Francophilia and Self Love Alive and Well in Hollywood - A Look at the Years Oscar Nominees

With the Oscars a mere week away, it is time to look at the nominees for Best Picture.  And as we look over the field there is a real continental feel to the movies nominated.  As in North America and Europe.  Save for The Descendants which is based in Hawaii (which, as we know, is in fact a US state) every story comes from one or the other.  Some might argue The Tree of Life is actually based in someone's dream, but they speak English enough to guess it is set in America.

This seems to point to the state of movie making in general.  With the economy still in its recovery, ever increasing ticket prices, and quality content being provided on any number of platforms, people need a good reason to go to the movies.  To attract the public you need to have ingenuity, intrigue, and interest.  The best way to do that is to go with what you know, return to your base (a lesson most often learned in politics, it is an election year after all).  This year there are no tales from exotic far off lands, strange alternate universes, or alien planets.  This years crop are based in well known familiar settings.  That is not to say that there are not elements of the fantastic.

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