The day before the Academy Awards, a swarm of the people behind this year's amazing crop of politically conscious films were enjoying a warm day in the courtyard of Bob Bookman's Hancock Park home, scene of the CAA agent's annual celebration of his agency's Oscar nominees. In one corner was "Crash" director Paul Haggis, not far away from Grant Heslov, producer of "Good Night, and Good Luck," while across the way were Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, the screenwriters of "Munich."Huzzah. As long as they’re good.
But what really struck me, as I roamed around, was that virtually every filmmaker I stopped to talk with was at work on a socially conscious film — and these were the other people at the party, not the guys preparing Oscar speeches. Maybe it was the tangy spring air, but it felt as if the '70s were back again. For years, film lovers have waxed nostalgic about the heady days of '70s cinema, when, inspired by the trauma of Vietnam and Watergate, a seemingly endless array of movies offered a bracing critique of American society.
Suddenly that era doesn't seem so distant at all. The socially engaged atmosphere that dominated the Oscars this year is not going away.
There are a few examples of upcoming films in the article, if you’re interested. As for me, I’m looking forward to V for Vendetta, which has a stupid title, but I want to see it nonetheless, since it was written by the Wachowski brothers.
And, you know, for other reasons.
(Hat tip Ezra.)
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