The first invitation to an Oscar-night party just arrived in
my in-box. While it may not be Vanity Fair's A-list soiree at
Morton's, this one promises to be more exciting.
"You are cordially invited to the 2006 Anti-Oscar Party,
Sunday, March 5th, at Kennedy's Restaurant, 327 West 57th Street,
7-10 p.m."
The invitation also suggested that guests bring along classic
movie trivia questions to stump fellow partygoers. If you're
interested in attending, please contact me.
It's nice to know I'm not the only former film buff planning once
again to boycott the no-longer-interesting event in La-La land.
If I were younger and not planning to host my own
Oscar-alternative bash, I'd definitely attend this snub at the
Hollywood telegala.
I suspect there are more anti-Oscar events this year because of
the nomination of "Brokeback Mountain," a drama
depicting sexual love between two cowboys. But that's not why I'm
skipping the awards show. The Academy of Arts and Sciences Award
lost all credibility with me when it became obvious in 1999 that
intensive marketing trumped excellence in the film industry. Thus
"Saving Private Ryan," which brilliantly portrayed the
sacrifice of the military in World War II, was bested by
"Shakespeare in Love," which had been heavily promoted
by Bob and Harvey Weinstein. It was also evident that the Oscars
reflected the personal agenda of the Hollywood community rather
than an objective judgment on the quality of the nominees. The
following year, "American Beauty," an amoral film that
glamorized underage sex, trumped "The Sixth Sense," a
unique, audience pleasing feature.
Hollywood has so completely isolated itself from the mainstream
audience that it is extolling politically charged films, even
though most of them bombed at the box office last year. George
Clooney seems to fancy himself the Rosa Parks of Hollywood,
challenging the vast right-wing conspiracy. He wrote and starred
in "Good Night, and Good Luck," a biased and ultimately
misleading film about Edward R. Murrow and his takedown of
Senator Joe McCarthy. I have yet to see Hollywood accept the
blame for the blacklisting of actors and screenwriters accused of
Communist party ties by the House Committee on Un-American
Activities. The blacklist was, after all, self-imposed by
cowardly studios for whom the bottom line, then and now, was
money, not principles.
Mr. Clooney is also the executive producer of
"Syriana," a political thriller set in the Middle East,
where the villains are - surprise, surprise - Americans. Also up
for an award is a Palestinian film, "Paradise Now," a
sympathetic portrayal of suicide bombers. Vanessa Redgrave must
be tickled pink.
The gay community is only mildly excited about "Brokeback
Mountain," which it claims does not have enough sex, while
conservatives claim it has too much. Stephen Hunter, one of my
favorite novelists, is also the film critic for the Washington
Post. In an incisive review he asked if the film is agenda-driven
or not. Mr. Hunter claims that the film idealizes the gay lovers
through cinematography while depicting their family lives with
wives and children as bleak. He concludes that the director, Ang
Lee, "has made his point viscerally; he's not in a pulpit,
but he's no innocent, either. He's speaking louder with images
than most of his ideological opponents do in words."
Film is a powerful medium, and ever since George W. Bush took
office, Hollywood stars have been exploiting their influence on
the political stage. Alec Baldwin just called Dick Cheney a
terrorist. Richard Dreyfuss is calling for President Bush's
impeachment. These fading luminaries spout their anti-Bush
rhetoric to any tabloid reporter. They have a right to do so, but
their lack of any intellectual grasp of important issues hasn't
stopped them from mouthing their uninformed pronouncements to an
ever-dwindling audience.
I wish they would emulate Harrison Ford. He refuses to discuss
his politics in public. "I'm only operating out of my own
box," he has said, "and I don't have any
expertise."
Ironically, the star of "Capote," Philip Seymour
Hoffman, is the frontrunner for the Best Actor award. Truman
Capote had a very low opinion of actors, allegedly calling Marlon
Brando so dumb it would make your skin crawl. What Capote
actually said was, "the better the actor, the more stupid he
is." He also said, "It's a scientific fact that if you
stay in California, you lose one point of your IQ every
year."
I won't be watching, but I'm rooting for "Capote."