Comments on: Ethan Hawke Says Many “Forgettable, Stupid Movies” & “Mediocre Performers” Have Won Oscars

By: ki

ki — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

I agree with him 100%. I was checking out some netflix movies on a lazy sunday afternoon and clicked on Oscar Nominated movies and I couldn't believe half the crap that won best picture.

By: T

Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Anybody who says he's wrong are completely deluding themselves.

By: cory everett

cory everett — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

I think he actually is dissing the Oscars. "If you look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars…" This is the Oscars shame, they rarely ever get it right. When they do, it's a fantastic accident. When they don't, it's a temporary bump to the performer or film which will recede in memory within a few months of the ceremony.

By: james

james — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

As stupid as bleaching your hair and wearing mascara??

By: Zack

Zack — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Can we stop acting like thinking awards are bullshit is somehow ballsy? It's a sentiment akin to "Valentine's Day is just an excuse to sell chocolate and cards" or "Justin Bieber sucks". It stops being an edgy sentiment to express around the age of 12.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

It'll be interesting to see how Hawke dials this back in the coming year when his film Before Midnight rolls out and inevitably becomes an awards player. The timing of this statement is poor, seeing as if he had made this statement say five years ago when he wasn't on the scene as much, directing bad plays (I saw one of them), it wouldn't have mattered much. But, the Oscars do matter to the commerce of prestige-type-films, and they seem to matter more with every passing year. Hawke wants an Oscar as much as the next person. Just like how Joaquin Phoenix dialed back his statements, so will Hawke.

By: yemka

yemka — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Not that he's entirely wrong- but it's a little ironic that Hawke is dissing an awards show that tends to get at least one or two picks right. Can't same the same for Hawke- who has been in some mediocre to shitty films. At least Phoenix has more or less churned our consistently great performances in pretty great films, even if they are grossly misunderstood. Hawke, just kind of sucks. I haven't seen Before Midnight and I'm sure it's brilliant but dude doesn't deserve a Gold Statute above his fireplace anytime soon.

By: RICHARD

RICHARD — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

He's completely right and anyone who disagrees is as stupid and pretentiously ill as the people who actually vote for half of the winners at the Oscars. I mean who actually watched Beasts Of The Southern Weird or Silver Lining's Gaybook or Amour aka Old Pathetic Fools Dying. I mean really if no one saw it then in my opinion the film is rather useless, I'm just being honest here. Of course people like The Playlist will fully back and support these little seen films because they feel as if they have to support them because deep down it's just a matter of their desire to be different from everyone else and of course a major case of sympathy towards them. The whole ''the movie made money, so it doesn't need awards'' is complete bull****, that's like saying that because somebody has a huge mansion that they don't need a fancy car and sexy wife. Why not? Of course they do. As for the best picture Oscar, to me it should be simple and straightforward, the highest earning film of the year should automatically win, because that's what defines a best picture, a movie that everyone has seen and considering it's a producers award and producers only care about $$$.

And yes valentines day is also pure rubbish, it really has just become an excuse for shares in Cadburry to rise. And yes Justin Beiber really is a talentless little sissy, it's hard to believe that that boy is actually a boy, he looks like a lesbo to me and men don't have small voices like that.

By: cirkusfolk

cirkusfolk — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Hawke was nomed for Sup. Actor. Denzel won for Lead Actor.

By: KHerr

KHerr — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Why is he dressed up as Billie Joe Armstrong?

By: jean vigo

jean vigo — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Regardless of what anyone thinks of his work, Hawke does hit squarely on a point that's endemic in our culture – this framing of humans as "winners vs. losers." It's kind of horrific in a way, reminding us of our Darwinian roots as social mammals. Winners and losers may exist in some construct of a sporting event or some "heads or tails" game, purely on the teleological level – with no other ramifications other than "result." But, reality shows pitting aspiring singer, chefs, designers, etc. against a so-called panel of experts (who did NOT get where they are because of "winning" a contest) is sending not the "wrong" message, but perpetrating that ugly realization about how we are wired socially.

It's just awful when some young kid assumes they have to win a "show" to succeed in showbiz. TO wit: that horribly misleading Project Greenlight, by "golden boys" Matt and Ben, exploitng and humiliating aspiring filmmakers – and not 1 "contestant" had the audacity to ask them: what contest did you 2 win to be sitting here evaluating me?

But, the Oscars and their ilk are simply self-congralutory pageantry that bear very little connection to the repository of enduring artistic and aesthetic relevance of cinematic work. That is determined by time and other factors. So many "winners" forgotten about, so many "losers" or "non-invitees" holding places in movie history decades later – look up the examples yourselves.

Here's a start – perennial "loser" Alfred Hitchock vs. Academy Award-"winner" Ron Howard. You make the call.

By: Seneca

Seneca — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

All the films out of Hollywood stink from the past twenty years or so, not one really good one. Disney and Pixar topping the dumb list.

By: Alan B

Alan B — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

For example, Hawke's performance in 'Training Day'? How the crap did he get nominated for that? It must be nice to be riding the Denzel express to Oscar …

By: Deneice

Deneice — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Ethan Hawke is not stating anything that people don't already know. Crash won Best Picture which is one of the biggest Epic Fails of the Oscars ever, next to letting Taraji P. Henson sing live. To me, he is not the first of a number of Indie Children who have bitched about the Oscars or the film industry in general even if they were nominated all because they simply aren't getting their backsides kissed enough by the industry elite. Joaquin Phoenix even though no one will state it aloud, probably suffers from some mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction judging from his behavior in recent years. His return in The Master simply reminds us of his genius. He finally acknowledged that by shutting his pretentious piehole up and started to actually promote his own film instead of marring the campaign. I understand the whole carrot thing, but if you at least try but don't believe the hype, then that is the best anyone can do.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

He's 100% correct! Kudos to him for giving an f less what others think and speaking his mind.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Ethan Hawke looks creepy these days, what happened?

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Thats the weirdest picture of ethan hawke ever. Hes right though and he is awesome in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

By: Corey

Corey — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

I had no idea they were shooting a Sugar Ray biopic

By: josh

josh — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

I agree,this should apply to the indie film marlet just as well hollywood films should always be dumped on.

By: CinemaPsycho

CinemaPsycho — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

Yeah, like Training Day.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Fri, 13 May 2016 10:34:36 +0000

A. Ethan is not stating anything that people don't already know.
B. Ethan is one of those mediocre actors who thinks he is more talented that his performances have indicated.
C. The truth is that much relating to the Oscars is relative and there are worse actors than Ethan and better actors than Ethan and some from both camps have been lucky while others have not. How many actors have lost out on an Oscar not because they lost to someone mediocre but because the other performance/film was that much better?

Hollywood is and has always been a dream factory, not a bastion of avant-garde art. Why is Ethan pretending that people don't know this?