It seems like it is beginning to become a trend for The Hollywood Reporter to have an overtly cranky, “brutally honest” Oscar ballot. This time around, The Hollywood Reporter is giving the people what they want with not just one Oscar ballot, but five, which appeared in the March 7 issue of the magazine. The Hollywood Reporter gave its online viewers a preview by posting one of the Oscar ballots on its site. And, as you can imagine, it was biting.

“‘Captain Phillips’ struck me as a slightly hokey, overacted, not particularly gripping action movie,” said the voter, who is a seasoned member of the Academy’s director’s branch. “‘Gravity’ pales in comparison with ‘Cosmos,’ Neil deGrasse Tyson’s recent 13-part reboot of Carl Sagan’s famous TV series about the universe.” He also called “Before Midnight” a “travesty of ineptitude and dreadful writing, like the other two in that horrible trilogy[.]”

Now, if anyone wants my opinion, I actually agree with some of the voter’s opinions, like “Before Midnight.” (Sorry, “Before Midnight” fans. I just can’t take that trilogy.) But writing off entire categories, like Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature, is a little off-putting. Of course, I’m also biased towards animation, because I love it, but the voter’s opinion that animation is just for kids is way off-base.

Anyways, you can read this acerbic ballot for yourself at The Hollywood Reporter. What do you think about the trend of hardcore ballot responses? Does it annoy you or amuse you? Give your opinions in the comments section below.

Oscar-Statuette

By Monique Jones

Monique Jones blogs about race and culture in entertainment, particularly movies and television. You can read her articles at Racialicious, and her new site, COLOR . You can also listen to her new podcast, What would Monique Say.

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