Oscar nominations vs. Mine/Yours

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Stewball
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Re: Oscar nominations vs. Mine/Yours

Post by Stewball »

zopz wrote:The near-total absence of white actors (just a couple extras) is really the only clear political statement in Moonlight, as far as I could tell. Otherwise it seems far more to be about trying to survive within shitty pre-existing circumstances (it remains to be extrapolated from this that these circumstances are a racial problem, first of all, but the perspective taken is just some kid who doesn't know about that shit, trying to live his life). I would even say that as far as the academy making a statement, with this film it's more likely to be related to homosexuality and countering masculinity than race, since that's the more blatant theme.


I thought that was obvious, and your last phrase indicates you do to. It took me a while to realize that some people didn't notice, or pretended not to notice, the overwhelming gay theme that was obvious even in the previews--and it's that, not race, that's the Oscar PC issue I was highlighting.

90sCoffee
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Re: Oscar nominations vs. Mine/Yours

Post by 90sCoffee »

I don't think Moonlight was trying to play up the gay or PC angle in any way. I do think it's Oscar bait slightly but not because of the cast or any of those reasons.

I thought it was a bit of Oscar-bait in three particular scenes (one in each act) where Chiron has this supposedly 'deep' and meaningful contemplative conversation. It was a bit forced and heavy-handed, the 'deep' conversations in that movie didn't feel as natural as in other ones (including Boyhood which it's compared to though I think it's almost as good as Boyhood). Plus the whole character suffering from tragedy with a druggie mother thing but that's part of the story-line at least, the deep conversations were just a bit hard for me to take seriously.

Though I did watch Manchester By The Sea a couple weeks before and nothing was gonna top that 4 minute scene with Casey Affleck & Michelle Williams or how real everything else felt in that film, I should've watched Moonlight before lol.

Stewball
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Re: Oscar nominations vs. Mine/Yours

Post by Stewball »

zopz wrote:
Stewball wrote:I thought that was obvious, and your last phrase indicates you do to. It took me a while to realize that some people didn't notice, or pretended not to notice, the overwhelming gay theme that was obvious even in the previews--and it's that, not race, that's the Oscar PC issue I was highlighting.


Not really, since the whole thread has been about race.


Not because I inserted it. I just singled out due for PC reasons, which I thought were obviouse, and people started assuming that it was for race. Talk about prejudice.

This is an interesting case, I'd say, and if you had seen the film you'd end up being decidedly underwhelmed by the 'gay theme'. I don't see this as being too far away from the academy's established proclivity for both poignant and 'tasteful' (conservative) romance. One part might not be deemed so conservative, but the context is interesting (imagine if they were adults - their naivety transforms that situation into something more widely palatable I suspect). But it's a schmaltzy, faux naturalistic (like Before Sunset etc etc...) romance, not at all a big, gay campy, trashy riot. Still, we might be in a time when more mainstream critics can potentially enjoy brash, campy queer movies too, not because of political correctness, but because many people are not completely turned off by the idea of queer sex and can think it's fun (see Tangerine for a great example).


The preview showed a theme involving knee-jerk hatred, which is of course reprehensible. But one thing that's always pissed me off is the idea that a quick rejection of a homosexual advance is "homophobic". My genes are programmed for heterosexuality, which I think means we react with repulsion instinctively. I know I do, but that doesn't mean I'm making personal judgments, unlike a girl rejecting a guy which is judgmental, unless one of them is gay...or something.

But bottom line is, and I think it may have been deliberate on Jenkins' part, none of the contentious issues related to the film are loaded with political subtext.


That's entirely possible, but it was inserted by the Academy as part of it's agenda. The movie could be a masterpiece, but I just can't identify with the characters or see myself in that situation. There's never been a movie that is right for everyone.

I live on the left side of the fence for sure, but I also question the methods and attitudes of the left in this time, with their ramapant assholery.


Well said, and I could say the same thing for myself on the right, especially in relation right-wing theocratic rampant assholery.

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