And to think that I foolishly took the day off from work to watch a poorer version of last year’s re-hash of the year before! Next year I shall tune in to see how flies mate!
That’s a good movie, although it was one of Spielberg’s few box office bombs. But it was the debut of a rising star: Christian Bale, who this summer returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight”, starring the late Heath Ledger as “The Joker”.
The reporting pretty much says it all. The movies weren’t as great or memorable as in years past. As far as the host, I’m not much of a Jon Stewart fan even though many Gen X, Y and Z-ers seem to get their news from his daily show. I, for one, do not. I don’t think he’s that funny, witty or in the same league as in prior years' hosts such as Billy Crystal or the late Johnny Carson. And to think, I wasted three hours watching that show where one could have gotten a colonoscopy, read War and Peace, finished my will, changed the oil and filters in my cars and had a nice seven-course meal… :)
If the Oscar serves the motion picture community, then each of these other awards can be seen to have a similar function. Golden Globes serves the foreign press, People’s Choice and MTV serve the general public. They allow lots of people to take part in celebrating something they love: movies. Isn’t that a good thing?
Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Blockbuster Movie Awards…give me a break!!!
Fact is, how many of you can actually remember what won best picture for ANY of the awards listed above without looking it up?? It’s the Oscar awards that innevitably goes down in film history, not the others.
If we all know that, say, PLATOON won for best picture of 1986, do we remember what won the Golden Globe for that same year (again, without looking it up)? Do we really care?
I agree. The only awards shows that communicates with the moviegoing public are the people’s choice awards as well as the MTV movie awards. Not too long ago Blockbuster had an awards show but they pulled out to focus on renting movies.
Can’t wait to see if Indy wins best picture for Mr. Speilberg, who hasn’t won an oscar in 15 years!!! If he wins, then ratings will skyrocket from this year.
Ceasar, the next INDIANA JONES movie presents a mild dilema for me. I swore some time ago that I was through wasting my time and money on sequels, remakes and franchise films. On the other hand, Steven Spielberg carries a great deal of weight with me, so I am likely to weaken this summer and see the movie. I just hope it’s better written and acted than TEMPLE OF DOOM. I hated that one!
I also occurs to me than even some big budget, blockbuster films that have been nominated for best picture in the past (THE EXORCIST, THE TOWERING INFERNO, JAWS, STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, E.T., THE FUGITIVE) I would certainly consider better-written and better-acted motion pictures than what is released on the screen as a blockbuster today.
I stopped watching the Oscars several years ago because I became fed up with its level of cheesy entertainment, which in my opinion, is no better than a vintage episode of the Donny & Marie variety show or a common beauty pageant. Now I only tune in to the last ten minutes to see what wins best picture.
But, to be fair, the films that the Academy often nominates for best picture are intelligently-scripted stories with solid performances by its players. Most people don’t want to bother with films like this in which (heaven forbid!) they might have to use a little bit of their brain to enjoy. Why is only films with no storyline, bad acting and loads of CGI effects can be deemed as “entertaining”. This decade alone, three films that entertained me the most were MEMENTO, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and SIDEWAYS; all inventive, original scripts with great acting and dialogue. Why is that not entertaining?
I also feel that many people do not see many of the best picture nominees because they don’t have much time between the time a picture is nominated and the night the awards are presented. Remember, the Oscars were once televised in late March. People had about an extra month to get out and see best picture-nominated films. I saw MICHAEL CLAYTON back in October, but since the nominees were released, the only other film I had time to see was NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which I loved. I’m glad it won best picture of 2007.
Finally, I say this – if people want to see garbage like TRANSFORMERS and SPIDERMAN 3 receive award nominations, they should just watch the People’s Choice Awards or the MTV Movie Awards or something stupid like that. The Academy (thankfully) still chooses films that are (usually) about something.
Now I watch the oscars off and on. What made it interesting this year they were trying to heal over the fact of the Writer’s Strike. Back in January the Writer’s Strike cancelled the Golden Globes. But the writer’s got thier point across. Even ABC was low key in advertisting the oscars telecast. Beside the oscars being low in the neilsons,so was the Barbara Walter’s Special prior to the telecast.
Though I completely agree with EricHooper that “Brokeback Mountain” should have taken the Best Picture prize in 2006 (hell, anything but “Crash”!), and though I thought I’d pass out when I saw that they had Beyonce performing the nominated song from “The Chorus”, a film about a boys school choir, Oscar Sunday is in our house what Superbowl Sunday is in many others. We get set up in front of the tv with food, drink, and ballots and do our very best to enjoy it. Though I disagree with some of the Academy’s choices, I also strongly agree with others, and enjoy watching the show each year… even if I do come out disappointed in the end. I didn’t think this years' show was so awful, in fact it was probably my favorite of the last 4 or so years.
Now the criticism against the Motion Picture Academy is the fact that most of the Oscar nominated films aren’t seen by most of the movie going public. Becouse of limited releases in metromarkets and distrubtion issues, PR issues most of the films that were nominated like Antonement aren’t seen. And another fact I learned that some cinemas often scheldule like one showtime. Which hurts the film at box office.
I like the fact it’s called a fake popularity contest. But the criticism on the films not being seen is growing.
It was exposed to me what a fake phony award show it is in 2006 when best picture was given to Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain. The award is not based on merit. It’s a phony popularity contest. I will never watch it again and could care less about it going forward.
And to think that I foolishly took the day off from work to watch a poorer version of last year’s re-hash of the year before! Next year I shall tune in to see how flies mate!
That’s a good movie, although it was one of Spielberg’s few box office bombs. But it was the debut of a rising star: Christian Bale, who this summer returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight”, starring the late Heath Ledger as “The Joker”.
I watched Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN on dvd.
I flipped between that show and a rangers hockey game. Rangers won, Oscars lost.
The reporting pretty much says it all. The movies weren’t as great or memorable as in years past. As far as the host, I’m not much of a Jon Stewart fan even though many Gen X, Y and Z-ers seem to get their news from his daily show. I, for one, do not. I don’t think he’s that funny, witty or in the same league as in prior years' hosts such as Billy Crystal or the late Johnny Carson. And to think, I wasted three hours watching that show where one could have gotten a colonoscopy, read War and Peace, finished my will, changed the oil and filters in my cars and had a nice seven-course meal… :)
If the Oscar serves the motion picture community, then each of these other awards can be seen to have a similar function. Golden Globes serves the foreign press, People’s Choice and MTV serve the general public. They allow lots of people to take part in celebrating something they love: movies. Isn’t that a good thing?
Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Blockbuster Movie Awards…give me a break!!!
Fact is, how many of you can actually remember what won best picture for ANY of the awards listed above without looking it up?? It’s the Oscar awards that innevitably goes down in film history, not the others.
If we all know that, say, PLATOON won for best picture of 1986, do we remember what won the Golden Globe for that same year (again, without looking it up)? Do we really care?
I say just four (4) awards shows, period…
…and that’s it!
I agree. The only awards shows that communicates with the moviegoing public are the people’s choice awards as well as the MTV movie awards. Not too long ago Blockbuster had an awards show but they pulled out to focus on renting movies.
The Oscars have always been about Hollywood recognizing its own — it is not and has never been an objective measure of the films' artistic worth.
Can’t wait to see if Indy wins best picture for Mr. Speilberg, who hasn’t won an oscar in 15 years!!! If he wins, then ratings will skyrocket from this year.
Typical Washington Compost commentary.
Ceasar, the next INDIANA JONES movie presents a mild dilema for me. I swore some time ago that I was through wasting my time and money on sequels, remakes and franchise films. On the other hand, Steven Spielberg carries a great deal of weight with me, so I am likely to weaken this summer and see the movie. I just hope it’s better written and acted than TEMPLE OF DOOM. I hated that one!
I happen to agree. For example I’m looking forward to the new Indiana Jones when it comes out in May.
I also occurs to me than even some big budget, blockbuster films that have been nominated for best picture in the past (THE EXORCIST, THE TOWERING INFERNO, JAWS, STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, E.T., THE FUGITIVE) I would certainly consider better-written and better-acted motion pictures than what is released on the screen as a blockbuster today.
I stopped watching the Oscars several years ago because I became fed up with its level of cheesy entertainment, which in my opinion, is no better than a vintage episode of the Donny & Marie variety show or a common beauty pageant. Now I only tune in to the last ten minutes to see what wins best picture.
But, to be fair, the films that the Academy often nominates for best picture are intelligently-scripted stories with solid performances by its players. Most people don’t want to bother with films like this in which (heaven forbid!) they might have to use a little bit of their brain to enjoy. Why is only films with no storyline, bad acting and loads of CGI effects can be deemed as “entertaining”. This decade alone, three films that entertained me the most were MEMENTO, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and SIDEWAYS; all inventive, original scripts with great acting and dialogue. Why is that not entertaining?
I also feel that many people do not see many of the best picture nominees because they don’t have much time between the time a picture is nominated and the night the awards are presented. Remember, the Oscars were once televised in late March. People had about an extra month to get out and see best picture-nominated films. I saw MICHAEL CLAYTON back in October, but since the nominees were released, the only other film I had time to see was NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which I loved. I’m glad it won best picture of 2007.
Finally, I say this – if people want to see garbage like TRANSFORMERS and SPIDERMAN 3 receive award nominations, they should just watch the People’s Choice Awards or the MTV Movie Awards or something stupid like that. The Academy (thankfully) still chooses films that are (usually) about something.
Now I watch the oscars off and on. What made it interesting this year they were trying to heal over the fact of the Writer’s Strike. Back in January the Writer’s Strike cancelled the Golden Globes. But the writer’s got thier point across. Even ABC was low key in advertisting the oscars telecast. Beside the oscars being low in the neilsons,so was the Barbara Walter’s Special prior to the telecast.
Though I completely agree with EricHooper that “Brokeback Mountain” should have taken the Best Picture prize in 2006 (hell, anything but “Crash”!), and though I thought I’d pass out when I saw that they had Beyonce performing the nominated song from “The Chorus”, a film about a boys school choir, Oscar Sunday is in our house what Superbowl Sunday is in many others. We get set up in front of the tv with food, drink, and ballots and do our very best to enjoy it. Though I disagree with some of the Academy’s choices, I also strongly agree with others, and enjoy watching the show each year… even if I do come out disappointed in the end. I didn’t think this years' show was so awful, in fact it was probably my favorite of the last 4 or so years.
Ceasar,
I just googled “metromarket” but it is not a word.
What do you mean “some cinemas often schedule like one showtime” Please link to a website of a cinema doing such with a film in its 1st week of issue.
Now the criticism against the Motion Picture Academy is the fact that most of the Oscar nominated films aren’t seen by most of the movie going public. Becouse of limited releases in metromarkets and distrubtion issues, PR issues most of the films that were nominated like Antonement aren’t seen. And another fact I learned that some cinemas often scheldule like one showtime. Which hurts the film at box office.
I like the fact it’s called a fake popularity contest. But the criticism on the films not being seen is growing.
It was exposed to me what a fake phony award show it is in 2006 when best picture was given to Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain. The award is not based on merit. It’s a phony popularity contest. I will never watch it again and could care less about it going forward.