Hugh Jackman is currently promoting Chappie. He was in Paris today for the photo call. The other day, during our Oscar all-nighter, Duana told me about an article that was written about Birdman. The writer hated it. And the title of his piece was:
Is Birdman the first Best Picture winner that clearly hates its own audience?
If you have time, it’s worth a read. Click here. Birdman’s popularity within the Academy is also a reflection of the Academy’s myopia. They expanded the category to 10 a few years ago ostensibly to include more movies that were able to find a wider audience. Animated features. Action features. Big budget features. Blockbusters.
Instead, the films that get nominated – just 8 this year – continue to be the arty ones or the serious dramas. Like Birdman, which many have interpreted to be an indictment of the superhero…and the people who love them?
Amazingly that’s not how Hugh Jackman interpreted it. Here’s what he had to say about Birdman:
"I said to my wife, 'The moral [of Birdman] that I should never stop playing Wolverine. I've got to find a way to keep playing him until I die. I know that someday they’ll recast the role with another actor. I'd be happy if the role was eventually recast. It would mean that it had become iconic."
I don’t know if he’s missed the point or if he’s being subversive. Like f-ck you cinephiles, I like my movies that go boom and so do millions of theatre-goers who fund the entire industry. So, no, I am not Riggan Thomson. But I do sing and dance and act on Broadway, often and comfortably. Now how do you explain that?
He’s the best, right?
