In an intriguing vote, the Academy gives the best director Oscar for 2010 to Kathryn Bigelow for directing the Hurt Locker, a war film about Iraq.
Kathryn Bigelow on the Set Directing
I probably worship the ground she walks on, since her prior direction of POINT BREAK (1991) was one of the high points of my life. I’ve probably watched that film at least 25 times since then, or more than once a year. One of the best action films ever committed to film, dvd or whatever, POINT BREAK should have won six oscars itself. It remains a cult classic, as numerous websites will point out.
SIX ACADEMY AWARDS - IT MUST BE A GREAT FILM!
Life is a lot like poking around for unexploded land mines, isn’t it? That’s all I could think about after watching this flick walk off with six Oscars.
On top of that, two subtextual comments were made by the Academy with this selection.
First, since Bigelow is James Cameron’s ex-spouse, and they were competing for the award, by snubbing Cameron for the director oscar as well as snubbing Avatar for best film in favor of Bigelow’s Hurt Locker, they were essentially sending a message against the old school of male dominated Hollywood, where men leave their wives routinely for younger women and continue to paw their starlets while at work, of which Cameron is a plausible example, having married and divorced and adultered during his shabby personal life.
Meanwhile Jeff Bridges made a point of celebrating his long devoted marriage to one woman for many years in accepting the Oscar. You had to notice this stuff.
Second, the Academy had the chance to give the oscar either to the first african american for Precious, or to the first woman for Hurt Locker. They elected the woman. Was this a subliminal re-do of the Hilary v. Obama primary debate that consumed the Democratic Party for much of 2007-08? It should be recalled that Hilary handily defeated Obama in California in the 2008 primary. It’s pretty clear where the LA liberals now stand–Barbara Streisand–their queen and empress–came out to hand Bigelow the award.
While Precious did receive a couple of awards, it did not dominate. Hurt Locker dominated.
So the subtexts were, it’s women’s turn to run things now that white men have had their very long turn and messed it up, and it’s women’s turn to run things, perhaps now that african american men have had their short turn and messed it up so far.
Or maybe it’s all just film stuff.
–art k, philly
jumping out of airplanes without parachutes is ok in pointbreak
