With the Oscars behind us, I have to ask, do the Oscars really influence your viewing choices?
I'm not one of those people who makes it a point to see everything that's nominated. If a movie has gotten a lot of positive buzz and seems to be the sort of film that I might enjoy, then I'll certainly go out of my way to find it. Sometimes if the buzz is so overwhelming, I might venture outside of my comfort zone, which is why I made it a point to see The Hurt Locker.
But I did not see, and have zero interest in seeing Precious, A Serious Man, and An Education. I don't care how well-crafted Precious is, it's not my kind of film.
Last year I had only seen Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon. I note with some amusement that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has spent a year on my Netflix list and has been continually pushed to the bottom by films I'm more interested in seeing. Nothing about The Reader looked appealing to me, and frankly I had no interest in Milk either.
Most years I end up seeing at least three of the nominees, but rarely does a win by a film I haven't seen end up motivating me to go check it out.
There have been plenty of recent cases where the Best Picture Oscar went to a film I saw that I was either indifferent to (A Beautiful Mind, Chicago) or utterly hated (Crash, No Country for Old Men, Gladiator). With an average like that, I don't let the Oscars influence my viewing habits.
Do you?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
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The awards season affects my viewing habits to a degree. There are movies I probably wouldn't take the time to watch if not for the awards screeners I get in the mail (for the WGA awards).
ReplyDeleteJust in one way this time. I had mild interest in seeing Precious, but when they showed that scene of Monique during the Best Supporting Role portion of the awards, I was immediately sold on the film.
ReplyDeleteThe only movies on the list that interested me were 'District 9' and 'In The Loop'. I have seen the former but not the latter, as yet. I'm sure 'Avatar' looks good, but the story is of no interest. 'The Hurt Locker' suffers from being made while the war is still being fought. I don't believe that, in general, people want to start processing an event they are still experiencing. The other films on the list are of no interest to me.
ReplyDeleteI'll watch any of the nominated on satellite but am not going out of my way.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned "MILK", it really is above par in writing as well as acting, I was surprised and fascinated.
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ReplyDeleteAdam - that's a hell of an accusation to make to assume that because someone has no interest in "Milk" that they have no interest in any films about gays, or if someone has no interest in "Precious" that they hate all films with black people. That would be as narrow-minded as if I assumed that the lack of tact you displayed in this comment meant that you were an insensitive troll.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is a world of difference between stating one's preferences as it relates to films they seek out in their free time (as this post discusses) and evaluating a script as it suits the needs of the people one reads for. When I read for a production company or an agent, sure, my tastes come into play - but it's paramount that I know the tastes and preferences of the people I read for and apply that to my own analysis.
But thanks for outing yourself as "Guy Who Lacks Manners and Has No Idea What He's Talking About."