The Man Ain't Got No Culture

[vovat]

I was thinking a bit recently about how culturally illiterate I am. I didn't watch the Oscars this year, but I looked at the list of nominations, and none of them were for movies I'd seen. Well, actually, there was one, as I didn't notice at first that Star Trek: Into Darkness was nominated in some special effects category. Not that the Academy Awards matter that much, as it's not like these are the movies the general public is watching or talking about, but the ones that other people who make movies think are good. There's generally some overlap, however. In the past, I'd sometimes watch these awards ceremonies with bethje and follow along with snarky Internet commentary, but even that often just amounts to, "Hey, remember when this Oscar winner or nominee was in some piece of crap years ago?" My favorite example is Matthew McConaughey in Texas Chainsaw Masscare: The Next Generation. And I think the reason I find it hard to take Sandra Bullock seriously is that my mom made me watch Hope Floats. To be fair, though, most actors and directors have taken on terrible projects before; it's part of paying your dues. That said, the whole actor-as-celebrity thing is a little bizarre anyway when you think about it, because when someone becomes a big star and you see them in a movie, you often think of them rather than the character they're playing. It's strange how an industry that's all about people pretending to be something they're not produces so many recognizable personalities. And I think awards like the Oscars often do amount to a popularity contest. But getting back to my original point, I don't watch a whole lot of movies, but it's not like I ever really did. I mean, I grew up in the eighties, but I was an adult before I saw Gremlins or any of the Rocky films. I think I'm actually somewhat more culturally aware now simply by virtue of being on the Internet. Still, I mostly gravitate toward people and websites that share my interests, which means that most of the movies I see hyped are either based on children's books or comics. (I'm actually not much of a comic reader myself, but a lot of people who have other interests in common with me also like comics, so I've absorbed some knowledge through that fact.) These aren't genres that tend to get a lot of respect from the Academy bigwigs. Neither are horror movies, which I've seen a fair amount of through Beth. I forget who it was who said this, but someone at a horror convention (it might have been Sid Haig) told a story about how, when he asked how Anthony Hopkins could win an Oscar for Silence of the Lambs when people who are routinely in horror movies never receive any recognition, the answer was that they knew Anthony Hopkins wasn't really like that. Which shows a certain amount of ignorance, as many of these horror actors are quite charming people. I'm also a fan of cartoons (even though I haven't seen any of this years nominees for Best Animated Feature yet), and remember how up in arms people were when Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture? There's definitely some prejudice at work here, with only certain kinds of films being considered serious enough for industry accolades, and those are often movies in which I have no interest. I guess I'm just wondering if that makes me out of touch. Or maybe it's Hollywood that is. I'm going to say it's probably both.

It's been ages since I last saw a movie at the theater, but I DID go to a comedy club tonight. Matt Koff, a guy Beth and I have known for some time (her longer than me) who now writes for The Daily Show, did a stand-up routine at Caroline's in Manhattan. It's exciting to see someone you've actually met performing at a legitimate venue, and he is very funny. It does kind of make me wish I were talented enough at anything to draw a crowd, though. I don't think I can headline a club by explaining minor details of the Oz series.