Quit Plastering Oscar Shit All Over DVDs!

[Brando @$$ Fat]

I'm sure everyone has a DVD like this. One where the words "Oscar" or "Academy Award-winner" are just completely plastered all over the fucking thing. A lot of modern releases are like this. Little Children, which didn't win any Academy Awards (it should have), has it boldly stated "NOMINATED FOR 3 ACADEMY AWARDS" in a gold banner on the DVD. Is that really necessary? I mean, I have no problem if they're subtle with it, but some of these people take it way too far. Like how The Last King of Scotland DVD is covered with images of Forest Whitaker because he took home the Oscar, even though McAvoy had more screentime and was the main character.

This rant was prompted by the summary on the back of my VHS copy of A Beautiful Mind. It goes as such (I'll put anything Oscar-related in bold):

"Winner of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by his long-time partner, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer. A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash, on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now, only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this powerful story of courage, passion, and triumph."


"Oh, yeah, did we mention it won a bunch of Academy Awards?"

[Monotreme]

Agreed. It's okay to mention that it won some Oscars on the back, or even in little text on the front. But when an average Joe walks into WalMart or Target looking for a random DVD to purchase, will he necessarily immediately leap on the Little Children DVD because it has the phrase "NOMINATED FOR 3 ACADEMY AWARDS" written across it in text so large you can see it from the entrance to the store? I'm sorry, but I really don't see the marketing strategy in the whole awards mentioning and stuff.

[Le_Big_Mac]

It doesn't bother me all that much. Some people will buy or rent a DVD because they realize it has such credibility. Most people don't read the back of a DVD if the cover doesn't immediately appeal to them.

[LordSimen]

Personally, if a film nominated or won an oscar, then it deserves the right to put that on the DVD. Just like a film that won at Sundance would put on the dvd "Winner of best (enter thing here) at Sundane Filmfestival" I think when you win an award for a movie, it's perfectly fine to put that award on the DVD. I know if I won an award for a movie I made I'd be very happy to see it on the DVD.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

There's a big difference between a simple little line saying it won a certain award to giant gold banners and movie summaries which mention the Oscars it won more than the actual plot. It's like they're more focused on the awards it was nominated for or won than the actual movie itself.

[Cronos]

if a film actually won an award i don't see a problem with it being put on the cover, what irritates me is when a film doesn't win anything yet they decide to put "Nominated for __________" on it, i find that pretty pointless because they're pretty much saying theres a "better" film out there that actually did win something

[WhatsInaName]

I don't mind bold awards statements on my DVDs at all. In fact, I like it.

Since I'm a huge lover of dvds, I like my dvds to have some sort of "proof", for lack of a better word, that my fav movies are, indeed, great movies worthy of winning or being nominated for a prestagious awards.

[echo_bravo]

I am kinda torn on this. For the most part, I hate it too. A lot of it is just too over the top like basically saying "RENT ME! BUY ME!" but if I am at Blockbuster and I see a film I dont know much about, but it says "nominated for 3 Oscars", it will make me want to rent it a lot more.

[Badbird]

Eh, just marketing crap. It's annoying. The Last King of Scotland was the first movie that came to mind.

But you know what's weird? Star Wars won seven Oscars and they used to promote the hell out of that all the time in the 80s. Whenever it was on TV or released on video, or re-released in theaters, it was all "Winner of SEVEN Academy Awards!" But now it's never mentioned at all. I mean, that's a pretty big accomplishment. It was even nominated for Best Picture, yet it is never promoted than way.

[Tayzlor]

It's really not that big of a deal when you get down to it, yes it's annoying cloying and everything but it's marketing and has to be working because it's been going on for some time. What you're looking for is what's contained in the packaging with all that shit plastered.

I'm not about to organize a consumer revolt over this, and, likely if I held the marketing job at New Line I'd do likewise.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by Badbird

But you know what's weird? Star Wars won seven Oscars and they used to promote the hell out of that all the time in the 80s. Whenever it was on TV or released on video, or re-released in theaters, it was all "Winner of SEVEN Academy Awards!" But now it's never mentioned at all. I mean, that's a pretty big accomplishment. It was even nominated for Best Picture, yet it is never promoted than way.

Oh Star Wars got to the point where it became bigger than the Oscars. The little fellas I guess do best when the pic is aiming for lofty ledges and whatnot.

[Derek237]

Originally posted by Brando @$$ Fat
I'm sure everyone has a DVD like this. One where the words "Oscar" or "Academy Award-winner" are just completely plastered all over the fucking thing. A lot of modern releases are like this. Little Children, which didn't win any Academy Awards (it should have), has it boldly stated "NOMINATED FOR 3 ACADEMY AWARDS" in a gold banner on the DVD. Is that really necessary? I mean, I have no problem if they're subtle with it, but some of these people take it way too far. Like how The Last King of Scotland DVD is covered with images of Forest Whitaker because he took home the Oscar, even though McAvoy had more screentime and was the main character.

This rant was prompted by the summary on the back of my VHS copy of A Beautiful Mind. It goes as such (I'll put anything Oscar-related in bold):

"Winner of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by his long-time partner, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer. A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash, on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now, only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this powerful story of courage, passion, and triumph."


"Oh, yeah, did we mention it won a bunch of Academy Awards?"

To be fair....it was the "Awards Edition".

[Moviefan1234]

It's good when studios do this. The pinnacle of a film is to be recognized by the Oscars and Golden Globes. The studios are damn proud of their movies for winning awards, and they should be!

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Originally posted by Derek237
To be fair....it was the "Awards Edition".

Yeah, but that's exactly my point....the fact that they feel the need to make an Awards Edition to begin with.

And in response to every other post, I have no problem if they have something like a tiny little Oscar statuette for the Best Picture Winners or a little line that says certain awards it won. When they plaster every single little award on it repeatedly, though, then it's annoying. Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but it's really annoying to look at. Plus, there's a huge difference between this...





and this......

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Originally posted by Moviefan1234
It's good when studios do this. The pinnacle of a film is to be recognized by the Oscars and Golden Globes. The studios are damn proud of their movies for winning awards, and they should be!

Whuh? The pinnacle of film? Many of the greatest films of all time weren't even nominated for Oscars or Golden Globes. In no way are they the pinnacles of film.

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Brando @$$ Fat
Whuh? The pinnacle of film? Many of the greatest films of all time weren't even nominated for Oscars or Golden Globes. In no way are they the pinnacles of film.

I don't think you understood what I said. I didn't say that the films that have been mentioned in this thread are 'the pinnacle's of film,' I said the pinnacle for a film is to be recognized by the Academy or Hollywood Foreign Press. That is the highest praise a piece of cinema can receive. Awards. They should be proud when they win or are nominated.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Originally posted by Moviefan1234
I don't think you understood what I said. I didn't say that the films that have been mentioned in this thread are 'the pinnacle's of film,' I said the pinnacle for a film is to be recognized by the Academy or Hollywood Foreign Press. That is the highest praise a piece of cinema can receive. Awards. They should be proud when they win or are nominated.

That's where it's just a matter of personal opinion, I suppose. A film that won a bunch of Academy Awards isn't necessarily going to impress me, and I'm not saying it's not something to be proud of but what they do to some of these DVDs is definitely overdoing it. I prefer they keep it at least a little subtle.

[krazy drako]

Did anyone ever see dvd cases for the Original Nightmare on Elm Street where they mention Johnny Depp as a oscar nominated actor? I'm still trying to figure out what that has to do with the movie at all.