Author Topic: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list  (Read 1481 times)

skjerva

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2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« on: January 18, 2008, 01:09:12 PM »
roujin mentioned this elsewhere, the just announced short-list:

Instead, pics that got the shortlist call were "The Counterfeiters" (Austria); "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" (Brazil); "Days of Darkness" (Canada); "Beaufort" (Israel); "The Unknown" (Italy); "Mongol" (Kazakhstan); "Katyn" (Poland); "12" (Russia); and "The Trap" (Serbia).

I've seen none of them.

I just heard Worldview's film-commentator Milos Stehlik call this short-list something like "The best Big Macs of foreign consumption".  Meaning, this is the blandest, middling, set of films they probably could have come up with; it wouldn't surprise me if that is the case.
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

lise

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Re: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2008, 01:10:09 PM »
they have all sort of rules on where the money came from... it keeps out some of the best movies!
Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist.  Throw some ground balls.  More democratic.

tjwells

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Re: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2008, 01:14:17 PM »
so this will be the first year in awhile there won't be ANY recognizable names in the best foreign language category?

skjerva

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Re: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2008, 01:23:21 PM »
they have all sort of rules on where the money came from... it keeps out some of the best movies!

I think it is more than an issue of money.  The program I listened to mentioned stuff like 4 Months, Silent Light, Persepolis, etc. - I've also see none of these, but have heard good things about all of them, and some of them are already festival winners, for whatever that's worth.  The commentary dude faulted the one nominee per country chosen by typically unimaginative (quasi)governmental bodies and that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences nominators were all about 70 years old.  Not sure how true those claims were, but there were other options seemingly more interesting not DQd by monetary considerations.
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

lise

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Re: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2008, 03:51:20 PM »
Movies like Lust Caution from Ang Lee were disqualified because according to the Academy it didn't have enough of it's cast and crew from taiwan.

The same problem happened with maria full of grace --- not columbian enough.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2008, 03:53:00 PM by lise »
Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist.  Throw some ground balls.  More democratic.

skjerva

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Re: 2008 Oscar Non-English short-list
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2008, 04:18:59 PM »
True.  Seems there are too many cooks spoiling this category :(
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

 

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