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As has been pointed out in several articles (HERE is one) Avatar is  basically white guys apologizing for the terrible things they may, or may not have done to non-white guys. And what better a way for white guys to redeem themselves, philosophically speaking, than to give (what apparently will be) the highest grossing movie of all time the biggest movie award of the year? Remember, the academy is filled with white guys, and once and awhile we white guys have to do something to philosophically say we are sorry for being white guys. Avatar is our guilt trip of the year. We use Avatar to apologise and we are guilt free for a whole year. I can feel my shoulders relaxing already. | |
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The way the Oscars work is that leading up to the big day (March 7, for those who  plan ahead) several thousand organizations give a bunch of awards. People who vote for the Oscars pay attention to these awards, and notice trends, and use those trends to help decide what to vote for. (If anyone out there votes for the Oscars and would like to correct me on this, feel free to. But history proves I am right.) Well the awards season has begun and Avatar is starting it’s winning streak with a best picture awards from the New York Film Critics Online Awards (No, the awards were not online. It’s online reviewers.) Yes, it’s just one, but someone has to be first. Someone had to show the world that it’s ok to say that a Sci-Fi movie in 3D is the best picture. Trust me, there will be more awards to come. | |
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Remember that award I mentioned before? (If not, then what the hell is wrong with you? I just said it. Right there! Come on, pay attention!) Well I mention that more awards are coming because Avatar has been nominated by the New York Critics and the L.A. Critics for their own best picture award. But then comes a little doozy from the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences themselves. After a screening for Academy voters, the following was sent to several web sites from an apparent Academy insider. “Avatar Wins!” Yes, this comes from an anonymous insider, but he is not the only one to point out that the average Academy viewings get about 300 to 400 people, but Avatar has been full houses. | |
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Avatar has a story that makes Dances With Wolves seem like an environmental children's show. (It may be, I’ve never seen it.) It’s not just a story about white guilt (see above) but about what we, humans of all colors and creeds, are doing to the environment. At lease that’s what traditionally liberal Hollywood seems to take from it. We human beings are raping our environment and we, the Academy, can make it all OK by taking one of the biggest environmental statements in years and give it the highest honour we can give. Some day, not too far from now, some guy in Hollywood will cut down on his recycling because dammit, he got that award for Avatar. | |
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The Lord of the Rings trilogy received a bucket load of Academy awards for the third movie, The Return of the King. But everyone knows that the awards were for the entire trilogy, they just didn’t want to give the same trilogy the same awards three years in a row. Avatar is a single movie. Right now any talk of sequels are just that. They have only this one chance to show the world that they are still hip, and that box office results sometimes matter. One chance to not alienate (so to speak) the movie goers. If Avatar actually gets the best picture award, then the voters can pat themselves on the back, say they are still with it and spend the next twenty years voting for the boring crap they usually do, and if anyone points out that it’s boring crap, they will point and go “but, but Avatar won.” | |
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Is it possible that a better movie will win the top prize in all Movie-dom? (Movie World? Movie Land?) Yes. Very. No one is saying that Avatar is actually literally the best movie of the year. Movies like The Hurt Locker and George Clooney takes a lot of planes to fire people have very, very good chances of beating out Avatar. But Avatar is the one people are talking about. Avatar is breaking all those box office records. And even the Academy can’t avoid that kind of money. So if I was a betting man I’d bet that Avatar will be definitely nominated. As for winning … yeah, why not, I’d put twenty bucks on that. I wish I knew where to put that twenty bucks down. Is there a guy? You know, a guy with a hat who never has to write this stuff down because he’s got the greatest memory in the world. Now THAT would be a good movie! UPDATE The good folks over at ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY have begun a running tally of best picture nominations for the big six (so far) awards leading up to the Oscar Nominations. Avatar is in the middle of the pack with three nominations. So it looks as if The Hurt Locker is (Right now) the one to beat, but I’m telling you, Avatar has a greater than expected chance. | |
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