It’s award season and Hollywood is all abound with red carpets, dazzling lights, gorgeous gowns and million dollar jewelry on the stars of your favorite movies. Top it all off with a dash of politics, a smidgen of hypocrisy, and a lot of self-inflation and you have the Academy Awards.
At one time, these award shows garnished millions of viewers as people looked forward to seeing their favorite celebrities win top honors. The last time the Oscars had top ratings was in 2004 when Billy Crystal hosted the ceremonies. That year, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won Best Picture and the award show had 43.5 million viewers. This year, Oscar hit an all time low with only 23.6 million viewers.
Part of it (besides the hypocritical slant of rich actors standing on their soapbox telling everyday people how to live) seems to be that more movies get picked for their “artistic” vibe and not box office records. I mean, doesn’t that make a movie a success… The people who spend the money to go see a movie again and again. Am I right? I mean, Parasite, a foreign language film from Korea, won Best Picture. I never even heard of it before. Plus, they nominated The Irishman, a movie made for Netflix. Are we now counting streaming services the same as box office movies?
The standard seems to have gone down dramatically from the days of Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and On the Waterfront. I understand the world is changing and streaming services are now a part of everyday life. But what has it done to improve the quality of movies? Absolutely nothing. Does the success of these movies affect its award? No, because some really, really bad or unknown movies make it to the award stage.
Back in the heyday of Hollywood, it was the top grossing movies that made it to the Oscars. Now, all you have to do is be downloaded a few times on Netflix and you get an Oscar nod. Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t seen Parasite, nor am I interested in seeing it. But they are saying that this movie is better than 1917 (Hell no), Ford vs Ferrari (no), Joker (no, no), Little Women (eh, maybe), etc., etc. It’s a joke.
I mean, think about it. Do you know what the top movies of 2019 were? Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Frozen II, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Captain Marvel, Joker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Toy Story 4, and that’s only the top 8. Out of those 8, only Joker was nominated for Best Picture, and Toy Story 4 won Best Animated Film. The rest were locked out. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was #23, 1917 was #29, and Ford vs. Ferrari was #39. Little Women ranked #1201 out of 1300 films released in 2019. And this movie was nominated for Best Picture. Best Picture! Really?
It’s a joke. I’m sorry, but it’s a joke. It’s Hollywood’s way of patting itself on the back and giving each other high fives, but otherwise, it’s a freakin’ joke. I know I’m ranting here, and I shouldn’t be, but it just makes you wonder why we have award shows anyway.
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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse Publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series will be released on 28 February 2020 from Austin Macauley Publishing.
Most of us get things stuck in their head, from time-to-time. After watching the new Aladdin trailer the other night, for some odd reason the “Prince Ali” song was rolling around in my head the next morning. I couldn’t get rid of it, not even in the shower (which is another whole level of embarrassing) until I put my headphones on, started the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, soundtrack and got on the metro.
Another great example is Star Wars. Now, there have been hits and misses with the franchise since the end of Return of the Jedi. The animated series have been top notch, the Rogue One prequel was OUT OF BOUNDS! However, they have not found the original magic from these successes in later projects. The Force Awakens was good, The Last Jedi not so much. Solo was, in my opinion, better than I expected it to be, but it had too many plot holes. I am looking forward to the Mandalorian Netflix series as well as future releases after Episode 9 (which I am patiently holding my breath for) because they will be original movies separate from the Skywalker saga. That’s where they need to go. We don’t need a reboot of the same characters with new actors, but rather, let’s go to another part of the vast universe.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” — Bruce Lee
“Enter the Dragon” is by far his most popular movie, and my favorite too. Of all the kung fu movies ever made, this one is a masterpiece. I think I like it the most because it was the first, and only movie, that Bruce Lee acted in English. He really was a great actor. Plus, you can’t compare the fight scenes in it with movies like “The Matrix” or “John Wick” because they did it without the wire work or special effects. It was all Bruce Lee.
Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a book/ebook at 
5. Prince Valiant (1954) — Robert Wagner called this film an “embarrassment” but I can’t help loving this movie. First off, I grew up reading the adventures of Prince Valiant every Sunday in the comics, so it’s a part of my own personal history. The plot was your basic “boy vows to become a knight and restore his family honor” gimmick… “After the evil King Sligon exiles his family from Scandia, Prince Valiant (Robert Wagner) vows to become a member of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table in order to return his father to the throne. As he travels to Camelot, Valiant discovers the Black Knight, a villain conspiring with Sligon to destroy King Arthur. Under the eye of Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden), Valiant trains to become a knight, falls for a princess (Janet Leigh) and unmasks the Black Knight (James Mason). This movie had an all-star cast, which is one of the reasons I loved it so much. You just have to get past that awful haircut on Prince Valiant, which is why, I think, Robert Wagner was embarrassed by it.
4. The Flame and the Arrow (1950) — Burt Lancaster led this fun-filled, acrobatic movie. Set in Italy (not England, for a change), the story revolves around Italian archer Dardo Bartoli (Burt Lancaster), who is waging a war against the Hessians. His grudge against their leader, Count “The Hawk” Ulrich (Frank Allenby), is more than simply political. Long ago, he took away Dardo’s beautiful wife, Francesca. Then, Ulrich returned to steal the couple’s son, Rudi. Incensed, Dardo emerges as a rebel leader who may be able to drive out the Hessians for good. This movie shines solely because of Lancaster. His smile is infectious, and his grit and determination are intoxicating. It’s a fun movie, from beginning to end.
3. Ivanhoe (1952) — This movie had the Hollywood powerhouse of TWO Taylors… Elizabeth and Robert. This is different look using characters from the time of King Richard, just like Robin Hood. Loyal British knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) sets out on a mission to free the kidnapped King of England, Richard the Lionheart (Norman Wooland). The brave Ivanhoe must eventually confront the devious Prince John (Guy Rolfe) and the fierce Norman warrior Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), while also juggling the affections of the beautiful maidens Rowena (Joan Fontaine) and Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor). Again, all-star cast carries this classic movie. Out of all the classics in my list. it has some of the best fight scenes.
2. The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) — Although this is not one of the more well-known classic medieval fantasy movies, it’s one of mine. Tony Curtis stars as the son of a disgraced knight who – noble by birth, noble by nature – attempts to thwart another noble’s attempts to take the throne of King Henry IV. Janet Leigh stars as the love interest for Curtis. What I love about this movie is how the plot unfolds. Curtis goes from secretly training as a squire to knighthood where he can challenge his enemy directly.
1. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) — There be no finer medieval film than this… A perfect cast, magnificent color cinematography and a wonderful musical score highlight this entertaining swashbuckler featuring Errol Flynn, the lovely Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, Alan Hale (Skipper from Gilligan’s Island fame), Basil Rathbone and Patric Knowles. The film went on to win three Academy Awards and was the second-highest grossing picture of the year. That says it all about this film. Most of us “baby boomers” kids from the 50s and 60s grew up with this film. You can’t help but love it! Sure, there have been plenty of remakes with non-English actors (hint, Kevin Costner) and that was fabulously mocked by Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It’s like we’ve always said, you can’t beat the original.
After last night’s win at the 90th annual Academy Awards, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is in the spotlight, as is the fantasy genre. It was great to see a writer/director/producer like del Toro win the Best Picture and Best Director Oscar. His vision of other worlds in such wonderfully vivid movies like Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Pacific Rim is legendary.
Now, in 2018, HBO is remaking it into a new movie starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon. It looks amazing, sure to outshine the original. You also got to love the subject matter (burning books, controlling information) in today’s day and age.
“The language of the Mystic Arts is as old as civilization. The sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language “spells”, but if that word offends your modern sensibilities, you can call it a “program”; the source code that shapes reality. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse to cast spells, to conjure shields and weapons, to make magic!” ― The Ancient One, Doctor Strange
One of my favorite anime’s is “The Irregular at Magic High School” and its use of magic. In the series, magicians tap into psions, non-physical particles that come under the dimension of psychic phenomenon. It taps into this energy through CADs (Casting Assistance Devices) in which spells are programmed through activation sequences. These devices range from something like a wristwatch, smartphone or a gun. Even in a show like this, they still adhere to ancient magic use, like seeing spirits and using spells, to help explain their thoroughly modern system of magic.
The nominations for the Academy Awards were released and, once again, Hollywood proved that it is nothing like the legacy it left in the rear view mirror. I can make my point with one, pertinent fact… In 1939, a majority of the top grossing motion pictures (Gone with the Wind, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach) were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. This year, ZERO of the top grossing films were nominated.
Here’s a great example. In the old days of Hollywood, actors and actresses wouldn’t wear a bag over their head on the red carpet to make a political statement or wear a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Poverty is Sexist” on it. Using award shows for politics is everyday today. Expect this year to be no exception, especially with President Trump in the White House. I think the best example of this is in 1973, when Vanessa Redgrave won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Julia. She used her acceptance speech to get back at the “Zionist Hoodlums” who spoke out against her documentary, The Palestinian, which portrayed the Palestinian Liberation Organization in a sympathetic light.
Mark Piggott | Fantasy & Steampunk Author 