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Your personal biggest Oscar upset? (1 Viewer)

Mikael Soderholm

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Although there are some fine examples above, which I, mostly, agree with, the first thing that came into my mind when I read the thread title was 1998, when Kim Basinger beat Julianne Moore (in Boogie Nights) and Gloria Stuart (in Titanic) for best supporting actress. I think that was when I lost interest in the Oscars...


Then I saw that the topic was best picture, but by them I was already worked up enough to post anyway ;)

It still is, after all, my biggest Oscar upset.
 

Mark-P

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This thread is entitled "personal" biggest Oscar upset, so I don't expect anyone to agree with my opinions, but for me:

1981: Chariots of Fire - it should have been REDS

1995: Braveheart - it should have been APOLLO 13
 

Walter Kittel

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In terms of omissions, I was extremely disappointed when Ian Holm did not receive an acting nomination for The Sweet Hereafter. The film did receive two Academy Award nominations for Direction and Writing (Atom Egoyan) but was really (IMHO) under-represented. The same year, the incredible Eve's Bayou got zip from the Academy. Not really surprised, but disappointed.


Edit: On the other hand two of my favorite Academy Award winning films have been mentioned in this thread in the pejorative sense - Chariots of Fire and The English Patient. Win some, lose some.


- Walter.
 

Mark-P

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Speaking of injustices in the visual effects department, for 1995, "Apollo 13" should have won over "Babe" I'm sorry, but making animals' mouths move is not nearly impressive as digitally recreating all the NASA stuff from scratch.

Originally Posted by Jonathan Peterson

E.T. winning for best visual effects instead of Blade Runner. Wrong, just plain wrong.
 

Steve Christou

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John Williams not winning for Superman the Movie.


Jerry Goldsmith not winning for Star Trek the Motion Picture.


Ennio Morricone not winning for The Mission.


Danny Elfman not even nominated for Edward Scissorhands.
 

mattCR

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Originally Posted by Walter Kittel


- Walter.


Eve's Bayou is one of those films that surprised me how good it was. Still think that's a phenomenal, under appreciated work. I love the Sweet Hereafter also, but too damn depressing for it to have repeat watch value.
 

WillG

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and frankly story wise it makes no sense. How does Matt Damon end up with Tom Hanks memories?
Can't tell if that is a serious question. But, I don't believe the audience is supposed to be thinking that Damon is channeling Hanks and literally recalling his story. It's just a transition from one person's POV to another's.
 

Michael Elliott

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I would defend many of the nominations being brought up in this thread. Certain films just need time to get their credit. RAGING BULL is a masterpiece but I'd say a lot of people throught OP was the better movie in 1980. Many critics voted RB as the greatest film of the decade yet when you look at their Top 10 from 1980, RB isn't #1 and on some lists it isn't in the top 10.

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH won Best Picture because it was a lifetime award to DeMille.


The same with Bogart beating Brando.

The same, probably, with John Wayne winning for TRUE GRIT.


The show has always had dark spots but for me personally it's gotten a lot worse in recent years. With Bullock winning last year I'm happy to turn my back on the show as being nothing more than trash. You can't even call her winning a "Lifetime" award because she hasn't done anything in her career to make her worth winning. The actresses from PRECIOUS and AN EDUCATION did more in these one performances than Bullock will do in her career.


As a film buff I'm always going to be interested in who wins but some of the winners over the past few years just go beyond any common sense. It's not like THE BLIND SIDE is going to get better ten years from now like something like RAGING BULL did.

The politics have also gotten to hot my my tastes here lately. I love Sean Penn and he's my favorite actor but him winning over Rourke wasn't right IMO. The same with CRASH winning Best Picture or Charlton Heston not getting any cheers when his picture was shown after his passing.
 

Jacinto

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What I find most interesting is the investment people have in certain films winning over others. I loved both Goodfellas and Dances With Wolves. I would have been fine with either winning. I loved both Saving Private Ryan and Shakespeare In Love, although I find Shakespeare In Love far more rewatchable. I would have been fine with either winning. I loved Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and Shawshank. I would have been fine with whichever won. I loved Crash and Brokeback. I would have been fine with either winning. I loved Braveheart and Apollo 13. I would have been fine with either winning. 1995 is probably my toughest year, and that's because what I have problems with is great films not even getting the recognition of a nomination. As much as I love Braveheart and Apollo 13, in my eyes the two best films of that year were Se7en and Heat, neither of which was even nominated. That to me is the graver injustice than which film actually won the award over another excellent film.
 

MatthewA

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Hindsight is 20/20. I usually dislike all these threads and articles because no one can predict what current films will stand the test of time when choosing the best film of the year, because time hasn't yet administered the test. But even I have my beef with the Oscars (which I've ignored lately for the same reasons I've ignored most current, mainstream American movies).


Best Picture:


1952: Singin' in the Rain was not nominated, likely because An American in Paris took home the prize last year. Of the nominated films, I would personally have given it to The Bad and the Beautiful (I shamefully admit to never having seen High Noon).


1968: I have no problem with Oliver!, one of the best musicals of the decade, taking home the prize, but I agree 2001: A Space Odyssey should have at least been nominated. Does anyone anywhere believe Rachel, Rachel deserved the nomination more?


1982: Gandhi over E.T. Even Richard Attenborough agrees.


1988: I was never impressed with Rain Man in and of itself or when compared to A Fish Called Wanda, Mississippi Burning, or Who Framed Roger Rabbit.


1997: Titanic: Don't love it, don't hate it, don't think it was the Best Picture of the year. I think people were relieved that it wasn't a total debacle; people seem to have forgotten the hype about the cost overruns, its falling way behind schedule, and the fact that James Cameron had to sell his interest in the film to finish it.


2002: I liked Chicago when I saw it, and it's the last winner I've actually seen, but I like it less and less as time goes on. I don't think it was Best Picture caliber, but Miramax is based on the French word for "shameless Oscar grab", and it had been 34 years since a musical won it.


2009: Ten nominees. Listen to Neal Gabler's NPR interview about "cultural inflation"; he expresses my feelings much better than I do.


If they screw over Toy Story 3 this year then it's over between Oscar and I. I know the Academy has a bias against anything perceived as a children's film, but I'll watch a good movie for kids over a bad movie for adults any day.


Best Actor:


1965: Christopher Plummer not nominated for The Sound of Music. The more I watch the film, the more I appreciate his contribution to it.


Best Actress:


1965: Julie Andrews, who won last year, loses the award for The Sound of Music.


Best Supporting Actor:


2005: George Clooney. Totally political award to honor this terrible actor for saying the right things, and his acceptance speech was the most hubristic in Oscar history. His career proves that connections mean everything in this business.


Best Adapted Screenplay:


1965: Ernest Lehman's epic task of adapting The Sound of Music for the screen went unnoticed by the Academy, but at least the award went to a worthy adversary (Robert Bolt for Doctor Zhivago).


Best Song:


1967: "Talk To The Animals", an above-average song from Doctor Doolittle, over the superior "Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book, or "The Look of Love," the best thing about Casino Royale.


1977: Debbie Boone's awful, overplayed "You Light Up My Life" over any of the other nominees, especially the moving "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon, and considering that "New York, New York" wasn't nominated, nor were any of the songs from Saturday Night Fever (if AM radio ballads were the in thing with Oscar voters, "How Deep is Your Love" should have been a shoo-in). I would have given the award to any other song from a movie that year. And I'm actually a fan of 1970s adult contemporary, for god's sake! You can tell I hate that song.


1979: The now-iconic "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie over the now-forgotten "It Goes Like it Goes" from Norma Rae.


1986: The bland "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun over the beautiful "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail or even "Glory of Love" from Karate Kid II.


1999: "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2 loses. I don't even care who it lost to, just the fact that this song lost bothers me.


2002: Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile over anything with a melody.
 

Colin Jacobson

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Originally Posted by Michael Reuben

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.

Disagree - I think "Schindler's List" takes that prize.


When the dull, long-winded "Gandhi" beat "ET", I threw my shoe at the TV...
 

Steve Christou

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Originally Posted by Colin Jacobson



When the dull, long-winded "Gandhi" beat "ET", I threw my shoe at the TV...


...and when A Beautiful Mind beat The Fellowship of the Ring I threw myself at the TV...



On the Gandhi DVD seems even Richard Attenborough was upset that his film beat E.T. :)
 

Ruz-El

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Lesson to be learned... sit in the back of the room when watching the Oscars with Colin or Steve.... :P






Originally Posted by Colin Jacobson



When the dull, long-winded "Gandhi" beat "ET", I threw my shoe at the TV...

Originally Posted by Steve Christou





...and when A Beautiful Mind beat The Fellowship of the Ring I threw myself at the TV...



On the Gandhi DVD seems even Richard Attenborough was upset that his film beat E.T. :)
 

mattCR

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Originally Posted by MatthewA

1977: Debbie Boone's awful, overplayed "You Light Up My Life" over any of the other nominees, especially the moving "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon, and considering that "New York, New York" wasn't nominated, nor were any of the songs from Saturday Night Fever (if AM radio ballads were the in thing with Oscar voters, "How Deep is Your Love" should have been a shoo-in). I would have given the award to any other song from a movie that year. And I'm actually a fan of 1970s adult contemporary, for god's sake! You can tell I hate that song.


1979: The now-iconic "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie over the now-forgotten "It Goes Like it Goes" from Norma Rae.


1986: The bland "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun over the beautiful "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail or even "Glory of Love" from Karate Kid II.


1999: "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2 loses. I don't even care who it lost to, just the fact that this song lost bothers me.


2002: Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile over anything with a melody.


These sometimes make me a bit sick, I can't even think about two of them.


Candle in the Water is one of the most underrated Disney belts.. ever. Helen Reddy just absolutely destroys the audience with that one






When She Loved me is a classic; Tarzan one that year for "You'll Be In My Heart" which wasn't bad.. but "When She Loved Me" is gutwrenching.


I've always felt the song category is too often bought by a combination of "buzz" and politic, with too little about real quality.
 

MatthewA

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Quote: Originally Posted by Larry Bender /forum/thread/306369/your-personal-biggest-oscar-upset/30#post_3757391

Candle in the Water is one of the most underrated Disney belts.. ever. Helen Reddy just absolutely destroys the audience with that one






I've always felt the song category is too often bought by a combination of "buzz" and politic, with too little about real quality.



"Lighted by a prayer" is probably the most difficult passage to sing in any Disney song I can think of, because it's 2 1/2 bars with no room to breathe. Ironically, the Oscars were sometimes slow little slow to pick up on new musical trends (the Beatles never got a nomination for any of their films' songs), but other times they did follow trends ("Last Dance", one of Donna Summer's biggest hits, from Thank God it's Friday, won in 1978).


The Best Song Oscar can be as bad as the Grammys sometimes.
 

Yee-Ming

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Originally Posted by Mark-P


Speaking of injustices in the visual effects department, for 1995, "Apollo 13" should have won over "Babe" I'm sorry, but making animals' mouths move is not nearly impressive as digitally recreating all the NASA stuff from scratch.


IIRC, NASA astronauts on being shown the work in progress apparently thought that the producers had managed to find additional archive footage that they hadn't previously seen. So if the men who were really there were fooled into thinking effects work was the real thing, who are we to question otherwise?
 

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