Reason #3
As Sandra Bullock got up to receive her Oscar, one of my friends bashed her winning film, THE BLIND SIDE, citing that it glorified the American Upper-Middle class. I turned to him and asked...
"Corey, have you seen THE BLIND SIDE?"
"No," he retorted, smug.
I told him that he was not aloud to insult it if he hadn't seen it.
Here's the ironic part: When I first saw the trailer for THE BLIND SIDE, I felt the exact same way. Something about it really disturbed the hell out of me. It seemed like the kind of film during which, bleach-blonde, conservative soccer moms would all sit around the theater and congratulate themselves; and when relatives and friends of mine gushed about wanting to see it, I thought they were... well... dumb.
But then something happened. On Thanksgiving Day, my sister wanted to see TWILIGHT: NEW MOON... and let's just say there was one movie that I actually wanted to see less than THE BLIND SIDE. So, when we went to the cineplex, my father and I opted for Sandra Bullock in a stupid wig and put-on Southern accent. We braved the hordes of Alabama and Auburn football fans waiting to see Nick Saban and Tommy Tubberville's cameos, shouting "Roll Tide!" and "War Eagle." Absolutely obnoxious.
However, when the movie began, I did something that is somewhat rare for me. I ate my words.
For here was a movie that in its trailer seemed to be about how a monied white family sees the good in a poor black kid, then decides to pull him out of certain destitution. What I saw on the screen that Thanksgiving evening, fortunately was quite different. I saw a movie about not one, but two struggling people - Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher - who learn to bring out the best in each other.
The film uses stereotypes to, in some surprisingly nuanced ways, break them. In its advertising, it makes you think its going to aggrandize the benevolence of the Southern White Upper class, but it does sooo much more than that.
I'm not sure that I can give justice to this particular quality in a short blog entry. I do, however, recognize the feeling that I get from watching two people who theoretically should not accept one-another, but somehow manage to. That's the feeling THE BLIND SIDE provides.
Once in a blue moon, there's a film that seems to transcend it's packaging... and just like you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a movie by its trailer, OR for that matter, a person by her political party or occupation.
This is the beauty of Sandra Bullock - the way she gets you to see past the stereotype. I'm glad the Academy recognized this because it's something that I think should be a part of all films, something that we might do well to strive for not only in our creative efforts, but also in our everyday lives.
REASON #4
I'm pretty sure this picture says it all...
Nonetheless, I will make a little commentary....
Kathryn Bigelow broke the barrier for aspiring female filmmakers (or should I say aspiring female Oscar winners?) with her victory in the Best Director category on Sunday night. I watched the telecast with a bunch of dudes and I was a little ashamed to let them see my tears, but I looked to my left and to my right to see both other ladies in the room quite awash as well, so I didn't feel so lame.
I'm really happy that they finally recognized a girl director, but... I can't help feeling a little weird about it.
Let me explain myself. A few weeks ago, I read a book by Maureen Murdock entitled, THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY. I'm not a bra-burner or anything, I just was curious to see how I might write better female protagonists (which is something I attempt more often, than not). In the book, Murdock talks about how women often try to find fulfillment in guy territory. I hate to put it bluntly, but the movie directing business is definitely guy territory. As ladies, we work really hard to find success the man's way -- kicking ass and taking no prisoners. In the modern world, women are starting to dominate more in business and other arenas previously ruled by the fellas. A successful woman ignores urges to have a kid and start a family in order to be fiscally and hierarchically... a success. Many women, according to Murdock, start to feel really unfulfilled after the fireworks of climbing up the ladder have worn off. They feel this way, she claims, because they have ignored the "feminine" part of themselves - those urges to nurture and be the cheerleader.
Well, I can't say that I agree with everything that Murdock writes. Frankly, I think some of it is quite extreme, but her words did sit with me as I thought about the whole Kathryn Bigelow situation. While I think it's great that there's finally an Oscar-winning female director, I can't help feeling that she's being rewarded for being a guy... or finding success "the guy" way... making a movie about war and testosterone and dudes. Let's be honest. At this point in time, she wouldn't have won an award for directing a "chick flick." I think if the Academy REALLY wanted to make a big social stride (because as I mentioned before, these awards are NOT about quality... they are about politics), they would've given the award to Lee Daniels for directing PRECIOUS. A film directed by a black man (the likes of whom have never won a directing Oscar before either) about black people -- a black film! I would be willing to put money on the following assertion - that when an African American finally wins a directing Oscar, it will be for directing a movie that isn't about black people... We'll see, I guess.
For now, however, I will be content that at least, we as lady filmmakers can say, WE GOT ONE... regardless of what kind of film it was that she directed. Because as much as the social and political stuff sucks, it's constantly changing and getting better. Different doors are being opened everyday and progress is being made... Bigelow's Oscar is evidence of it -- and that's what counts.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT:
I'm proud to be going into an industry that honors a film like THE HURT LOCKER over a film like AVATAR. I could go on about this subject for days, but I won't. Instead, I will just say this. Yes, 3-D is the wave of the future. Sure. Okay. We get it. But let the first 3-D film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture merit it with its moving story and resonating themes, not its technical innovations.
And even though I never mentioned them in these Oscar entries, I loved INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, UP IN THE AIR and AN EDUCATION. Perhaps, I'll muse about them later, but for now,
Ciao.
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