Clynically & Cynically Insane

If you’re following me you likely know I am a film student/movie buff, as well as a massive nerd with a love for Edgar Wright and comics, none the less Scott Pilgrim. As such, it shouldn’t be a shock that I was a massive fan of the terrific film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, directed by Mr. Edgar Wright, as well as lamenting the poor box office numbers due to a jaded populace who found it all to easy to right off something new and different. Critics on the other hand truly came to the movies defense, with most loving it, and as such I, like most Pilgrim fans, were expecting some solid awards to go its way. No, I’m not naive enough to think it could get a best actor/actress or supporting actor/actress (though Keiran Culkin as Wallace Wells was amazingly perfect) or even best picture, I’ve seen enough stellar movies in the last 2 months alone to allow that. However, to see it totally snuffed by the Academy for even technical awards is absurd.

I can’t say I’m terribly surprised by this, I mean anyone who has followed the Oscar’s for even a couple years can tell you the facts:

• The Oscars are Political
• The Oscar’s don’t really respect films that draw heavily on popular culture and sometimes even the younger generation
• Most of all the Oscars don’t give awards to comedies or movies relying heavily on effects

How can I say this? Well for politics look to a few years ago where Milk, albeit a very good movie, garners Sean Penn a best actor Oscar. Penn was up against great actors like Richard Jenkins, Frank Langella, Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke from great movies like The Visitor, Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Highly contested year, yes but honestly my money was even on Langella but the critics were saying it was gonna be Rourke.

Their dislike of movies set in/from popular culture is pretty easy to show from Batman: The Dark Knight being snubbed for all but Heath Ledger’s stunning portrayal of The Joker.

As for comedies and effects movies? Well look to the fact that there is no award for Best Comedy, nor is any actor from a comedy given recognition even if stellar like Russel Brand could’ve been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Forgetting Sarah Mashall (ok, I’m throwing that out there but I forget what else came out that year) As for movies with heavy effects, look no further than how the original Tron was shunned completely from the awards as it was the first movie to heavily use computer generated effects and was considered little more than a tech demo.

Now listen, I’m not saying Scott Pilgrim vs. The World deserves Best Picture or anything that severe, but it was pushed out of so many categories it deserves. Best Visual Effects: Nails it. Best Adapted Screenplay: Definitely well adapted, and how the hell is Toy Story 3 an adapted screenplay? Best Sound Design/Sound Mixing: I always get what the difference between those confused but the subtle little sound things added to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is stellar. Listen to the commentaries as they point out the subtle littler sound details added and tell me they didn’t add more amazing sound details then you could realize on your own, and that they don’t add so much.

Honestly, that’s about all I have to say as I have class and can’t spend more time writing this, but I feel my point has been made. Honestly I’m not merely pissed about SPvtW getting snubbed by the Academy, they’re not the only ones, but I am condemning them for not changing with the times. Comedies are back on the rise, almost to where they were at the start of film when people wanted fun escapes, but also that Scott Pilgrim isn’t even so much a comedy (though hilarious) it is more of an action movie. All I’m saying is that we need to have the Academy be more open to other films that they do not right now, especially if they are of such a high caliber as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.