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  • The Hurt Locker vs. Avatar

    Did you watch the Oscars this last weekend? It probably won’t surprise you that I did. I got together with Jess and Jess to watch the biggest award show of the season. And based on previous posts, I’m betting you won’t be surprised by which movie I was rooting for.

    Umm … yeah. It was The Hurt Locker. *insert cheesy grin here* It had nothing  just a little bit quite a bit to do with Jeremy Renner’s performance. He was just amazing as a solider who has become addicted to the adrenaline of war.

    Of course, the big competion was Avatar, which I feel I should disclose that I haven’t seen. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to see it, but that’s beside the point.

    That probably makes you wonder what my point is … okay, okay. I’m getting there. Just very slowly.

    Recently a friend of mine commented to me her disappointment that The Hurt Locker beat Avatar out for Best Picture this year. A bit surprised, I wondered what brought that on. She said that clearly Avatar–being the bestselling movie of all time–is the most popular movie, which means it must be the best film.

    *scratching my head* Really? Is that the test by which we decide quality now?

    Popular = Exceptional

    Umm … May I raise my hand and file a small rather large complaint with that logic?

    Now I’m not saying that there aren’t some wildly popular things that are well made, quality entertainment. Case in point, my novel The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn. Just kidding! Okay, in all seriousness, I’d like to offer the Harry Potter series for consideration. Wildly popular? Yes. Brilliantly written, plotted, and filled with creative characters? Yes. But I think this might be the exception, rather than the rule. While I’d like to give some examples of popular media with … shall we say, less than stellar quality, I’m certain to offend fans of said popular series. So I’ll refrain.

    But let me just say, although The Hurt Locker hasn’t been seen by as many people as Avatar and it will probably never make as much money, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worthy to win the award.

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