January 15, 2007: The Governator at the Golden Globes

I read with amusement that Schwarzenegger will hobble out on his recently broken leg to present the Best Picture-Drama Award at tonight's Golden Globes. What fun! I enjoy watching the Golden Globes because of their high trash value. They are so basically absurd that they underline what nonsense all awards ceremonies are - from the Nobel on down. Just sit back and giggle. (And multi-task so you don't feel like you're wasting too much time.)

As for the nominees in Arnold's "all-important" category, I have written elsewhere my opinions of The Queen (which I liked) and Babel (which I loathed). But, hey, those are only opinions. Everyone's got one, as the saying goes. What's interesting about reviewing movies is that, if you are honest, you have to admit that you can almost never change someone's opinion of a film. We all have our own visceral experience of a movie when we see it. No matter what someone says before or after or how "knowledgeable" that person may be, you still have your experience. That's what you felt. The rest, as they say, is commentary -- or even less.

Comments

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Roger,I think that the Nobel Prizes for Literature and Peace have a higher trash value than the Golden Globes...after all,neither Jimmy Carter,Yassir Arafat or Toni Morrison ever got a Golden Globe!

Posted by: scott at January 15, 2007 9:50 PM

Oh, Roger! :) How 'bout we take up Bill Nighy's attitude instead?

"Accepting his statue for best actor in a TV mini-series or movie, 'Gideon's Daughter' star Bill Nighy said, "I used to think that prizes were damaging and divisive, until I got one. And now they seem sort of meaningful and real." "

Hehe...

Well, seriously... to tell you the truth, I don't think I'd go so far as to call awards ceremonies themselves "absurd" (although their proliferation sure as hell is). There's nothing wrong with singling out peers within an industry to give praise or laud accomplishments. The true absurdity arises from those who take such awards too seriously; anyone recall the Faith Hill CMA freakout (or should use the party line "joke" instead? ). Or, as another example of absurd overseriousness: Does the entertainment press really go overboard in covering these events, or what? But anyway... the idea of giving rewards itself I really don't have a problem with. Sure, rewards are completely subjective. But as superficial as they may be, humans thrive on them. Napoleon said of his creation and use of medals "It is with such trinkets that you lead men".

Of course, now that I mix the military metaphor in with the Hollywood one, I open myself up to retorts in kind. Such as the one about the numbers of medals on a general's chest being inversely proportional to the amount of combat said general has actually seen... how that applies to Hollywood, I don't know, but someone could say it and, when talking about generals, not be too far off the mark (seen the fruit salad on any given North Korean general's chest? Jeezus-Pete! What war have they been fighting?).

As far as the Nobel goes: I think the importance of the peace prize has seriously been diluted to the point of insignificance. Mother Teresa: Good choice! Yassir Arafat: What the hell were they thinking? Jimmy Carter: BLECH!. It could be an honorable award... if the Nobel committee restricted it to honorable folks. And didn't use it as a bludgeon for other goals (example: Tweaking Bush).

"What's interesting about reviewing movies is that, if you are honest, you have to admit that you can almost never change someone's opinion of a film."

Well of course not, but I've long ceased thinking of reviews as vehicles for such. I look at reviews to see if the critic has any other info with which I can use to process what I see. Even if I disagree with a critic, if he adds something informational, interpretive, or whatever to my body of knowledge, then it adds to my viewing experience. That's why I read reviews.

Except in the case of the Filthy Critic. I used to read him because he was Gawd-damned funny.

Posted by: ElMondo at January 16, 2007 12:20 PM

Great comment ElMondo. Don't we all live, in our little individualized world's, for trinkets? Corner office, parking space, employee of the month, dog greeting you, SG of the UN...oh I could go on. Not that I am above it, of course.

Posted by: Luther McLeod at January 16, 2007 5:18 PM

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