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I preferred Up, but Fantastic Mr. Fox was very worth seeing. I love how the movie was made and designed.

 

I'm very curious to see the nominated "The Secret of Kells". Supposedly it won't be released in the States until Spring. It's an Irish film and sounds interesting.

 

"Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea" was also very good and it would have been on my Top 5 list.

Yea. Like I said, Up will win it, because it's a Pixar film, and it's damn good. But the animation in Fantastic Mr. Fox was refreshing. Stop motion is a wonderful medium when done right, and that movie was a great example of it. Not to mention how much I loved the screenplay of Fox. I'm a large fan of Pixar's storytelling, but Wes Anderson made Dahl's story into a really wonderful screenplay.

 

Maybe the nomination alone will make more people see it. I really think it's an incredible movie.

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I think we got the picture in the Avatar thread. You didn't like.

 

I don't think you got the picture there at all. That's why I need to keep repeating myself. I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!!!!1!

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I also thought that A Single Man and Crazy Heart would sneak in, since I didn't picture District 9 getting noticed.

 

Agreed. Crazy Heart was totally Best Picture nod worthy, as was The Wrestler last year. Best damn movie of last year by far.

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Best Screenplay is complimentary to a Best Picture nomination. But then again Avatar got snubbed in that category.

 

"Pocahontas With Blue People" does not make for a very good screenplay. As entertainment, Avatar worked. But in terms of "film film" and all the stuff that should matter when it comes to awards, Avatar sucked a big one.

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"Pocahontas With Blue People" does not make for a very good screenplay. As entertainment, Avatar worked. But in terms of "film film" and all the stuff that should matter when it comes to awards, Avatar sucked a big one.

 

That was kind of my point. If Avatar wins for Best Picture, isn't it odd for it to not even have a Screenplay nod?

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That was kind of my point. If Avatar wins for Best Picture, isn't it odd for it to not even have a Screenplay nod?

 

No. A good screenplay means a good movie, but not necessarily the reverse. That's what Avatar is. Also, Avatar got the Oscar nod (and Golden Globe win) based on its entertainment potential. Not on its "movie movie" qualities. Implying that the Oscars and Golden Globes don't care about the right things anymore, sort of what I implied in the other post.

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No. A good screenplay means a good movie, but not necessarily the reverse. That's what Avatar is. Also, Avatar got the Oscar nod (and Golden Globe win) based on its entertainment potential. Not on its "movie movie" qualities. Implying that the Oscars and Golden Globes don't care about the right things anymore, sort of what I implied in the other post.

 

I know but my point is if it wins it could be the 1st film in a long time to win Best Picture without even a Best Screenplay nomination. I agree with you on the screenplay front, but it looks bad that it didn't even get recognized in that category.

 

I looked online to see if any Best Picture winner has won without a Screenplay nomination and came up empty handed.

 

Edit: Although, last year Slumdog Millionaire won without any Acting nominations. Hmm.

 

Lookie lookie !!! The last film to win Best Picture without a Screenplay nomination was.........(drumroll please) TITANIC! LOL

History repeats itself?! No? Yes?

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Not that I've seen any of the nominated best pics, but I saw Crazy Heart and while I enjoyed it for the music and the performances, the story itself was very conventional. Dude is amazing. Bobby D drops by about 3/4th into the picture as The Bartender With All The Answers. Wraps up way too tidy.

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Not that I've seen any of the nominated best pics, but I saw Crazy Heart and while I enjoyed it for the music and the performances, the story itself was very conventional. Dude is amazing. Bobby D drops by about 3/4th into the picture as The Bartender With All The Answers. Wraps up way too tidy.

 

See, I thought the film could have gone in a million different cliched directions but didn't, like:

 

 

Dude dying at the end from alcohol poisoning or a drunken car wreck, Dude showing up at Maggie Gyllenhall's door and a New Guy creeps up behind her and he's like "Honey, who's at the door?", Maggie takes Dude back, Dude finds his son and gets some closure. None of that happened. The movie basically didn't wrap anything up, other than Dude doing a bit better financially and having a nice platonic friendship with the Special Ladyfriend. But beyond that, it didn't feel forced or like it was trying to manipulate me emotionally. It just was.

 

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What's the difference, anyway? In the long run, it is critics, historians, and fanbases that are ultimately in charge of what gets remembered, not awards shows. I've been watching these shows for 25 years, and the only thing I've learned is that these shows come and go, and matter not a whit. My view? Enjoy the Oscars for what they are--crowdpleasing entertainment--and don’t bother giving them a moment’s thought or analysis. I stopped griping (and writing) about the Oscars a number of years ago because it finally seemed irredeemably silly; serious film writing exists in a universe far, far away from the Oscars.

 

Sure, it would be nice if the main function of the Oscars were to measure artistic merit, or at least showcase lesser-known, deserving works. But that clearly isn't their main function, and it never was. It's like complaining about the apple because it isn't an orange. I might prefer an orange, but rather than scold the apple I should instead look elsewhere for an orange. That’s far more fruitful.

 

I don’t find the faux-drama (or faux-outrage) very entertaining--it just seems cranky, petty, and rather toxic. When watching, I’d rather just enjoy the jokes, the happy faces, and the grateful speeches. For example, I watched the Globes this year, and no, I wouldn’t have voted for Sandra Bullock, and yes, her win is a crock. But I was entertained by her acceptance speech, and I was happy to see her have her moment, because it was real and human. When I watch awards shows--the apple--that’s all I expect.

 

When I want a serious film experience--the orange--I’ll turn to, say, the pages of FILM COMMENT and SIGHT & SOUND, because those outlets will offer something actually worth thinking about. (By the way, the latest issue of FILM COMMENT offers a 2009 wrap-up, but also a decade wrap-up. Fun stuff... and far more accurate a measure of artistic merit than the Oscars ever will be.)

 

Does that sound cynical? I'd like to think it's the reverse of cynicism.

 

Regarding the nominees: I'm pleased that The Cove and In the Loop were remembered. Of the ten Best Picture nominees, I'd probably vote for Up in the Air.

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"Pocahontas With Blue People" does not make for a very good screenplay. As entertainment, Avatar worked. But in terms of "film film" and all the stuff that should matter when it comes to awards, Avatar sucked a big one.

 

 

LOL...D-man will be proud to be quoted on that one.

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It doesn't make much sense, but only the Lord Of The Rings have been successful at getting a nomination and being sci-fi fantasy.

Well, that and a little film you may have heard of: Star Wars? Yes, it was nominated for Best Film.

 

It makes sense because they're all blockbusters.

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Could someone please explain the fascination with Penelope Cruz? Is she really that great of an actress? I just don't get it.

 

See her in a native tongue film like Volver, and you'll get it. Can't speak for Nine though.

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I'll be pulling hard for the Dude for his nomination, as well as Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett for their nod for "The Weary Kind." I will never watch Avatar but fully expect the disappointment of watching this film sweep every category it has been nominated for. And then I'll vow to never again watch the Oscars, just like I do every time they have given Leonardo Dicaprio the shaft. But the next year, I'll watch again. It's just what we do, right?

 

And I totally agree that Crazy Heart was worthy of a nomination. I've seen it twice already and though the story is not overly complex and could be anyone's story, it's that very fact that makes it an amazing story. It's real, and aside from the fallen-star aspect, it could be the story of anyone with a substance abuse problem, and those who want to love them.

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And I totally agree that Crazy Heart was worthy of a nomination. I've seen it twice already and though the story is not overly complex and could be anyone's story, it's that very fact that makes it an amazing story. It's real, and aside from the fallen-star aspect, it could be the story of anyone with a substance abuse problem, and those who want to love them.

 

Amen. I could easily watch that movie again. And what a soundtrack, huh?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIJTU9iY2iA

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Amen. I could easily watch that movie again. And what a soundtrack, huh?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIJTU9iY2iA

 

 

The soundtrack is the best I've heard in along time...and I'd truly be embarrassed to admit how many times I've listened to Ryan Bingham doing "The Weary Kind" since I saw the movie the first time on Monday (and again on Tuesday ;))

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  • 1 month later...

IMHO... Avatar was unbelievably awesome in IMAX 3D. It wasn't just technological masturbation... it was a good, and BEAUTIFUL, movie. Art can be visually beautiful, and so can dialogue. This was more visual. That's OK. It still had a good story to tell. Hell, it created a whole world pretty well. Gotta count for somethin'. This is my favorite movie of the year, and I am surprised to say it, as it is SO hollywood.

 

But I did see "Crazy Heart", and I loved it as well. It would be my second favorite film. It was very human and tells a good story as well.

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Quentin needs to learn to edit himself. The blah-blah-blah really torpedoed that movie for me.

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