For the umpteenth year in a row, I didn’t watch the Oscar awards. Also for the umpteenth year in a row, none of the movies I saw last year won anything. I’m getting used to that. Apparently, my taste in films doesn’t coincide with the Hollywood set. And I’m fine with that.
Just so you know, I’m not a film curmudgeon. I like movies. My first degree was in radio, television, and film production. Of course, that was in the infant days of all three (some might say). When I would shoot short films in class, I truly enjoyed the old-style way of editing, sitting down at a desk with a splicer in front of me as I wound through the specific frames of the film. Yes, that’s definitely old technology.
Yet my taste in films has remained rather constant: I shy away from blockbuster action (give me one more car chase scene and I promise you won’t want to be sitting next to me as I attempt to stifle my screams). I want excellent plots, a concentration on character development, and, to what extent possible, a positive portrayal of a Biblical worldview.
All of which are in short supply.
What we normally get is the trend of the age, the latest iteration of lecturing to all of us who are out of step with the times, those who are not sufficiently “woke.” Then those lectures leap from the films themselves into the Oscars ceremony.
Entertainment celebrities are not any more intelligent than the general populace—they’re just more arrogant and annoying. Focus on self is the common lot of mankind, but it goes to a whole new plane when one seeks celebrity status.
I will continue to watch movies. Some move me very deeply. But I will also continue to be discerning. I don’t wish to waste money or brain cells on most of what Hollywood is offering.