I would say that is my list too.
I too agree it wasn’t a Masterpiece year of animation, I still think that 2011 was a much better year for animation than people give it credit for.
Yeah it was a better year.
For me it’s:
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rio
Rango
Overall, I felt Rango deserved its Oscar for sure in my case. While personally I preferred KFP2, Rango just felt more like oscar material or worthy of it.
I have to say I WOULD like to see the other films I never heard of which got nominated though. Oscar nominations can often mean promotion for lesser known films. Heck, I didnt even know of the Book of Kells movie before it contended with Up for it and… well, look where I’m from. Oscars often add to my to watch list. Granted their 'recommendations aren’t always good. (The Social Network anyone from last year? And also of course… The Help this year, which I have yet to watch personally) but it makes me curious enough to rent it usually.
Personally though I AM going to watch The Help at some point while being fully aware of how bad/insulting it apparently is. Morbid curiosity strikes again!
While I’m not that keen on The Social Network, saying that it isn’t good is too much of your personal opinion. Most critics found it very worthy.
I’m sure you won’t find much support with that one either. Not only The Help is a superb film, but I don’t know about anyone who found it insulting.
Eh The Social Network just simply wasn’t interesting to me at all. I don’t see the appeal and no it doesn’t seem worthy to me.
The Help is considered insulting it seems since it tries to be historically accurate but it isn’t. It’s apparently to be candy coated history of a time of real fear for African Americans. I’ve more or less also seen it called “White people solve Racism.” The book has also had a lot of controversy surrounding it.
It basically trivialises the real suffering of the setting at the time from what I’ve heard. Black historians have more or less been slamming it constantly (heck before hand also, with the book being a best seller). So yeah, quite a few people find it insulting, which is pretty much why I want to see it. Because such a controversy means I want to be fully informed on it.
You mentioned the important thing twice there and it’s the phrase “to me”. Opinions are valid (and as I’ve stated I didn’t love that film either, but they’re not enough to make a film “bad”. The solid reviews of the experts everywhere say the contrary.
Same with The Help. You say it’s been regarded as “bad”, but actually it met with incontrovertible praise, despite what a few could have opined.
That has happened with films from The Bridge on the River Kwai to Gladiator. That doesn’t make them bad. We’re dealing with fiction here.
Well, I’m not surprised with that kind of hollow criticism, as practically everything that touches controversial topic gets it. But this one was probably made by people who didn’t see the film.
Yes, Skeeter (the white heroin) decides to “help” the colored maids by writing a book, but there’s even a point of the film where she isn’t the protagonist anymore and the maids themselves take the spotlight.
If we want to get into an example of a “bad” Academy Award nominee, we should be talking about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 
PS: I just realized this is happening in the Rango board and not in the Academy Awards one, so we should get back to topic.
I’ll concede your point about TSN.
But I can’t about The Help. Because if it IS true, that it has ‘candy coated racism’, then it is insulting and it shouldn’t have been made.
In the end this is for several reasons. For one, The Help isn’t set that long ago. The REAL maids of the time? They’re still around, some of them. And it HAS in fact been promoted as historically accurate. So yes, that is bad. Also, considering the fact that it’s supposed to be about racism, and many historically educated people of that oppressed group as well as former women of the time who would have been called The Help’ spoke out against the book and all it’s therefore pretty insulting it seems.
I mean I do hear there was a certain scene surrounding a pie, and that for many people it was hard to laugh at considering the fact such women have been beaten for far far less in those days.
Here is also a letter by a black historian:
abwh.org/index.php?option=co … p%E2%80%A6
Another interesting review I found was this (though the reviewer is white):
www2.macleans.ca/2011/08/11/the- … gregation/
Here is a review of the book by a black novelist who brings some interesting points:
ew.com/ew/article/0,20516492,00.htm
And a review on American tv about the movie:
youtube.com/watch?v=gnA1WUjGSXk
In the end, The Help sounds like a (non-boring/better acted) version of Song of the South in the sense that it doesn’t deliberately hate, it isn’t outright malicious towards the victims of racism, but it’s insulting due to the fact it (apparently) skims over the true effects of segregation and the times as they were it seems.
Also making the ‘saviour’/main offer of help from a white woman is not the best plan.
And if a film about racism insults the very targets of said racism, then yes, it is bad.
Therefore I feel I must see something this insulting because I want to be informed on it too. I’m sorry if you liked the film, heck apparently it had entertainment value for many, but yes it was insulting to various people, and yes many of these people have in fact watched the movie or read the book. Because they are keeping informed on the issue themselves. They are more knowledgeable on history, or at least the specific history attributed to this film.
–
Getting back on topic: Are the makers of Rango making anything in the future? I’m kind of hoping they don’t cash in on a sequel.
I simply can’t agree with this. I know people will always complain, so I don’t care.
But what true effects were skim? They show the violence, they acknowledge the deaths and address different faces of segregation. The story is sugared with humor? Yes, but it never stops being a drama. In fact, I believe it’s that blend that makes the film so charming.
I’m not sorry. I’m very glad I was able to love it as much as I did. Instead, I’m sorry because I doubt you’ll be able to enjoy it after watching it with all these preconceived notions.
I’ll keep this one short, because we seriously need to get back to topic, everyone
-Shrugs- All I can say this is what experts say on the matter having never seen the film for myself. And their opinion, holds far more weight and importance than either of ours does on the issues of whether or not this film is racist/problematic or not. Also I hear it has many stereotypes surrounding the black community, as well as the fact the feeling of real fear and threat of simply being black is never really felt. These as I said, are black historians and maids of the time- experts and people who have actually lived it themselves who hated the book and then movie for specific and important reasons.
Not all opinions are equal in certain issues, and for sure their opinions supercede ours in this issue. Ergo I think it’s not a bad thing that I know about them.
Heck I might even ‘enjoy’ the film too if I can forget (or saw it before I heard about the controversy) what they’ve said in the back of my head, but it won’t stop it being intensely problematic or a movie which never should have been made. Life doesn’t work like that. And if it insults the actual people it’s supposed to ‘promote’… then people should actually care about that. I mean the whole story is about racism. There’s many a race!fail in media, but when you make that the whole point- yes people are going to take notice of that sort of thing. That’s really the main issue- it’s apparently about racism itself.
The fact they however insult the very people the film is supposed to be about speaks volumes about it.
Also saying “I know people will complain, so I don’t care” is actually very condescending and dismissive, sorry to say. Because these peoples opinions do in fact, matter and hold more weight than either of ours do in such an issue because of their positions and in some cases experiences. You can enjoy a film while acknowledging it’s problematic too or even that it shouldn’t have been made or that you can understand how someone’s feelings could be hurt/why it’s an issue.
And you seem to have mis-read me the “I’m sorry you liked the film” was more the fact I was giving evidence against a film you liked and why people seem to have been saying it was wrong.
Of course you don’t care. But I felt I had to say it. Unfortunately this feels like one of those things where people try to get the last word in all the time. All I can say is : You can like the film certainly and not care, but that doesn’t make the fact that it’s apparently problematic to many people disappear, or stop that from actually being important.
Well I’ve got to go. Work and that.
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But I’ll repeat my Rango question for now and leave this issue now:
Is a shameless cash in sequel for Rango in the works?
I think this is a very interesting conversation, but we’re really using the wrong board, so I’ll reply in the right one: [url]Academy Awards 2012 - #408 by Spirit_of_Adventure]
Feel free to answer there, but this one should get back to Rango.
Congratulations, Rango! You totally deserved Best Animated Ghetto. 
I would’ve given ya Best Picture, but unfortunately the Academy has other ideas. Besides, I haven’t watched any of the Best Pic nominees besides ‘War Horse’, so I’m at no liberty to decide who should rightfully win it. But to be honest, I couldn’t care less. Cowboy chameleon trumps all other cards anytime of the day.
No seriously, even though it is a ghetto category, I’m pleased the Academy gave this. I wouldn’t see it any other way.
In the meantime, have a listen to this awesome fan music video I discovered today. I had half a mind to make one using that song, but someone beat me to it! Dagnabbit.
Props again, Verbisnki and team!
If I could, I’d be sure that Rango was nominated for Best Picture. But for me, the award rightfully went to The Artist.
Rango fell number 3 of my favorite movies of 2012. Right behind The Artist and Hugo.
Interesting, EJE. As I usually trust and agree with your opinion, I’m now very curious to see Hugo and The Artist.
I think you shouldn’t see just those two. There were many films this year that deserved the main award a lot more than Rango.
Dah, that means a lot.
Yes this is true, The Decendents come to mind. Lots of great movies last year. But for me personally, Rango ranked #3.
I tastes or as an actual Best Picture contender?
^In personal taste. It was my 3rd favorite movie of 2011.
Like that, I can understand