With 10 ‘Best Picture’ Slots Now Available, Why Not “Fanboys”???

Okay, okay…I acknowledge that I’m REALLY stretching common sense to its limits with my latest blog entry’s title. However, what better way to expose the flaws in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ recent decision to expand the ‘Best Picture’ field for the Academy Awards from five films to ten by comparing a prestigious nominated film from last year with a lowbrow comedy that bombed at the box office earlier this year? Are ya feelin’ me?

Yes, Agent 5150 saw two movies this past week - “The Reader” and “Fanboys”. And I will tell you right up front that I give both movies 2 ½ Eddies. My point…if a somber drama that the Weinsteins pushed into the last Oscar race is on a par quality-wise with a flick about goofy “Star Wars” fans (ironically, also distributed by the Weinsteins), what foolish decisions await us early next year when the Academy’s best goes ‘Top Ten’?

On to the reviews, hmmm? “The Reader” starts off on an extremely creepy note – Kate Winslet seduces a fifteen-year-old boy. Winslet has always been considered brave by Hollywood for her willingness to appear naked on screen, but the context here turns her nudity into something distasteful. Once the disturbing premise plays out, the movie settles into a low-key, somewhat effective legal thriller-lite with some unrequited love thrown in for good measure. Worth watching once? Sure. One of the five best films of 2008? Not hardly.

As for “Fanboys”, I find it mindboggling that a movie with this many comedy stars fell flat on its face. Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, and Kristen Bell on a road trip to sneak an advance peek at “Episode One”? Seth Rogen playing three different roles? Cameos up the ying-yang? Less than $1 million at the box office?!?!

I have no idea what happened behind the scenes to botch the release of “Fanboys”, but the movie itself is a fairly amusing lark with some classic lines that deserved a better fate. In fact, let’s rectify the situation and start the campaign for “Fanboys” for Best Picture immediately! After all, if early returns point to J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” getting an Oscar nod, what better smackdown could we hope for at the Academy Awards than the Trekkers/Trekkies calling Han Solo a bitch on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre?!?!