Just wondering what the feeling is out there on this
Aviator Vs.
Million Dollar Baby thing. Jeff Wells over at
Hollywood Elsewhere seems to think The Aviator can't win because people only respect it but don't love it. (Plus he's biased against it). But I don't really think this is the case personally. How did the film do better over at Geninn.net's
compilation of top ten lists if people don't love
The Aviator? Are all of these critics who put it in their top ten lists, merely wishing for Marty to have his Oscar? 500+ people are voting on sympathy? The PGA is voting on sympathy? The Globes?
I'm not sure I buy that people don't love
The Aviator. Partially because I almost did and definitely prefer it to
Million Dollar Baby, which is quite affecting but also sort of facile. It has the
Finding Neverland problem of having very easy emotional hooks that any lesser filmmaker could also make effective. (Although MDB is miles better executed than Neverland)
And people do sometimes vote with their minds over their hearts. Maybe I'm remembering poorly but didn't
The Last Emperor sweep? That, like
the Aviator, was largely somewhat cold but technically marvelous spectacle. And people really loved
Moonstruck that year. But they didn't vote with their hearts for that Cher-fest romantic comedy...
