I see AMPAS has given an FX nod to CHRONICALS OF NARNIA, while ignoring REVENGE OF THE SITH altogether... the same AMPAS that chose not to nominate BLADE RUNNER in either the Art Direction or SFX categories... the same AMPAS that nominated the `76 KONG remake for best SFX.


:p :rolleyes:

on the other hand, it's the same AMPAS who nominated one flat animation film ("Howl's Moving Castle") and two stop animation films ("Wallace and Gromit" and "Corpse Bride") but no computer generated animation films.

Nice to know they are nominating for effort and quality and not box office receipts.

I'd love to see "Wallace and Gromit" win.

Jim

The failure to nominate SITH for SFX, sound design, art direction, and costume design is indicative of the Academy's strong anti-Lucas bias. The man has simply enjoyed too much success working outside the system not to be loathed by his peers in Hollywood.

on the other hand, it's the same AMPAS Nice to know they are nominating for effort and quality and not box office receipts.


Yeh, but it would have been nice if they had nominated a film that anyone had seen for best picture.

Yeh, but it would have been nice if they had nominated a film that anyone had seen for best picture.
Last weekend, the top movie was Big Momma's House 2. It'd be nice if the movie going public supported good movies.

Two recent wins make me question if anyone in Hollywood even understands their craft. TRAFFIC for adapted screenplay and CHICAGO for editing. Considering that nominations are made by people who actually practice the craft, how did these two make the cut?

Nice to know they are nominating for effort and quality and not box office receipts.

Yes and no. The FX in THE CHRONICALS OF NARNIA are mediocre at best; the film garnered a nomination because it was a B.O. hit.

It'd be nice if the movie going public supported good movies.

You can bring water to the horse...

Two recent wins make me question if anyone in Hollywood even understands their craft. TRAFFIC for adapted screenplay and CHICAGO for editing. Considering that nominations are made by people who actually practice the craft, how did these two make the cut?

The Academy is and always has been an extremely political institution. That's why movies like THE TOWERING INFERNO get nominated for Best Picture, while films by the likes of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick fail to make the grade.

Here's my Oscar story.

Last winter, I was heading off to the tool store and, as always, I cut across the property of the abandoned Dominion Bridge Company here in northwest Winnipeg. It's an old steel fabrication plant...now a creepy post-industrial ruin.

I was astonished to see a limousine parked in the building. Then I noticed a Rolls Royce parked in the building. This was clearly not normal. I almost wet my pants when I thought I saw a gallows! Honest to God, I thought I had stumbled onto a gangland execution. I high-tailed it outta' there!

About 6 months later, I read that CAPOTE had been filmed almost entirely in Winnipeg. The old Dominion Bridge site had been used to recreate the hangings as depicted in IN COLD BLOOD.

Last weekend, the top movie was Big Momma's House 2. It'd be nice if the movie going public supported good movies.

Big Momma's House 2 got a snub? No problem. That's what the MTV Movie awards are for.

José

Big Momma's House 2 got a snub? No problem. That's what the MTV Movie awards are for.

José
Actually BMH2 won't be eligible until next year. And you know the Academy. They never remember worthy movies from early in the year.

How's About Fantastic Four? Not a SINGLE Nod to the Guy who plays Dr. Doom (jullian Mcmahon) my Wife is Crushed! lol I do think I wanna see "Backdoor Moutian" though Heck I'm comfortable enough w/ my Sexual identity,I just wish this same Film had been made with Angelina Jolie & Rhona Mitra! NOW THERE'S OSCAR MATERIAL!!!!

John/Lonfan

Two recent wins make me question if anyone in Hollywood even understands their craft. TRAFFIC for adapted screenplay and CHICAGO for editing. Considering that nominations are made by people who actually practice the craft, how did these two make the cut?

Actually the editing in "Chicago" is what makes the film so enjoyable and although I never read the original book of "Traffic," I would guess from the film's story structure that it wasn't easy to make the transition from page to screen.

Jim

I do think I wanna see "Backdoor Moutian"

John, 'fess up. Was that a deliberate mauling of the name of the movie (Brokeback Mountain) or was that one of those punctuation things?

José

By the way, anybody here actually seen Brokeback Mountain? Anybody willing to admit it? I'm interested in seeing it myself.

The wife and I would like to see it (supposedly there's substantial boobage in the movie... no doubt a clever ploy by the director to appease insensitive, caveman-like hetero men), but at the rate we're seeing movies in the theater lately we'll probably end up waiting until the DVD comes out.

José

By the way, anybody here actually seen Brokeback Mountain? Anybody willing to admit it? I'm interested in seeing it myself.

No, but I'm not sure they could do a movie about hetero cowboys that would get me in a theater either.

I saw Open Range, the last good western I saw, on DVD.

My votes would go mostly to Capote and Good Night and Good Luck. Capote isn't exactly a fun night at the movie theater though.

Even though Larry David pretty much summed up the understandebly awkward response of hetero males to "Brokeback Mountain" I must say that I still find all the twittering, Lenoesque allusions to the male homosexual act to be incredibly immature.

Anyway, I found "Brokeback Mountain" overrated.
I usually find most dramas nominated for Best Picture Oscar slow-paced and disappointing.
Still, the last twenty minutes will strongly resonate with anyone who has been touched by longing or regret.

Actually the editing in "Chicago" is what makes the film so enjoyable and although I never read the original book of "Traffic," I would guess from the film's story structure that it wasn't easy to make the transition from page to screen.

Jim
I couldn't disagree more. Apparently, Catherine Zeta-Jones is an accomplished dancer. But you'd never know it from CHICAGO, since we never saw her do anything for more than a couple seconds at a time. The best example of what was wrong with the editing is the opening musical number. As she is performing, there is a cut to another shot of her, from the same distance, in the same position. So they disrupted the flow of the scene to show us the exact same thing.

Although not a problem with the editing, the idea that the musical numbers all take place in Roxie's head is a solution to a non-existent problem. Musical numbers illustrate the character's emotions and states of mind. They always have. That is the convention of musicals. Don't reinvent the wheel.

Where editing gets into it is if we accept the musical numbers as being in Roxie's mind, then why is she randomly picturing things from strange, clumsy angles for three seconds at a time? And to portray "Mr. Celophane" as Roxie's perception of Amos instead of his perception of himself misses the point of the number.

A common complaint of the film version of THE PRODUCERS is that all they did was film the stage show. This is a valid complaint, but I much prefer that approach to CHICAGO'S "See! This is a movie! We're cutting every three seconds!"

As for TRAFFIC, it wasn't based on a book, but on a British mini-series. (Which is far superior, but that's neither here nor there. The Oscar is awarded based on the quality of the screenplay, not how well it was adopted. At least in theory.) The problem isn't with the structure, but with the execution of the characters and the scenes. Clumsy, preachy expositions and plot twists. After-school-special-style "I'm here to make a point" characterizations. Silly melodrama. (Give me one example outside of a movie of a public figure stopping a speech or press conference because he is overcome with emotion.)

Then there is the attempted assassination in the parking lot. That scene alone should have disqualified the screenplay from Oscar consideration. A hired hitman sets a bomb under the witness's car, then sits three rows away to watch. The witness decides to walk instead of taking the car. Why? "I don't know. I just feel like it." What does the professional hitman do? He gets out of his car, reaches for his gun, and approaches a group of armed bodyguards. Then suddenly, he is shot by a sniper. Surprise? It would be if the sniper hadn't been shown five minutes earlier.

I was just reading an on-line article about Oscar's documentary nominations. There was reference to the "Mother Theresa effect." The idea that if the subject of the film is noble and important, the movie must be good. (Which explains the preponderance of Holocaust films among the nominees over the years.) I think TRAFFIC suffers from this same problem. When I hear people praise it, they usually talk about how it is an important subject, not about the qualiity of the execution.

Personally, I think TRAFFIC is the perfect example of how not to do an "issue movie." If you want to see a great movie on the same subject that makes most of the same points, rent THE FRENCH CONNECTION.

No, but I'm not sure they could do a movie about hetero cowboys that would get me in a theater either.

I saw Open Range, the last good western I saw, on DVD.

My votes would go mostly to Capote and Good Night and Good Luck. Capote isn't exactly a fun night at the movie theater though.



A few I liked this year ...

Capote
Good Night and Good Luck
Batman Begins
Walk The Line
Junebug
King Kong
Cinderella Man
Murderball
Grizzly Man
Hotel Rwanda
Syriana
The Squid and The Whale

So so ....

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
War of The Worlds
Crash
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Chronicles of Narnia
Revenge of The Sith
Undertow
The Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit and The Curse of The Were-Rabbit

Strongly disliked ...

Chicken Little
Fantastic Four

Would rather plunge hot knitting needles into my eyes than ever watch again ...

Bewitched

Never mind.

I must say that I still find all the twittering, Lenoesque allusions to the male homosexual act to be incredibly immature.You just said a mouthful! Why, Brokeback Mounting is one of the most penetrating films ever made! In fact, it's almost Greek!

John, 'fess up. Was that a deliberate mauling of the name of the movie (Brokeback Mountain) or was that one of those punctuation things?

José


Okay Guilty! But It wasn't Originally mine. I just can't recall Who said it,Some comedian. I do wanna see the film though, and listen I think I've said it before here but my own Father is "Bi" well I guess he's Gay now. lol he's been with the same guy since 1979 they just moved from Palm Springs Back to L.A. (I gotta go check the City) So anyhoo, I have NO problem with that Lifestyle I just thought it was a Humorous Play on the Title.(like my "Commander & Cheese" joke) Sorry if I offended. Only thing that REALLY Upsets me about my Father is ..HE MOVED OUTTA BELA LUGOSI'S OLD HOUSE BEFORE I COULD GET THERE!!!:mad: lol

John/Lonfan

Catherine Zeta-Jones is an accomplished dancer. But you'd never know it from CHICAGO...
SNIP
As she is performing, there is a cut to another shot of her, from the same distance, in the same position. So they disrupted the flow of the scene to show us the exact same thing.

Oh, c'mon... critics blasted Bob Fosse for this sort of thing, but in terms of reinventing the musical wheel I think CABERET did a pretty good job. The edict that all dance numbers should be shot with a minimum of cuts (a la an MGM musical) is needlessly restrictive. Was ALL THAT JAZZ a poorly edited musical? Was MOULIN ROUGE?

The worst thing I can say about CHICAGO is that Rob Marshall spent so much time and energy aping Fosse that he forgot to do anything else; if the film hadn't been so relentlessly artificial it might have actually come to life.
Of course, it won Best Picture so whadda I know.

I was just reading an on-line article about Oscar's documentary nominations. There was reference to the "Mother Theresa effect." The idea that if the subject of the film is noble and important, the movie must be good.

That explains the nomination of CRASH.

I couldn't disagree more. Apparently, Catherine Zeta-Jones is an accomplished dancer. But you'd never know it from CHICAGO, since we never saw her do anything for more than a couple seconds at a time. The best example of what was wrong with the editing is the opening musical number. As she is performing, there is a cut to another shot of her, from the same distance, in the same position. So they disrupted the flow of the scene to show us the exact same thing.



BEB, I think some of CZ-J's Lack of Activity was do in part to her being ?-Months Pregnat during the Filming. I herd her Explaining this on Charlie Rose's Show. That could explain it right? I just wish I had the Flair for The Written Word that you demonstrate! I'm NOT being Funny either, Your Post was as well Written as an Article in Cinefantastique!

John

That explains the nomination of CRASH.

Yep. I admire anyone's ability to write an Altmanesque multi-character storyline but the heavy speechifyin' by every character in every scene got real old real quick.

My 100 Greatest Movie List includes movies like Airplane, Caddyshack and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Here are my favorites from the past year:

Revenge of the Sith
Wedding Crashers
Batman Begins
King Kong
The Longest Yard
Fantastic Four
The 40 Year Old Virgin

I enjoyed seeing the General Lee on the big screen, the rest of The Dukes of Hazzard was mediocre at best.

Probably my least favorite movie I saw in the theater was Herbie Fully Loaded. Strictly kids' stuff and nothing for the adults who have to take them.
I haven't seen ONE of the Oscar nominees, although I'll try to get caught up on at least a few before my Oscar party.

- JJ

I'm comfortable with my own sexuality, but I heard about a certain scene in "BrokeBack" that is outside of my comfort zone. Plus, did it have to be Cowboys for God's sake? It's just too much for my pea brain. I support equal rights for all people and do not intentionally discriminate, so let's not throw that out there. I don't like the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare" slasher flicks because they make me uncomfortable, same with "BM".
My favs from last year-
Kong
Syriana
Batman Begins

My favorite picture of last year: Cinderella Man.

I think I'll pass on watching the Oscars this year. Nothing up for best picture even interests me.

I do think I wanna see "Backdoor Moutian" though ...

Doesn't "moutain" meran "sheep" in some language or another? I think that's a perfecty apt title for a film about horny sheep herders, then. :D

Yep. I admire anyone's ability to write an Altmanesque multi-character storyline but the heavy speechifyin' by every character in every scene got real old real quick.

I, for one, am delighted that, if nothing else, Firefly has added "speachifyin'" to our lexicon. ;)

I, for one, am delighted that, if nothing else, Firefly has added "speachifyin'" to our lexicon. ;)

Not so fast, partner. I think you mean "speechifyin."

If you're gonna go admittin' new words to this here lexicon the least you can do is spell `em right.

Doesn't "moutain" meran "sheep" in ...

Meran?

Couldn't resist.

TWO TOPICS -

1. SPEECHIFYIN' - that one goes way back to Will Rogers at least.

2. MY SEXUALITY - I'm most comfortable with it after slipping into something more comfortable.

Man, I wish I could quit this thread......

For Crash to be nominated for Best Picture while Cinderella Man is excluded is just wrong.

According to an article in my local newspaper, four of the five nominees for Best Picture are independent releases, the $75 million "Munich" being the one exeption. "Brokeback Mountain" was the second most expensive production on the list at $14 million. If those budget numbers are accurate - I would say this indicates a fairly major shift in the movie business.

I'm not so sure. I think they just got lucky. In recent history there's been one or two independent films that have been nominated, but it's only in the last couple of years that low budget "art" flicks hint at being dominant. If the trend continues for a couple of years, then maybe there's a shift.

José

...four of the five nominees for Best Picture are independent releases, the $75 million "Munich" being the one exeption. "Brokeback Mountain" was the second most expensive production on the list at $14 million.
SNIP
...I would say this indicates a fairly major shift in the movie business.

The Academy has traditionally favored dramas. Unfortunately contemporary audiences do not -- at least not enough to justify the expense of making them within the studio system (just ask Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Stacy Snyder).

This is not a recent shift; studio execs have been leery of green-lighting "grownup movies" for years, and it's not hard to figure out why; with a few notable exceptions they fail to generate a profit (don’t blame the studios; it’s not like they want to pay Tom Cruise $20 million a picture).

Unless AMPAS can find it in its heart to embrace the comedy & horror genres (which isn't very likely) the days of the blockbuster Best Picture winner are over.

Man, I wish I could quit this thread......

I get it! They play a "Brokeback" clip on the morning radio show here. It's a "mens' oriented" show, so they are really "poking" fun at "Brokeback".
Thanks, I'll be here all week, try the veal.......

Unless AMPAS can find it in its heart to embrace the comedy & horror genres (which isn't very likely) the days of the blockbuster Best Picture winner are over.
Considering the Academy once named THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH as Best Picture, I don't think that's neccessarily a bad thing.

Somewhere in this year's coverage, someone pointed out that a documentary about penguins has grossed more than any of the Best Picture nominees.