Monday, January 29, 2007

Betty and Bimbo Recommend: Sour Grapes

Because no discussion of the Oscars is complete without a discussion of notable snubs.

Betty: There is a reason everyone is gasping over Dreamgirls getting the big backside from the high-minded Academy. Hello! Dreamgirls is the Titanic of this 2006. If you liked Titanic, this movie is a natural rave!

Bimbo: I loved Titanic, and Dreamgirls was horrible.

Betty: But it’s the exact same concept! Big sets, passage of time, doomed love, redemption, American dreams, overcoming class differences and prejudice. Hello!?!? I guess Bimbo prefers middle school dance drivel like "My Heart Will Go On" to the steamroller that is "And I’m Telling you I’m not GOINGGGGG! I don’t wanna be freeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

Bimbo: Seriously now. Thank God Dreamgirls wasn’t nominated- but most of the other films nominated shouldn’t have been. Here is my fantasy top five films. I’m limiting my snubs list to only snubs within the realm of possibility.

Bimbo's Best Picture Snubs:
Volver – Like Speed McQueen, I fail to understand the "foreign film" distinction. Movies like Volver are not “foreign” films in New York and L.A. In those places, the distinction is meaningless. An Almodovar film is a Hollywood film. Penelope Cruz was even nominated for Best Actress, not Mejor Actriz. This makes you wonder about all the other foreign-language films we'll never hear about.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Half Nelson

Inland Empire

Miami Vice


Special Mention: Army of Shadows - Best Movie of All Time, Re-released this year.

Other movies that were snubbed in some way:

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (Betty)
L'Enfant (Betty and Bimbo)
Wordplay (Betty)
A Scanner Darkly (Bimbo)
Scoop (Betty and Bimbo)
The Descent (Bimbo)
The Science of Sleep (Bimbo)
Jesus Camp (Betty)
49 Up (Betty and Bimbo)
The Devil Wears Prada (Betty)
Children of Men (Bimbo)

More thoughts on the Oscars coming soon to a blog near you. In the meantime, who do you think was snubbed? Do you think Babel, The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen are the five best movies of the year?

Special thanks to Speed McQueen for starting the "Oscars" category.

2 comments:

Superman said...

Although I have never actually seen the Devil wears Prada, I totally agree that the movie was snubbed!

Nancy D., Girl Detective said...

Good call on Miami Vice, Bimbo! Also on Tristram Shandy, Betty! (But Bimbo, it's you that's won my heart: I will take Michael Mann any way he comes with all his hyperbole and long, sweeping sequences and manly men. It's not for everyone but it's for me.)