaking. A movie like GREEN BOOK is as ordinary as its hackneyed heart stirring music cues. I don't even much like Viggo in it, an actor I almost always adore, who here is just doing a broad ****in' Tony Goomba Fuhgettaboutit cartoon.

It didn't offend me, per se. I'm a white as hell, so it probably just can't hit me in a visceral way like it might someone else. But I'm willing to listen and to learn about why it's offense to specific viewers, in addition to being just a mediocre flick.

 

[jmc]

Dude, you're just arguing in bad faith now. It's like you've committed to not wanting to have a discussion or even listen to why someone might not like this movie, why in fact, it might deeply upset them.

Personally, I found it quaint and dated, like a relic from the mid-to-late eighties. It's maudlin feel good Baby Boomer catnip. 2018 had movies like BLACKKKLANSMAN and BLINDSPOTTING and IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK; unflinching, angry, passionate, original, nuanced films about race and class that were all novel and specific in their approach to filmmaking. A movie like GREEN BOOK is as ordinary as its hackneyed heart stirring music cues. I don't even much like Viggo in it, an actor I almost always adore, who here is just doing a broad ****in' Tony Goomba, fuhgettaboutit cartoon.

It didn't offend me, per se. I'm a white as hell, so it probably just can't hit me in a visceral way like it might someone else. But I'm willing to listen and to learn about why it's offense to specific viewers, in addition to being just a mediocre flick.

What's being discussed is not a films merit but how it makes people feel. If people don't like a movie because it upsets them then that's not an issue for me. There are certain movies and stories I don't like because I can't stomach the subject matter. My issue comes with people saying certain stories that makes them feel a certain way should not be told at all or are not deserving of distinction, or that there's something actually wrong with certain stories. That's is about wanting control, not about whether the story has any worth. There are stories that I don't like because of how they make me feel, and I'm sure you have some also, but I would never in a millions years want that story to not exist, because even if I don't put any value in it, someone else might. Just because something isn't to ones tastes does not mean there's no value in what's being said.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think there's room for both kinds of movies. Movies like The Help, Hidden Figures, and Green Book might be seen as trite by some, and I understand that, they are to some extent, but they also get the underlying message out to some people (re: white audiences) that might not go to If Beale Street Could Talk or Blackkklansman, and that's also important.

As a gay viewer, I appreciate both a serious drama like Boy Erased that importantly brings conversion therapy wider awareness, and occasionally a fluffy rom com like Love Simon that refreshingly shows a gay character whose life isn't a depressing angstfest and is just a normal kid.

I'm glad both movies exist, and I think they both serve a purpose in the social consciousness.

 

[jmc]

I think there's room for both kinds of movies. Movies like The Help, Hidden Figures, and Green Book might be seen as trite by some, and I understand that, they are to some extent, but they also get the underlying message out to some people (re: white audiences) that might not go to If Beale Street Could Talk or Blackkklansman, and that's also important.

Exactly right. There's room for both. What's being said is that there isn't room for all of them. That's not how it works.

 

[Sithborg]

Someone jumped the gun.

 

[Lencho01]

Given the history of race relations in the US from Day 1, how it’s been depicted on film, how things are now, and how something like Green Book has gotten the critical acclaim it has, it’s not that hard to see why a “feel-good movie of the season” is getting some expressions of dislike or hate. Also factoring in the other films it was up against.

It’s also kinda like “whatever” since it’ll mostly be forgotten only to be remembered in lists of things like “How/why did that win?” or lists of corny feel-good films that Hollywood likes to release every now and again to remind themselves of “See?! Look at how far we’ve come!” while outside of that bubble, some people can/will say, “Nah, bruh. Not really.”

 

[Silvermoon]

Dude, you're just arguing in bad faith now. It's like you've committed to not wanting to have a discussion or even listen to why someone might not like this movie, why in fact, it might deeply upset them.

Personally, I found it quaint and dated, like a relic from the mid-to-late eighties. It's maudlin feel good Baby Boomer catnip. 2018 had movies like BLACKKKLANSMAN and BLINDSPOTTING and IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK; unflinching, angry, passionate, original, nuanced films about race and class that were all novel and specific in their approach to filmmaking. A movie like GREEN BOOK is as ordinary as its hackneyed heart stirring music cues. I don't even much like Viggo in it, an actor I almost always adore, who here is just doing a broad ****in' Tony Goomba Fuhgettaboutit cartoon.

It didn't offend me, per se. I'm a white as hell, so it probably just can't hit me in a visceral way like it might someone else. But I'm willing to listen and to learn about why it's offense to specific viewers, in addition to being just a mediocre flick.

Can I also throw The Hate U Give in there as well? I still think it's an incredible crime THUG didn't receive even a single nomination (I would take that movie over Green Book in a heart beat)

 

[jolldan]

A leading Hollywood designer has described the wacky outfits worn by Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry to present the Oscar for best costume design as "tasteless and insulting".

"I like to think I have a sense of humour. ***SORRY BUT NOBODY WITH AN ACTUAL SENSE OF HUMOR STARTS A SENTENECE LIKE THAT*** And I love Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry," she wrote on Facebook. "But... I honestly thought this was tasteless and insulting to costume design."

"The Oscars are an opportunity to honour our craft(s)," Phillips wrote. "As costume designers we struggle with people in our own industry UNDERSTANDING our job.

"On this one night where the work is supposed to be elevated (look at the international ratings) this is perhaps the most egregious misrepresentation not only of taste (which is subjective) but of value to the filmmaking process.

"We are not just 'shoppers', as our job is so often misunderstood. We constantly have to explain our job, this kind of mockery only underscores frustration. Feels like major steps backwards.

"SHAME on The Academy for allowing this to be broadcast."

 

[samsnee]

The joke wasn't on costume designers. The joke was about how silly the presenters looked.

Do people really think that the designer for Black Panther just picked up the costumes off a rack somewhere?

 

[DarkKnight88]

Yeah, that costume designer needs to lighten up.

Thin skinned much?

 

[scarlet-witch]

That's like those Doc Short nominees who got all bent out of shape when Louis C.K said that Oscar was probably going home in a Honda Civic.

 

[Da-Scribe]

What's being discussed is not a films merit but how it makes people feel. If people don't like a movie because it upsets them then that's not an issue for me. There are certain movies and stories I don't like because I can't stomach the subject matter. My issue comes with people saying certain stories that makes them feel a certain way should not be told at all or are not deserving of distinction, or that there's something actually wrong with certain stories. That's is about wanting control, not about whether the story has any worth. There are stories that I don't like because of how they make me feel, and I'm sure you have some also, but I would never in a millions years want that story to not exist, because even if I don't put any value in it, someone else might. Just because something isn't to ones tastes does not mean there's no value in what's being said.

A large function of any artistic work is to illicit a reaction. The aim of Green Book was to be a feel good story, only a large section of the audience didn't feel good at all. That's a failure on the part of the filmmakers. Now it's all fine and dandy that you see value in this story, but again, many of us do not and are tired of seeing our cultural experiences bastardized by white voices that exclude us from the conversation. There will be no love lost between Hollywood and I if they ever decide to progress beyond such an antiquated view of race relations. Green Book was a step backward in a movement it was trying to push forward.

I think there's room for both kinds of movies. Movies like The Help, Hidden Figures, and Green Book might be seen as trite by some, and I understand that, they are to some extent, but they also get the underlying message out to some people (re: white audiences) that might not go to If Beale Street Could Talk or Blackkklansman, and that's also important.

As a gay viewer, I appreciate both a serious drama like Boy Erased that importantly brings conversion therapy wider awareness, and occasionally a fluffy rom com like Love Simon that refreshingly shows a gay character whose life isn't a depressing angstfest and is just a normal kid.

I'm glad both movies exist, and I think they both serve a purpose in the social consciousness.

Racism isn't just a white issue though. So a movie about that issue that so clearly is catered to old white sensibilities and at the expense of a large group of people that are actually negatively impacted by racism, then no I don't see any value in that. Like it's great if you're trying to say racism is wrong, but just trying to say it isn't good enough. At least not when that message gets muddled in actual racism.

 

[jmc]

A large function of any artistic work is to illicit a reaction. The aim of Green Book was to be a feel good story, only a large section of the audience didn't feel good at all. That's a failure on the part of the filmmakers. Now it's all fine and dandy that you see value in this story, but again, many of us do not and are tired of seeing our cultural experiences bastardized by white voices that exclude us from the conversation. There will be no love lost between Hollywood and I if they ever decide to progress beyond such an antiquated view of race relations. Green Book was a step backward in a movement it was trying to push forward.

Here's the thing. A creative person is under no obligations to make the type of movie or story you want, and they are under no obligation to be historically accurate or factually correct. If you don't like certain types of films then don't watch those type of films. No-one is putting a gun to your head. You have the option of not seeing it.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Here's the thing. A creative person is under no obligations to make the type of movie or story you want, and they are under no obligation to be historically accurate or factually correct. If you don't like certain types of films then don't watch those type of films. No-one is putting a gun to your head. You have the option of not seeing it.

Yes. A creative person can do what they want. So? That doesn't suddenly shield them from any criticism. You make a movie about racism and claim to have done it with "respect", then you open yourself up to a critique on those grounds. You have this idea in your head that people hate this film because it's not the story they wanted told. People hate this film because the story it did tell was a bad one that ran counter to the message it was trying get across.

And no. I'm not going to insulate myself from a major issue, especially one that directly impacts me. Green Book does more harm than good, but I have no way of truly understanding that without viewing the film for myself. This is how you form a well-rounded opinion. I don't talk about things I haven't educated myself on from both ends. Something I'd recommend frankly.

 

[sueb1863]

I thought McCarthy's costume with all the stuffed bunnies on it was great. I didn't see it as any kind of disrespect to costume designers.