Lloyd Kaufman

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If I ran the Oscars: Lloyd Kaufman
February 11, 2010 |  1:16 pm

In this interview series, we ask some famous free thinkers to recast the Oscars in their own image. Please welcome to the stage: producer-director (“The Toxic Avenger”), Troma Entertainment co-founder, and stalwart champion of independent film, Lloyd Kaufman.

Lloyd, I’m almost afraid to ask, but. … if you were in charge of the academy voting this year, which films or performers would get the Oscar?

Intellectually, I and millions like me don’t give a … for the Oscars. With the earthquake in Haiti and a 10-15 percent unemployment rate in this country, should we really be concerned with the celebrity red carpet culture of the Oscars? Furthermore, a truly brilliant, independent, visionary artist with limited resources simply can’t compete with the big time Hollywood producers who dole out massive amounts of money for trade advertising in order to campaign for Oscars. Many of us on the consumer side believe that the Oscars are bought, like the money changers in the temple!

Nevertheless, we cynics — emotionally, we can’t help ourselves — we can’t help but care about old Oscar, no matter what we do or say. So regarding 2009, “Observe and Report,” directed by Jody Hill and starring Seth Rogen, was an unappreciated, brilliant movie. “District 9” should sweep for best picture, best special effects and best actor for Sharlto Copley. Unlike “Avatar,” the CGI in “District 9” doesn’t intrude or take over the film, but enhances it, like a Bernard Herrmann musical score for a Hitchcock movie.

“Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” was also highly, highly underrated and overlooked by the academy (author’s note: Lloyd Kaufman directed “Poultrygeist”)! Also worthy of an Oscar are “The Girlfriend Experience,” directed by Steven Soderbergh; “Life Is Hot in Cracktown,” directed by Buddy Giovinazzo; “Crank 2: High Voltage,” directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (and featuring a cameo by the hunky Lloyd Kaufman), and “The Hurt Locker,” directed by Kathryn Bigelow, though that film was perhaps a little too one-sided for my tastes.

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