The "Shame"-less Oscars

Context: So, I've seen many of the Oscar Nominated films this year, and the two that stuck out to me the most didn't even get nominated. I'm speaking of course of Drive and Shame. I saw the former in the fall, and the latter last week; both in the local "art" cinema here in Toulouse, called "Utopia," and for a cinéaste like myself, that is exactly what this theater is like. If you didn't know where it was, you would miss it. It is on a narrow down-town street, typical to many French cities. There is no big neon sign, just a small, green chalk-board posted on the glass doors that displays the day's show-times. There is not a large crowd of teens laughing and running around, just a few older hipster-types sprinkled calmly outside the door smoking. Inside, it is a grand foyer, or at least grand for a cinema of its small stature. The ticket booth is perched at the top of a small set of stairs, and each of the three screens are located in rooms covered to the walls with plush, red-velvet cloth. Each screening was with a packed house, only appropriate for the two excellent films that I saw.

As it seems to manage each year, the Academy Awards does not fail to disappoint with its nominations, and this year they take no Shame in it either. That’s right; I’m referring to the sophomore effort by English director, Steve McQueen who failed to garner any attention with his film about sex-addiction, aside from its NC-17 rating. Unfortunately, he is in good company this year with the likes of Nicolas Winding Refn and the rest of the cast of Drive, who were all snubbed for contention for that bald, gold guy. Both directors and films make a great case for why they should have been nominated and why they should be very upset that they got snubbed.

The first reason the Oscars got the nods wrong again this year: Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling. Both in roles as the strong silent type, they acted with near perfection and each with their own style. Gosling in this case probably getting snubbed because he is too good looking; he is this generation’s Brad Pitt. He will be nominated a lot in the future, but his acting ability will be highly overlooked (like that of Pitt) because he has been associated with that “teen heartthrob” crowd. Fassbender suffers from, well, being foreign. He is a quickly rising star but largely unknown to many Americans, which works to his disadvantage this year after starring in a highly censored film (censored in the sense that it suffered under the weight of the NC-17 rating, which essentially limits who can see the film.)

Michael Fassbender in Shame

What puts the salt in the wound of these snubs is the list of Best-Actor nominations. There are Hollywood mainstays but also some underdogs too. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and (more recently a mainstay) Gary Oldman, all of which are great actors in their own right, are most likely nominated because of their Hollywood clout. Clooney is the most deserving of the nod, and maybe even the Oscar, with his incredibly poignant performance in The Descendants. Pitt is more a mainstay snub, snub for a win that is, but his portrayal as Billy Beane, although wonderful, is far from his best performance, let alone his best this year (see his performance in The Tree of Life.) Then there is Oldman, who like Pitt, continually takes on challenging and different roles, and rather, he deserves the statuette more for his body of work. The problem here however is that these three represent the typical choices of the Academy; they have the “big name” advantage going for them. Gosling and Fassbender would be more fitting in the spots occupied by Pitt and Oldman. It is good however, to see the little-known (to American audiences) Damián Bichir and Jean Dujardin nominated. Although I think Dujardin is mostly riding off the popularity of The Artist.

Ryan Gosling in Drive

Another reason that the Oscars got it wrong: Carey Mulligan. This is an unfortunate one because she co-starred in both Drive and Shame, which probably hurt in splitting the nominations for her. Both performances were of equally high quality, and each character she portrayed was very different. If anything, this contrast in character types, or even the fact that she simply picks interesting, complex roles, should have gotten her a nomination. Her contemporary, Jessica Chastain, managed to get the nod after starring, less notably in my opinion, in The Tree of Life and The Help, the later being the performance of lesser quality but of more popularity to audiences. This is a defect that the Academy suffers from each year. They attempt to compensate for popular films (or in Meryl Streep’s case, popular actresses) and overlook truly great performances, like both by Carey Mulligan.

Carey Mulligan in Shame

Carey Mulligan in Drive

Probably the toughest, but most justified argument to be made for both Drive and Shame is in respects to the directors and the films in general, (these being the first films that I personally have seen from either director.) Making nominations judged heavily on past work should not be practiced in the spirit of finding the current year’s best films, performances, etc. However, Winding Refn and McQueen are two of the most original and daring filmmakers currently working. In Winding Refn’s case, (having only heard about his affinity for violence in his films,) it seems that he treats the subject appropriately. Drive works as a sort of modern western with Gosling as the man of mystery à la Brad Pitt/John Wayne. He is known only in the credits as the Driver. This film is a story about how he falls in love with and sacrifices everything for Irene (played by Mulligan) and her son. This is part of the film is accompanied by the one part of the film that didn’t get a snub, the sound editing, and the entrancing soundtrack. The violence in this film is not seen until around halfway through and is really shocking, as it should be. Violence should be treated as something that is gruesome, it should make you twinge, and it shouldn’t be treated as “cool.” The contrast between the love story and the violence is the power of this film.

Ryan Gosling (Left) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Right)

In the case of McQueen, he suffers from this being his sophomore effort and his exposure (or ironically lack thereof) to the public. How could a film be more daring in Hollywood than with an NC-17 rating? However, this rating does not do Shame justice. Although a very sexually explicit film that dives deep into the psyche of a sex addict with possibly deeper incestual issues, Shame is a perfectly written and constructed film. It borders on Hitchcockian structure, where every part of the film, not just the writing or the acting (for example,) but also the editing and art-design are essential to what the film is trying to portray. It is probably the most perfect, all-round, film of the year, where every aspect is essential and should not be overlooked. McQueen is very conscious of every part of his film.

Michael Fassbender (Left) and Steve McQueen (Right)

Although a complete analysis can be made of Shame, uncovering all of its intricacies, (and in fact, I have written one,) it is important to note what the Academy has actually nominated instead of Shame, and also Drive. In the Best-Directing category, the Academy got it mostly right, although Scorsese I think got a free pass this year, and a McQueen nomination would have been more justified. And Best Picture, well, one would think with all the possible nominations (ten , but they only nominated 9?!) that the Academy could include a film like Drive or Shame, but apparently they were very undeserving. It was a stronger year than most people think; it is just a shame that people have overlooked the truly great films of the year. (But, what’s new.)

Things Can Only Get Better

It's a new year, and unfortunately, I too enter a new phase of my life, brought on partly because, well it is in fact the new year. Now, I'm not much for New Year's resolutions, but this holiday season provided the perfect storm for me to integrate into my life some change. I'm a pretty relaxed person and am not usual one of those go-go-go people with my foot on the gas when it comes to goals. Granted, I do have goals, just I'm more relaxed about them. I also realize that it is the 24th of January and I'm just starting to talk about my resolutions, but I have actually been pretty successful in keeping to them. 

There are three main resolutions that I have made for myself. In the most sweeping generalization I can make, there is a lot going on in the world today. There are protests, famines, wars, and just general political unrest taking place all over the world. A lot of this is unknown to many of the average Americans, (including myself.) There is a lot of information out there to be consumed and to keep track of; however, it is important to at least be aware of this, and that is one of my resolutions for this new year. I plan to get into a routine where I follow the world news more closely. I have studied and work in a foreign country, and it is important to note what is happening somewhere else. So, although I'm just now writing about it, I've decided to maximize the mass amount of free-time that my job allows, and I have been listening and reading to NPR online just about everyday. It is one of the most unbiased and interesting news sources that I've found. I'm not particularly privy to all the left or right leaning news sources. They are ridiculously biased, so much so that I can't take what they saying seriously. I would also consider CNN a reliable source, although there is a large difference between CNN and CNN International. So, that is something to be aware of.

Another resolution I've made is reading. I'm just trying to read more in general. I really love to read, and books are a wonderful and enriching experience. They help improve your memory, creativity, and intelligence, like giving your mind a workout so that you don't become a mindless pawn. Recently, I have looked forward to reading more and more. I never used to be a big reader. In grade school, I remember we had this computerized testing system that had quizzes over certain books, and we students were supposed to read a certain amount of the books per year and take the quizzes. I always tried to find a way around doing them, or I would just plain do poorly on them. However, since beginning college, I have personally discovered how much I truly enjoy reading. So now that I have an excess of free time, I plan on reading as many books as I possibly can, hopefully actual books, not online. You can't beat the feel of the pages on your fingers and that musty, old-book smell. 

Another minor goal is to listen to more music. I love music, and I love discovering new music. It is a little difficult in France because Pandora does not work over hear, copy-right restrictions and all. So I've been relying heavily on Youtube, but that really hasn't helped expand selection. I also use NPR (naturally) to give me some good selections. One of the groups NPR has exposed me two, just recently actually, is called First Aid Kit. It consists of two Swedish sisters, Klara and Johanna Soderberg, who began recording there own folk-style music on their cellphones. I'm listening to them as I write this, and I highly recommend them. My favorite track is called "Emmylou," from their new album The Lion's Roar. So please have a listen.

Probably my biggest resolution is writing, writing, writing. Because I do consider myself a writer, I have been trying to be more disciplined about writing. I heard a story about a writer on NPR, she had landed a big contract because she had published her own content online. She said she had spoken to this musician who told her that "It's not enough to have a passion, you have to have a work ethic." This is probably the best advice I've heard about writing--about any passion that one may have. So that is what I am trying to do, to get into a routine with everything in my life, to develop my work ethic, to write everyday, whether in my newly created blog here, or writing fiction. Time drags on when I'm bored, I start thinking unpleasant thoughts; I start thinking about how much I miss my family and how much I miss my friends. That is what this year is going to be all about. Intellectual and emotional self-improvement. And, I've got a long road ahead. So here goes, bring it 2012.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."