Image + Film = Awards

The advertising slogan “Image is Everything” is what I base my career on, and this applies especially to the world of film.  With the Academy Awards a few days away, I’d like to make some observations about how image affects a film’s success and its award nominations, for better or worse.  The easiest way to do this is to go film by film.  Now I need to say that I have not seen Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained or Amour because I just don’t want to.  But I did see A LOT of films in 2012…         

Let’s begin with Silver Linings Playbook, a very well made indie film that makes an interesting statement about the pervasive and at times, elusive nature of mental illness.  That’s it.  It is NOT an Oscar caliber film.  But with Harvey Weinstein at the helm working his marketing & publicity magic, the film has received a lot of attention and the cast secured nominations in all four acting categories (not done since Reds in 1981) and none of the performances blew me out of my seat.  I fear that Jennifer Lawrence, who granted - is talented, will win for Best Actress very prematurely (she’s only 22!) and this will set the tone for her career.  And the Jacki Weaver nomination (Supporting Actress) is perplexing because she barely did anything and I saw many other performances that were more worthy – namely EVERY woman in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

There’s a little tiny indie called Beasts of the Southern Wild and I am pleased that it has received recognition, and I am rooting for 9 year old Quvenzhane Wallis to take the Best Actress prize.  But how is it possible that Dwight Henry who plays the young girl’s father has not received ANY nominations?  Not even an Independent Spirit Award (which take place the night before the Oscars)?!  His was arguably the most powerful performance of the year.  Maybe it’s because Mr. Henry is a baker in Louisiana who has never acted before and so he didn’t campaign for it.  I’m not sure but it boggles my mind that he is not a contender.

Next we have Lincoln.  Daniel Day Lewis is astonishingly good (so good that a friend said he should get an Oscar just for the poster!)  Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field and a few other actors give memorable performances and the script by Tony Kushner is excellent.  Despite all this though, is it a great film?  No.  There are good elements but as a whole, it really is like a pretty good TV movie.  The reason it has done so well is the idol worship of Steven Spielberg - and hype.  Enough said.

  

I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino (I mean really, is all that blood necessary?)  However, he has a cult following and Django has a cool cast so again, I don’t know if it’s worthy but it could simply be a case of the public wanting to support a cult hero…

Now there’s Life of Pi – from the book they said was “unfilmable” by Ang Lee, who is one of the most unique, risk taking filmmakers of our time.  (I met him once and actually thanked him for the gift of Brokeback Mountain).  But I wonder if the same film would be nominated if it was a small indie by an unknown director…   

There has been a ton of speculation about why Ben Affleck did not get an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Argo.  Maybe it’s because the Academy decided to expand the number of Best Picture noms and so now it’s impossible to honor each film’s director.  Interestingly though he won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and a slew of other directing awards. In this case, having no hype surrounding him and little respect as a director may be the key to Argo’s success.  No one knew that Mr. Affleck could pull something like this off.  As George Clooney said in Entertainment Weekly, Ben Affleck was in “actor jail” prior to Argo.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here.  Argo is a perfect film.  Great story, stellar ensemble cast, funny, dramatic, suspenseful and maintains a great pace.  I think it may be a dark horse victory to take the big one on Sunday night.  It deserves Best Picture because it is THE best film of 2012.

The thing that saddens me the most is the amount of great work I saw in 2012 that received no accolades. The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a great script and was a critical success so how come no love, even for Best Adapted Screenplay?  Also how is it possible that John Hawkes is not up for Best Actor for The Sessions but Helen Hunt is honored (again inexplicably!) with a nomination when she couldn’t even keep up her Boston accent throughout the film?  Is it because she already has a golden statuette on her mantel and she took her clothes off at 48?  And she’s a household name and Hawkes isn’t?  It’s very frustrating.  John Goodman was hilarious in 2 great films – Flight and Argo – how come no Supporting Actor nom for him?

I also think there’s a problem when great actors get nominations for good performances in terrible work.  No one respects Philip Seymour Hoffman more than me, but The Master was simply unbearable.  Amy Adams is very well respected in Hollywood and another example of getting a nomination for just standing there.  And don’t even get me started on Joaquin Phoenix… Should we really be honoring actors who publicly retire from acting and criticize the whole concept of awards?                   

 

I feel that now I just need to list all the un-recognized great work I saw last year.  Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Ruby Sparks, Bernie, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Hope Springs, (Steve Carell was great doing dramatic work in the last two – when will he get acknowledged?), Your Sister’s Sister, Any Day Now.  I will end with one thought in the gifted prolific actor-diverse body of work-never gets any recognition category - Alan Cummings.