Why I now hate the Oscars

[Viazon]

Just recently, a friend of mine said to me that the Oscar winners are decided but a small group of people. Im not sure if this is true, then I have one thing to say.

FUCK THE OSCARS!!!

I have seen many many actors I feel earned the righ to win an Oscar but lose out to someone I feel didnt do a better job. How is it fair that the decision comes down to the opinion of only a few people? Its ridiculous. The Oscar winners should be decied in a better and more fair way.

[quoth_the_raven]

but surely everyone knows that the oscars are a pile of horsecrap?

hmm apparently not ;)

[Cronos]

ive always known the oscars were a load of shite, especially when Titanic won 11 of em

[someguy]

Um....the Academy awards are done by the members of the Academy, which is mainly (or all) people in the film business.

I always thought of it as that the Academy members would pick their favourites from each category to be their picks for nominees, then the top 5 would be in the category. After that all the Academy members have to vote on who they want to win.

This is how I always thought it went, I can be wrong here.

On the other hand, would you want the Oscars be like The People's Choice Awards? They gave Mel Gibson an award for one year and he just starred in The Singing Detective (a film which nobody really watched). I'll take Titanic getting 11 Oscars over that personally.

I still don't like the Oscars, Ellen Burstyn losing to Julia Roberts pretty much confirmed that.

[Grim H.]

The Academy Awards is all about opinion anyway. The members who vote are made up of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and they can nominate whomever they deem worthy. Nobody ever said that the Academy had to be the definitive answer on film, that just sort of happened accidentally. Pretty much any movie awards ceremony, (as someguy said, People's choice awards excluded) operate in exactly the same way. The Oscars just get the most publicity.

[Beeblebrox]

Originally posted by Viazon
[B]Just recently, a friend of mine said to me that the Oscar winners are decided but a small group of people. Im not sure if this is true, then I have one thing to say.

FUCK THE OSCARS!!!

There are over 5000 voting members of the Academy. Would that be considered a "few"?

Contrarily, there are only 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press who decide the Golden Globes.

[TheDeadWalk]

Originally posted by Viazon
Just recently, a friend of mine said to me that the Oscar winners are decided but a small group of people. Im not sure if this is true, then I have one thing to say.

FUCK THE OSCARS!!!

I have seen many many actors I feel earned the righ to win an Oscar but lose out to someone I feel didnt do a better job. How is it fair

The Oscar winners should be decied in a better and more fair way.

There's only one solution. The 1st annual Viazon awards.

(coming soon to a public access channel near you)

[RustyRazor]

Quick little story:

My brother used to work for a restaurant in NJ called Bennigans. He was a waiter, busted his balls to do his job, helped all of the other staff to run the best Bennigans there is. Their manager promised for all of that hard work, they'd receive something special.

At the end of the year, after doing their darndest, my brother and the other staff members got that something special.


A button that says "I CARE"


The Oscars are simply those little Bennigans buttons that say:

"WE CARE...about future sequels to the winning movie, DVD tie ins, points on the back end, three or four picture deals, and the soundtrack featuring Good Charlotte, Akon featuring Baby Bash, Ciara, Little Jon, Usher, and Hillary Duff"

It's definitely a bigger button than my brother got, but when I mention the button to him, it's always a sore subject.:cool:

[Mr-Blonde]

The Oscars and indeed ALL AWARDS SHOWS are fucking lame and ridiculous. A masturabotory, self congratulatory excercise in which the industry stands around patting themselves on the back. I can understand when a great film gets critical acclaim but to make a big hyped up extravaganza awards show out of it is infuriating to me. These people are doing a fucking job-- they already make huge sums of money, they shouldn't be entitled to endless praise for doing their job.

[bourahioro]

The two awards shows I make sure to see every year are the OSCARS, and the Mtv Movie awards, and for I don't know how long, I have enjoyed the Mtv Movie awards far more, and think that if Mtv and the OSCARS melded their awards categories, and perhaps made the ceremonies more like Mtvs and not those stuffy seeming awards, it would be fucking phenomenal.

[BorderEevilIII]

I often question each year the members gives the nod to WHOM gets the gold statue....

- It's basically who we owe one too...
- I have heard that actors who do Sc-Fi gets ignored
- And don't be sucking up to the members cuz they will blackball your ass case in point "Moulin Rouge" got zip that year...

[TheDeadWalk]

If Moulin Rouge got zip that year, then I am happy.

[The Postmaster General]

A big chunk of the Academy is made up of past award winners. Whenever you win an Oscar, you are placed on the Academy and get a vote. Think about this - That means Anna Paquin voted for the Oscars when she was like 10 years old.

That's probably why it's all so cyclic and you'll see trends happening. It's like the old trick of getting one guy into the theater, then he opens the back door and gets all his friends in.

I have no problem with how the Academy is run. The way the show is produced, at times - that's a good rant topic. Overall though, like someone said - It's just opinions. If Martin Scorcese stopped making movies because he didn't win an Oscar - that'd be something that sucks. Or if he started trying to make movies to win Oscars - that'd suck too... ... ... ;)

[Asokan]

Well, GANGS OF NEW YORK and THE AVIATOR, to me at least, kinda felt like Scorsese was making 'em for the Academy, but that's probably no less due to the involvement of Miramax and other Oscar-hungry folks in these prestige projects, which clearly lack the dazzling cinematic excitement the director usually brings to his work. But that's another topic...

Yeah, well, the Academy Awards suck! That's a given from the very first ceremony that was held. Everyone loves to celebrate it and then trash it afterwards. But lately, with increasing age, I get a sour taste in my mouth watching the Awards, which I've been watching since 1993, when Clint Eastwood scooped the major awards for UNFORGIVEN. Incidentally, at this year's awards he did it again. But that's not what annoyed me: it was rather down to the fact that the Awards have become SO predictable with next to zero genuine surprises - y'know, like Eminem ACTUALLY winning an Oscar, or Jim Broadbent for IRIS, or Marcia Gay Harden for POLLOCK, or Juliette Binoche for THE ENGLISH PATIENT, or Roberto Benigni for LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL et al.

Also, the acceptance speeches are getting unbearable, the worst this year coming from Hillary Swank who did her old "I-was-brought-up-as-trailer-trash-whore-and-earned-two-Oscars-so-far-for-playing-boys"-speech, while many, much more talented people like, say, Phillip Seymour Hoffman hasn't even been nominated yet.

I wonder though how it has become SO easy to guess how the Academy will vote. These are about 5000 different people, but their choices still seem so predictable and conventional, that one can always be sure, that amazing, but difficult stuff like DOGVILLE will never get a nod, while your above-average tearjerker like MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a shoe-in. Well, I guess, that's Hollywood, eh?

[The Postmaster General]

Originally posted by Asokan
...while many, much more talented people like, say, Phillip Seymour Hoffman hasn't even been nominated yet.



This is another prediction type thing -- I bet Hoffman, who has deserved many nominations before, will be nominated this year, but lose to someone like Johnny Depp. Then everyone will say how Depp didn't deserve it for that role, and was only given the award to make up for past losses. Then in a few years, Hoffman will play another character and then win, but it won't be his strongest performance. That will belong to someone who got their first nom.

Not necessarily will happen, but you all know what I'm talking about.

But really - I love the Oscars, not because they give the best awards to the best films, but because it's one of those times were people all get together for a common love. I like spreading my love around. Though, there are two seperate court orders saying I can no longer spread my love in West Palm Beach, or Fort Lauderdale, and Todd Theater in Tampa has my picture on the wall saying I can't spread my love there either. :(

[Lazy Boy]

Well, since Grizzly Man is not eligible for the Best Documentary category, and we all surely know the freakin' penguins will win this year, I now say I hate the Academy. ;)

Was there a reason why GM wasn't able to qualify? Did it show on television somewhere?

[Asokan]

Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove
I like spreading my love around. Though, there are two seperate court orders saying I can no longer spread my love in West Palm Beach, or Fort Lauderdale, and Todd Theater in Tampa has my picture on the wall saying I can't spread my love there either. :(

:D . Sometimes the Awards ARE about spreading love. Y'know, like every time someone you've loved and enjoyed for a very long time finally gets his due: Morgan Freeman this year or James Coburn in 1997 etc. But someone like Hillary Swank who has YET to play a convincing woman, as opposed to a tomboy or a girl-that-wants-to-be-a-boy, winning two statues before she even hit 30 (didn't check that, but I guess she isn't 30 yet, right?) just doesn't make any sense.

And for the last couple of years the Best Actress Oscar selection went something like this: 2000: Julia Roberts vs. Ellen Burstyn. Who is hotter? Roberts with THAT cleavage. Let's give her the Oscar. 2001: Halle Berry IS hot. And black to boot. 2002: Nicole Kidman is tha bomb. Even with THAT nose. 2003: Charlize Theron is oh so hot, but plays ugly. That deserves recognition. 2004: Hilary Swank does insanely hot photoshoots. She ain't that sexy on the screen, but those shoots do deserve a prize. Someone like Imelda Staunton doesn't stand a chance.

[bigred760]

I love the Oscars as well; it is all a matter of opinion and with over 9,000 members of the film community voting, then I can respect their opinion. I didn't like it when Memento went 0 for 2 at the Oscars, but I got over it. It's still a good time watching what these movie people think are the best of the year.

You don't agree with the Oscars, vote for yourself. Hell, this site has its own awards shows that lets the Schmoes vote on their favorite. (Just don't get all mad again when your favorite pick doesn't win.)

[Lemmywinks]

After Million Dollar Baby won last year, I was done with the oscars. What a load of crap. Aviator should have won everything.

[jason statham]

The Oscars consists of a bunch of assholes who dont have the balls to grant awards to movies simply because they`re too dark and causes a little bit of depression, thats why Scorsese neither his movies won the big awards. And for the same reason the Speilberg fuck is getting load of `em because all he can do is film a kids movie ( except SL and SPR ) with an alien or some dinosaur shit. This year, he knows how America is on Israels side, so he made munich because he knows that the oscar people are dumb enough to give him the fuckin` awards.

As for LOTR and titanic, i feel sick just thinking of it.

[The Postmaster General]

Lemmywinks:
After Million Dollar Baby won last year, I was done with the oscars. What a load of crap. Aviator should have won everything.


Well, this is where opinions come into play, because for me with THE AVIATOR besides having amazing cinematography and a great lead, I found the direction and overall picture to be barely hitting par. I love Scorcese as much as the next guy, but with this picture I felt he lost all meaning of the word 'cut'.

But just an opinion. I haven't seen 1,000,000 Baby. Hey - that's a pretty stupid way to write the title.


Asokan:
And for the last couple of years the Best Actress Oscar selection went something like this: 2000: Julia Roberts vs. Ellen Burstyn. Who is hotter? Roberts with THAT cleavage. Let's give her the Oscar. 2001: Halle Berry IS hot. And black to boot. 2002: Nicole Kidman is tha bomb. Even with THAT nose. 2003: Charlize Theron is oh so hot, but plays ugly. That deserves recognition. 2004: Hilary Swank does insanely hot photoshoots. She ain't that sexy on the screen, but those shoots do deserve a prize. Someone like Imelda Staunton doesn't stand a chance.


You know, I actually feel kind of silly for never thinking about that. I think that's a pretty right on observation, and somewhat comical.

I'm pretty sure Swank is over 30. She played on 90210 in the late-late-90s, and was playing someone out-of-college age, and I'm pretty sure the rule for being on 90210 is you have to be at least 5 years older than the role you are playing.



bigred760:

I love the Oscars as well; it is all a matter of opinion and with over 9,000 members of the film community voting, then I can respect their opinion. I didn't like it when Memento went 0 for 2 at the Oscars, but I got over it. It's still a good time watching what these movie people think are the best of the year.

You don't agree with the Oscars, vote for yourself. Hell, this site has its own awards shows that lets the Schmoes vote on their favorite. (Just don't get all mad again when your favorite pick doesn't win.)


Well, it sounds like the Oscar celebration will be at your place this year. :D

And hell yeah - The Golden Schmoes are great. Joblo really times them well to coincide with Oscars. It's always a hoot comparing the winners between Oscar and the Schmoeys.

[Asokan]

I didn't like THE AVIATOR either [it was just like CITIZEN KANE minus everything that made it so great and plus a weirdo you didn't really care about], but MILLION DOLLAR BABY was just watchable, nothing special or particularly profound. Now, if Hillary would have had a nude scene in it or at least one in which she wears a hot dress like the one she wore at the awards this year, it would've been a classic. :D

[The Postmaster General]

Originally posted by jason statham
The Oscars consists of a bunch of assholes who dont have the balls to grant awards to movies simply because they`re too dark and causes a little bit of depression


Yes, we all remember how AMERICAN BEAUTY was the feel-good hit of 1999.




And for the same reason the Speilberg fuck is getting load of `em because all he can do is film a kids movie ( except SL and SPR ) with an alien or some dinosaur shit. This year, he knows how America is on Israels side, so he made munich because he knows that the oscar people are dumb enough to give him the fuckin` awards.

What are you talking about? First you say that they don't give Oscars to movies that are dark or depressing, then you bring up Steven Speilberg saying he gets a shit load of movies because all he makes are kids movies, but his ONLY Oscars have been for SCHINDLER'S LIST, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - both of which were pretty depressing.

I'm not sure I'm understanding what you are getting at. It seems like you are making a few different points that don't seem to flow.

Scorcese, IMO, should have won for Goodfellas, and Raging Bull, not Gangs of New York and The Aviator.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

I think it's the smaller things. I think it's a disgrace that they can give a "Best Director" Oscar to Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson, but none of the following....

Ingmar Bergman
Stanley Kubrick
Martin Scorsese
Robert Altman
David Lynch
Sidney Lumet

Uggh, I should stop, I'm being overwhelmed with sickness. What's worse is the fact that the DIRECTORS GUILD OF FUCKING AMERICA practically votes the exact same why the Academy does. Makes me sick....

[jason statham]

Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove
What are you talking about? First you say that they don't give Oscars to movies that are dark or depressing, then you bring up Steven Speilberg saying he gets a shit load of movies because all he makes are kids movies, but his ONLY Oscars have been for SCHINDLER'S LIST, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - both of which were pretty depressing.



Speilberg made these two movies knowing how everybody feels about the war and the holocaust, and since both movies are anti-holocaust and anti-war, he got the oscar.

I dont think there`s a chance that the academy could grant Taxi Driver a best picture award since it too dark and its main theme is how low NYC is, not the fucking war or the holocaust.

[bigred760]

Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove

Well, it sounds like the Oscar celebration will be at your place this year. :D



BYOB


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Come on guys. It's just one awards ceremony. Sure it's the biggest in entertainment, but give 'em a break. I myself liked The Aviator more than Million Dollar Baby, but I like Clint Eastwood, I like Morgan Freeman, and I gotta admit, Hillary Swank kicked ass in that role. I can understand why the Oscars went that way. The people that vote for these things have different opinion - get over it. Not everybody sees things the way you do. The Aviator should've swept? I could've told you that it wasn't going to happen just because Return of the King did it just the previous year - among other reasons obviously. If you were going to leave the Oscars behind, it shoulda been when Scorcese lost for Goodfellas.

Oh, and there's no such thing as a "Spielberg fuck." Just doesn't exist. The guy can make any movie he wants, he has that power, and for the most part is successful . . . no, very, very successful at what he does. Spielberg made Schindler's List for his mother (who survived the holocaust), and Saving Private Ryan for his father - a veteran. He showed the horrors of these two events - how everybody felt about it? 99% of the people who watched it felt the same way. It wasn't a feel good movie that wanted to attract viewers for its history; people walked out of both movies shocked. I don't understand your argument Jason Statham - not at all.

And I have to agree with BubbaStrangelove. Have we forgotten about Platoon, Silence of the Lambs, Schindler's List - not exactly date movies (Strangelove already mentioned American Beauty). Hell, I wouldn't even count Unforgiven as a go-happy movie. These movies were dark, borderline depressing, and oh so thought provoking.

[The Postmaster General]

First off, I'm reluctant to post because bigred760 said a lot of stuff pretty well, but I would like to an additional take on it -

Originally posted by jason statham
Speilberg made these two movies knowing how everybody feels about the war and the holocaust, and since both movies are anti-holocaust and anti-war, he got the oscar.

I dont think there`s a chance that the academy could grant Taxi Driver a best picture award since it too dark and its main theme is how low NYC is, not the fucking war or the holocaust.



I don't think it's because the movie is too dark, If you don't mind reading for a minute...

The Oscars is something that is voted on by people. I don't think it's really "best" picture, meaning the one that is made the best, but I think it means the picture that people like. Acadamy voters, despite what lots of people say, know movies -- they are mostly all involved in the film industry. That's why movies like Something About Mary don't win, because even though not too many people dislike the movie, the people who vote on it understand technical merits and other things that go along with it.

In addition to being able to see that side of it, remember, they are also voting on which movie they liked - right. What is a movie? A story, right. Now, why do most people like stories. It is a prevailing philosophy that people like stories, or at least favor the ones, that have characters they can connect with.

American Beauty - A pretty dark movie. Apocolypse Now - Another pretty dark movie. One won an Oscar, and one didn't What did American Beauty portray - a screwed up middle class American family. What did Apocolypse Now have - a screwed up bunch of people in Vietnam.

Go down the list of Oscar winners. With some 'epic' exceptions, they were all movies that had themes more people could relate to. Not as many people can relate to the stuff going on in Taxi Driver, therefore not as many people are voting that is it their favorite movie.

It's really not a big deal, just that they aren't representing your vote. Hey, you are apparently in the few that got Taxi Driver. No?

However, I would imagine that today, a movie like Taxi Driver could win. More people know about that sort of stuff, and more people might be able to relate. I was somewhat suprised when the Acadamy gave the best picture award to a movie where the main character is jerking off in the shower within the first 5 minutes.

The Oscars don't deny what break-through films are, they mearly aren't capable of always being able to recognize them. That's not by design either - it's just the way everything in culture works, like a backwards funnel.

Whatever reason you have for not watching them -- between 98 and 2001 I was almost turning it off because of the productions --- but you really shouldn't dislike them just because of who they give awards to. There's plenty of other reasons. None of my favorite movies from the years wins - with the exception of Rain Man, Cuckoos Nest, and Unforgiven. However, I don't think people watch it to see their favorite movies win little statue, I think it's just all about unity.

[someguy]

The problem with The Oscars is that people will look at it as fact, when it is not. Since they're the "big" award show, people think that it's all sophisticated when you really have people like denis leary voting.

It's just the same as all the other award shows like it, just more popular.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

There are probably times when I think there's a better film out there, but another should get the award. For example, I think Blue Velvet is a tad bit better than Platoon, but if there was a showdown between the two, I suppose I'd vote for Platoon.

[Ki'esha Foxx]

This reminds me of the fact that Ryan Seacrest got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before (the only person Ican think at this point) Charlize Theron got hers. I repeat: Ryan Seacrest has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! It all just goes to show that name recognition and supposed sexiness go further than actual talent these days.

[APzombie]

I love the oscars, I love reading bout em, I love watchin em, I love cheering for em.

I get pissed sometimes, like Saving Private Ryan not winning Best Picture and Liam Neeson not winning Best Actor for Schindler's List...

but it would be pretty boring for me at least to watch if each of my favorites won, so it feels that much better when they do.

[robk]

The fact that the Academy didn't nominate Spielberg or Scorsese for their direction of Jaws and Taxi Driver was probably my first indication that the Oscars shouldn't exactly be considered the definitive barometer of greatness.

[Pigpen]

Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove
Yes, we all remember how AMERICAN BEAUTY was the feel-good hit of 1999.
Heh.

And let's not forget the hilarious romantic comedy SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. :D

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Originally posted by bigred760
And I have to agree with BubbaStrangelove. Have we forgotten about Platoon, Silence of the Lambs, Schindler's List - not exactly date movies (Strangelove already mentioned American Beauty).

Apparently, you didn't see the episode of Seinfeld when Jerry made out with his girlfriend during the entire screening of Schindler's List.