And the Oscar goes to...

[GenRipper66]

I mentioned this in a thread awhile back and was wondering what y'all thought...

 

Is there any Oscar winner that made you think 'what was that Academy thinking?!' I like Elizabeth Taylor a lot but all I could think when watching 'Butterfield 8' was 'she won an actress for this?!'

 

Any Oscar winners make you feel that way?

 

Recent winners that had me scratching the old noggin was Ann Hathaway (for 5 mins of work in a 3 hr movie), Helen Mirren ('The Queen' wasn't all that), Mariisa Tormei for 'My Cousin Vinny', and that French actor that never had to utter a word...

 

PS. This is not an indictment on an actor's ability, just surprising Oscar WINNERS in your opinion.

[Dargo]

Yeah GR. I've got one for ya here. The winner of the Best Picture category the year I popped into this world, 1952...THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.

 

Now tell me here. HOW in the world could what many many MANY people now days view as THE greatest musical ever made AND one of THE best movies ever made REGARDLESS of genre, not even be nominated in that category???

 

(...and how in regard to that overblown circus flick of DeMille's, IVANHOE and MOULIN ROUGE is SINGIN' IN THE RAIN considered today, I ask you?!)

[GenRipper66]

Yeah GR. I've got one for ya here. The winner of the Best Picture category the year I popped into this world, 1952...THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH.

 

Now tell me here. HOW in the world could what many many MANY people now days view as THE greatest musical ever made AND one of THE best movies ever made REGARDLESS of genre, not even be nominated in that category???

 

(...and how in regard to that overblown circus flick of DeMille's, IVANHOE and MOULIN ROUGE is SINGIN' IN THE RAIN considered today, I ask you?!)

Yeah, looking back today at some of the choices in best picture (especially with Father Time's assistance) some have to be chalked up to whatever was the 'hot' fad at the time. Maybe circus epics were the flavor of the day because you're right, 'Singing in the Rain' not getting a nomination is pretty sad and pathetic. I will admit this was a tough year though because all of the films had something going for it - 'Ivanhoe' (tons of action and a very hot, young Liz Taylor) & 'Moulin Rouge' (Ferrer pulling off a convincing Lautrec). But, neither should be ahead of 'Singin' IMO. Maybe there was a feeling that since Kelly had won the previous year with 'An American in Paris', there was little desire to nominate him again (he was a victim of his own recent success?). But the fact that 'An American in Paris' beat 'A Streetcar Named Desire', is another one of those, 'WHAT?!'

[GenRipper66]

Here go the questionable ones (at least to me).

 

Best Picture winners:

Midnight Cowboy

The French Connection

Amadeus (the film was just too bizarre for my tastes, even though I am a huge fan of classical music and the film looked sumptuous)

Braveheart

Titanic

American Beauty (probably the worst of the bunch)

Argo

 

Acting winners: 

Estelle Parsons/Bonnie and Clyde

Glenda Jackson/Women in Love

Michael Douglas/Wall Street

Jessica Lange/Blue Sky

Kevin Spacey/ for both The Usual Suspects and American Beauty

Nicole Kidman/The Hours

George Clooney/Syriana

Heath Ledger/The Dark Knight

Kate Winslet/The Reader

Christoph Waltz/ for both Inglorious B******s and Django Unchained

Monique/Precious

Natalie Portman/Black Swan

Matthew McConaughey/ Dallas Buyers Club

Wow,.. I feel like I just served up a meatball to Big Papi... You were ready for this one and NAILED it... LOL.

[ChristineHoard]

Great topic and there are a lot of "****" moments in Oscar picks - recent and long-ago.  I could go on and on, but here are just a few:  Julia Roberts over Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino's make-up Oscar for "Scent of a Woman" (he should have won for one of his many much better roles instead of this), Robert Donat's win over Jimmy Stewart or Clark Gable in 1939 so Jimmy won in 1940 his make-up Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story" instead of Henry Fonda for "Grapes of Wrath."  I like when my favorites, like Jimmy, win an Oscar but I am ambivalent about make-up Oscars, and there are a ton of them.  Was Rod Steiger better in "Heat of the Night" than "The Pawnbroker" (and I love "Heat")?  Did Luise Rainer deserve two Oscars but nothing for Garbo?  Is "Chariots of Fire" worthy of Best Picture?   Shouldn't Barbara Stanwyck have won for something?  Is "Gentleman's Agreement" better than "Crossfire" (NO!)?  How about "Around the World in 80 Days?"  This choice has been panned for years.  Shouldn't Scorsese have won Best Director for "Raging Bull"?  I'm sure I'll think of more, but yeah, we can debate a lot of Oscar choices in a lot of categories including music and writing, etc.

[GenRipper66]

Great topic and there are a lot of "****" moments in Oscar picks - recent and long-ago. I could go on and on, but here are just a few: Julia Roberts over Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino's make-up Oscar for "Scent of a Woman" (he should have won for one of his many much better roles instead of this), Robert Donat's win over Jimmy Stewart or Clark Gable in 1939 so Jimmy won in 1940 his make-up Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story" instead of Henry Fonda for "Grapes of Wrath." I like when my favorites, like Jimmy, win an Oscar but I am ambivalent about make-up Oscars, and there are a ton of them. Was Rod Steiger better in "Heat of the Night" than "The Pawnbroker" (and I love "Heat")? Did Luise Rainer deserve two Oscars but nothing for Garbo? Is "Chariots of Fire" worthy of Best Picture? Shouldn't Barbara Stanwyck have won for something? Is "Gentleman's Agreement" better than "Crossfire" (NO!)? How about "Around the World in 80 Days?" This choice has been panned for years. Shouldn't Scorsese have won Best Director for "Raging Bull"? I'm sure I'll think of more, but yeah, we can debate a lot of Oscar choices in a lot of categories including music and writing, etc.

Great points all of them, and 'make-up' Oscars totally blow chunks. The year-to-year contenders have a lot to do with it. You don't want to run in a year like last year for Best Actor compared to 2012.

 

http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000003/2014

 

vs.

 

http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000003/2012

[lydecker]

Barely scratching the surface here and only dealing with Best Picture winners (don't get me started on the acting awards . . .) but here goes my "you've got to be kidding" list:

 

"Cavalcade" over "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang?"

"The Great Ziegfeld" over "Dodsworth," "Libeled Lady" or "Tale of Two Cities?"

"You Can't Take It With You" over "The Adventures of Robin Hood?"

"How Green Was My Valley" over "Citizen Kane" or "The Maltese Falcon?"

"Going My Way" over "Double Indemnity?"

"Rocky" over "Network" or "All the President's Men?"

"Forrest Gump" over "The Shawshank Redemption?"

 

"Chariots of Fire," over anything???

 

Lydecker

[drednm]

Some of my pet peeves for Best Actress over the years:

 

Grace Kelly winning for The Country Girl over Judy Garland for A Star Is Born.

 

Judy Holliday winning for Born Yesterday over Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard

 

Luise Rainer for The Great Ziegfeld over Carole Lombard for My Man Godfrey

 

Jennifer Jones for The Song of Bernadette over Jean Arthur for The More the Merrier

 

Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday over Deborah Kerr for From Here to Eternity

 

Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8 over Melina Mercouri for Never on Sunday

 

Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class over Barbra Streisand for The Way We Were

 

Cher for Moonstruck over Glenn Close for Fatal Attraction

 

Janet Gaynor for Seventh Heaven, Sunrise, Street Angel over Gloria Swanson for Sadie Thompson

 

Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry over Annette Bening for American Beauty

 

Halle Berry for Monster's Ball over Sissy Spacek for In the Bedroom

 

 

 

 

[GenRipper66]

"Chariots of Fire," over anything???

I've been able to stay awake thru this movie a total of ONCE. My only suggestion is that religious fervor was more important at the time than an action packed thrill ride ('Raiders of the Lost Ark') that has spawned how many sequels, TV shows, mega merchandise deals?! Watching 'Chariots' is like watching paint dry... Do not get how that was chosen...even as a nominee....ZZZZZ

[lydecker]

Some of my pet peeves for Best Actress over the years:

 

Grace Kelly winning for The Country Girl over Judy Garland for A Star Is Born.

 

Judy Holliday winning for Born Yesterday over Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard

 

Luise Rainer for The Great Ziegfeld over Carole Lombard for My Man Godfrey

 

Jennifer Jones for The Song of Bernadette over Jean Arthur for The More the Merrier

 

Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday over Deborah Kerr for From Here to Eternity

 

Elizabeth Taylor for Butterfield 8 over Melina Mercouri for Never on Sunday

 

Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class over Barbra Streisand for The Way We Were

 

Cher for Moonstruck over Glenn Close for Fatal Attraction

 

Janet Gaynor for Seventh Heaven, Sunrise, Street Angel over Gloria Swanson for Sadie Thompson

 

Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry over Annette Bening for American Beauty

 

Halle Berry for Monster's Ball over Sissy Spacek for In the Bedroom

I think I could pretty much agree with all of those.

 

Lydecker

[GenRipper66]

How did I forget Hillary Swank's first (Boys Don't Cry) when making my list of Oscar peeves? Dreadful film, dreadful performance. (Julianne Moore or Meryl Streep should have won)

I don't know... Hard for me to watch Hilary Swank now and not think GUY.... That role has basically ruined ever role she has been in since... It's like watching a guy in drag in every role since, especially 'Million Dollar Baby'. I think I would have chosen Annette Benning that year for 'American Beauty'. Meryl Streep is always a safe choice but 'Music of the Heart' not a memorable role for her (basically 'Mr. Holland's Opus' in drag).

[hepclassic]

I only have one: 

 

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. Even John Wayne deserved his "career" Oscar for True Grit moreso than she did for this disrespectful biography picture. 

[drednm]

and in my opinion, the all-time worst performance to win best actress is Halle Berry in Monster's Ball.... hideous and unbelievable on all levels. It was the kind of role that called out for Alfre Woodard or Viola Davis.....

 

 

 

 

[GenRipper66]

I only have one: 

 

Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. Even John Wayne deserved his "career" Oscar for True Grit moreso than she did for this disrespectful biography picture.

 

LOL... I live watching a lady grow old with Alzheimer's.... KIDDING, honey, LOVE you... LOL

 

No, you're right... I love history, biopic pics, AND Meryl and I still fell asleep...

[HoldenIsHere]

Is there any Oscar winner that made you think 'what was that Academy thinking?!' I like Elizabeth Taylor a lot but all I could think when watching 'Butterfield 8' was 'she won an actress for this?!'

 

Any Oscar winners make you feel that way?

 

 

Elizabeth Taylor won the Oscar for BUTTERFIELD 8 because she almost died that year.

(Taylor did not want to do that role and said that she "phoned in" her performance.)

 

Oscar votes in the acting categories are almost never about the individual performance. 

Sentimentality is always a major factor.

Based on the performances either (or both) Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman should have won for MIDNIGHT COWBOY, but the sentimental favorite John Wayne won that year for TRUE GRIT. 

It probably meant a lot to Wayne to finally be recognized by his peers, but I'm sure he knew it was not his specific performance in TRUE GRIT that the Academy members were voting for.

[speedracer5]

Here go the questionable ones (at least to me).

 

Best Picture winners:

 

Amadeus (the film was just too bizarre for my tastes, even though I am a huge fan of classical music and the film looked sumptuous)

 

 

 

Acting winners:

 

Heath Ledger/The Dark Knight

 

I love "Amadeus." Tom Hulce's laugh is hilarious. F. Murray Abraham was excellent as Mozart's nemesis, Antonio Saliari (sp?) and truly stole the show.

 

I have to disagree with Heath Ledger's Best Supporting Oscar win. He completely deserved the award for his terrifying take on The Joker.

[hepclassic]

LOL... I live watching a lady grow old with Alzheimer's.... KIDDING, honey, LOVE you... LOL

 

No, you're right... I love history, biopic pics, AND Meryl and I still fell asleep...

It just wasn't what I expect from a Meryl Streep performance- but she has disappointed me a lot lately. And this is coming from someone who owns five of her films. I felt that Meryl wasn't invested in her performance beyond achieving accent and the script was so underdeveloped that how anyone could actually take away anything from her life outside of the then fact that she was suffering with dementia, on top of posturing towards something Thatcher just wasn't in her life, it just didn't make sense to me. But hey, work with Weinstein, get an Oscar! 

[GenRipper66]

Elizabeth Taylor won the Oscar for BUTTERFIELD 8 because she almost died that year.

(Taylor did not want to do that role and said that she "phoned in" her performance.)

 

Oscar votes in the acting categories are almost never about the individual performance. 

Sentimentality is always a major factor.

Based on the performances either (or both) Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman should have won for MIDNIGHT COWBOY, but the sentimental favorite John Wayne won that year for TRUE GRIT. 

It probably meant a lot to Wayne to finally be recognized by his peers, but I'm sure he knew it was not his specific performance in TRUE GRIT that the Academy members were voting for.

Yeah, I know they were giving her the Oscar for many reasons BESIDES her performance but ultimately this reflects horribly on the Academy IMO.

[GenRipper66]

Meryl's performance in The Iron Lady was better than the one she gave in Sophie's Choice....by far.

My wife LOVES 'Sophie's Choice' so maybe wrong gender?!

[terrya]

"Crash" winning Best Picture over "Brokeback Mountain". I REALLY questioned that one. But, well, I'm not a voting member of the Academy, so what do I know?

[ChristineHoard]

Grace Kelly over Judy Garland always bothered me.  Judy did everything and Grace skipped makeup so she wins.  Head scratcher. Do one or more of the following to win an acting Oscar:  wear no makeup, add or drop a lot of weight, change your gender, have a handicap like blindness, redo a body part like your nose.  Also agree that "Brokeback Mountain" should have won.

[GenRipper66]

"Crash" winning Best Picture over "Brokeback Mountain". I REALLY questioned that one. But, well, I'm not a voting member of the Academy, so what do I know?

I don't know... 'Crash' had a scene that affected me viscerally (the scene where the gun is loaded with blanks) where 'Brokeback Mountain' was good, but not better than 'Crash' IMO. Some scenes in Brokeback made me a little uncomfortable (which is a good thing in movies usually) but overall, I thought it was too long. Great movie, great directing, & great acting, but I guess something a little too far out my own experience for me to put it over the top. Good love story tho and it's collateral damage, just a little too slow for me overall. I like the concept of 'gay' cowboys tho. Really pushes the envelope on the group typically less tolerant.

[JamesJazGuitar]

Grace Kelly over Judy Garland always bothered me.  Judy did everything and Grace skipped makeup so she wins.  Head scratcher. Do one or more of the following to win an acting Oscar:  wear no makeup, add or drop a lot of weight, change your gender, have a handicap like blindness, redo a body part like your nose.  Also agree that "Brokeback Mountain" should have won.

 

Like many others I agree that Judy should of won over Grace but it really isn't a head scratcher.    Judy gave another wonderful performace but there was a lot of the real Judy in that performance.    Grace gave a performance that wasn't your high society type gal (no make-up being just one example).  Voters are more likely to award one for doing something different.    So on the surface it might appear nuts but what motivates voters is very difficult to pin down.

[drednm]

Like many others I agree that Judy should of won over Grace but it really isn't a head scratcher.    Judy gave another wonderful performace but there was a lot of the real Judy in that performance.    Grace gave a performance that wasn't your high society type gal (no make-up being just one example).  Voters are more likely to award one for doing something different.    So on the surface it might appear nuts but what motivates voters is very difficult to pin down.

Judy Garland in A Star Is Born is fantastic. She's funny, she's tragic, and she sings up a storm. Her rendering of "The Man That Got Away" alone should have won an Oscar. It's one of the great performances of the decade. It was certainly the great performance of the year. But Warners butchered the movie after previews and released a version that made no sense. They killed what director George Cukor and writer Moss Hart created. The restored version shows the film in all its glory.

[JamesJazGuitar]

Judy Garland in A Star Is Born is fantastic. She's funny, she's tragic, and she sings up a storm. Her rendering of "The Man That Got Away" alone should have won an Oscar. It's one of the great performances of the decade. It was certainly the great performance of the year. But Warners butchered the movie after previews and released a version that made no sense. They killed what director George Cukor and writer Moss Hart created. The restored version shows the film in all its glory.

 

So you think the reason Judy didn't win was because the film version of A Star is Born that academy voters saw was a butchered version?  Interesting theory.     Was the scene where she sings 'The Man That Got Away' also butchered (e.g. different then the version TCM shows?).     I ask because if voters saw that same scene and Judy should have won for that scene alone,  then actual academy voters must disagreed with that POV.

 

PS:  I agree 100% that Judy was flat out great and that the performance that it is the best there is in this type of film (a tragic musical).    But hey,  I didn't have a vote!