Directors Oscar tourney (1 Viewer)

[SteveGon]

Abstain - Haven't seen enough to make a decision.

 

[Adam_S]

Love Parade and Big House aren't anything to really seek out Steve, both have moments, neither as great as the 1930 winner.

1960, easy.

 

[Brook K]

Thanks for making me feel ancient, Adam. I was a senior in high school when Dances came out.


1930:
All Quiet on the Western Front - Great
The Big House - haven't seen
Disraeli - hs
The Divorcee - hs
The Love Parade - hs

1960:
The Apartment - Great
The Alamo - good
Elmer Gantry - good
Sons and Lovers - haven't seen
The Sundowners - haven't seen


I'm going to abstain as well.

 

[Bill McA]

1930:
All Quiet on the Western Front - very good
The Big House - haven't seen it
Disraeli - ok
The Divorcee - haven't seen it
The Love Parade - haven't seen it

1960:
The Apartment - ok (that's right, George )
The Alamo - boring
Elmer Gantry - ok
Sons and Lovers - very good
The Sundowners - ok

1960

 

[george kaplan]

You learn something new everyday. Today I learned that "ok" is Canadian slang for Masterpiece.

1960 wins.

Next,

1940 vs. 1985

1940:
Rebecca
All This, and Heaven Too
Foreign Correspondent
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Dictator
Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman
The Letter
The Long Voyage Home
Our Town
The Philadelphia Story

1985:
Out of Africa
The Color Purple
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Prizzi's Honor
Witness

 

[Bill McA]

George is just so darn witty....

1940:
Rebecca - very good
All This, and Heaven Too - very good
Foreign Correspondent - excellent
The Grapes of Wrath - magnifique!
The Great Dictator - excellent
Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman - never seen it
The Letter - good
The Long Voyage Home - good
Our Town - good
The Philadelphia Story - good

1985:
Out of Africa - another sterile acting excercise
The Color Purple - manufactured exclusively for the Academy...and was shut out, one of the greatest Oscar moments ever!!!
Kiss of the Spider Woman - excellent
Prizzi's Honor - magnifique!
Witness - excellent

Mmmm...a hard one.

1985 has 3 gems and 2 Oscar-Brand exclusives, while 1940 also has 3 gems and 6 other good worthwhile films...but I happen to like the 1985 gems better.

I'll go for quantity

1940

 

[george kaplan]

I'm afraid to find out what "witty" means in Canada.

 

[Brook K]

1940:
Rebecca - Great
All This, and Heaven Too - haven't seen
Foreign Correspondent - hs
The Grapes of Wrath - very good
The Great Dictator - good
Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman - hs
The Letter - hs
The Long Voyage Home - hs
Our Town - good
The Philadelphia Story - excellent

1985:
Out of Africa - hs
The Color Purple - good
Kiss of the Spider Woman - hs
Prizzi's Honor - ok, never understood why this movie is highly thought of
Witness - very good

1940 easy choice

 

[Lew Crippen]

1940

 

[SteveGon]

1940 - pretty easy despite some good films in '85.

 

[Adam_S]

1940

 

[george kaplan]

1940 wins (and that would have most certainly been my vote too - Witness is great, but it lost to a horrible film, whereas 1940 nominated at least 4 truly great films, and gave the Oscar to one of them. Very impressive).

Next,

1951 vs. 1987

1951:
An American in Paris
Decision Before Dawn
A Place in the Sun
Quo Vadis
A Streetcar Named Desire

1987:
The Last Emperor
Broadcast News
Fatal Attraction
Hope and Glory
Moonstruck

 

[Lew Crippen]

Broadcast News and The Last Emperor are both quite good, plus I have a fond spot for Moonstruck/ Quo Vadis is a typically long and boring over-produced Hollywood film mixing Romans, Christians, flames and lions of the era. A Streetcar Named Desire is the best (for me) film of the lot, but it is not enough to save ’51.

1987

 

[Bill McA]

1951:
An American in Paris - never seen it
Decision Before Dawn - never seen it
A Place in the Sun - very good
Quo Vadis - ok, a bit boring
A Streetcar Named Desire - excellent

1987:
The Last Emperor - very good
Broadcast News - good, smart comedy
Fatal Attraction - horribly dated and superficial
Hope and Glory - excellent
Moonstruck - good, liked it better on repeat viewings

Another see-saw decision....

1987

So George, how come no witty asides when we are in essential agreement (1940)...man, you just have so much negative energy!

 

[george kaplan]

That's just the nature of humor Bill. It's a lot easier to think of something funny to say to you when you are mostly wrong, than when you're mostly right. Of course, that means that most of the time, the humor flies.

 

[Brook K]

1951:
An American in Paris - Very good
Decision Before Dawn - haven't seen
A Place in the Sun - Very good
Quo Vadis - hs
A Streetcar Named Desire - excellent

1987:
The Last Emperor - good
Broadcast News - hs
Fatal Attraction - good (haven't seen either of these in at least 15 years)
Hope and Glory - hs
Moonstruck - very good

1951

 

[SteveGon]

Only seen two from '51 and it's been too long so...abstain.

 

[Adam_S]

1987

American in Paris is great for the "I Got Rhythm" number but I'm meh to a lot of the other scenes, though "it's very clear..." bit by the river is also memorable. Didn't like place in the Sun though it's really well made. Streetcar named Desire is awesome because of Brando and Kim Hunter and Karl Malden but it also has Vivien Leigh who I just want to scratch the eyes out of. But it's the best movie of these three and is amazing on film.

On the otherhand, rarely have I seen a modern comedy as perfect as Broadcast News. I think Bill described Fatal Attraction perfectly and Moonstruck is just brilliant, two incredibl comedies nominated in one year, wtf.

It's a good thing this isn't a tourney about which year did the oscar snub the worst, because they left off Empire of the Sun from 1987, idiots.

Adam

 

[george kaplan]

1987 wins (would have been my vote - I'm impressed with neither slate, but 87 only really missed on Princess Bride, whereas 51 missed both African Queen and Strangers on a Train).

Next,

1948 vs. 1967

1948:
Hamlet
Johnny Belinda
The Red Shoes
The Snake Pit
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1967:
In the Heat of the Night
Bonnie and Clyde
Doctor Dolittle
The Graduate
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

 

[SteveGon]

Abstain - haven't seen or don't remember enough of these to make a decision. Of the ones I have seen, only TTOTSM is a fav.