The Hurt Locker Oscar Buzz and Controversy

The Hurt Locker Oscar Buzz and Controversy. The Hurt Locker is an indie film about the Iraq war. It boasts several Oscar nominations this year, and it's main competition is "Avatar", James Cameron's multi-million dollar blockbuster. Given that both films are up for "Best Picture", it comes as no surprise that there is some heated debate over which is the better film.

One producer of the movie, Nicolas Chartier, took that controversy to the Academy judges, sending out an email encouraging them to consider a movie about the Iraq war. The email is said to have cut down its rival film, "Avatar", leaving no room at the Oscars for Chartier.

Will the banning of a producer play a big role in the outcome of "Hurt Locker" at the Oscar show? Roger Ebert doesn't seem to think so, as he finds that "The Hurt Locker" will beat "Avatar" for this award.

"The Hurt Locker" could also make history at this year's Oscar Awards if its director, Kathryn Bigelow, wins the award for Best Director. Again, she's going head-to-head with James Cameron - not only the director of "Avatar" but also her ex-husband. Wouldn't that be a sweet win overall for Bigelow - sweeping away three amazing feats in one swoop.

"Hurt Locker" is also in some legal trouble, as the picture is being sued for royalties. One actual soldier claims that the movie is actually about what happened to him.

What's the next step? After all, this is America so the natural thing to do is to sue the makers of the film. If he's successful, the soldier will get a ton of fortune and fame for the issue. After all, the film is a major hit, nominated for multiple Academy Awards.

Master Sgt. Jeffrey S. Sarver is the solider with the claims against the movie. He even claims that "blaster 1" was his call name while on duty in Iraq.

The screenwriter of the film said the following of the claims "I think Sarver is a brave soldier and a good guy. Like a lot of soldiers, he identifies with the film, but the character I wrote is fictional. The film is a work of fiction inspired by many people's stories. There are similarities, because you'd find similarities to events that happened to lots of these guys. But the screenplay is not about him. I talked to easily over 100 soldiers during my research and reshuffled everything I learned in a way that would be authentic, but would also make for a dramatic story."

Source:

SFGate.com

CultureMap.com