When you most expect it - you'll be let down: Disappointing Oscar Hopefuls (1 Viewer)

[Mike St.Louis]

Oscar to me is nothing more than a grouch. 'Memento' is movie of the year.

Well said! Memento is one of the very best films I have seen this year. A brilliant premise and not a single special effect. Movies like this need to be rewarded for telling a story in a unique way without relying on the crutch of CGI or a huge marketing campaign.

And I don't know why people are saying that no one liked Vanilla Sky. I liked it very much and from scanning the VS discussion thread it seemed there are others that liked it as well.

 

[Anthony_H]

You know...for whatever reason.... I must have watched BLUES BROTHERS about 15 times and never realized that the employee at the COOK(E)? COUNTY TAX ACCESSOR's office is Spielberg. It must have been his non-descript look... I guess it was a payback for 1941...

 

[Guy Martin]

Kevin-
Actually Brotherhood of the Wolf won't be released until January, not even in NY and LA, meaning it can't be considered for this years Oscars, although it gets a head start on next years
- Guy

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

The AFI awards will be handed out on January 5th. I see that one now setting the standard for most of these awards prior to the Oscars ceremonies.

~Edwin

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Movies like this need to be rewarded for telling a story in a unique way without relying on the crutch of CGI or a huge marketing campaign.

Basically I came away from it with the feeling that the creators had a problem with the world, making noone honest or good. Also, I didn't think the payoff held up to the buildup. I carefully followed all the little details hoping they'd pay off in the end. Some did as the movie went on, but in the end all you needed to know was the black and white stuff to "get" it. While it was certainly clever, the movie IS the gimmick. The main character is as he is specifically to lend credience to the pay off and the gimmick. I definately think a film with a bit more substance should win the Oscar. It's true that the film didn't feature CGI, but like the latest CGI effect, it's just another gimmick. Backwards storytelling, refined and stylized.
EDIT: That isn't to say that I don't think movies like this should be made... It's always good to explore different possibilities of a medium. I just don't think it should be awarded simply because it explores different possibilities.

 

[Justin1]

Well, the first major reviews of Black Hawk Down are rolling in and they are BAD!!
CNN has a well-written review:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movi...own/index.html
There goes another Oscar hopeful.

 

[Justin_S]

VANILLA SKY is excellent to say the very least in my opinion! It is one of the best films of 2001, and is a great companion to the original.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

There goes another Oscar hopeful.

I'm sure you can dig up any number of bad reviews of Gladiator, American Beauty, The English Patient, Driving Miss Daisy, Titanic and a host of others. While great reviews may enhance the perception of a film, it doesn't guarentee nor dismiss a films chance at an Oscar. While I can't speak for Black Hawk Down, as I haven't seen it yet, I don't pay bad reviews much mind as far as being an Oscar worthy film.
Bruce

 

[Justin1]

Few films, if any, have gone through severe punishment from critics and still found Oscar success. Titanic took a few complaints about the dull and unrealistic love story, but few complained about its amazing depiction of the sinking. Audiences disagreed slightly with the love story bit and the rest is history.

I don't believe critics. But, they are a good indicator of where a film stands in the public eye. If all critics rave about a film, then it arouses my interest. If the reaction is mixed, no big deal. But, if every single review I read is pure crap, well then, it does tend to lower my expectations. I have not read one glowing review of Black Hawk Down and that is not a good indicator of Oscar buzz. I certainly can't wait to see it for myself, but it already has an uphill battle for nominations. No matter what they say, the academy does pay attention to public opinion.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

Justin, you might want to check out the thread with the list of critics' and critics' groups best of lists. Black Hawk Down has appeared a fair number of times and is fairly high on Roger Ebert's list. To paint this film as getting largely negative reviews would appear to be incorrect. Rotten Tomatoes has it with 13 fresh and 7 rotten reviews. It may be a polarizing film, but those who like it seem to like it a lot.