With The Hurt Locker now having all but vacuumed up the year’s critical acclaim, and with Avatar having just this week become the top-grossing domestic movie of all time, Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker is an awesomely symbolic race (and not just because James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow were once married). It’s a clash of size, values, popularity — of essential notions of What Movie Art Is in the 21st century. A Hurt Locker victory would open the door to a new definition of Oscar glory, a defiant celebration of artistry over commerce. A win for Avatar would be, in its way, a definitive assertion of the same old same old.
I thought it was a pretty interesting read.
I’ve seen all ten Best Picture nominees and The Hurt Locker is by far my favorite. Owen Gleiberman points out that it only grossed $12.6 million which effectively eliminates it from contention for Best Picture unless there’s a major change in the perception of the award.
