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Notes -
As opposed to... what?
Were I to have a vote: all movies in that grim Oscar bait style would be removed from contention instantly for best picture. So negative on Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon. Barbie would get the nod from me, that work done within a bright pink framework was worth a dozen dark explorations of the human soul.
I go the opposite way: the Oscars should get more snobby and up their own ass and should frankly demoralize the people on Twitter and op-ed pages who want their latest topical message movie (Black Panther being nominated was ludicrous - thanks Dark Knight!) to win. Those films already make money, but people are now convinced the Oscars should be "relevant" by validating their taste.
Nope, the Oscars should act as a billboard for pretentious movies that'd otherwise not come to the attention of the general public. That's the main way I see some of this shit.
I'm all for pretentious and obscure. I just find grimdark to be overplayed. I'm sick to death of movies that use morally disgusting protagonists as "complexity." What's really interesting and impressive to me artistically is making a beautiful and complex and deep but positive and uplifting, or at least fun, work of art. Which is where Oppenheimer fails.
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Among the nominees, I enjoyed Past Lives, Barbie, The Holdovers, and Poor Things (in that order) far more than Oppenheimer, which was a boring slog with a few interesting bits scattered here and there.
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