oh dear...

apparently the gotham awards and I do not see eye to eye this year. As in they like unlikeable movies and I like awesome ones. Okay, maybe that's not fair, but two of my most disappointing trips to the theater show up in their nominations (released today). The Gotham Awards honor only independent movies, so it's often a different list than you see at other awards (though last year's big winner was The Hurt Locker, a little film that went on to win one or two other awards).

The two most nominated films this year were Winter's Bone and The Kids Are All Right:



Now, to be fair, I have not seen Winter's Bone, though I hear it's fabulous. Of course, I heard the same thing about TKAAR, and, in the words of my sister, that movie was "a fucking mixed bag." That's even more generous than I would be. I found it unsatisfying and filled with unlikeable characters (featuring great acting from actors that I love, which was not enough to redeem it). Also, it suffered from the "Up in the Air" syndrome of being completely miscategorized as a charming comedy (and anyone who actually thinks either of those movies were funny needs to get their sense of humor checked). I don't need every movie to be as upbeat and likeable as, say, Easy A (dude). However, I do need it to have something that makes me care at all about what happens to these characters, and not just make me dislike everyone and everything they do.

The other movie that suffers from this problem this year (and that, again, I was really excited about, featuring actors that I love) was "Please Give." So, of course, it's also nominated at Gotham (for best ensemble). Oh well, guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Sigh.

I am excited for the inclusion of Blue Valentine, Black Swan, and Let Me In (though, since Gotham likes them, does that mean I won't? Conundrum...), and to try to seek out the Best Films Not Playing at a Theater Near You, but, all in all, I feel like these awards, much like TKAAR, are a fucking mixed bag.