Sepiatone Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I first thought of this the other day concerning the Grammy's, then I supposed it could relate to the Oscars as well... We all know these awards are SUPPOSED to go to the "best of the best" and/or exceptional work done that year by some particular artist. But...What if that certain year there were NO "exceptional" works to be seen or heard? A year in which "mediocre" would be the highest praise that could be given to any film or musical release? This must be the most difficult thing for those acadamies to deal with. I mean, there's SUCH a big to-do about the ceremonies that one can't imagine a year where either academy says, "No Oscars or Grammys are to be handed out this year due to to there being NOTHING worth awarding them to". Anyone else ever think about this? Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxreyman Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 You make a valid point, and in some years I do believe that as far as the Oscars go, there weren't very many high-quality films or performances that even should have been nominated. But as they say in Hollywood..... The show must go on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 The Oscars are an annual event. So it is the best of that year, not the 'best of the best'. Just like in Pro sports an average team can make the playoffs by winning their division. That makes them the best in their division not the best of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joefilmone Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 The Oscars made a mistake when they started nominating ten movies- it's hard enough to find five. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Since the goal of the Oscars (all award type events) is to promote products, those behind the Oscars didn't make a mistake by increasing the nominations unless doing so didn't help promote the marginal films being nominated (as measured by box office take). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Pretty soon, the only films not nominated for Oscars will be the ones that go straight to video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Another thing to consider is that there is no guarantee that those voting on the awards (members of the Academy) have even seen the performance or film they are voting for or all the nominated films or performances. Even if they have seen the work, they could be voting for a particular actor or director because they like him or her or feel that he or she was "robbed" in a previous year . . . or because they don't like his or her competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 This has been a terrific year (especially since September) for films and the Academy should have no problem nominating ten films. The question will be, which ones make the cut. Films that will likely be considered (either Best Picture and/or other nods- in no particular order): *Fruitvale Station* *Lee Daniels' The Butler* *Prisoners* *Gravity* *12 Years a Slave* *American Hustle* *Blue Jasmine* *Dallas Buyers Club* *Nebraska* *Wolf of Wall Street* *All is Lost* *August: Osage County* *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty* *Inside Llewyn Davis* *Before Midnight* *Frozen* *Saving Mr. Banks* *Her* *Frances Ha* *Captain Phillips* *Blue is the Warmest Color* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 10 Best Film nominees of 1941, for films made in 1940: WINNER: Rebecca: (Selznick International Pictures) NOMINEES All This, and Heaven Too: (Warner Bros.) Foreign Correspondent: (Walter Wanger) The Grapes of Wrath: (20th Century Fox) The Great Dictator: (Charles Chaplin Productions) Kitty Foyle: (RKO Radio) The Letter: (Warner Bros.) The Long Voyage Home: (Argosy, Walter Wanger) Our Town: (Sol Lesser) The Philadelphia Story: Joseph L. Mankiewicz (M-G-M) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 There are very few awards competitions which do not name a winner if the judges decide there is no one that merits it. The Tchaikovsky Competition is one, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >Anyone else ever think about this? Yes, I started thinking about it in the late 1960s and all during the 70s and later decades, when there were several years when I thought that no film that year should be awarded an Oscar of any kind. Take for example 2008. http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000003/2008?ref_=ttawd_ev_1 I know of only one of these films that was shown on TV (No Country for Old Men), and I never heard of the rest of them again after the awards were given out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >I know of only one of these films that was shown on TV (No Country for Old Men), and I never heard of the rest of them again after the awards were given out. FredC, All the movies nominated for Best PIcture for 2008 have appeared either on basic or premium channels. The list includes: *No Country for Old Men* which could be described as a modern day western tale of revenge. *Atonement* a love story turned tragic against the backdrop of war. *Juno* a modern day tale of love, betrayal, acceptance all before college. *Michael Clayton* a modern day political thriller. *There Will Be Blood* a man's obsession with oil and wealth proves his downfall. You may not have seen all of them or most of them, but they all have fans. You may not agree with all of the Best Picture choices (neither do I) but that's the joy of film, everyone reacts to films differently (regardless of when they were made). Doesn't make it wrong, doesn't make it right. Just makes us all lovers of films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 > There are very few awards competitions which do not name a winner if the judges decide there is no one that merits it. The Tchaikovsky Competition is one, I think. A couple of years ago, the Van Cliburn competition named a tie for first place. An American of Japanese descent and a blind young man from China. Both displayed an exceptional level of talent. I remember back in the '70's, Bill Murray, playing the "Hollywood correspondent" on the "Weekend Update" segment of SNL predicted the Oscar winners based on the movies he happened to have seen. Funny bit. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joefilmone Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 "Gravity" and "American Hustle" are Oscar worthy- there is also " The Place Beyond The Pines" a movie which came out to early in the year and seems to have been forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joefilmone Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 They expanded the number of nominated films to include blockbuster type movies to increase their audience- I mean do most people care about films that either lecture about the obvious or are indie self indulgent. There is the obvious Oscar bait film in which an good looking actor will make himself look ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >...a movie which came out to early in the year and seems to have been forgotten. Ah yes. The yearly Oscar "tradition" which seems to have especially become entrenched the last few decades. (...and a phenomenon which has firmly "entrenched" in MY mind the idea that the Oscars have become even MORE of just an exercise in promotional advertising in recent years than any sort of recognition of excellence) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I refer to it as a promotional "industry clusterf*** and fashion show". Holds no personal interest for me whatsoever - haven't watched one since 1974. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Even considering this aspect to it, I have to admit my wife and I still watch it every year. (...'cause ya never know who'll ya see will make an a$$ out of themselves or who will come up with a funny line or two after someone does...especially when the very entertaining Billy Crystal is hosting the thing) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The only one that sounded good to me was the one with Ricky Gervais. Still, it's just too long a deal for me to sift through for the few entertaining words by the emcee. Fashion just doesn't draw me in, and star gazing for the thrill of seeing their pasted smiles is likewise yawn-inducing. But, each to their own. I'm in the minority, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I feel the same way as you. If I do watch I only check in for the last 45 minutes or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >Doesn't make it wrong, doesn't make it right. Hi, I was comparing 1940 Academy Award nominees with 2007 nominees. Nearly all the 1940 ones are great classics (except maybe OUR TOWN), while none of the 2007 ones are great classics (except maybe NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), which is typical of these modern times in the movie business. And I've often made the point that in some modern years, no films should be nominated for several of the awards, but they nominate the required number of films anyway because they gotta. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxreyman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 It cuts both ways. One can argue the other way as well Fred. There were several years back in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's where there weren't very many well made films that should have been nominated either. The insistence that many years before, oh lets say 1960 were better than any year recently is a false premise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >There were several years back in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's where there weren't very many well made films that should have been nominated either. Ok, find a year and post a list of the Best Picture nominees to back up your thesis. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxreyman Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Do I have to? I guess if I don't, I will fall into that category of people who can't back up their claims, correct?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 >The insistence that many years before, oh lets say 1960 were better than any year recently is a false premise. LOL, I never said that. You are making stuff up that I never said. I said that 1940 was much better than 2007. I just checked the award nominations for 60/61. Turns out the 1940 films were also better than the ones that were made in 1960. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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