philosoraptor42

Some recent turns of events look orchestrated to ensure that Hurt Locker is undermined as the choice for Best Picture, thus at very least making Avatar seem like a more reasonable choice if not solidifying its position at the winner. Anyway from now on I'll let Filmdrunk explain. Any parts which I have written will be in italics like this. I'd also like to quickly point out before we start that Filmdrunk is very often intentionally immature. (For some old examples see here and here.)

Hurt Locker Producer Forced to Apologise For Being Honest
Hurt Locker producer Nicolas Chartier sent out what seems like a pretty honest and logical email urging people to choose Hurt Locker as best picture, which the fun-hating shrivs at the academy have since made him apologize for. Here’s the original email, which Chartier has since called “extremely inappropriate.”

I hope all is well with you. I just wanted to write you and say I hope you liked Hurt Locker and if you did and want us to win, please tell (name deleted) and your friends who vote for the Oscars, tell actors, directors, crew members, art directors, special effects people, if everyone tells one or two of their friends, we will win and not a $500M film, we need independent movies to win like the movies you and I do, so if you believe The Hurt Locker is the best movie of 2010, help us!
I’m sure you know plenty of people you’ve worked with who are academy members whether a publicist, a writer, a sound engineer, please take 5 minutes and contact them. Please call one or two persons, everything will help!
best regards,
Nicolas Chartier Voltage Pictures

(gasp!) An honest plea for to vote for the best movie of the year (which deserved to earn far more than its $12 million domestic take) instead of the highest-grossing movie of all time which doesn’t need an award? The dastard! Let’s get that fat moron Pete Hammond to write an article about this!

Flmdrunk has come to notice that Pete Hammond is the guy responsible for many of the movie poster quotes for appalling movies. For example his review of Old Dogs provided this rather over-the-top quote: “An often riotously funny slapstick farce that ought to appeal to moviegoers of all ages.” Here are some more examples:

The Answer Man – A sparkling, wickedly funny comedy.
My One and Only – An exceptionally good comedy.
Confessions of a Shopaholic – Hilarious! Confessions is a nonstop laughing spree.
Monsters vs. Aliens – The year’s funniest comedy.
Up – The funniest movie of the summer.
The Proposal – Riotously funny! The Proposal is without question the year’s best comedy.

He's also insisted on taking the credit for Sandra Bullock's Oscar nomination for best actress (as if that's something to be proud of).

Says Dipsh-t Pete himself:

Considering the current solid front-running status of “Hurt Locker,” it smacks a little more of desperation or panic than the air of confidence you might expect from a contender that’s had a very savvy and successful campaign to date.

A producer who didn’t make much money on a great film wants to win an award? How pathetic! He should just ask Sandra Bullock for help like that black kid in the Blind Side!

Surprise! That Hurt Locker Letter Wasn't Really A Big Deal
I have a confession: I’m not really an insider. Hollywood people don’t send me emails urging me to vote for their movies at the Oscars. So yesterday, when I posted this letter that got Hurt Locker producer Nicolas Chartier (second from left) in trouble, and I said it wasn’t a big deal, I was only using my powers of basic logic and reading comprehension. But if you don’t believe me (and why would you), here’s what Nikki Finke, who does claim to be an insider, said about the same thing:

So what if on Feb 19th Chartier sent out that e-mail message asking for Hurt Locker votes and not that “$500M film”. When it appeared in my email, I laughed. Not only because the Voltage Pictures partner didn’t have the guts to even mention Avatar by name. But for months now I have been sent so many emails from so many studios and filmmakers and flacks and insiders badmouthing every rival nominee this Oscar season and talking up their own. How the hell am I to tell them apart? Or tattle on them all? This is the down and dirty system which AMPAS hath wrought and doth condone. And no one is surprised by it, least of all the Academy. In fact, this morning AMPAS’ Ryan Dekorte, the executive offices awards assistant, forwarded today’s New York Times‘ “Carpetbagger” blog account of the Chartier email to every Hollywood flack and Oscar campaigner. So now the Academy was badmouthing The Hurt Locker for badmouthing Avatar.

Finally here's the latest news:

The Hurt Locker Smear Campaign Continues

Meanwhile, remember the producer who wrote that letter I said wasn’t a big deal? The Academy announced that he can’t come to the ceremony as punishment. And I’m not the only one who smells an ulterior motive in everyone making a big deal out of this:

So let me get this straight; Nicolas Chartier who financed The Hurt Locker and is one of the 4 officially credited producers can’t attend the Academy Awards because he sent a mass email that never even mentioned Avatar by name? And the Oscars governing body thinks his badmouthing is so much worse than what nearly everyone in the Best Picture category has done year after year?So I must ask: is it mere coincidence that Academy president Tom Sherak (at one time a bigtime Fox movie exec), Oscars producers Bill Mechanic (at one time a bigtime Fox movie exec) and Adam Shankman (currently a bigtime Fox Broadcast talent), and Academy Board Of Governors member Jim Gianopulos (currently a bigtime Fox movie exec) all have strong ties to the Avatar studio? The Academy should have leaned over backwards not to appear Fox-sympathetic because of this. [DeadlineHollywood]

My sources tell me the Academy would’ve leaned over backwards, but couldn’t, on account of their all being 85-year-old Jews. Anyway, I don’t want to act too indignant because I make wiener jokes in my underwear for a living, but suffice to say, I’ve got my torches and pitchforks at the ready in case Avatar wins Best Picture.

*lights cat on fire, throws it through window*

Attica! Attica!

Cross-posted to moviebuffs