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Your personal biggest Oscar upset? (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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This will forever stay in my mind....


The 1979 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture:


Kramer vs. Kramer

Apocalypse Now

All That Jazz

Norma Rae

Breaking Away


The winner that year was Kramer vs. Kramer


Now, at least in my opinion, you look at the caliber of

those nominated films, particularly Apocalypse Now and

All That Jazz and you wonder what went wrong.


I have always felt Kramer vs. Kramer walked away

with the Oscar because of its popularity. It was a safe

film. However, Best Picture? Hardly.


Another upset that had people griping at the time was

in 2005 when CRASH won Best Picture over what was

perceived as much better films like Capote, Munich and

Brokeback Mountain.



So, I ask this question. What did you personally find

to be the biggest Oscar upset for Best Picture in any

given year?


I am certain most of us will relate to awards we personally

watched in our lifetime, however feel free to reach back

into Oscar history to relay your own personal upsets.
 

Patrick Sun

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Some people had a lot of problems with Shakespeare in Love winning BP over Saving Private Ryan in 199's Oscars.
 

Robert Crawford

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I have a couple.


Ordinary People over Raging Bull


Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan
 

Dave B Ferris

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I'm frequently influenced by the critics (who are, of course, a different voting bloc than the actual academy).

In my lifetime, according to many critics, Goodfellas should have beaten Dances With Wolves.


Before my lifetime, Citizen Kane should have beaten How Green Was My Valley.
 

Robert Crawford

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How did The Greatest Show on Earth win BP over High Noon, The Quiet Man, Singin in the Rain and the Bad and the Beautiful. The latter two weren't even nominated for BP, go figure. Another year is 1956 with some great films not even nominated like The Searchers and The Seven Samurai.
 

Steve Christou

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I remember as a teen Annie friggin' Hall winning over Star Wars hitting me hard. But than what chance did George Lucas' space opera have when Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey didn't even get a nomination for Best Picture in the year Oliver! won?


Oh and Terms of Endearment over The Right Stuff, WTF?
 

Ruz-El

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The over sentimental cliche fest, celebrate stupidity of "Forrest Gump" over "Pulp Fiction", "Quiz Show" and "Shawshank Redemption" (in that order of preference :P)

I really didn't like Forrest Gump.
 

Robert Crawford

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Originally Posted by Steve Christou


Oh and Terms of Endearment over The Right Stuff, WTF?



To be honest, I thought Close Encounters of the Third Kind should have won BP over both, Annie Hall and Star Wars and it wasn't even nominated.
 

Steve Christou

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Originally Posted by Robert Crawford


Oh and Terms of Endearment over The Right Stuff, WTF?



To be honest, I thought Close Encounters of the Third Kind should have won BP over both, Annie Hall and Star Wars and it wasn't even nominated.



Close Encounters along with Star Wars (1977) is in my top 10 favourite movies so I wouldn't have minded that winning if it was nominated. Close Encounters lost to Star Wars in visual effects, I wish both films had won. It's not impossible, for two films won the visual effects Oscar a year before, Logan's Run and King Kong, whoa and what a difference in quality in just one year! ;)
 

Chris_T

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As previously mentioned, the 2 that stick out for me are Annie Hall over Star Wars and Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, I think some BP choices were more a result of their "Oscar Campaigns" than people deciding without any external influences.
 

mattCR

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The greatest upset in my lifetime is something that didn't even get nominated. For anything. But when "Hoop Dreams" was shutout of the awards, it was the time when I said: this whole thing is a fraud.


That year had several great movies for Best Picture, and while I don't think Forest Gump was the best, I can't say it was terrible either.


For nominated films, it'd probably be Kramer Vs. Kramer.
 

Michael Reuben

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I can't say I've ever been troubled by a film winning, because voting often produces quirky results. But the following must be said:


Saving Private Ryan, while technically impressive, may be the most overrated film in Spielberg's canon. Shakespeare in Love deserved to win Best Picture. I thought so then, and that view is reaffirmed every time I rewatch it.
 

Robert Crawford

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Originally Posted by Michael Reuben


Saving Private Ryan, while technically impressive, may be the most overrated film in Spielberg's canon. Shakespeare in Love deserved to win Best Picture. I thought so then, and that view is reaffirmed every time I rewatch it.


That's the problem I have with Shakespeare in Love, it has little rewatch value for me.
 

PODER

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Well, there are the handful of WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? titles that always turn up:

1952: The Greatest Bore on Earth over High Noon

1956: Around the World in 80 Cameos over Giant, Friendly Persuasion or The King and I

2005: The aptly titled Crash over Brokeback Mountain.

But I think I'd have to go with the hateful Braveheart over Babe.
 

Charles Smith

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The Sting over The Exorcist. I eventually learned to not give a damn about Best Picture or any other Oscar, though I will always enjoy watching the awards show for its own entertainment value.
 

Robert Crawford

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Originally Posted by Chas in CT

The Sting over The Exorcist. I eventually learned to not give a damn about Best Picture or any other Oscar, though I will always enjoy watching the awards show for its own entertainment value.


It took me a while, but after the 1997 awards I was done with it.
 

Michael Reuben

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Originally Posted by Robert Crawford


That's the problem I have with Shakespeare in Love, it has little rewatch value for me.

I feel that way about Ryan, although I did buy the Blu-ray last week with the intent to try again. (I already have SiL on Canadian Blu.)
 

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