By Joey Magidson
Film Contributor
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Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the tragic school shooting this past Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. The thought of little kids and their teachers being targeted is just sickening. The event even moved President Obama to tears.
There are two things that deserve the blame, above all else, for this and any other massacre like it: the gunman and his guns. But, seeing as we focus on Hollywood on this site, I think that we should be honest and acknowledge that the entertainment industry probably isn’t helping matters.
For me, the shooting in the Connecticut elementary school brought back memories of the mass shooting in a movie theater — another place in which we always presumed we were safe — in Aurora, Colo. on the July night earlier this year on which The Dark Knight Rises opened.
It was only a few months ago, but in the aftermath of that tragedy many in show business accepted that their glamourization of violence might he partially to blame for making a deranged guy want to dress up like The Joker and shoot up a movie theater. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who had nothing to do with that particular film, even called for a summit on violence in movies. But as the news faded from the headlines, and therefore the public’s consciousness, so too did the motivation and willpower to do anything about it.
(It’s a sad irony that the most violent film of this holiday season is none other than The Weinstein Co.’s Django Unchained.)
I’m not here to try to tell you what kind of a mind it takes to go on a shooting spree, but I am here to address how violent some of this year’s biggest Oscar contenders are, since I am convinced these sorts of films, as well-made and entertaining as they may be, are a part of the problem, not the solution.
There’s no denying that Americans love their violent films. The violence comes in all incarnations, from realistic depictions in war movies to cartoonish/comic book/comedic variations on gore. Not all cinematic violence is created equally, but it’s clear that audiences tend to embrace it, and that Oscar voters often do, too.
The Academy has never quite had a consistent stance on violence in films, though. Members certainly had no problem with the graphic and realistic displays in Saving Private Ryan, and at times they’ve embraced the decidedly unrealistic violence in the work of Quentin Tarantino.
In fact, Tarantino himself is in many ways responsible for the cloaking of violence in comedy and silliness that began in the mid 1990s. His movies like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction (not to mention True Romance, which he wrote) paved the way for hyper-violent but hyper-stylized works, including his own Kill Bill.
Oscar voters will never look at something as cartoonish as The Expendables 2 and deem it worthy of awards consideration, but they’re clearly willing to make exceptions for films they deem exceptional. Yes, more often than not Best Picture winners aren’t action-packed and soaked in blood, but they’re not usually costume dramas, either.
Borderline Oscar hopefuls could see their hopes diminish if there’s at least some sentiment to limit the amount of violence in this year’s crop of nominees. Weinstein’s summit may not have happened, but the idea of taking a look at some of the more violent contenders and trying to minimize their presence isn’t out of the question.
For example, a film of Weinstein’s own like Killing Them Softly was always more of a long shot after disappointing box office numbers, but now it just might be out of the race altogether. While not the bloodiest movie of the year, it does feature enough cold-blooded killing (specifically through the use of guns) to be potentially off-putting to certain voters. It’s clearly more on the realistic side of things, and that could be uncomfortable for many.
A few less likely Oscar hopefuls with stylized violence also possibly saw their hopes dwindle. The Cabin in the Woods and Seven Psychopaths are cartoonish in their violent images, but the fun that audiences have with the carnage could be what keeps them from really contending.
The Cabin in the Woods is only really a pipe dream Best Original Screenplay contender, but this sort of crowd-pleaser is what suffers the most. Will voters want to cheer at monsters killing everyone in sight? My guess is no — not now.
With Seven Psychopaths, aside from a long-shot campaign for Sam Rockwell in Best Supporting Actor, it’s another film trying to defy the odds and score a Best Original Screenplay citation. It clearly has a Tarantino-esque take on violence, and with QT himself in the race, Academy members would likely already prefer the real deal. The possible sensitivity toward violence going forward only makes that more likely.
Had Tarantino’s Django Unchained come out this past weekend, it would have been a disaster. Specifically in terms of a climactic shootout towards the end, the film would have been labeled wildly inappropriate in light of what occurred.
The film itself might have already been too violent for its own sake, but now that factor lies even more at the forefront of things. Oscar voters may not embraceDjango Unchained regardless of current events, but the more politically correct members of the Academy could shy away from wanting to see Tarantino and his stylized violence associated with the organization this year.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Zero Dark Thirty. No one can deny that there’s not a point to every violent act in the film, but in light of what happened in Connecticut, could some look at Kathryn Bigelow’s film and feel too uncomfortable giving it the Best Picture Oscar?
I actually think that the realism and factual accuracy of this film shields it from things more than any other work, but it’s still worth noting that some voters could feel more conflicted about the movie. With “cleaner” films to potentially honor like Les Miserables or Lincoln, and not to mention Life of Pi or Silver Linings Playbook, there might be an extra bump in the road for Bigelow.
Last but not least, any discussion of mass shootings and film must mention The Dark Knight Rises. It’s hard to think about the film without thinking of the victims in that theater on opening night. The film deserves to stand on its own, but it’s going to be a while before the tragedy and the movie aren’t linked in one’s mind.
The final Batman movie may not have much, if any, blood on screen at all, but it’s a surprisingly violent movie when you look at it again. The film wasn’t likely to be a big Oscar player at this point, but now there’s another big reason to keep it lower down on the list.
So where are we now? When it comes to cinema and violence, we have the good, the bad and the ugly, much as occurs with any component of culture. I don’t think that violent movies are directly responsible for violence, but the inundation of all sorts of violence in film has certainly desensitized audiences.
That said, some Oscar voters will surely keep in mind the streak of real-life violence we witnessed in the U.S. this year as they cast their ballots. Ultimately, though, I don’t think much will change with the Oscars race, despite such profound tragedy surrounding the mix.