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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Best Picture Special Olympics

Posted by on Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 10:06 AM

Remember how this is the year the Academy ups the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten?

Boy does it look weird.

Picture_3.png

Find a full list of this year's Oscar nominees (Mo'Nique! Gabourey Sibide! Colin Firth! Up! Streep!) here.

 

Comments (30) RSS

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Julie in Eugene 1
Yeah, I was thinking they should have maybe gone with 7 or 8 instead of 10. They seemed like they were stretching a bit. At least 2-3 of the nominees don't belong, in my opinion (District 9 and Up were both relatively solid movies but nowhere near "best picture." I didn't see The Blind Side, so I can't really judge but if I had to guess, I'd say it's a stretch too...).

At this point, they should call this category "Movies that didn't Totally Suck This Year."
Posted by Julie in Eugene on February 2, 2010 at 10:13 AM
2
Avatar does not deserve to be on this list. Let it stay in the Best Special Effects category where it belongs.
Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on February 2, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 3
Ten is about five too many. But it's good for the industry, so who am I to bitch? There will still be only one winner.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on February 2, 2010 at 10:19 AM
eric (the other one) 4
Countdown to SLOG fury over Colin Firth not winning begins in 5, 4, 3, 2…
Posted by eric (the other one) on February 2, 2010 at 10:24 AM
David Schmader 5
4: It doesn't help that his loss will probably come at the grizzled hands of Jeff Bridges.
Posted by David Schmader on February 2, 2010 at 10:29 AM
6
If Sandra wins for My Pet Black Person I will hurl things at my television.
Posted by worst accent ever on February 2, 2010 at 10:30 AM
MacCrocodile 7
Avatar was crap, but it'll probably win. It deserves the technical awards, but not director or picture, and it's a very strong contender for both of those.
Posted by MacCrocodile on February 2, 2010 at 10:31 AM
gloomy gus 8
I'm sorry "A Single Man" wasn't nominated. Not that I liked the movie so much, but then there would be at least two instances of Best Picture Nominees whose titles can be combined to still aptly decribe one of them. Sadly, "Up a Single Man" is unavailable, leaving me only with "A Serious Man Up in the Air."

Another game is to think of earlier movie titles that would make clever substitutes for this year's crop. So far all I have is to change "A Single Man" to "Without You I'm Nothing."

I seem to have "A Single Man" on the brain this morning.
Posted by gloomy gus on February 2, 2010 at 10:33 AM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 9
Schmader, I said that about Mickey Rourke last year, so who knows?
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on February 2, 2010 at 10:34 AM
10
@6: "My Pet Black Person" is exactly how I've felt about that movie since seeing the trailer for it for the first time. I haven't found too many other people though who see it as being as racist as we do, though. I don't get it. Either I'm totally bonkers or everyone else is just as racist as the makers of that movie.

My sister argued with me that because it was based on a true story it can't be racist. Ugh. The poor, illiterate, sad black boy needs the wisdom and spirit of the rich white lady to become a real person. How can that ever be NOT racist?
Posted by Dave M on February 2, 2010 at 10:36 AM
Mahtli69 11
The big list is dumb.

There will be some serious vote canceling going on, and the Best Picture winner will probably be one that doesn't have a similar genre movie to siphon votes. This will be more an education in gerrymandering than an indication of the best movie.
Posted by Mahtli69 on February 2, 2010 at 10:48 AM
12
Animated Feature looks to be the strongest category this year:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up.

I haven't seen The Secret of Kells and can't comment on it, but the other contenders would be shoo-ins in any other year. My guess is the winner will be either Up or Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Posted by Smartypants on February 2, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Fnarf 13
@3, "good for the industry" is bad for humanity.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on February 2, 2010 at 10:58 AM
schmacky 14
@6 FTW
Posted by schmacky on February 2, 2010 at 11:08 AM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 15
Well, Fnarf, in order for that statement to have any validity, you'll first need to explain how anything about the industry is actually good for humanity. It's fluff, entertainment, movies. Maybe I'm the only one, but I don't expect them to change the world.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on February 2, 2010 at 11:09 AM
16
I am not sure I understand this bump up to 10. Maybe they think it will draw more viewers.
Posted by Senor Guy on February 2, 2010 at 11:09 AM
T 17
Avatar will soon be joining Chicago, Gladiator, and many others in the "wtf were they thinking" category of best picture winners. Personally, I'd like to see Inglourious Basterds win, though I also loved Up and District 9. And I can't believe The Blind Side got nominated for anything. Granted, I haven't actually seen it, but that movie looks like complete shit.
Posted by T on February 2, 2010 at 11:11 AM
duckgirlie 18
It's easy to spot which are the 'real' nominations by matching them against the five director nods.

I think Bullock will win actress with the Erin Brockovich effect, and Bridges will win with the 'don't you have one of these yet? damn...' effect.

And I hope Bigelow wins best director.
Posted by duckgirlie on February 2, 2010 at 11:23 AM
David Schmader 19
16: It's about doubling the number of films that can hype "Best Picture Nominee!" on posters and DVDs covers.
Posted by David Schmader on February 2, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 20
Bingo!
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on February 2, 2010 at 11:35 AM
21
Terrible as it is, Blind Side will win Best Picture
The only time the Oscars does not choose the corniest and most patronizing and all around dumb movie is when there isn't an obvious one to select. BS stands alone this time capturing its audience of voters. All of the rest of the nominated movies will divide their potential voters, are too depressing, and/or require too much thinking.
Posted by SoSea Resident on February 2, 2010 at 11:46 AM
TheMisanthrope 22
@21, so Avatar is going to win...gotcha. :-(

Actually, I'm currently praying for Sandy to win. And, I hope she wins a Razzie for All About Steve. Actually, that's not so much a hope as a shoe-in, really...
Posted by TheMisanthrope on February 2, 2010 at 11:59 AM
birdy num num 23
ten is indeed five too many. "the blind side"? really? ditto for the entertaining but not a best picture nom "bastards".

didn't we all learn after the grammy's this week that these award shows just blow. they mean sooooooo little to anybody who loves movies.

lastly, is it me or does jeff bridges now speak with some kind of southern drawl? lame.
Posted by birdy num num on February 2, 2010 at 12:06 PM
24
If they were going rto add 5 pictures, it's too bad they didn't do like the Globes and have a Drama and Comedy category. "The Hangover" was way better than "Avaturd" and comedies generally don't get the respect they deserve. Any actor can tell you good comedy is more difficult than good drama.
Posted by Tom_Chicago on February 2, 2010 at 12:22 PM
Reverse Polarity 25
My only question is: why isn't Avatar on the list for Best Animated film? Sure, there were a few live scenes, but 90% of the movie is computer animated.
Posted by Reverse Polarity on February 2, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Bauhaus I 26
Public relations ploy. Ratings for the Oscarcast have been scraping bottom. The Academy felt that by including some blockbusters (popular choices) in the best picture category, it would do more to attract the we win! we win! crowd.

Frankly, if I see five worthy nominees in a year, it's a great year for film. And it's a damn shame that Academy voters are so partial. They'll give it to somebody out of sentiment (I thought that was what the Thalberg award was for) or because someone didn't win in a previous year who should have won. Judy Dench was Queen Victoria, but the Academy gives her an award the following year for a 2-minute performance playing QE I. Heath Ledger was dynamite - sheer dynamite - in Brokeback Mountain, but the Academy gives him an Oscar for a Batman film a year later - not to say Heath wasn't great in the Batman film.

I've lost faith, really, in the whole process, and I understand a good chuck of the voters don't even see all of the films or give their ballot to their spouses to fill out.
Posted by Bauhaus I on February 2, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Bauhaus I 27
Also, in the past (and still) a film only needs to open in Los Angeles before December 31 to qualify for best picture. Sometimes a film will open in LA, but there isn't wide release until later. So, a lot of people in the middle of the country can't see the films nominated until after they are nominated or until after they win an Oscar. Some theater owners used to intentionally hold up leasing films until after a film had won because winning means more box office. People are a tad more sophisticated now, and a nomination usually is enough to draw people in.

A Clockwork Orange and Doctor Zhivago come to mind. Most of the people in the country hadn't even heard of these films until Oscar time. It's hard to root for a film one hasn't seen.
Posted by Bauhaus I on February 2, 2010 at 2:34 PM
Fnarf 28
@15, they don't entertain me. There hasn't been a movie in years that interested me in the slightest. If everyone associated with the movies in Hollywood died this afternoon, the average entertainment value of the product would go up. Unless they nailed some TV people by mistake; TV is where 100% of the moving-image value-added takes place today.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on February 2, 2010 at 3:34 PM
madamecrow 29
The Academy used to nominate 10 films for Best Picture back in the 30s--the last year to have that big a field was 1943 according to the Oscars website. I imagine that due to the sagging ratings they wanted to include some films that might have more widespread & marketable appeal. The Blind Side certainly fills that slot.
Posted by madamecrow on February 2, 2010 at 4:12 PM
30
god, i feel alone saying this but "up in the air" sucked. a lot.
i love clooney and that babe female lead but i hated that movie.
Posted by and i hated "juno" also on February 2, 2010 at 11:31 PM

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