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Probably so, brettnik...
as there is essentially
no chance the best of the nominated films will win this year, either.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 2, 2006 at 8:37 PM
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No, Cunning...
although, Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell)
was a Best Supporting Actor nominee.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 2, 2006 at 8:36 PM
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I agree with this list completely. And this year will likely be more
of the same...
posted by
brettnik
on March 2, 2006 at 3:39 PM
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The Oscars are a fraud!
Gets worse every year. They are pretentious, politically motivated bubble heads, completely out of touch with the mainstream -- and proud of it.
I loved Born on the 4th Of July. I have to disagree with you on Babe over Braveheart, though. :-) was that pig nominated for Best Actor?
posted by
CunningLinguist
on March 2, 2006 at 2:06 PM
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It's cool, man...
Spike Lee actually got jobbed twice ("Malcolm X" in 1992, being the other snub).
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 2, 2006 at 11:03 AM
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Sorry, M.P.O.,
I missed it. My faith in you has been restored!
Wow. Not even nominated. It boggles the mind!
posted by
atigam
on March 2, 2006 at 10:51 AM
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I didn't mention it (in the list), atigam ...
because it wasn't nominated. However, in a previous comment, I wrote:
1989 had several worthy nominees ... they just weren't actually nominated: "Drugstore Cowboy", "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Do the Right Thing" and, even, "Roger & Me" (there's no rule prohibiting documentaries) would all have been deserving of Best Picture.
You see,
with me, my comments count as part of the post.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 7:38 PM
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I can't believe you missed the obvious
Best Picture of 1989: Spike Lee's seminal classic,
Do The Right Thing. The hilarious thing is that a movie about a black man driving for a rich white woman was chosen instead! Oh, sweet irony . . .
posted by
atigam
on March 1, 2006 at 4:26 PM
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That's a good point, Ben...
because over the last 50 years, there have really only been 3 huge blockbusters to win Best Picture ("Forrest Gump", "Titanic" & "Return of the King").
Not to say, there were all that many deserving candidates (among the major moneymakers) however.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 2:43 PM
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The selections were fixed by deliberate slights over the perceived popular choices. Lol.
(B)
posted by
A-and-B
on March 1, 2006 at 2:32 PM
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Oh, it's not just you, Gulliver...
besides, I would rather she not be poking around in my stuff.
She will literally just walk into my room (no locks .. long story) and read my emails (as I'm writing them) over my shoulder!
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 2:29 PM
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Tell your mother I am truely sorry...
...and will try to keep my comments to a minimum. LOL...next time I may just say, "Great Post" and be done with it for the rest of the day
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 2:01 PM
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Actually, "Citizen Kane" was beaten by...
"How Green Was My Valley" (it's #1 on my list).
All the movies I mentioned (in my previous comment) were beaten by quality films, but that's technically irrelevant.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 1:55 PM
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Neither did Citizen Kane....
But it did go up against Gone With The Wind, so really......!
I find it funny how some years can have 5 absolute winners, but only one can win of course.
Then there are other years with none of them all that great.
posted by
David1Spirit
on March 1, 2006 at 1:47 PM
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Well, David, as I mentioned in a previous comment...
true cinematic greatness can only be judged after a sizable passage of time. Neither "Chinatown", "Young Frankenstein", "Dr. Strangelove", "Nashville" or "Pulp Fiction" won Best Picture, either. (Just to name
five.)
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 1:43 PM
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I admit nothing, Gulliver...
P.S. My mother just called me, complaining about all the comments I get now. She says she can't "keep up with all this".
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 1:40 PM
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I can see why. I mean we are talking Raging Bull here
it's only one of the top 10 movies ever made, let alone 1980
posted by
David1Spirit
on March 1, 2006 at 1:39 PM
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That decision, David ...
(alongside naming "Gandhi" over "E.T.") does tend to be the most commonly panned choice.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 1:37 PM
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Come on...admit it...those lines were witty
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 1:27 PM
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I have no problem at all with Braveheart
The one that I could never get over was Ordinary People over Raging Bull!
posted by
David1Spirit
on March 1, 2006 at 1:27 PM
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That's cool ...
you already said a mouthful.
Btw, if you love Shakespeare soooo much, check out Decshak's blogs:
http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Decshak/
http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/Decshak4787/
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 1:26 PM
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sorry...I forgot about poor Wilson
The subject of my last post was about Wilson, and then I got busy writing about Shakespeare. LOL...I forgot to talk about poor Wilson.
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 1:23 PM
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I loved Wilson
But I am a Shakespeare junkie...there was just so many great witty one liners that perhaps you have to be a fellow junkie to appricate. Allow me to share some of my favorite lines from the movie:
Henslowe: I have a wonderful new play!
Fennyman: Put his feet in
Henslowe: It’s a comedy.
Fennyman: Cut his nose off
Henslowe: A new comedy. By Will Shakespeare!
(They all pause for a beat)
Fennyman: And his ears…What’s the title?
Henslowe: Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter.
Fennyman: Good title…yada yada yada, Fennyman markets the new play. “How much is that Mr. Frees?
Frees: Twenty pounds to the penny, Mr. Fennyman. (As an actor and a writer, this next exchange was one of my favorite )
Henslowe: But I have to pay the actors and the authors!
Fennyman: Pay them out of a share of the profits.
Henslowe: But there is never any profits.
Fennyman: Of course not.
Henslowe: Oh, Mr Fennyman, I think you may have hit on to something! (And us poor struggling authors and actors have been suffering ever since…yada yada yada, skip awhile longer Henslowe and Will are talking about Romeo and Ethel)
Henslowe: No, it’s comedy they want, Will. Comedy, like Romeo and Ethel
Will: Who wrote that?
Henslowe: Nobody. You are writing it for me. I gave you three pounds a month since.
Will: That is half of what you owed me. I’m still due for One Gentleman from Verona! (I laughed very hard at this witty line…ok…skip awhile more to my favorite line of the whole movie…yada yada yada, the Director, Henslowe is cornered again by the Producer, Fennyman…)
Fennyman: This time we take the boots off!
Henslowe: What have I done, Mr. Fennyman?
Fennyman: The theatres are all closed by the plague!
Henslowe: Oh, that. Mr. Fennyman, let me explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster. Believe me, to be closed by the plague is a bagatelle in the ups and downs of owning a theatre
Fennyman: So what do we do?
Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well in the end.
Fennyman: How?
Henslowe: I don’t know. It is a mystery.
Perhaps alot of the wit was lost on non-theatre junkies. I found the humor enjoyable. But then, I love Romeo and Juliet.
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 1:20 PM
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Oh and, btw, about "Shakespeare in Love" standing out...
Unlike say "Almost Famous" (which I think better illustrates your point), the only thing that stood out about "Shakespeare" was how uninspired and generic it was ... right down to the "slow clap" at the end (the most tiresome of all tiresome movie cliches).
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 12:53 PM
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I thought "Wilson" ...
deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination!
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 12:48 PM
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Castaway
Do you know the Director actually isolated himself for about three days to generate some ideas for that film? The whole "Wilson" gag with the volleyball was real. The Director said he ended up talking to a ball after about the 2nd day and named him Wilson.
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 12:46 PM
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We may not be as different as you think, Billy...
I loved "Best in Show" plus ...
If you remove the unnecessary, tacked on "beginning" and "end" from "Castaway", by opening the film with him already on the plane and closing with him as he's rescued ... I think you'd have a "top ten list" caliber movie. Even so, Tom Hanks deserved the Oscar (once again, considering the competition) and that was the most impressive and convincing plane crash I've ever seen in a movie.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:49 AM
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A lot of great movies mentioned on that list, Dave...
and can't go wrong with any number of them... however, if I have to pick
one, I'm taking "Cries and Whispers".
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:43 AM
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Actually, AaronB, 1989 had several worthy nominees...
they just weren't actually nominated:
"Drugstore Cowboy", "Crimes and Misdemeanors", "Do the Right Thing" and, even, "Roger & Me" (there's no rule prohibiting documentaries) would all have been deserving of Best Picture.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:40 AM
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And I, in no way, meant to diminish that, Marshall...
I was merely wondering where the quote came from.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:36 AM
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Thanks for the clarification, catgofire...
I understood that part. I was erroneously searching for the humor ... when, it
obviously wasn't that sort of cartoon.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:34 AM
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Gulliver, my top 5 films of 1998 (which was some year, btw):
5. Pleasantville
4. The Thin Red Line
3. The Truman Show
2. Happiness*
1. Babe: Pig in the City **
* When you can cull comedy from subject matter this dark and sad, without compromising the impact of the story, you are pretty much doing everything right
** The best children's movie, at least, since "The Wizard of Oz" and possibly ever.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 10:32 AM
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I think my favourite from that particular selection has to be Taxi Driver.
posted by
_dave_says_ack_
on March 1, 2006 at 9:27 AM
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Interesting
I agree with a lot of your choices, especially "Raiders," which is the kind of great popular movie that seems to get overlooked around Oscar time.
I thought "Braveheart" and "The Sting" were worthy winners, although the latter had stiff competition from "The Exorcist" - the greatest scary movie ever.
In 1998, I would take "Life is Beautiful" or "Saving Private Ryan" over either "Shakespeare in Love" or "The Thin Red Line." Bonjourno principressa!
1989 didn't really deserve to have a best picture award given. "Driving Miss Daisy," "Dead Poets Society," and "Field of Dreams" all combined would maybe be good enough.
This year is another year where I don't like any of the nominees. They should let at least one of the nominees be a movie that was actually popular rather than political ("Brokeback" made some money, but only because it got tens of millions in free publicity). Where's "King Kong?"
posted by
AaronB
on March 1, 2006 at 8:47 AM
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lol...Em might not have written the words i mentioned...
but he is an incredible model of perseverance and determination to me...
posted by
Marshallengraved
on March 1, 2006 at 7:59 AM
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my paper
I work for my student newspaper,
The Tartan, at Carnegie Mellon University. The graphic is simply supposed to represent the fact that one small thing in Denmark set off a whole lot of controversy.
posted by
Catgofire
on March 1, 2006 at 7:59 AM
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The funniest part of Gladiator
(Which I loved by the way...but I'm a sucker for Ancient Rome)
At the every end of the movie when the crumpled body of the dead emperor is shoved to a dusty corner of the arena and the circle of mourners revrently carry the body of the slave, Maximus out of the ampatheatre, I laughed out loud. The irony of it all was more than amusing. The funny part was that I could see a mob in ancient Rome caring more for their Gladiator hero than another dead emperor.
"Ehhh, Emperors, what can you say....easy come, easy go....but a good Gladiator...the gods have mercy on us all!!!"
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 7:27 AM
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M.P.O.
posted by
Nanaroo
on March 1, 2006 at 7:23 AM
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M.P.O. - the fact that I think Castaway and Best In Show were the best film
s in 2000 reveals where our differences lie.
posted by
FreeManWalking
on March 1, 2006 at 7:18 AM
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MPO: A dark year in 1998
I think what set Shakespeare In Love apart in 1998 was it was a fresh approach to an otherwise depressing year. In all the other examples, the themes were dark, and very melancholy. Now, I am a melancholy, and I love dark themes, but when you are surrounded by that mire, and then someone writes a refreshingly uplifting film about love, passion, and sprinkled with all kinds of Shakespearian and theatre humor, it makes that film stand out.
I agree with you. A Thin Red Line, and Saving Private Ryan were better movies than Shakespeare in Love. But in the context of that dark year, Shakespeare stook out like the star Sirus on a cold winter night. You couldn't help but notice it.
posted by
Captain_Gulliver
on March 1, 2006 at 7:03 AM
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Cool.
Pretty soon, I really
may have to start donating these to "charity".
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 6:05 AM
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3 more for the worst films! It pays to be curious about Curious George!!! Lol.
(A)
posted by
A-and-B
on March 1, 2006 at 6:02 AM
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I know, Trevor!
People tend to automatically assume the really "classic" movies won Best Picture in their respective years. But, that's certainly not always the case.
In fairness, though, the years have a way of altering perceptions. For instance, no one argued (at the time) about "Gandhi" beating "E.T." or the Academy naming "Patton" over "M.A.S.H." and "Five Easy Pieces".
Ingmar Bergman and Robert Altman are the two best filmmakers of all time. IMO.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 5:43 AM
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I can't believe ANY movie beat out Citizen Kane or Cries and Whispers, or even Raging Bull for that matter. I'm a big Bergman fan!
posted by
Trevor_Cunnington
on March 1, 2006 at 5:20 AM
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My formula for "weighing" the films:
Quality of the movie itself (40%)
Quality of the other 4 nominees (35%)
The year in general (25%)
P.S. I have waaay too much free time.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 4:43 AM
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Yes, Ann, it's a very arbitrary process...
my mother literally argued with every single number on my list. Because, she either couldn't (or wouldn't) grasp the concept that this wasn't simply a ranking based on the quality of the winners (independent of the competition).
She was like "So, you're saying 'Driving Miss Daisy' is a better movie than 'The Sting'?!"
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 4:39 AM
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You're welcome, Symphony.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on March 1, 2006 at 4:34 AM
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And congrats for winning the blogger prize. :)
posted by
A-and-B
on March 1, 2006 at 4:18 AM
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There are always other factors that matter in the nominated awards. You have some really good choices. Lol.
(A)
posted by
A-and-B
on March 1, 2006 at 4:18 AM
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Thanks for sharing.
posted by
_Symphony_
on March 1, 2006 at 3:43 AM
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Talion...
~ "Rocky" may be the best movie on this list (among winners). It's just that three of the other nominated films were better. And, yes, "Network" is the film where Peter Finch shouts "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
~ If/when I post my list of the best films ever, you'll see "Cries and Whispers" reappear. It is (imo) the greatest work from arguably the finest living filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman. At some point, I'll likely post my actual reviews (but, for now, I'm still trying to hold an audience).
~ I thought "Gladiator" was a fairly sub-standard historical action picture, actually. I urge anyone who loves it (or "Braveheart"), to rent "Rob Roy" or "Queen Margot" for contrast.
P.S. Amazing comment, btw.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on February 28, 2006 at 10:03 PM
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M.P.O.
10. A talking pig? Come on! Those self-important stuffed shirts of the Academy would never vote for something so crude when you have Mel Gibson in a kilt butchering Englishmen, even bigger stuffed shirts. Note: If the hero of a period piece lives, it's an action movie. If he dies, it's art.
9. Didn't care for Driving Miss Daisy for the obvious reason. Had the characters been forty years younger, the title of the movie would've been Swinging from a Tree. I've never seen all of Born on the Fourth of July.
8. I agree, though I haven't seen Ordinary People. If they make a movie about you, you're not. Ask Jerry Springer.
7. Actually, Rocky was a good movie. It's the other 12 sequels that suck. I think I read they're making another one. I guess Stallone has to do something to recoup those Planet Hollywood losses. Network is pretty good too Isn't that the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" movie? If so, it definitely doesn't invoke that feel good feeling like Rocky.
6. This choice was a travesty. I have High Noon on DVD and watched it often until we moved last April and now I can't find it. My wife hates it. If I didn't know better... Anyway, I could never understand how the Quaker chick could fall in love with a man involved in such a violent profession and then get pissed off when he has to react violently because of his profession. I would've shot all the bad guys, sent that dizzy bitch on her way, and got with the Mexican whore. This is also why I write blogs instead of Hollywood screenplays.
5. I've never even heard of Cries and Whispers, so I can't say much. I enjoyed The Sting. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to put a hit on the executive producers of The Color of Money.
4. I love Gladiator. "Are you not entertained!" I certainly was. There I was, sitting in the dark theater, crying like a bitch when they hauled his dead ass out of the arena. You should've know this movie would win. See #10. Of course I love Crouching Tiger too, even though it stalled in the middle. There I was, sitting in the dark theater, crying like a bitch for the 45 minutes it took for Chow Yun Fat to die. I read Jet Li was up for that role, but turned it down because his wife was pregnant. Imagine the fight scenes had he been cast. Note: If the hero of a period piece lives, it's an action movie. If he dies, it's art. If the characters speak English, the movie wins an Oscar.
3. All I remember about Chariots of Fire is that god-awful theme song and the guys running in slow motion on the beach. I really don't like what that implies. Family dramas don't do that much for me. I have a family and sooner or later, there's going to be some real drama. Give me an action-packed movie with exotic locations, Nazi's and grave robbers any day.
2. I've never seen any of these movies from beginning to end. I must have been in a cave that year. What the hell was I doing? Oh, yeah. I met my wife in 1998.
1. The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorite movies of all time. I make a point to watch it whenever it's on cable. I pray to god they never colorize it.
posted by
Talion
on February 28, 2006 at 9:49 PM
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Ahhh, come on!
posted by
anglofinspirtion
on February 28, 2006 at 9:43 PM
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No, I can't agree to that.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on February 28, 2006 at 9:37 PM
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Wow, we have completely different tastes in movies... Agree to disagree?
posted by
anglofinspirtion
on February 28, 2006 at 9:35 PM
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Billy! "Braveheart" and "Shakespeare in Love" were
easily the worst of the five nominated films (in their respective years). In fact, "Braveheart" wasn't even the best "action-packed historical epic involving a guy in a skirt" of 1995 (that would be "Rob Roy").
"Gladiator" (though better than "Erin Brokovich") wasn't even second among the weakest Best Picture field in history. "Crouching Tiger" was the only worthy nominee.
FYI: "Shadow of the Vampire", "Wonder Boys" and "You Can Count On Me" were the three best films of 2000.
posted by
Mademoiselle
on February 28, 2006 at 9:30 PM
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Come on, Gladiator, Shakespeare In Love, and Braveheart are head and
shoulders above their competition...unless you really like Chocolat (hey, I'm a crazy lady who corrupts small french villages)...which I did like BTW.
posted by
FreeManWalking
on February 28, 2006 at 9:20 PM
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