“We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year ?”
Rabat – US president Donald Trump has lambasted the Academy Awards for giving best picture of the year to the South Korean film “Parasite.”
At a “Keep America Great”-themed rally in the state of Colorado on Thursday, February 20, Trump made jokes about the the quality of the acting and movies rewarded and appeared to be nostalgic about the old days when “great American movies” were the best.
Read Also: Parasite Becomes First Non-English Film to Win Best Picture at Oscars
After criticizing the immigration policy in the state of Colorado, the US president suddenly went after the Academy Awards and condemned South Korean film “Parasite” for winning best picture of the year.
“How bad were the Academy Awards this year? And the winner is a movie from South Korea! What the hell was that about?” Trump asked with a discernible undertone of irony.
South Korean film “Parasite” is the first foreign film to win best picture in the history of the Academy Awards.
“We got enough problems with South Korea with trade,” the president continued. “On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year?”
Calling attention to his flagship ideology of “Make America Great again,” the president called for bringing classic American films back to the screen, like “Gone with the Wind” (1939) and “Sunset Boulevard “(1950).
But President Trump was not only concerned about a foreign film winning Best Picture of the Year. He also seemed to have been enraged by Brad Pitt’s acceptance speech after winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”
Winners in the best supporting actor category only have 45 seconds to make a speech before leaving the stage.
Pitt took this short time slot to land a political joke about president Trump impeachment trial.
“They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” Pitt quipped.
Trump dismissed the joke and downplayed Pitt’s acting.
“And then you have Brad Pitt,” Trump said at the rally. “I was never a big fan of his. He got up, said some little wise guy statement.”
“He’s a little wise guy.”
American film production company NEON, which distributed the South Korean film, responded back to Trump’s criticism by reposting a clip of the rally video with the caption, “Understandable, he can’t read.”
The jab is a reference to the English subtitles of the Korean-language film.
This is not the first time President Trump has fired back at criticism or mocked celebrities who oppose him.
When American actress Meryl Streep won an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Globes in 2017, she used her acceptance speech to attack Trump for mocking a disabled reporter during a campaign event in 2015.
“It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter,” Streep said. “Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back.”
Only a few hours later, President Trump took to Twitter to berate Streep.
“One of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood, doesn’t know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes,” he wrote.
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