Why I Won't Be Watching the Oscars

The Oscars are happening this weekend.  Many right now will be waiting in anticipation in hopes that their favorite film of the year will win best picture.  Others will take to their computer screens to whine about the race of the contenders.  So there will be a wide range of reactions to the ceremony.  Mine, however, will be very simple: I won't be watching because I have a billion better things to do with my life.

Honestly, I haven't cared about the Oscars since 2013 when Michelle Obama introduced the best film.  It didn't bug me because of my historic distaste of the Obamas, but because it got me to question how pretentious the whole thing seemed.  Why was the spouse of a major world superpower’s leader being called in to read off the choice of best film selected by a bunch of random people I've never met?  Also, they didn't even bother to have her there in person so it came across as insane self-promotion for the Oscars just to feed their ego.  Starting with those two thoughts, I just came to view the event as pointless.

So really, the first reason is that I have no connection to the choosing process.  There's only one film that is a contender for Best Picture that I have interest in, but even that wasn't my favorite film this year.  That's really a problem then because I can't really call something the "Best Picture" if I don't actually like it.  I have no control over the Oscar voters or which picture gets selected, so the results to me are meaningless.  Therefore, the award is pointless.

The second problem is that it doesn't change the film.  I have never watched a film solely because the Oscars said it was good.  I did see Godfather, but only because my parents said it was a great film.  I intend to watch Birdman one day, but only because a friend of mine really loves it.  Meanwhile, I went to see Brooklyn last year and hated it so much that I left early.  A film is good or bad to me regardless of what the Oscars say.

The third is that there is a lot of corruption at the Oscars.  Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything did a special on the behind the scenes campaigns.  Essentially, the film studios send gifts to the electors or invite them to celebrity parties to win their votes.  So really, the best film isn't the one selected, but the one that pays the most.  That's just slimy.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not happy when a movie I like gets nominated or wins.  It's always nice when something you like get recognized.  However, at the end of the day it's just an award for the shelf.  It doesn't really change taste or interest.  That's why I'll probably be reading Sunday night.

Black Sheep: A Review

            I only try to review things I feel passionately about.  I chose not to review Split because it was good but didn't blow me away.  What I'm reviewing today is not something I felt incredibly strong about, but I am reviewing for other reasons.  I realized that few people my age have probably heard of this film so I thought it would be interesting to make someone aware of its existence.  So, today I'm talking about the movie Black Sheep.

            Basically, the film stars Chris Farley and David Spade.  Farley is the doofus brother of a prominent Washington State politician who is running for Governor.  However, Farley keeps making ridiculous mistakes that the media eats up which keeps on embarrassing his brother.  As a result, David Spade is sent by the campaign to keep Farley out of the limelight.  The rest of the film follows Farley and Spade as they try to win votes.

            Farley is easily the biggest (no pun intended) part of the film.  He is the main character of the film and it is his character's story.  In many parts, he does a lot of yelling and is really over the top.  In some cases it works, but in others it can be kind of annoying.  Most of that though is the fault of the writing as the jokes don't always hit.

            However, Farley does still turn in a good performance.  His character might have been unlikeable if he had been more aware of how bad his mistakes are.  However, Farley portrays the character as very innocent and good natured which makes him more sympathetic and forgivable.  Farley's acting makes the character more enjoyable and believable.  Without a doubt, he did elevate the film.

            Spade played a decent straight man.  He's easily the most believable in the film as clearly he is only hanging out with Farley as he hopes this will get him a job in the governor's administration.  For the most part, a lot of crap happens to him and he responds to it well.  He contrasts Farley well as being more cynical and grounded in reality.  The two do make a good pair which makes it all the sadder they are no longer able to make films.

            The last highlight of the film is Gary Busey.  He plays a crazy former soldier who keeps interjecting himself in Spade's life.  He is delightfully over the top in every scene he is in as he plays a wacky side character very well.  Every scene he is in is pretty funny as he chews the scenery around him.  I'm not going to say he's the best part, but he is the only thing that is consistently funny.

            The most important element, however, is the comedy.  It's mostly hit or miss.  A lot of the jokes are predictable which makes it hard to laugh.  The film really shines though at some of the crazier moments like Farley and Spade going to the Governor's inauguration.  Overall, sometimes I was laughing hard and other times I thought the scene wasn't as funny as the film intended.

            In conclusion, I can't recommend this film.  I did enjoy it okay, but it didn't make me feel like it was necessary.  The performances made some of it better, but some jokes just didn't work.  The film's kind of like a watered down Tommy Boy so I would suggest watching that instead.  However, if you do watch it, you won't regret it,

            Before I go, I'll say the film did resonate with me more than expected for personal reasons.  I tend to find Happy Gilmore as funny as I do in part because I come from a family of golfers and therefore relate to the sport quite well.  I have been on several campaigns so I do relate to the situation the characters find themselves in throughout the story.  There are times when, like Farley, I've been overly enthusiastic about being on a campaign despite that not making a difference, and there are times, like Spade, I'm doing crap I don't want to do or spending time with people I don't want to be with because it has to be done and I hope it will pay off.  Overall, it does connect to me through campaigns, even if it's not too in depth about politics.  So I will admit that was nice.