>So David... what your trying to say is Spielberg/'s is pretty good if I get your drift right? Just want som clarification... thx
> > >---- Original Message ---- >From: davidmkusum...@hotmail.com >To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU >Subject: Re: [MOPO] OT - Why Steven Spielberg Is A Loser In >Hollywood. >Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2013 18:10:27 -0800 > >> >>Franc, I'm not only with you all the way with "Lincoln," but I have >already "declared" that in my mind, it is a towering achievement, an >historical event, a classic. As I posted on FB, I saw 8 of the 9 >best picture nominees - and I thought "Lincoln" was Spielberg's best >and most accomplished film since "Schindler's List." I have the >"Lincoln" one-sheet hanging on the wall behind my computer as I write >this. I also thought Tony Kushner was robbed. "Argo" is OK, but not >eloquent, not ground breaking, not special in any way memorable. For >"Argo" to win Best Picture AND Best Screenplay over the likes of >"Lincoln" was criminal - and reminded me of the "vote for us" >syndrome of the acting branch, e.g., see Robert Redford, Mel Gibson, >Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood. Of the aforementioned winners, in >my view, only Eastwood for "Unforgiven" (2002) was truly deserving. >Gene Seymour of CNN said the "Argo" win was an example of Hollywood >kissing itself, e.g., Academy members voting for a movie... "whose >success will benefit as many people in the industry as possible (Go >Ben!) - and/or a movie that reflects Hollywood's best image of >itself." Well history will prove the Academy wrong, just like how it >got it wrong picking "Crash" as the Best Picture of 2005. "Lincoln" >was not just good, it was great, a masterpiece of writing and acting. > The only thing that would have made me madder Sunday night was if >Daniel Day Lewis had LOST. -d. >> >>Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2013 20:09:53 -0500 >>From: fdav...@verizon.net >>Subject: Re: OT - Why Steven Spielberg Is A Loser In Hollywood. >>To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU >> >> >> >> >>Message >> >> >> >>Very >>interesting reading, David. Thanks for sharing them. Somehow after >>Ben Affleck got the DGA award, I knew Steven Spielberg and Lincoln >were going to >>be shunned by the Oscars. It's a shame because in my opinion while >Argo was >>clearly a good film, Lincoln was a monumental film that is destined >to become a >>classic. >> >>FRANC >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >>From: MoPo List >> [mailto:mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of David >> Kusumoto >>Sent: Friday, March 01, 2013 6:55 PM >>To: >> MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU >>Subject: [MOPO] OT - Why Steven >> Spielberg Is A Loser In Hollywood. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> A pair of >> interesting stories evaluating why Steven Spielberg - who, along >with pre-1996 Martin Scorcese are >> my favorite >> "still-living" directors of all >> time - is a big loser when it comes to winning awards. "Argo" was >fine, but I thought "Lincoln" and the >> "Silver Linings Playbook" were better. Meanwhile, this year's >Oscars telecast with Seth MacFarlane made me vomit in my mouth a >> little. The first article is from Buzz Feed, the >> second is from the NY Times. - d. >> >> Argo Win Makes Steven Spielberg Hollywood's >> Biggest LoserOnce again, the >> Best Picture prize slips from his hands. What does Hollywood have >against its most >> successful resident? >> >>by Richard Rushfield - BuzzFeed Staff >> Writer, February 24, 2013 >> >> >> Image by Mario >> Anzuoni / Reuters >> >>Tonight, >> Hollywood officially turned its back on its king. Again. The >triumph of >> Argo in the Best Picture race, snatching victory >> from the jaws of Lincoln brings >> Steven Spielberg's win-loss record to a dismal one victory in >seven at bats >> for entertainment's biggest prize. >> >>And tonight, not only did he lose >> out on the Best Picture prize that once seemed his, but the >consolation prize >> of Best Director, the category in which Argo's Affleck was >> not even nominated, was also snatched away and handed to Life of >Pi's Ang Lee. >> >>For a man who is >> widely considered Hollywood's godfather who is in his >unbelievable fifth >> decade at the top of the heap, who has reigned untouchable since >before many >> of today's young directors were born facing up to yet another >defeat at the >> hands of his people starts to look like a clear and consistent >rebuff. >> >> >>Worse still, Spielberg's films are not just >> distant also rans. Most of his seven nominated films were at some >point in >> their campaigns considered favorites to win the whole thing, >making Spielberg >> the Academy's Charlie Brown, forever having the football pulled >away. >> >> >>This year in particular. for a brief moment between the Oscar >> nominations being announced and the Golden Globes, Spielberg's >Lincoln looked like a shoo-in to win the prize. Only >> to see Argo stage a last minute surge and steal its >> thunder again. >> >>So to what do we attribute this ongoing >> snub? Chalk it up to Hollywood's love/hate relationship with its >greats. The >> number one thing Hollywood hates is failure. The sad fates of >those who have >> fallen beneath the C list demonstrate every day how little empathy >the town >> has for those who can't soar with the eagles. >> >>But the number two thing >> Hollywood hates is success. Praying for the downfall of its mighty >is >> practically the industry's official religion. >> >>Spielberg these days is such a venerable figure that one can easily >> forget his historically troubled history with the Academy. After >receiving one >> for a Best Picture nominations for his first outing Jaws, but >then being denied for nearly a decade that followed, Oscar >> finally broken down and ponied up nods for E.T. when it became >the day's highest grossing of all time and >> Color Purple. >> >>But both those films still lost out on >> the grand prizes, and to add insult, he was shut out in Best >Director category >> throughout the 70s and 80s as well. >> >>After the >> Color Purple loss, Academy officials were so alarmed by the >> serial snubbing of Hollywood's most successful director that they >took the >> unheard of step of bestowing upon Spielberg at age 40 the Thalberg >Lifetime >> achievement award, until then reserved for septuagenarians at the >end of their >> careers. >> >>It wasn't until seven years later, when he made a three hour >> holocaust film that Oscar finally couldn't deny giving him their >grand prize >> for Schindler's >> List. But since then, it has >> been a 20 year sea of also-rans. >> >>Of course, he >> hasn't gone completely unrecognized. Eight Best Picture >nominations is >> something most directors will never even dream of. Add to that, >two Best >> Directing awards making him the most awarded director since >William Wyler in >> the 1950's. >> >>But still, somehow the Best Picture prize >> keeps sliding from his grasp, and for a man at the top of >Hollywood, to be the >> town's perpetual also-ran in its biggest contest has to be >> galling. >> >>In a town with despite the disruptive >> presence of the internet a fixed number of studios and a >shrinking number of >> major releases, entertainment remains a zero-sum game. Celebrating >the >> achievement of the man with a permanent position on top is never >entirely in >> one's best interest (unless you're doing it to his face). >> >>And in a >> place where, as William Goldman famously put it, "no one knows >anything" and >> everyone knows that they don't know anything, seeing the mighty >stumble does >> even the chaotic playing field a bit. >> >>But even more to >> the point, as big a business as entertainment is, even as it >stands as >> America's #1 export, the residents of Hollywood still need to >think of >> themselves as scrappy outsiders, the oppressed souls who fled the >closed minds >> back in their small towns and came to a place where at last they >could breathe >> the air of artistic freedom. >> >>The fact that this is the story of almost >> no one in modern Hollywood, dampens its power not a bit. Even as >they drive >> their $50,000 hybrids paid for by CGI-explosion fests, Hollywood's >need to >> think of itself as The Oppressed Outsiders holds an undying power. >> >>In choosing their Best Picture each year, the members of the >> Academy choose what story they want to tell the world about >Hollywood. First >> there is the story the film tells on the screen; and in recent >years these >> have become trended heavily towards the edgier, hipper end of the >dead center >> of middlebrow filmmaking; Oscar has ceased awarding the schmaltzy >Braveheart's and Driving Miss Daisy's >> that paint the industry as a place of uptight squares in favor of >Slumdog Millionaire's and Hurt Locker's. >> >> >>Even a thriller like Argo is animated by >> a minimalist aesthetic that speaks to restrained, hipster >sensibilities far >> more than the genre winners of a decade or two ago. >> >>But more than the story on the screen, Oscar likes to tell a good >> story off the screen about the making of a film. And however >contorted and >> difficult the journey of a Spielberg film to get to the multi-plex >(and >> Lincoln did take thirteen years) in the end, >> "Billionaire Hollywood Titan Makes Good Movie", is not a tale to >inspire the >> unwashed masses. >> >>On the awards trail this year, Ben Affleck >> ran circles around Spielberg playing up the gracious, >> just-happy-to-be-allowed-back comeback story. He showed up at all >the events, >> was warm and self-deprecating. People who remembered how far he >fell >> post-Gigli could not help but be touched by his >> redemption story. And when the empire seemed to be rubbing it in >by shutting >> him out of the Best Director nominations, they rallied to his >side. >> >>In >> contrast, Spielberg, as he always is when he gets into an Oscar >race, went >> into a heavily managed bunker posture, limiting his appearances, >keeping his >> interviews to few, appearing handled and protected at every turn. >> >>The fact of the matter is that a heavily guarded, insulated oligarch >is >> much closer to the true face of Hollywood than a vanquished actor >giving one >> more chance to redeem himself, as an artist. But its not about >what story is >> true, it's about what story projects the way Hollywood would like >to think of >> itself. >> >>The shame of it is, the real Spielberg on >> the rare moments when he emerges from behind the palace gates is a >wonderful >> story and a wonderful story teller. He has had a career like no >other of his >> generation, has in his time taken enormous risks both as an artist >and >> producer that have led to be triumphs and disappointments. He is >responsible >> for a busload of films high and low destined to stand the test of >time. >> >> >>And when he submits to interviews, he is warm, gracious, avuncular, >> undefensive and endlessly fascinating with five decades of >filmmaking stories >> under his belt. >> >>However, he is also, as this race shows >> again, all too willing to play the mighty mogul on high. And in >the end, the >> fear that position inspires might keep him at the top of the >industry, but as >> he has discovered once more, it doesn't make Hollywood see him as >its >> ambassador to the world. >> >>http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardrushfield/argo-win-makes-spielberg-ho >llywoods-biggest-loser >> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> Oscar-Winning Lessons in History and Hard >> Sell >>By MELENA RYZIK for the NEW YORK TIMES >>February 27, 2013 >> >> >>LOS ANGELES A few months into >> awards season, at a party celebrating another movie, a veteran >> actor-writer-director-producer, who takes his Academy Awards >duties very >> seriously, whispered to me that he was sure Lincoln would win >big on Oscar >> night. >> >>Because its Lincoln, he said. Its like not voting for >> George Washington. And you really feel like you get to know >Lincoln. We cant >> not vote for our favorite president. >> >>The more than 6,000 members of the Academy of >> Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apparently did not see it as >their patriotic >> duty to vote for Lincoln or its director, Steven Spielberg. >> >>Daniel >> Day-Lewiss win for his performance demystifying the 16th >president was not >> compensation. >> >>Mr. Spielberg, one studio boss said, looked stricken >> when he lost the best director award to Ang Lee. >> >>In the days after >> Argo won best picture at the ceremony on Sunday, its been a >parlor game >> among Hollywood types to figure out why Lincoln lost. After all, >it had all >> the hallmarks of an Academy Award-dominating film: a venerated >director; a >> celebrated, erudite scriptwriter in the Pulitzer Prize-winning >Tony Kushner; a >> landmark role for Mr. Day-Lewis; good reviews and even better box >office; and, >> not least, millions to spend on campaigning. >> >>Lobbying voters is >> frowned on by the Academy and yet a necessity of the monthslong >award cycle. >> This season, insiders said, the team behind Lincoln executives >at >> DreamWorks and Disney overcampaigned, leaving voters with the >unpleasant >> feeling that they were being force-fed a highly burnished history >lesson. It >> was a good movie, not sliced bread, one veteran awards watcher >> said. >> >>Overreaching was perhaps a failure of the broadcast itself too. The >> host, Seth MacFarlane, and the producers, Neil Meron and Craig >Zadan, tried to >> marry old-school showbiz panache with provocative humor and the >result was >> an entertainment grab bag: the Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angeles; a >foul-mouthed >> talking teddy bear; splashy song-and-dance numbers for every >conceivable >> demographic (save anybody who likes hip-hop); Captain Kirk; sock >puppets (sock >> puppets!); racist, sexist punch lines that seemed lifted from the >insult-comic >> era; and the first lady of the United States. About the only >things missing >> were kitten videos and the Harlem Shake (but in blackface). >> >>But since the ratings >> were up slightly, especially in the coveted 18-to-49 age bracket, >and despite >> some high-level protests the reviews were not entirely scathing, >the >> production could ultimately be considered a success. (Mr. >MacFarlane, though, >> has already said he wont be back as host.) >> >>In a >> three-and-a-half-hour spectacle of glossy celebration for a >roomful of >> superstars dripping with jewels and self-regard, the question of >how much is >> too much may seem moot. But with the right tone and perspective, >even that ego >> parade can seem fun to watch. In choosing Mr. MacFarlane in its >quest for a >> younger, more male viewership, the Academy sacrificed its central >constituency >> women make up the majority of the Oscar audience and fomented >cultural >> battles in an awards season already full of them. >> >>Then again, it was the >> political posturing that made this one of the most interesting >Oscar races in >> recent memory. As the vibrant discussion of just how much truth >bending is >> acceptable in fact-based movies shows, authenticity or at least >the >> perception of authenticity still counts. >> >>Though it took liberties >> with its story, Argo squeaked by on truthiness. It also >triumphed as a >> consensus choice in a field of high-quality candidates, each with >its own >> passionate faction of defenders. As Mr. Spielberg himself said, >when he lost >> the Directors Guild Award to Ben Affleck and Argo, There have >been moments >> when I wish it was a slightly less incredible year for movies. >> >>There may have been >> other reasons Lincoln fell by the wayside. Dimly illuminated, to >replicate >> the lighting of the period, and stuffed with long passages of >speechifying by >> waistcoated, bearded men, the film did not play well on DVD >screeners (nor, >> perhaps, did another historically based competitor, Zero Dark >Thirty). >> >> >>Cynics also say that Mr. Spielberg, as Hollywoods reigning titan, >was >> primed for a takedown envy being as motivating a force as greed >in this >> industry and that voters were enthralled by the comeback story >that Mr. >> Affleck represented. >> >>Somehow Mr. Affleck could not overcampaign, or >> at least, his combination of movie-star charm and tabloid >comeuppance won >> people over. Also, he talked film references like an expert. >Which, having won >> an Oscar at 25 (for writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon) >after a >> career as a child actor, this college dropout turned director >pretty much >> is. >> >>Casual viewers often wonder if Oscar victory comes down to something > >> simpler: who makes the best movie. It does not. Nor does the >funniest person >> make the best Oscar host. There is a narrative to both endeavors, >a >> combination of self-effacement and artistry (voilà, Mr. Lee), >being of the >> moment and timeless, that is hard to pull off. Mr. Spielberg will >no doubt try >> again, and in the meantime he and the other also-rans can console >themselves >> with another prize, Hollywoods ultimate popularity contest: >record-breaking >> ticket sales. >> >>And next year, may we suggest to the Academy, hire Jennifer Lawrence >to >> host. >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com >> >___________________________________________________________________ >> How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List >> >> Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu >> In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L >> >> The author of this message is solely responsible for its content >. >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
