Every day, Opening Acts highlights the best pieces of writing on film, television, and literature published around the Internet. Please share if you like what you see.
For your reading enjoyment …
What the Golden Globes Got Right by Aniruddha Guha. Guha praises the HFPA for most selections on TV award winners, criticize others.
This year too, the HFPA seems to have chosen the right candidates barring a couple, and the Golden Globes’ wins in the Film categories give us a fair idea of what to expect on Oscar night. But what the Globes really got right was each of the Television categories.
Review: From Cosby to Charlie, This Golden Globes Had Something to Say by James Poniewozik. James surveys the ceremony’s topical commentary put forth by the hosts and award recipients.
This year, Hollywood had more to get off its chest than the fabric from its plunging necklines.
Why the Oscars Have Never Much Cared for Wes Anderson Movies by David Haglund. David speaks out against the Oscar’s reluctance to award Wes for his original, non-commerical, humorous filmmaking.
As David Ehrlich noted on Wednesday in Slate, “the Oscars are a sport, and—like all sports—they’re won by whoever wants it most (provided the player has deep pockets, as this league has no salary cap).” Every indication suggests that Anderson has no interest in playing the game. Early in 2013, when Moonrise Kingdom got some Academy buzz, Entertainment Weekly asked the director what his role was “in getting Moonrise back in front of people for awards season.” Anderson’s answer: “I sort of did my job back in May [2012, when that movie was released] in terms of helping to get the movie out into the world.”
What David Cronenberg Doesn’t Get About Rotten Tomatoes (and Online Film Criticism) by Jason Bailey. Bailey responds against the cult-director’s accusations toward online film criticism websites.
The web-only outlets represented there aren’t bullshit throwaway blogs; they include Indiewire, HitFix, Little White Lies, Slant, and Movie Mezzanine. These aren’t poseurs; these are serious film writers, and by sneering at them, Cronenberg isn’t sticking up for “legitimate critics” as much as showcasing his own snobbery.
When Movies Lie by William Falk. William argues that filmmakers should have creative license to embellish true stories, but not rewrite history.
Hollywood has a habit of rewriting history. Remember the heart-pounding climax of Argo? In the (mostly true) Best Picture of 2013, the Americans who escape Tehran in a plane are chased down the runway by machine-gun-wielding Iranians in police cars. It never happened; the Americans left without challenge or incident. Don’t be so literal! say the defenders of artistic privilege. An auteur’s personal vision, and the narrative demands of storytelling, cannot be constrained by mere fact. But altering history has consequences: Movies are an emotionally powerful medium, and what is depicted on the big screen imprints itself on memory as truth.
One thought on “Opening Acts 1/12/2015”
The link seems to be broken on the last item, When Movies Lie. I’d really like to read that one!