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Thread: Thoughts on the 77th Annual Academy Awards

  1. #1
    Count of Montesano's Avatar Civitate
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    Since nobody has started this thread yet in the Symposium, I would like to take this opportunity to open discussion on tomorrow night's Oscars. My wife and I are big film buffs, so we've been talking all week about who will win, who will be snubbed, etc.

    To make things interesting (and to justify my posting this in the Symposium) here are some questions we've been debating lately. Everyone feel free to jump in with your comments.

    1. The Oscars and the culture wars: There's a lot of media going around about how Passion of the Christ didn't receive any major awards, but movies on abortion (Vera Drake) and euthanasia (Million Dollar Baby) and sex studies (Kinsey) have all been nominated. Several liberal commentators have also pointed out Michael Moore's 9-11 film was not nominated, though this could very well be because he refused to have his film judged as a documentary. Do the Oscars really reflect a schism in America's culture between conservatives and what some would call the Hollywood liberal elite? Sure, Passion may not be considered that great a movie. Yet let me say this - Passion of The Christ was one of the most popular dramatic films this year. There were people lined up to see it as if it was the last Star Wars movie here in Washington State, one of the least religious regions in the country. The other contenders have, by and large, been art-house films with limited popularity. My own position is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is playing it safe by not nominating films on either extreme - thus both Mel Gibson and Michael Moore get snubbed.

    2. Will Martin Scorsese finally get an Oscar for best picture for Aviator? It won a Golden Globe, so that's a good predictor. And if the Academy is playing it conservative, Million Dollar Baby will win awards but not best picture because of its controversial subject. Others are saying Clint Eastwood has built up so much momentum in the last few months, MDB may take the best picture award. Should the award go to Scorsese because he is long overdue one? I haven't seen The Aviator, so I'm not sure what to think - some columnists have talked about how Aviator is not one of his best films, but it's epic and many in Hollywood feel his Oscar is long past due.

    3. The Oscars and foreign films - As It Is In Heaven, The Chorus, Downfall, The Sea Inside and Yesterday have all been nominated. This year I haven't been on top of foreign films like I used to be in college, so I haven't seen any of these films. I'd love to hear comments about films that should have gotten nomination, especially if a film was incredibly well done and a big favorite in your nation but received no publicity in the U.S. Also, I know one ongoing controversy is how English films are regularly nominated in certain categories but rarely win. Trust me, I lived in Cambridge when Titanic beat out The Full Montey and I didn't hear the end of it - on the television, from British friends, at the pub, etc. Finding Neverland won best picture at the British Academy Awards, but stands little chance of winning Best Picture.

    AND FINALLY

    4. Which animated film should win best picture? Shrek 2, The Incredibles or Shark Tale?
    I have to vote The Incredibles all the way on this one.

  2. #2

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    The Oscars are meaningless. I dont watch them, and I dont care to hear what they announced as the winners. They have consistently chosen movies that I didnt think should win (Titanic) over movies that I thought were brillian (LA confidential)

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