Escapist Podcast - Movies and TV: 030: Podcast Special - Normcore Oscars AKA The Selma Snub

[Team Hollywood]

030: Podcast Special - Normcore Oscars AKA The Selma Snub

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for this year's Oscars, and the reaction has not been kind. Criticized as one of the least diverse Academy Awards on record, the slate of nominees is notable for the absence of hugely acclaimed Martin Luther King/Civil Rights drama Selma, which got only two nominations. (Both of which look rather like consolation prizes). In today's special edition of the Escapist movies and tv podcast, we talk about that at length, as well as the news of Fantastic Four reshoots, and we answer a listener question. Get ready for a very messy conversation about the business of show!

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[AndreiCC]

Shouldn't the Academy Awards strive to reward excelence in moviemaking, instead of serving as a sort of balm to soothe american's white guilt? + They already gave 12 Years a Slave the BP award last year, over at least 3 better movies. I hope that is not becoming an unwritten rule.

 

[bdcjacko]

Oh no, a movie about race relations didn't win an Oscar? Guess the racist white judges didn't see its brilliance.

It isn't that the movie didn't win so much as wasn't nominated.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

Shouldn't the Academy Awards strive to reward excelence in moviemaking, instead of serving as a sort of balm to soothe american's white guilt? + They already gave 12 Years a Slave the BP award last year, over at least 3 better movies. I hope that is not becoming an unwritten rule.

You are aware at how racist that reads, right?
I'm not accusing but it's as if you said "we gave them some candy what more do them [insert racial slur here] want?"

The fact is the lack of representation and overall respect is ever present in the oscars and it's an insult, I would never even had known of Selma had Movie Bob not reviewed it here. One of the criticsms of this film is it's "historical inaccuracies" which is one of the biggest load of Bullsh!t I've ever heard from the Oscars and half of what they say is just that.

I didn't watch too many films during 12 Years a Slaves release so I won't comment on the validity of there being better films then

 

[bdcjacko]

Oh no, a movie about race relations didn't win an Oscar? Guess the racist white judges didn't see its brilliance.

It isn't that the movie didn't win so much as wasn't nominated.

Eh, based on how much they aggressively fellated 12 Years a Slave last year I guess maybe they thought it was time to tone it down. Far less outrageous than people voting for it without having seen it in any case.

What are you talking about? It shouldn't matter who won last year, or what movies were honored or mentioned.

And what do you mean Far less outrageous than people voting for it without having seen it? Are you implying that Selma would only have gotten nominated if people who didn't see it voted for it?

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Before we get too deep into the "ARRGGH RACE" rhetoric, I'm going to ask those who've already made their blithe comments... did you even see Selma? And if so, did you see the other movies on the list and can you compare it with that?

If no to Selma... what if it was actually a good movie, not just a white guilt thing, and therefore genuinely surprising that nothing came of it? Are you going to hold open that window, or are you just going to go straight to race.

... you know, the thing that most people complain about others doing when it's asking why aren't the minorities and what not represented?

 

[UmberHulk]

Selma isn't even a white guilt movie they spend a good chunk of the movie showing that both white and black people were involved in the success of the Selma march. In my opinion some people are far too quick to through out the phrase "white guilt". If their is one major underling message to Selma its that the voting rights act(which has recently been repealed because according to congress it's isn't necessary any more) was essential to the civil rights movement.

 

[AndreiCC]

You are aware at how racist that reads, right?
I'm not accusing but it's as if you said "we gave them some candy what more do them [insert racial slur here] want?"

It all comes down to the way you relate to the subject matter. As an eastern european in my late twenties, a movie about the fight against racism in America won't get any extra points with me based only on the subject matter so it will come down to how well it's made and acted. And I've seen at least 3 better movies this year that didn't get a BP nod, but Selma did, so I don't see how it's been snubbed.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

You are aware at how racist that reads, right?
I'm not accusing but it's as if you said "we gave them some candy what more do them [insert racial slur here] want?"

It all comes down to the way you relate to the subject matter. As an eastern european in my late twenties, a movie about the fight against racism in America won't get any extra points with me based only on the subject matter

and it shouldn't

so it will come down to how well it's made and acted. And I've seen at least 3 better movies this year that didn't get a BP nod, but Selma did, so I don't see how it's been snubbed.

Snub is more on the lines of they acknowledged it's existence but they left it out of the running over small crap which to be honest Is as bad as to be ignored. (Say that In a Krogan voice).

 

[MorganL4]

So has this podcast been discontinued? It isn't on the weekly schedule anymore, and there hasn't been one in a month. If so that is really too bad. Because I really used to look forward to it.