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So, what do you think about the Academy Awards?
I had never heard of The Hurt Locker when I got it on Blu-ray, but when I watched it, I thought, "Damn, this is a good war movie, and it was directed by a woman." It was only released to a limited number of theaters, so it probably did not make much money. I wonder if everyone will run to the nearest Blockbuster to rent it. Avatar deserved more recognition than it got. But, Cameron probably put about half a billion in his bank account. That helps with the pain of losing to his former wife.
At the theater the other day, I saw a banner announcing "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Aren't there enough talented screen writers that they could come up with new stories to tell?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kieran Coghlan on -
LOL, there most certainly are not enough talented screen writers to avoid the cra- er, junk that Hollywood green-lights.
I saw Avatar twice in theaters, not because I liked it that much, but because my wife who originally said she'd never go see it (hates sci-fi in general) finally came around after all the critical praise it got, so I went with her for my second viewing. For someone who hates sci-fi, she said it was one of the best times she's had in a theater in recent memory. I couldn't agree more. It was totally engrossing and entertaining. For 2.5 hours we were transported away from the reality of our lives in the real world. But that trasported experience to a fantasy world was not without a very real human story that was very applicable to our current events.
My ONLY criticism of Avatar was that I had a very hard time not thinking to myself during the movie "wow this is SO similar to (not going to mention the movie in case some haven't seen Avatar yet)". But even with that short comming, it was still a great experience.
I rented Hurt Locker Tuesday. I gotta say, I was pretty bored, and I really enjoy war movies. I have a huge collection of them. There was no plot to speak of, and I didn't end up caring much for any of the characters, or what happened to them. The story was basically go on a mission, go back to base, go on a mission, go back to base, go on a mission.... with a tiny tinsy-insy little bit of back story stuffed in between the cracks.
People praised it (and cast/staff bragged about it) for not being a "political" move about Iraq. That's right, it was devoid of politics, which was okay, but there was nothing else to take the place.
I am floored that it won best picture, and speaking of politics, think that there must have been some of that inside the Academy that lead to it's victory.
I'm not saying Avatar was as good as other Best Pictures in the past (although it was better than Titanic, IMO) but it sure was better than Hurt Locker, IMO.
That said, I think Hurt Locker maybe deserved the best director nod over Avatar. That's a close call IMO, and I don't know as much about why directors vote for one over another, so hard to say. -
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Permalink Reply by Jim Milton on -
I'm getting "Hurt Locker" on BD this week end. Heard the PQ and SQ are top notch. "Avatar" was entertaining...but let's face it. It was basically "Dances With Wolves" and/or "Pocahontas".
Really, Hollywood does a lot of re-cycling. Did we really need re-makes of some of these classic "stinkers"?:
Dukes of Hazard
Get Smart
Starsky and Hutch
...what? Another Robin Hood movie?!!
Clash of the Titans
Flight of the Phoenix
(for brevity sake, I'll stop here, but I am sure others can think of plenty other re-hash movies)
...well, you get the idea. They are even re-booting Superman (Chris Nolan) and I thought that "Superman Returns" was the re-boot.
Check out this link to 55 up coming re-makes:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_i...
What's up with that? -
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Permalink Reply by Kieran Coghlan on
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Jim Milton said:I'm getting "Hurt Locker" on BD this week end. Heard the PQ and SQ are top notch. "Avatar" was entertaining...but let's face it. It was basically "Dances With Wolves" and/or "Pocahontas".
Well, I wasn't going to mention DWW, as it spoils a little of the plot. There are probably a dozen or more movies with the same or similar plot. It's a common theme. I admit (said it in my post) that I was at times distracted by how similar it seemed to me to DWW, but upon my second viewing, it seemed less so. At least Avatar *had* a compelling plot, even if 2/3 of that plot was incredibly similar to DWW.
I'll say that "Clash of the Titans" was hardly a stinker. It was/is a landmark in special effects, and arguably THE best movie to tell that story. It is, IMO, a classic. It is a crowning acheivement for stop-motion animation.
Really, Hollywood does a lot of re-cycling. Did we really need re-makes of some of these classic "stinkers"?:
Dukes of Hazard
Get Smart
Starsky and Hutch
...what? Another Robin Hood movie?!!
Clash of the Titans
Flight of the Phoenix
(for brevity sake, I'll stop here, but I am sure others can think of plenty other re-hash movies)
...well, you get the idea. They are even re-booting Superman (Chris Nolan) and I thought that "Superman Returns" was the re-boot.
Check out this link to 55 up coming re-makes:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_i...
What's up with that?
Also, I wouldn't say that another Robin Hood movie is a re-make, since the story pre-dates both movie and stage entertainment, and even if so, hard to say it's a re-make of a "stinker" since there are some excellent RH-themed movies to choose from.
But anyway, back to the topic at hand: the Oscars, and more precisely, the Best Picture category.
When Titanic won, I thought "what has the movie industry come to?" I disliked that movie and didn't get why it won. Then I realized that the people who accept the award for "best picture" are the producers. Thus, the award might be more accurately named "best produced movie"...? If that's the case, then I could accept why Titanic won, because it was an enormous production of immense scope and complexity, and in that regard it was done excellently, even though I didn't like the story or the main actors.
Which brings me to why "Hurt Locker" just baffles me. Not only does it not appear to be a comparitively complex undertaking, but the story line was flat and uninteresting. Individual scenes were FANTASTIC - don't get me wrong. But that's all it was to me, a series of great scenes. There was nothing to tie it all together, and the character development was absolutely, positively, 100% absent. Okay, maybe 99% absent. :-)
Avatar on the other hand had a *good* story (not necessarily great, but very good) with a good plot / story arch, good character development, etc. AND, it was another huge production with immense complexity and whatnot. To me, it wins out over Hurt Locker no matter how I sclice it.
Does Avatar rank up there with Godfather2, Lawrence of Arabia, Out of Africa, Schindler's List, and other kings of the Oscars? Maybe not, but I'd rank Hurt Locker near the bottom of the list of Best Picture winners that I've seen (which still puts it high on my list of all pictures I've seen).
In 1998, Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare in Love. I can't see anyone saying with any ounce of honesty that Hurt Locker was a better picture than Saving Private Ryan. Again, JMHO. :-) -
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Permalink Reply by John E. Johnson, Jr. on -
Clash of the Titans is going to be in 3D, I think.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Heinonen on -
I've admittedly not been to the theater in a while with a baby around, but Hurt Locker was one thing I got out to see this summer as soon as it came out, and I left the theater just wiped out from how intense, and gripping, the film was for me. Avatar, from the first trailer, looked a bit like Dances with Wolves, and I have the feeling that if a film doesn't have a screenplay that's good enough for a nomination that while I might enjoy it, it's going to be purely entertainment.
I've been iffy with Oscar's pick for Best Picture recently (only found Slumdog OK, hated Crash, but loved the choices in No Country For Old Men, The Departed and Million Dollar Baby), but I was very happy to see The Hurt Locker win, since it probably made as much money in it's whole theatrical run as Avatar did in a day, and it's why I prefer The Oscars over The Grammys any day, since wonderful albums that don't sell well will NEVER win the Grammys. -
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Permalink Reply by T. Rodney Tatum on -
Hang on Jim.....That "Clash of the Titans" might be something. I agree with the recycling issue, but with the invention of CG and other forms of graphic arts; We might have a epic adventure here.
Jim Milton said:I'm getting "Hurt Locker" on BD this week end. Heard the PQ and SQ are top notch. "Avatar" was entertaining...but let's face it. It was basically "Dances With Wolves" and/or "Pocahontas".
Really, Hollywood does a lot of re-cycling. Did we really need re-makes of some of these classic "stinkers"?:
Dukes of Hazard
Get Smart
Starsky and Hutch
...what? Another Robin Hood movie?!!
Clash of the Titans
Flight of the Phoenix
(for brevity sake, I'll stop here, but I am sure others can think of plenty other re-hash movies)
...well, you get the idea. They are even re-booting Superman (Chris Nolan) and I thought that "Superman Returns" was the re-boot.
Check out this link to 55 up coming re-makes:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_i...
What's up with that? -
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Permalink Reply by Jim Milton on
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Yes, I am a big fan of Ray H. and stop motion. But "effects" do not a movie make. Robin Hood with Costner was entertaining, until he spoke with a mid-western accent...Ugh! Reminds me of Tony Curtis in "Spartacus":
"I'm Spaa-ta-cus!", in his Joisey accent.
Would today's technology make "Wizard of Oz" better? We certainly could provide amazing whiz-bang effects. The flying monkeys could now be flying velociraptors with lasers...in 3D.
(We all agree on "Dukes of Hazard" though, right? ;) )
My main point is still the fact that Hollywood is stuck in a re-cycle mode. Just longing for something fresh...
And with that said, I am off to see the new "Alice...in 3D" tonight. Wish me luck!
Ray...you are still the man!
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Permalink Reply by Kieran Coghlan on
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Costner's Robin Hood was an utter joke. Horrible movie, and mostly due to the miscasting of Costner in the title role. I think Jeremy Irons played the bad dude, which he is always excellent at... :-)
For a very good RH flick, check out the Sean Connery flick "Robin & Marion". It's a little 1970's "dark & broody" but still one of my favorite RH films, and very historically/period accurate, for a film based on a legend.
I have zero interest in the new Alice movie. Good luck with that! Doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.
I say good for the Oscars for considering small art-house films, unlike the Grammys with music. But the winner should still be a great movie. I've seen professional critics calling Hurt Locker a "perfect" movie. I just don't get it. Did I miss the plot entirely, did I fall asleep when characters were developed? It was still very good, and the individual scenes were VERY INTENSE. But as a whole, I just don't get it being crowned the #1 movie in 2009. -
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Permalink Reply by Chris Heinonen on
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I will say my favorite film of 2008 was WALL-E, and in 2009 I really, really enjoyed Up and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and feel it's unfortunate that they had no chance at all to compete for Best Picture (in any realistic sense) simply because they are animated. I'm not really sure how else to explain Hurt Locker, I just thought it was a great insight into current life for people serving in Iraq, the problems they run into, and how it comes to just take over their lives, even when they get away from it, that it's just what they become. I really, really needed to watch something light hearted after it to relax a bit, though. Too intense to watch all the time.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Milton on
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Chris Heinonen said:I will say my favorite film of 2008 was WALL-E, and in 2009 I really, really enjoyed Up and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and feel it's unfortunate that they had no chance at all to compete for Best Picture (in any realistic sense) simply because they are animated. I'm not really sure how else to explain Hurt Locker, I just thought it was a great insight into current life for people serving in Iraq, the problems they run into, and how it comes to just take over their lives, even when they get away from it, that it's just what they become. I really, really needed to watch something light hearted after it to relax a bit, though. Too intense to watch all the time.
Rats! Thanks for ruining the ending for me.... -
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Permalink Reply by AndySooty on -
All the same old clichés have been done now for cinema! Face it I think cinema is nearing its end now.
There has to be easily 15million films worldwide by now!
I no longer care to support cinema I don’t like 3D I don’t like remakes that are coming out now and I most certainly don’t like reboots for some sad so and so greedy studio who likes to try and grab more money.
I have story idea for sci-fi film which I’ve had since mid/late 90’s and started drawing out illustrations 8 years ago and writing a first few pages, but got stuck as the depth of it was too eminence.
The beginning middle and end is up in my head and I even looked at my little storyboards and put a score to it and a DEEPEST EVER SOUND EFFECT! Yeah, but I will not share my idea with no one. I no longer trust people anymore.
And the title bares the same title as a number of films that have been released in the past 10 years! SIGH so I guess my title is no good then. SIGH
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