Award shows, The Oscars in particular, make Hollywood look like a chauvinistic asshole, which is, of course, partially true. But it's also partially false and I feel the need to stand up for this little town with its ruby slippers in a box singing neener neener, because somebody made those shoes and somebody believed in those shoes and it isn't even about the shoes who cares about the shoes what shoes.
Most of my friends work in this business of show and they are good people. They are creative and clever and interesting and behind the scenes and they are what this business is all about at its core and I believe that. I believe that we love movies and television because we love to be told stories. We love to listen and learn and laugh, change and escape. We cling to the words of the people who work very hard to fling them into the audience -- the moments carefully crafted with story boards and timing and take after take after take.
We love those feelings so much we cannot help but love the people who act them out for us. They become our stars and that is where the institution falls on its own sword. Because the messengers are just human beings. They trip and fall and say the wrong things and are used to people and fans and "friends" telling them their jokes are brilliant and funny and ha ha you're so great, you're a genius. They mumble and squint and walk with limps and we gasp and turn and cannot believe she said those things and did those things and didn't cover up that bruise on her arm! THE HUMANITY!
Seriously? Good for her for wearing her arm bruise to the Oscars because human beings have fucking bruises sometimes and actors should be allowed to be people and call me crazy but I like Kristen Stewart. I like that she's herself.
Anyway... moving on because I really am going somewhere with this, I swear.
One of my top three films of the year was Searching for Sugar Man (Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild were up there, too) and, as was expected, Sixto Rodriguez did not show up. And that was mentioned in Producer, Simon Chinn's acceptance speech, which, in my opinion was the high point of the night.
"Rodriguez isn't here tonight because he didn't want to take any of the credit for himself (CUE JAWS THEME INTERRUPTION! EVERYONE HERE MUST TAKE CREDIT FOR EVERYTHING! AHHHHH!)..."
The Jaws theme-as-speech-interrupter was the worst. It was mean-spirited and classless and cutting off Simon Chinn (of whom I've been a huge fan since watching Man on Wire) at the precise moment he was turning the mirror on the entire industry was, in my opinion, the most provocative moment of the night.
"...and that just about says everything about that man and his story that you want to know."
Call me delusional but the people we should be putting on pedestals are the people who have no desire to be there. They are the people who just want to make stuff. And they are here. And they are there. And they are everywhere. They are the reason we get to watch great movies and why we gather to praise them.
Hollywood may be incorrigible on the outside, but behind the curtain and under the stage, there is truth and there is love and there is magic.
And even though we'll never see it out at night in haute couture, the sun will always be brighter than the stars.
GGC
0 comments:
Post a Comment