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December 13, 2009
Who Is AFI?
"AFI" announced the organization's Top Ten today and like so many other fake awards - this one is all about having Oscar nominees come to lunch and offer their authority to AFI for the price of a red carpet perp walk - it comes down to some nice, smart people deciding what seems to be an ORGANIZATION'S voice, over lunch.
"The selections were made through a 13-person jury process involving scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees. Two juries — one for film and one for TV — met for two days of debate at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Among the film jurors were director Norman Jewison, Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”), Leonard Maltin and Claudia Puig of USA Today."
How this makes this honor any more weighty than NBR's lunchtime 13 or Carlos de Abreau's selection of winners is beyond me... and I am a fan of Claudia, Leonard, Jewison, and even young Dusty Lance.
It's like we now have a divisional round made up of contests picked by groups that are small and can be swayed by media hype and internal goals of each organization followed by conference games played by more established groups playing the same games and then, for the finals, we get The Oscars, which feel free to do what the others did not... but nominate from a similarly reduced pool, leaving anything truly adventurous to being a one in two hundred event.
Maybe it's time for the Super Movie Friends Awards. Our motto: "If you can fit around my dining room table, you can vote!"
Posted by dpoland at December 13, 2009 04:50 PM
Comments
I'm sorry, but did they actually put The Hangover in their top 10? That's a serious vote--not just a joke? Really?
Posted by: gradystiles ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 13, 2009 05:13 PM
DP, I can fit around your dining table. Under it too for the right price (ba-zing!)...
At least they honored Party Down and Sugar!
Posted by: The InSneider at December 13, 2009 05:50 PM
DP, I can fit around your dining table. Under it too for the right price (ba-zing!)...
At least they honored Party Down and Sugar!
Posted by: The InSneider at December 13, 2009 05:51 PM
The fact that they put Coraline in their top ten automatically gave them cred with me. Easily the best 3-D film I have ever seen.
Their list, also including great films like A Serious Man and The Hurt Locker was not bad at all.
As more lists come in that do not include Avatar I am getting a better sense of the answer to my original question as to whether or not its die hard supporters are giving it a pass for perhaps...ahem...alterior reasons.
Will see it in less than a week and find out for myself.
Posted by: Nicol D at December 13, 2009 07:10 PM
The AFI list is its own thing. It's not meant to be "weighty." It's about honoring the full spectrum of the year in movies... the best blockbusters to the best under-the-radars. To me it's the most interesting year end list.
The only serious problem they have is screwing up December... often under or overpraising the month's releases before the films get a real reception. I really wish they would hold off until January.
And yes, for them to NOT include The Hangover this year would have shocked me.
Posted by: Crow T Robot at December 13, 2009 11:19 PM
Since this seems to be a pretty constant refrain this time of year, I would be interested in hearing DP explain what his dividing line between "fake awards" and "real awards" is (if there are, indeed, ANY "real awards" or if every single awards group only exists to lead to the Oscars, and are they "real" or "fake" themselves?).
Nicol, the word is 'ulterior'.
Posted by: jeffmcm at December 14, 2009 01:35 PM
Another key correction: The truth is there is NO red carpet "perp walk". One of the key selling points of this luncheon is that other than a brief pose for photos and a quick question or two from an AFI crew, it's designed to be a "non-work" event where the creative ensembles behind these films and television shows can get together and enjoy the company of each other without press around.
I know this because I'm the one trying to get the okay for more press to be allowed at this event (even to simply attend).
I have to assume that Dave is confusing it with another event since he was one of the very few press members I got in to the luncheon last year.
Posted by: John Wildman at December 14, 2009 08:57 PM
"Who is AFI?" The usual batch of cronies and coatholders.
Posted by: Chucky in Jersey at December 15, 2009 10:50 AM
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