It’s that time of the year.
Oscar slagging season.
Now that the Academy Awards nominations have been announced, Oscar campaigns are in full tilt.
That means the slagging season, whisper campaigns to derail movies and nominees, get them out of the way.
This is a long, honored tradition. And today. it’s more than ever evident.
In the New York Post, you can read not one but two such cases.
The biggest one is about an alleged rift between “Marty Supreme” director Josh Safdie and brother Benny. The latter directed The Rock in “The Smashing Machine.”
Josh’s movie is a hit, with several Oscar noms. Benny’s is not.
The new California Post edition from Rupert Murdoch makes it seem like the two brothers don’t speak and won’t make movies together again. The reason? Says the Post, Josh allowed bad things to happen to a young girl on the set of the brothers’ movie, “Good Time” in 2017.
Not so fast. I’ve been to two different events for “Marty Supreme” this winter. Josh and Benny were both there. They enthusiastically supported each other.
What’s the point of slagging Josh Safdie? To ruin his chances for a screenplay win? To derail Timothee Chalamet? Come on.
The Post also runs a tired old story today about the Neil Diamond-infused movie, “Song Sung Blue.” The movie is based on the story of married couple and singers Mike and Claire Sardina. There was already a documentary about them. Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman play the real life couple.
The Sardinas were a blended family, so there were a lot of characters. The film’s writers dramatized the Sardinas’ story as singers, but eliminated one of the couple’s children to streamline the story. Now Mike Sardina’s son is going around griping that he doesn’t exist in “Song Sung Blue.”
This always happens when films are based on real life people. Someone’s nose is out of joint because they feel slighted. They’re not getting the recognition they think they deserve, or they want more money.
The Post picks up Mike Sardina Jr’s story from the Daily Mail. He calls out Kate Hudson’s performance as “disgusting.” I’d love to know who arranged this interview with the Mail, which pays subjects to sensationalize even the most mundane things.
Is someone trying to knock Hudson out of the running for Best Actress? Forget about it. She has an Oscar nom and one from BAFTA. Claire Sardina, who Hudson plays, loves the movie and the performance. Hudson is terrific in “Song Sung Blue.”
So what’s next? Songwriter Lorenz Hart’s heirs complaining about “Blue Moon”? A member of the Weather Underground claiming infringement from “One Battle After Another”? Vampires asking for a bite of “Sinners”?
You’ve got to love it. Academy voters are too smart for this stuff.
