Jan 23 2009
Why Did The Dark Knight Get Screwed?
It’s sad, though not entirely unexpected that The Dark Knight was all but shut out from the major categories in the Academy Award nominations released yesterday. There was a looming fear that this might be the case after the film was pretty much banished from the Golden Globes, with the exception of Ledger of course. And Ledger did land a nom at the Oscars, but if he hadn’t there would have been nothing short of riots in Hollywood.
So why did The Dark Knight get ****ed over so hard? It’s a question that should be relatively easy to answer, but I’m finding it increasingly difficult. I’m trying to understand what differentiates The Dark Knight from other worldwide populist box office smashes like Titanic and Return of the King which actually set records for how many statues they won at the awards themselves. The film achieved such universal critical and public praise has propelled it to be the second highest grossing film ever. It stands to reason that the Oscars are about due for a populist pick, due to fast fading relevance and dropping ratings, but to not even be nominated? That’s just a joke. Wave goodbye to any hope of viewership.
You can cry artistic integrity all you want, but everyone besides the Globes and the Oscars seems to understand that film was award worthy. There have been numerous critics and directors and writers awards that have given it a best picture nom, so why would the two biggest shows shut The Dark Knight out completely?
As I said, it’s a question I don’t have an answer to. I’m having flashbacks to when The Wire never got an Emmy nomination despite being universally acclaimed as one of the greatest shows in the history of time by everyone who had ever seen it. Sometimes these things just don’t make sense.
I’m open to explanations if anyone can help me out here. And though “the Academy sucks” is an accurate statement, I’m looking for a little more profound of an answer that that. Here’s the breakdown of the six major categories. Also getting screwed, Chris Nolan, The Wrestler, Let the Right One In, Leonardo DiCaprio and Darren Aronofsky.
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1. Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”
2. Actor: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”
3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”; Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”
4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”; Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road.”
5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis, “Doubt”; Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler.”
6. Director: David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”; Gus Van Sant, “Milk”; Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”; Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire.”
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The film was flawed and tried to do too much, but that’s a different story. The fact is that The Dark Knight’s summer release hurt the film in awards season. Everything else nominated saw December or newer release dates — Slumdog doesn’t even go wide until today. This has been the case with the Academy for a very long time. Movies are released at Christmas to win Oscars and it’s what the Academy voters think of when they cast their ballots.
While I did think it was a good movie, I think it lacked exceptional content in it. The settings weren’t as polished as in batman begins, it was like “Batman meets Chicago”, and i felt like the Gotham feel was gone from it.
Heath got the nomination because his performance was exceptional and everyone else was outdone. All Christian Bale did was growl in his emphysema language the whole movie.
I have to say it, but Maggie Gyllenhall just isn’t attractive, and she didn’t really do much.
So all in all, I think, as far as The Dark Knight is concerned, it got it’s nominations accordingly.
“I have to say it, but Maggie Gyllenhall just isn’t attractive, and she didn’t really do much.”
SPOT ON.
Agreed with both of the previous posters, it was great in my eyes, but when has a movie that i loved (ie iron man, or pulp fiction, SHAWSHANK? even big leboski lol…) ever get a nomination like best picture. Movies with co existing brands (ie DC) never get nominations, ledger will win for SURE. That will be the atonement, he stole the movie, and should take the oscar post mortem for his flawless performance that in the end, made the movie. In the end, i feel that Nolan is screwed, the movie was fantastic, maybe every part wasn’t double grade A beef, but in the end, the “orchestra” played a fantastic song.
Drew (im new)
I love you so much
I could care less about leonardo Di caprio
But all those other things got screwed especially Let the right one in and The Wrestler. Well lets just all hoe…. no pray that heath gets the oscar eh?
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cmon, don’t come with it wasn’t atractive, sigourney weaver isn’t m precisely lovely in aliens but she’s goddamn awesome, charlize theron, is fucking ugly during monster and won a fucking oscar.
it isnt the appereance it’s the character, besides it’s got the artistic feeling, the greatest villain-hero pairing in years and three of the most complex characters i’ve seen around this yeras