Monday, February 23, 2015

And the Oscar goes to...


Its that time of the year again, when the Hollywood great and good congratulate themselves on another year of creativity and cash-flow. As a film fan I tend toward the more "independent" end of the spectrum, I usually find mainstream Romance/Comedy/Action films a bit "formula" these days, there is the odd exception of course. For example, I particularly liked the geek orientation of some of the top films last year, I thought "the theory of everything" and "the imitation game" were both excellent, as was Boyhood. For me the only general category that seems to be pushing boundaries these days in Hollywood is Science Fiction. I think largely born out of the revolution in CGI that has happened in the last 10 years but also the effect of latching onto the wonderful comic-book hero narratives that came out of the 50's and 60's especially from the houses of DC and Marvel. Pixar would also be pivotal in my book and of course, later this year we get JJ Abrams version of Star Wars, something eagerly awaited in our household.

I don't pay much attention to the Oscars (Eddie Redmayne deserved one for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking) but I did read a funny story about the "Razzies" which are essentially the "anti-Oscars" handed out for the very worst films of the year, the "golden raspberry" for worst film of the year was awarded to Christian film "Saving Christmas" by creationist, science denier and all round dimwit Kirk Cameron of "banana-man" fame (worth a watch if you need a laugh); many commentators suggested that this film, described as having "no cinematic value whatsoever", may even clinch the coveted "worst film of all time" award, high (anti) praise indeed!

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