An Insane Towelite

So, this is a few years late, but the recent Golden Globes nominee Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty brought a certain subject back to light on a friends Facebook page.

You see, my friend was quite happy that Zero Dark Thirty did not win best picture, in light of how upset he was that she won for Hurt Locker.  This in turn brought about a long and dragged out conversation about who and what and Avatar, etc.

Let me start off by saying, this has nothing to do with Zero Dark Thirty; I have yet to watch, I think it looks good, I’m getting the impression it’s better then Hurt Locker, and I will be seeing it in the next few weeks.  This is about why I think Avatar should have one Best Picture, not Hurt Locker – at least between the two of those.

Personally, I thought Hurt Locker was good… Very good.  Was it best picture?  No, not by far.  And that’s being nice, because I felt like Bigelow kind of cheated.  The whole thing was nothing more then a conversational piece, looping over some “supposed” bomb threat that was “about to explode” (and hence trying to create tension). But it just looped over and over – oh, there is a bomb…this is how we feel…ok we made it.  Oh, there is a bomb… more feelings… ok we made it.

The Hurt Locker

I do like Jeremy Renner, but I didn’t like that “character”… I didn’t think he was believable. And the whole “I’m taking this protective suit off cause I don’t care” was a tad bit ridiculous.

As a movie, I think it deserved awards… but not best picture.

Best picture is an “overall” award. I think it’s essence, is that of “entertainment”. It’s not made up only of best story (screenplay), nor best costume design, nor best effects – but the overall combination of everything.

Avatar

Avatar may not have had anything original when it came to story (it’s just another of many versions, such as Pocahontas), but that story in itself has important idealistic roots; so the story wasn’t bad per say either – just nothing “new”.

But that’s just the story, and it’s not only about that… It’s judging everything. That movie did something to “movies” that no one had ever done – James Cameron took 3D to a whole new level.  It was the step between VHS and DVD; between DVD and Blu-ray… It’s huge. Every single movie in 3D since, is because of how Avatar showed what 3D could really do.

And it wasn’t just the “quality” of the 3D only either, but how it was used. How it put you in the protagonists’ shoes, and when he was “discovering” a new planet, you were too (in full simulated 3D). This connected you to a movie like rarely movies do.

And if you add effects, music, action scenes, etc, the overall combination left you… Well, let me say that, I have never been so “amazed”.  As I walked out of that theatre. Literally “amazed”. If anything, that movie was entertaining… Dare I say the most “entertaining” of the year.

No, it wasn’t the best movie ever.  But for Avatar to lose?  To Hurt Locker?  BAH, I say! That was a crock of sh*t!!!

And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is what I think about that!

~mozeus