Opinion: Is ‘La La Land’ not anti-Trump enough for the Oscars?

To the editor: The piece by Glenn Lovell, a teacher of film studies, includes the following analysis:

First, “La La Land” is “institutionalized nostalgia” and leads in the Oscars’ Best Picture category because it appeals to Hollywood’s narcissism; second, because of recent events triggered by President Trump, the inconsequential nature of “La La Land” will spell its undoing in the vote for Best Picture; third, “Manchester by the Sea” won’t win because it is “lily white”; and finally, Meryl Streep’s Golden Globe attack on Trump got her nominated for Best Actress and helped assure that “this year’s final Oscar vote will be a referendum of sorts on Trump.”

If Lovell is correct, then the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has forgotten that movies are about entertainment. I don’t teach film studies, but I thought the Academy was an entertainment entity dedicated to the art of motion pictures. How naive of me.

I am not a supporter of Trump or anything he stands for, but if Lovell is right about the Oscars, we are all worse off.

Michael H. Miller, Los Angeles

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To the editor: What exactly does Glenn Lovell believe the Academy would be signaling by choosing “Moonlight” rather than “La La Land” as best picture?

“Moonlight” may “tackle racism,” but it seems to me it plays directly into the stereotypes about African Americans. Does he really believe it is a positive thing to show that a young boy is so inspired by a successful drug dealer who becomes his mentor that he himself grows up to be a successful drug dealer himself? Is that what movies should be encouraging young men to aspire to?

“La La Land” clearly was the best picture of the year, but if the Academy is intent on honoring a film that tackles racism, the clear choice would be “Hidden Figures,” a film that shows that intelligence, hard work and a little moxie can (and actually did) overcome multiple prejudices.

Judith Shapiro, Indian Wells, Calif.

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