Hidden Figures, Lion, Arrival: A Belated Oscar Movies Post

Movies and Television

Another Oscar season, another year I’m really not impressed.

Original Thought, Look Not Here

I like my movie entertainment to be entertaining beyond watching famous people act and the Oscar bait did nothing for me.

Say what you will, props to the Golden Globes for nominating Deadpool. The Academy on the other hand, nothing new to see.

What I did see:

LionReal life true story that was of course, romanticized and glamorized with Hollywood casting the pretty people who can cry on cue. Lion had its moments, spoiled by the asshats in marketing with the trailer. It was good, moving, entertaining enough though nothing I’d have to see over and over.

arrival
Arrival made talking and working on computers interesting, so there’s that. © 2016 Paramount.

Arrival. Jeremy Renner was underused, the rest ‘all kind of reactionary’ cast was just there.

Arrival was Amy Adams show; haven’t seen enough of the other performances to call ‘robbed!’ but considering TPTB are flexible with the number of available slots (?) they should have made room.

I could watch it again, even though I figured it out early. No bullshit – one problem with watching too much TV, seeing crapton of movies is that you know the tropes, you figure out the tricks. Typing of familiar..

hidden figures
Hollywood knows its inspirational ‘true’ story formula. © 2016 20th Century Fox.

Hidden Figures. I enjoyed it, I did. And yet I totally agree with another reviewer who very much did not – it was by the book, formula.

Most characters have no depth or motivation; the Great White Man steps up to “do the right thing;” the line of us vs them, only a select white, male few drawing the lines. Check, check, check no matter if accurate to this ‘true’ story or not.

Hidden Figures really lost its gravitas when it launched into the powerful racial oppression speech — shortly after showing us that it was funny or quirky, as accompanied by the upbeat music. (Trying not to spoil ‘it.’)

To me HF was as much a feminist story as equal rights, anything else. I saw sexism, misogyny and the still totally relevant 9-to-5. Damn we’ve come almost nowhere, baby.

What’d I miss?

No really. Be curious to see what’s worth seeing. Had some friends mention La La Land and from the way they asked, knew to scratch it off the list. I’m still pissed AF I wasted money on that Birdman shit.

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