Americans are pulling for "American Sniper" to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars next Sunday, are upset that Clint Eastwood was not nominated for Best Director honors for the film, and utterly disagree with liberal filmmaker Michael Moore's comments disparaging the movie.
"American Sniper," the story of Navy SEAL shooter Chris Kyle, whose 160 confirmed kills in four tours in Iraq make him the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, caused 38 percent of the 839 active voters surveyed by
Vox Populi Polling to say the film deserves the Best Picture award.
More than twice as many people voted for "American Sniper" to win as did those who voted for the second place nominated film in the poll, "Selma," at 14 percent.
Some 37 percent of those polled felt the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards should have included Eastwood as Best Director and ranked it as the nominations' biggest "snub," again more than twice the number who picked other "snubs," such as "The Lego Movie" not being nominated for Best Animated Feature, 15 percent, and the lack of a nomination for Best Actor for David Oyelowo, who portrayed Martin Luther King in "Selma," at 14 percent.
"Although American Sniper has been at the center of controversy, a plurality of respondents disagree with the movie's critics," Vox Populi spokeswoman Lisa Boothe commented.
"Not only do a plurality of the individuals who were polled believe the movie should receive the Academy Award for Best Picture, but they also believe that the movie's director Clint Eastwood was snubbed. They also soundly reject liberal movie maker Michael Moore's statement that snipers are cowards."
Last month, Moore, who said his uncle was killed by a sniper in World War II, wrote on Twitter: "We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse,"
The Hill reported.
A total of 77 percent either somewhat or strongly disagreed with Moore's statement. Among those surveyed, 90 percent of Republicans disagreed with his comments, as did 63 percent of Democrats, although 37 percent of Democrats agreed with him.
Moore, who came under heavy fire for his words, backtracked, tweeting, "Hmm. I never tweeted 1word bout AmericaSniper/ChrisKyle. I said my uncle killed by sniper in WWII; only cowards would do that 2 him, others,"
the Daily Mail reported.
To date, the enormously popular movie has earned over $307 million at the box office,
Forbes reports.
Despite another controversy that the acting categories did not include a single African-American nominee this year, 34 percent of African-Americans polled indicated they intend to watch the Oscars, Vox Populi noted.
Asked whether they thought "American Sniper" was a pro-war or anti-war movie, 70 percent of the respondents said it was "something in between."
Questioned whether director Eastwood's well-known conservative political beliefs had something to do with him not receiving a Best Director nomination, 46 percent said no, while 31 percent said yes.
Those polled included 46 percent male and 54 percent female and 38 percent between the ages of 49 and 65, 19 percent from 18-29, 24 percent from 30-45 and 19 percent older than 65, and included 38 percent who have seen "American Sniper" and 62 percent who have not.
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