Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Here they areClint got dissed. Absolutely disgraceful that he didn't get a best actor and best director nod. The Wrestler...guess the academy feels that rockstars detract from the august proceedings...Eddie Vedder got dissed last year, Bruce this year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Absolutely disgraceful that he didn't get a best actor and best director nod.Or maybe the Academy adored both Gran Torino and Eastwood in it, but just liked five others a bit more. The Wrestler...guess the academy feels that rockstars detract from the august proceedings...Eddie Vedder got dissed last year, Bruce this year.Yeah, they always give it to squares like Eminem and Bob Dylan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I guess I just don't get the notion that awards ought to reflect popular taste. If you want a list that's in touch with American filmgoers, read the box-office report (and give the Oscar to Paul Blart: Mall Cop). In my view, the most worthwhile thing an awards show can do is introduce intriguing movies to people who otherwise wouldn't have thought twice about them, since they are too busy being bombarded with commercials for Marley & Me. Besides, this list seems like yet another year where Hollywood rewarded its own relatively mainstream product rather than the really adventurous and interesting art of the year. Who could think this list is uppity? Fans of Larry the Cable Guy? Nice little shot at Larry the Cable Guy fans. Of course, anyone who likes him is a meat-headed dolt. You are correct. The Academy Awards should nominate movies that they think are the best of year, not the most popular. NO SHIT!!! All I'm pointing out is how the 5 they nominated couldn't be more "so what". I liked the years they nominated Fargo or Life Is Beautiful or Little Miss Sunshine or Unforgiven or E.T. or The Departed......something with a little juice or wider appeal to it. Gran Torino would have been perfect. Or The Wrestler...or Burn After Reading... I DO agree that it'd be cool in they nominated more "adventurous" or "interesting" art. I'd argue Wall-E fits that bill. But god forbid the Academy nominate a "cartoon". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 All I'm pointing out is how the 5 they nominated couldn't be more "so what". I haven't seen ANY of these, but.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 All I'm pointing out is how the 5 they nominated couldn't be more "so what" and the list is "uppity" and "snobby" and "out-of-touch."Fixed it for ya. I just don't see it. Benjamin Button is a major wide release, popular with both audiences and critics, starring two major actors. Frost/Nixon is another high-profile Hollywood release, based on a well-known play, made by one of the most successful and popular directors in the industry. Milk is a conventional biopic starring one of Hollywood's top actors, and directed by a highly-regarded artist with a long career. The Reader is an adaptation of a bestseller--an Oprah selection!--starring a major actress and directed by a prior nominee. Slumdog Millionaire is a commercial hit, a crowdpleaser made by one of the best-known directors in the UK. All of these movies have established pedigrees, received major press and buzz, and enjoyed budgets that far exceeded the typical international production. None of these nominees are remotely obscure or exist on the fringe--if anything, this list is conventional, predictable, and rather pedestrian. (As for the Academy's apparent track record of being "out of touch," I'd argue that a much more accurate criticism is that the Academy is, on a yearly basis, far too mainstream in its tastes. Not that I'm complaining; the Oscars are what the Oscars are.) I would have loved to see The Dark Knight get nominated--I think it deserved it--but a truly adventurous list might have included Wendy and Lucy or Flight of the Red Balloon or The Edge of Heaven or Silent Light or Chop Shop or Shotgun Stories. Yet wouldn't that have invited charges that the Academy is being "snobbish"? I agree with you that WALL-E is terrific and that there's no reason why an animated movie can't also be Best Picture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Nice little shot at Larry the Cable Guy fans. Of course, anyone who likes him is a meat-headed dolt.Well......yeah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Or maybe the Academy adored both Gran Torino and Eastwood in it, but just liked five others a bit more. That tells me everything I need to know about the Academy...a bunch of asshats. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I DO agree that it'd be cool in they nominated more "adventurous" or "interesting" art. I'd argue Wall-E fits that bill. But god forbid the Academy nominate a "cartoon".Yeah, they'd never do that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 jakobnicholas - you're so full of shit it's exhausting. You admitted to seeing NONE of the Best Picture nominees yet you rail against them as safe choices. You haven't fucking seen them!!!! Shut up! Also:give the Oscar to Paul Blart: Mall CopJust wanted to quote that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JUDE Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I liked Gran Torino and Wall-E, the Academy can bite me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 jakobnicholas - you're so full of shit it's exhausting. You admitted to seeing NONE of the Best Picture nominees yet you rail against them as safe choices. You haven't fucking seen them!!!! Shut up! Yeah, they'd never do that. I know it's early, but we already have a contender for Best Thread and Best Post(s) of the year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Gym Teacher Man Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I know it's early, but we already have a contender for Best Thread and Best Post(s) of the year. it is shaping up to be quite an entertaining thread. although i certainly agree that it is strange that the one dude is making such bold comments about movies he's never seen, i will say that i'm not at all excited by the list of best picture nominees. i also have not seen them, but i haven't really had a strong desire to see any of them. but i think i just have a jaded opinion of the oscars ever since Chicago won best picture and leonardo dicaprio didn't get a nomination for catch me if you can in 2002. that was the year i first began to realize just how political the oscars are. i mean, jack nicholson was nominated for a piss-poor performance in a piss-poor movie (about schmidt) just because he is jack nicholson. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 My Oscar moment of clarity came when Dances With Hamsters beat out GoodFellas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 My Oscar moment of clarity came when Dances With Hamsters beat out GoodFellas.Mine came when Kramer vs. Kramer beat out Apocalypse Now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Gym Teacher Man Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 yeah, certainly both of those are absurd. but i was kind of young in 90 and unborn in 79, so... kramer vs. kramer is a flat out terrible movie. at least dances with wolves is watchable. no goodfellas though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 None of these nominees are remotely obscure or exist on the fringe--if anything, this list is conventional, predictable, and rather pedestrian. I said earlier, "All I'm pointing out is how the 5 they nominated couldn't be more 'so what'." I think we're agreeing. Yes, I'm quite aware of Beauty and the Beast. But that was before the Best Animated Movie category was put in place. I'll be VERY surprised if an animated film ever gets a Best Movie nomination. The Bunk, have you seen any of the 5 movies? Has anyone on this board seen these movies? The reason I haven't seen most of them is because either the subject matter or opinions I've read or heard don't make me WANT to see them. I've never said they're not deserving to be nominated. Like most years the movies, as a group, just seem lackluster and not the type of movies I seek out. The Reader...I know NOTHING about it. I'd never heard of it before the nomination.Benjamin Button is almost 3 hours long and got mediocre reactions from freinds of mine. When I had a chance to see a few movies over the holidays, it was about 5th or 6th on my list.Milk....I love Sean Penn as an actor, but to be perfectly frank, I have no interest seeing a movie about a gay activist and political figure of the 60's/70's. I'm not a homo-phobe, I just have NO desire to see it.Frost/Nixon....To me it sounds to have that "gotcha" mentality that many of today's journalists have. Frost got under the skin of Nixon? Good for him.Slumdong Millionaire...I should see this. I heard the word "romance", and it kind of turned me off, but I should see it. Sounds good. The Oscars have always been a joke for the most part. The biggest problem is probably that it was either a down year in movies, or maybe it was a down year in movie subject matter that I want to sit through. Last year was an AMAZING year in regards to movies nominated. Old Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood and even Juno were great movies. But I'd argue that Zodiac should have ALSO been nominated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OOO Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The Academy lost me 20 years before I was born when they decided not to nominate "A Hard Day's Night" or "Help!" for any song/music Oscars. Nice job, assholes. Slumdong Millionaire. If you had seen it, you wouldn't call it that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Your use of Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Well then listen you homophobe, rather than view Milk as a biography of Harvey Milk, you could instead cheer for and sort of make, Dan White, Josh Brolin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I didn't see the movie, but isn't Dan White gay too? Closeted, but gay? I don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Frost/Nixon....To me it sounds to have that "gotcha" mentality that many of today's journalists have. Frost got under the skin of Nixon? Good for him.You should see this movie. It's way more complex than you say, and it helped me understand Nixon, the presidency in general, and what it means to be American more fully. No broad strokes here. Really good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 A film's subject matter has an average of about 20% pull when it comes to whether I'm interested in seeing it.For example - I didn't give a flying fuck about Queen Elizabeth, but I saw The Queen and found it to be poignant, urgent, and funny. jakobnicholas - you need to broaden your horizons. You've never heard of The Reader so it sucks. Brilliant. Why the hell do I even read your posts in this thread! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 My Oscar moment of clarity came when Dances With Hamsters beat out GoodFellas.Mine came when Burt Reynolds lost to Robin Williams. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 so far i've seen benjamin button, doubt, slumdog millionaire, changeling, and the dark knight. gran torino and the wrestler are on my list to catch this weekend, hopefully the reader (and to bigshoulders's dismay) revolutionary road will follow shortly. i am extremely surprised at the song nominations. both Clint and Bruce were ripped off for that. both of their songs were worthy for a nom. I think Clint was also robbed by not getting a nom for best Musical Score for Changeling. after i see gran torino this weekend, i'll pass judgement on if Clint was additionally robbed. It is as if the Academy forgot he did anything this year (and what i've seen so far of his work for this year did not disappoint as usual). i think slumdog millionaire should sweep all of its categories. it is a well deserving movie and so far the best thing i have seen in a very very long time. the supporting acting categories are TOUGH this year because for me there was a lot of good acting going on in those secondary roles. i too have lost faith in the academy. my losing moment was when Gladiator beat Crouching Tiger out, although it did redeem itself with Crash, but only a little bit. i never read reviews of movies. they usually ruin movies for me. i mean, really, why should what someone else thinks about a movie have a bearing on what i am going to think. just because everyone uses a PC doesn't make it the best quality product out there. for me, if the subject matter seems interesting, the actors have a good track record, or the director/producers have a good track record, i'm willing to give the movie a chance. i am curious about what movies people think should have been nominated, for those that haven't seen anything that made the list. i'll post back after my weekend movie adventures! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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