Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Film Finally—McG's Day in the Sun
Posted by Lindy West on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 11:53 AM
The Academy doubles the number of best picture nominees, from five to ten:
Amid concerns over a Holocaust-movie shortage and the usual speculation that this year's overall field of awards contenders could be weak, the Academy has made the astonishing decision to increase this year's number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten, meaning pretty much anything half-acclaimed and released by a studio with the money for a campaign has a pretty decent shot.
Via NY Magazine (via Variety).
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2
This could actually be interesting. Maybe more animated movies and foreign films in the Best Picture category? More comedies? I can think of a few that fall into those categories that should have been nominated in recent years, but weren't. With a larger field, maybe they'll be more comfortable including "non-traditional" Best Picture movies.
3
That's not the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life - but it's awfully close to it. They've had a hard enough time finding five decent flicks in recent years.
5
What does this mean for the Best Animated Picture category? With ten slots available, "Up" should definitely be a contender.
Maybe they're just doing it to mess the office Oscar pool.
Maybe they're just doing it to mess the office Oscar pool.
7
I'd be more impressed if each slot in the Best Picture category went to a different genre. That really would change things up. By doubling the nominees, you might see more diversity in selections, but the votes for really good movies will be split. Under this plan, the actual winner is guaranteed to be some focus-group-approved pap ala Crash.
8
oh I'm sure next years big winner will be more of the same tripe that wins every year.
What was the last honestly good movie to win best picture?
Lately the winners have ranged from ok (Slumdog), to wtf??? (Crash).
What was the last honestly good movie to win best picture?
Lately the winners have ranged from ok (Slumdog), to wtf??? (Crash).
9
The average person really only pays attention to the Best Picture category anyway, so by doubling the number of nominees, you double the number of movies on video store shelves with the words "BEST PICTURE" emblazoned on the cover. Smart business move from an advertising standpoint, but they should really get back into the business of making movies deserving of the title "Best Picture."
@8 "What was the last honestly good movie to win best picture? " No Country for Old Men, hands down. I liked Slumdog, but I thought Milk was better, and The Departed was a solid movie. But for about 10 years prior to that, they gave the Best Picture award to the most insipid, forgettable piles of shit imaginable. Chicago, Gladiator, Crash, American Beauty...it's a pretty bleak list, so it's not really a recent development that they've been giving bad movies the Best Picture award. I'll give credit to Return of the King being the best out of the garbage it was up against, but no way was it the best picture of 2003.
@8 "What was the last honestly good movie to win best picture? " No Country for Old Men, hands down. I liked Slumdog, but I thought Milk was better, and The Departed was a solid movie. But for about 10 years prior to that, they gave the Best Picture award to the most insipid, forgettable piles of shit imaginable. Chicago, Gladiator, Crash, American Beauty...it's a pretty bleak list, so it's not really a recent development that they've been giving bad movies the Best Picture award. I'll give credit to Return of the King being the best out of the garbage it was up against, but no way was it the best picture of 2003.
11
Up is going to win, but so will the upcoming Woody Allen movie I'm seeing tomorrow and the movie Cherie I'm seeing the next day.
Gonna be fun!
Transformers will get "Best Picture that sucked major and had no plot but blew it all on Special Effects" - hands down.
Gonna be fun!
Transformers will get "Best Picture that sucked major and had no plot but blew it all on Special Effects" - hands down.
12
I can only see this as a financial move. Now there will be 10 films that can hype themselves--during their cinematic runs and again on DVD--as "Best Picture Nominees."
14
9 - FYI American Beauty was great. Chicago, however, is one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
16
This is nothing new, y'know. During the early years, there were many nominations for Best Picture. That benchmark year in Hollywood, 1939, produced 10 nominees: "Gone with the Wind" (winner), "Dark Victory", "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", "Love Affair", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Ninotchka", "Of Mice and Men", "Stagecoach", "The Wizard of Oz", "Wuthering Heights."
There used to be many more nominees for Best Song, too. Sadly, these days they have to scrape the barrel sometimes to find three.
There used to be many more nominees for Best Song, too. Sadly, these days they have to scrape the barrel sometimes to find three.
19
A desperate attempt to pander to the studios AND to ABC, the network that airs the Oscars. I'm guessing that the rationale is, more nominated movies mean a greater chance that popular films like Dark Knight or Wall-E could get nominated and thus draw larger audiences to a telecast that has been losing viewership by the year.
And, quit knocking Chicago...it isn't perfect but it IS entertaining and Renee Zellwegger did a great job.
Crash was, by far, the worst Best Picture pick EVUH!
And, quit knocking Chicago...it isn't perfect but it IS entertaining and Renee Zellwegger did a great job.
Crash was, by far, the worst Best Picture pick EVUH!
20
@19 Different strokes for different folks. I'd say Chicago was the worst Best Picture pick of all time, and that's a crown that's unlikely to be taken away anytime soon. Crash was a terrible movie, but Chicago was embarrassingly bad, and I say that as someone who generally likes musicals (though admittedly I hate Renee Zellweger, who always looks like she just ate a bag of lemons).
@14 You're right, American Beauty isn't a *bad* movie. I actually liked it at the time it came out, but what I hated was knowing as I walked out of the theater that it would undeservedly win Best Picture. It felt like the kind of movie that was made to pander to Academy voters. Add to that the fact that I had to listen to countless people pontificate about some bullshit deeper meaning that I didn't think the movie had, and I think I've just grown to resent it.
@14 You're right, American Beauty isn't a *bad* movie. I actually liked it at the time it came out, but what I hated was knowing as I walked out of the theater that it would undeservedly win Best Picture. It felt like the kind of movie that was made to pander to Academy voters. Add to that the fact that I had to listen to countless people pontificate about some bullshit deeper meaning that I didn't think the movie had, and I think I've just grown to resent it.
21
19 Strangeways - Nope, Chicago was terrible. Renee Zellweger hasn't done a good job on a movie since the mid-nineties. And Crash was OK.
Also, seeing as Heath Ledger won for best supporting actor for the Dark Knight last year, I'm pretty sure it's not eligible for best picture this year.
20 - I thought it was genuine. Not Academy-pandering, but a genuine (and successful) attempt at a good movie. That said, I was high as shit on vicodin the first time I saw it, and for that reason it holds a special place in my heart.
Also, seeing as Heath Ledger won for best supporting actor for the Dark Knight last year, I'm pretty sure it's not eligible for best picture this year.
20 - I thought it was genuine. Not Academy-pandering, but a genuine (and successful) attempt at a good movie. That said, I was high as shit on vicodin the first time I saw it, and for that reason it holds a special place in my heart.
22
Kind of wish they'd do what the Golden Globes do, at least for Best Picture - separate Best Picture-Drama and Best Picture-Musical, Comedy, or Animation into two separate categories. That way, they can just automatically give the Best Picture-Drama to whatever the Holocaust film of that year is, and save the other award for a different movie.
24
W7ingman is absolutely correct. Depressing does not equal "not good." What's depressing about NCFOM? That weakness abounds? That all ages and becomes irrelevant?
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