Riverwood Presbyterian Church

Movies

The Academy Awards

by Jimmy Hopper

I keep confessing to “guilty pleasures” on this Blog so here comes another one: I enjoy watching the yearly Academy Awards presentation. It’s not easy to get past the narcissism, the obnoxious self importance, and the sense of entitlement that the AA presentations literally reek of, but I usually manage to do it with only a few snorts of derision. It never ceases to amaze me that people with such obvious talent can do and say the things that they do and say, but I’m a Calvinist so it definitely fits my theology.

I think the main reason I watch is because movies were such a big deal when I was growing up, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz were released within a year of my birth and while I didn’t see the beginnings, I have certainly seen the growth and maturation of both the art and the craft. I have been entertained, excited, intellectually stimulated, and even, to use their word, enthralled, by movies for most of my life and my interest remains to this day.

I have not seen most of the movies and roles that were nominated yet since most of my movie watching now is via DVD, but I found some interesting aspects and comments in the presentation. First, I (and Jeff Miller, who called me) was absolutely shocked to see Cormac McCarthy in the audience. This would not be notable for most any other novelist but McCarthy has almost been the poster boy for reclusive writers. In addition, I have read a number of his brilliant novels and I almost can’t imagine a more unlikely group that he would rub shoulders with than that crowd. I suspect part of it had to do with the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, who produced and directed No Country for Old Men. Based on what I have heard, they followed the book very closely, which was smart because you almost can’t imagine anything more taut and suspenseful. The Coens are probably near the top of the talented list in Hollywood, as those of you who have viewed Oh Brother, Where Art Thou can attest, and McCarthy may have been drawn to them because of that talent.

They are also among the most self deprecating Hollywoodites around also, an incredibly easy tagline to obtain. While receiving the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Joel Coen noted: “I think whatever success we’ve had in this area has been entirely attributable to how selective we are. We’ve only adapted Homer and Cormac McCarthy.” There’s obviously more to it than that but that was a great comment to make to Hollywood and the world.