Filmbrain's (brief) reaction to the Academy Awards

Filmbrain's inbox was flooded today with emails from friends and readers curious about his thoughts on Million Dollar Baby sweeping the Oscars. Beyond a personal dislike for the film (an extreme one at that), it does seem to prove, once again, that the idea of "liberal Hollywood" is little more than a myth. That a film as reactionary as Million Dollar Baby could walk away with nearly all the major awards is a bit disconcerting. [Warning - spoilers follow.] A film full of contempt for the poor and working class (including the most offensive white-trash caricatures to grace the silver screen in some time), who are depicted as welfare cheats and gold-diggers. A film that has black thugs at the gym who beat up an intellectually challenged character who was himself the butt of jokes for a good portion of the film. Let's not forget the villain -- a former East German prostitute -- once a godless communist who sold her body for money, now the dirtiest of fighters. Then there's the handling of the moral dilemma that the film offers -- Clint has one quick conversation with a priest, sheds a few tears, and then decides he has to take matters into his own hands, much as he did back in his Dirty Harry days. (Which, as the Times of London recently pointed out, Pauline Kael attacked for its "remarkably single-minded attack on liberal values".) And what does the film say about women? That even when strong, they are helpless without a man -- they can't even die without them. (Do we really need another film where a man's redemption comes through the death of a woman?)

But this isn't the first time Hollywood rallied behind a right-wing film that gave the appearance of being leftist. Forrest Gump, anyone?

Now, Filmbrain needs to get back to his (terribly overdue) Berlinale reviews -- there are at least another fifteen films he wants to write about. . .

Comments

[Nick]

Hmmm...Not sure why a movie should represent or defend "liberal values". Difficult to comment this diatribe, since it is not really open for discussion [I understand that you're angry against the rest of the World, but then why do you mention a topic that makes you so angry?]

Btw, I was hysterical when MDB won the oscar, just by imagining your reaction.

[Freddie Kipple]

Million Dollar Baby is, I have finally concluded, a brilliant parody of a boxing film in the Chris Morris vein. I hear Clint is saving the scene where Swank's family feast on new born babies, and roll around on a bed of welfare checks whilst watching Rocky for the DVD.

[Ian Madide]

And all along I assumed MDB was another bloody flick about the Lindbergh kidnapping, with CE as a punch-drunk geezer turned gumshoe and Swank as the missing child after all these years.

[Toto]

East German prostitute: this is not an insult to women, more of a deus ex machina to move the story from phase one (which I found quite entertaining) to phase two (rather heavy-handed). Sure, she harks back to films from 20 years ago (what was that Rocky film with Dolph Lundgren?), but for the function she served she could have been a traffic accident. Anyway, no American sports-woman could be seen to be cheating now, and by this time our heroine is in the international league...
As for trailer-trash gold-diggers, why not? After all the rest of the film is about a determined, hard-working girl from the trailer park, surely you can get less inspiring people from there too. (Although one wonders how such a nice young lady could have flowered in such a group of ne'er-do-wells.)
That leave the priest, Morgan Freeman and the idiot soon-to-be-champion-of-the-world. The priest: obviously CE has no respect for him, but a lot for his institution. Fair enough, the priest is not very inspired anyway. I actually like MF's character, an overall loser who can't keep hold of his money. As for the idiot, he's the "light relief" - true, rather heavy-handed too, and the punch-up scene was fairly risible as a scene in the film (we could have done without it and the come-back later on), but it was believable (the come-back less so).
Does this film claim to be liberal? I don't think so. I also don't think it matters too much. It's about hard work paying off, and the vagaries and injustices of life. Very American. Doesn't make the film bad. I think I'll rewatch Ferris Bueller's Day Off again to teach me those equally important American values of laziness and cockiness now.

[Filmbrain]

Nick -
Films needn't represent or defend liberal values, but I find it amusing that in light of the current administration, which goes on and on about the liberal Hollywood elite, a film with such old-fashioned values is the one that captures the hearts and minds of Academy voters. That Rush Limbaugh and his ilk scream about how the film is "liberal propaganda" due to its pro-euthanasia stance is laughable. Let's not forget that Clint once testified before the US House subcommittee about changing the Americans with Disabilities Act because he was sued for not having wheelchair access at his hotel. Clint a liberal?

Nick, you know me well -- and you know how much I love film. MDB isn't a film -- it's a product. A well oiled machine that makes you cry and wins awards. It's a slap in the face to every legitimate film that was made last year. I realize you fell for it -- sorry. Maybe you've lived in the States for too long now. . .

[Filmbrain]

Toto-
Ridiculous stereotype or deus ex machina -- why did Clint feel the need to vilify the boxer responsible for Maggie's downfall in the first place? This is Rocky III mentality -- remember Clubber Lang? Look at some of the great boxing movies out there -- Raging Bull or Body & Soul -- no monsters, just other boxers. That a film with such a hackneyed device wins awards is worrisome. If Maggie just simply lost the fight and/or had an accident, would we not care/cry as much? No, we wouldn't -- not with Paul Haggis' screenplay. There's no character in her character -- henceforth the need to create the villain.

[noctos]

moviemaking isn't about defending whatever value, it's about making a good picture. MDB was a poor attempt and any respectable jury ignoring a true director and moviegoer as Scorsese for over 30 years now should be shot and buried. my .02

[Greg Samsa]

Who is this "genius" Clint Eastwood I kept hearing everyone refer to during the Oscars? How can the director of such utterly forgettable pap as Space Cowboys, True Crime, Blood Work, etc. be lauded as a genius? Clint has always struck me as at best competent as a director, but never really exceptional. Even on Clint's best films, say Unforgiven, Mystic River, do they reach the level of filmmaking as what are considered Scorsese's WORST?

I always found it amusing when people would discuss Unforgiven as if it was some profound revelation on the death of the west, while ignoring the fact that Sam Peckinpah covered the same territory with greater insight, humanity, and style 20 years earlier. For deflating the myth of the west Clint was awarded with an Oscar, and Peckinpah was run out of town!

Doesn't there seem to be some double standard at Oscar time that applies to actors who become directors? How else does one explain best director awards to the likes of Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, and Eastwood?

[la_depressionada]

I've said it before; I'll say it again -- CE is WAY overrated as a director. Almost the last thing I really liked was Play Misty For Me. His contemporary -- in more than mere age -- Robert Redford is, I think, underated. He should make more movies (and use Morgan Freeman to boot).

Also, I don't get this whole Hillary Swank thing. Aside from those disconcertingly pendulous breasts, there is little about her performances that I find hypnotic (certainly not meritorious of two oscars for chrissakes). I enjoyed Sandra Oh -- who always gives a good performance -- beating the shit out of THC way more; I guess I like my fights a little more, uh, organic.

[Matt]

"I enjoyed Sandra Oh -- who always gives a good performance -- beating the shit out of THC way more..."

Cate as Kate beat Oh, not Swank.

[Well, that sentence sure was weird...]

[r]

Hollywood celebrates Million Dollar Baby and Filmbrain goes Rottweiler on Eastwood's movie one last time. "It's a slap in face to every legitimate film that was made last year..." This almost sounds like a young Truffaut in the early 1950's delivering his attack on French cinema.

But was Oscar night a total loss? Not when Payne/Taylor and Kaufman received statues as well. The two movies had a place on your 2004 list, right?

filmbrain, did you just have a 1 year birthday in cyberspace? The more I become familiar with the world of amateur internet film criticism, the more I appreciate the writing on this website. But please keep in mind, Francois made his point about crappy French directors and moved on to articles about great ones such as Renoir, Ray, Hawks...

[Filmbrain]

Wow -- to be compared to a young Truffaut -- I'm honored. I promise this is the final attack on MDB.

Yes, both screenwriting awards were pleasant surprises, and seeing Kaufman on stage was worth suffering through the remaining 3+ hours.

You're right! Like Anna Karina's Sweater is one year old today! Thanks for the reminder!

[la depressionada]

I'm almost over Cate and her razor sharpe bones. She's got the potential to go crazy actress (a la Melanie Griffith e.g.) just watch. She made a good Liz, but no better than Tilda Swinton might have.

The reason I mention SO is that I am wondering whether the oscars will continue to ignore asian-american actresses, or actors for that matter, in favor of asian-born actors -- I'm sure Edward Said would have had a thing or two to say about that.

Finally re: Kate, Howard Fucking Hughes (Rent Harold and Melvin) and Martin Scorcese. I never thought I would live long enough to see the day MS becomes a hack, but he like his muse, RDN, are dangerously close to obliterating all their brilliant work by becoming enmired in -- what? God knows. In RdNiro's case it's too many apple martinis and black girls. I don't know what's with Scorcese. He's just getting bad. Better they should have cut my heart out than done this to me.

[la depressionada]

Happy Birthday FB. I love this blog. Who wouldn't love to be AK's sweater.

[Filmbrain]

Well stated, LaD. All we can hope is that Scorsese will take his vast earnings from the Miramax films, lock himself up with Paul Schrader for a year or so, and give us an independently-produced masterpiece.

Ok, first he's going to do the Infernal Affairs remake -- something I'm still not comfortable with. Leonardo (once again) and Matt Damon. Sigh.

Can RDN turn himself around? After working with Barbara Streisand and Dakota Fanning -- it's doubtful.

I also agree with you about Swank -- as her speech showed, she wasn't acting in MDB. SO will have her day -- I'm sure of it. She's too good not to.

[nick]

Filmbrain,

It looks like you're not aware of the fact that Hillary Swank is not a boxing girl, that the things she did in front of a camera and that the words she spoke, were actually written, that the woman she spoke to in the movie was not her biological mother. What was she doing then but acting? you are mistaking (which is quite amazing), actors who compose a character with actors who don't. The quality of actors like Hilary Swank is to be extremely natural and sincere in front of a camera, and that is not easy. I think that's why she was fairly rewarded. By questioning her acting, you remind me of the people who loudly screamed at the Cannes Festival when the rewards went to Rosetta's lead actress (who was completetly unknown at the time) and "L'Humanite"'s leads (who were not professional at all). Isn't it the best examples of supposedly "non actors" who were acting?

[Filmbrain]

Nick --

Hillary Swank is "just a girl who grew up in a trailer" playing a girl who grew up in a trailer. Was the part such a stretch for her? Where was the great acting?

Can you honestly say that that performance was better than any of the other four? Did it even come close? Was the role that much different than the one she played in Boys Don't Cry?

[Greg Samsa]

hoho, whats with all the Scorsese bashing? What's so special about Paul Schrader? You know he wrote the screenplay for Brining Out the Dead which all the Scorsese haters cite as a sign of his downfall? And Aviator is certainly a better film than Bringing Out the Dead, right? Scorsese couldn't be a hack if he tried.

[la depressionada]

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT PAUL SCHRADER????? He's like god. w/o PS no Taxi Drive. w/o PS no Raging Bull. w/o PS no Last Temptation. So, Mr. Samsa (cute name), when you think of (good) Martin Scorcese you damn well better think of Paul Schrader.

Moreover, if you like French New Wave and Italian Neo-Realism (and I like FNW and INR), if you want to see that kind of cultural sensitivity brought to American culture in American movies watch some movies Schrader has directed: Hardcore (that's number 1), American Gigolo, Cat People, Affliction. I liked Touch although it's not for every body (but I'm religious).

Who's doing that? Nobody. Nobody.

I would also like to plug a personal favorite of mine: Mosquito Coast. Good movie. GREAT BOOK.

[la depressionada]

I wish I knew when I completely stopped giving a shit about the Academy Awards. There was a time that I understood them at least vis a vis Hollywood flics.

bon anniversaire mon petit chou-fleur cinématographique.