Oscar Predictions?

[mgb]

Here are the nominees.

Maybe don't predict so much as tell how you want to win, since the Academy can be fickle at best.




2004 Academy Award Nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004)
Finding Neverland (2004) - Richard N. Gladstein, Nellie Bellflower
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Ray (2004/I)
Sideways (2004) - Michael London

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Don Cheadle for Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland (2004)
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Aviator (2004)
Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Annette Bening for Being Julia (2004)
Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake (2004)
Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Alan Alda for The Aviator (2004)
Thomas Haden Church for Sideways (2004)
Jamie Foxx for Collateral (2004)
Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Clive Owen for Closer (2004/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Cate Blanchett for The Aviator (2004)
Laura Linney for Kinsey (2004)
Virginia Madsen for Sideways (2004)
Sophie Okonedo for Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Natalie Portman for Closer (2004/I)

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Taylor Hackford for Ray (2004/I)
Mike Leigh for Vera Drake (2004)
Alexander Payne for Sideways (2004)
Martin Scorsese for The Aviator (2004)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - John Logan
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth
Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George, Keir Pearson
The Incredibles (2004) - Brad Bird
Vera Drake (2004) - Mike Leigh

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
Before Sunset (2004) - Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Finding Neverland (2004) - David Magee
Million Dollar Baby (2004) - Paul Haggis
Diarios de motocicleta (2004) - Jose Rivera
Sideways (2004) - Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - Robert Richardson
Shi mian mai fu (2004) - Xiaoding Zhao
The Passion of the Christ (2004) - Caleb Deschanel
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - John Mathieson
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) - Bruno Delbonnel

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - Thelma Schoonmaker
Collateral (2004) - Jim Miller, Paul Rubell
Finding Neverland (2004) - Matt Chesse
Million Dollar Baby (2004) - Joel Cox
Ray (2004/I) - Paul Hirsch

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - Dante Ferretti, Francesca LoSchiavo
Finding Neverland (2004) - Gemma Jackson, Trisha Edwards
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Rick Heinrichs, Cheryl Carasik
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - Anthony Pratt, Celia Bobak
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) - Aline Bonetto

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - Sandy Powell
Finding Neverland (2004) - Alexandra Byrne
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Colleen Atwood
Ray (2004/I) - Sharen Davis
Troy (2004) - Bob Ringwood

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Finding Neverland (2004) - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - John Williams
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Thomas Newman
The Passion of the Christ (2004) - John Debney
The Village (2004) - James Newton Howard

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
Choristes, Les (2004) - Bruno Coulais, Christophe Barratier ("Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)")
Diarios de motocicleta (2004) - Jorge Drexler ("Al Otro Lado Del Río")
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart ("Learn To Be Lonely")
The Polar Express (2004) - Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri ("Believe")
Shrek 2 (2004) - David Bryson, Adam Duritz, David Immerglück, Matthew Malley, Dan Vickrey, Charles Gillingham, Jim Bogios ("Accidentally In Love")

Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Valli O'Reilly, Bill Corso
The Passion of the Christ (2004) - Keith VanderLaan, Christien Tinsley
Mar adentro (2004/I) - Jo Allen, Manolo García

Best Achievement in Sound
Nominees:
The Aviator (2004) - Tom Fleischman, Petur Hliddal
The Incredibles (2004) - Randy Thom, Gary Rizzo, Doc Kane
The Polar Express (2004) - William B. Kaplan, Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands
Ray (2004/I) - Scott Millan, Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer, Steve Cantamessa
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Joseph Geisinger

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Nominees:
The Incredibles (2004) - Michael Silvers, Randy Thom
The Polar Express (2004) - Randy Thom, Dennis Leonard
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nominees:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Tim Burke, Roger Guyett, Bill George, John Richardson
I, Robot (2004) - John Nelson, Andy Jones, Erik Nash, Joe Letteri
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Nominees:
The Incredibles (2004) - Brad Bird
Shark Tale (2004) - Bill Damaschke
Shrek 2 (2004) - Andrew Adamson

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Nominees:
Choristes, Les (2004) - Christophe Barratier (France)
Untergang, Der (2004) - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)
Mar adentro (2004/I) - Alejandro Amenábar (Spain)
Så som i himmelen (2004) - Kay Pollak (Sweden)
Yesterday (2004) - Darrell Roodt (South Africa)

Best Documentary, Features
Nominees:
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) - Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel, Die (2003) - Luigi Falorni, Byambasuren Davaa
Super Size Me (2004) - Morgan Spurlock
Tupac: Resurrection (2003) - Karolyn Ali, Lauren Lazin
Twist of Faith (2005) - Eddie Schmidt, Kirby Dick

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Nominees:
Autism Is a World (2004) - Gerardine Wurzburg
Children of Leningradsky, The (2005) - Polak, Hanna, Celinski, Andrzej
Hardwood (2004) - Erin Faith Young, Davis, Hubert (II)
Mighty Times: The Children's March (2004) - Robert Hudson, Robert Houston
Sister Rose's Passion (2004) - Oren Jacoby, Steve Kalafer

Best Short Film, Animated
Nominees:
Birthday Boy (2004/II) - Sejong Park, Andrew Gregory
Gopher Broke (2004) - Jeff Fowler, Tim Miller
Guard Dog (2004) - Bill Plympton
Lorenzo (2004) - Mike Gabriel, Baker Bloodworth
Ryan (2004) - Chris Landreth

Best Short Film, Live Action
Nominees:
Everything in This Country Must (2004) - Gary McKendry
Little Terrorist (2004) - Ashvin Kumar
7:35 de la mañana (2003) - Nacho Vigalondo
Two Cars, One Night (2003) - Taika Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner
Wasp (2003) - Andrea Arnold

[crule81]

The only movies I have seen on this whole list are Spiderman and Passion. I think this has been a terrible year for movies overall. The only movie I haven't seen but am keen to see is Sideways.

The only two movies I plan to see this year are Star Wars and that movie about the Crusades.

[MacGuffin]

I believe Hero has some time issues, it was out a long time ago in Asia.

I suspect they may finally give Martin Scorsese his Oscar.

That is how they usually do it, ignore someone's best work and give them a make-up Oscar (see Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, etc.)

[mgb]

The only movies I have seen on this whole list are Spiderman and Passion. I think this has been a terrible year for movies overall. The only movie I haven't seen but am keen to see is Sideways.

The only two movies I plan to see this year are Star Wars and that movie about the Crusades.

I have to disagree.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind was quite an amazing movie. So was Maria Full of Grace. Everyone is calling Spiderman the best comic book movie ever made, and it probably is. Garden State and Collateral were good. Harold and Kumar was pretty funny for the genre.

I think it was a pretty good year for movies overall. Better than a lot at least.

[MacGuffin]

I have to disagree.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind was quite an amazing movie. So was Maria Full of Grace. Everyone is calling Spiderman the best comic book movie ever made, and it probably is. Garden State and Collateral were good. Harold and Kumar was pretty funny for the genre.

I think it was a pretty good year for movies overall. Better than a lot at least.

Eternal Sunshine was great.

Superman II is the best comic book movie ever made.

[mgb]

[QUOTE=mgbradsh]Here are the my predictions.


2004 Academy Award Nominations

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Finding Neverland (2004) - Richard N. Gladstein, Nellie Bellflower
Million Dollar Baby (2004)

I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet, so I'll say Finding Neverland, but all the critics are loving Million Dollar Baby.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:

Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

I'd really like to see one of these two win. They were both great.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Thomas Haden Church for Sideways (2004)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Natalie Portman for Closer (2004/I)

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth


Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
Before Sunset (2004) - Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke


Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:

Shi mian mai fu (2004) - Xiaoding Zhao

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:

Ray (2004/I) - Paul Hirsch [/b]

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:

Finding Neverland (2004) - Gemma Jackson, Trisha Edwards

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) - Colleen Atwood


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:

The Passion of the Christ (2004) - John Debney





Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nominees:

Spider-Man 2 (2004) - John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Nominees:
The Incredibles (2004) - Brad Bird


Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Nominees:

Mar adentro (2004/I) - Alejandro Amenábar (Spain)


Best Documentary, Features
Nominees:

Super Size Me (2004) - Morgan Spurlock


Interesting to note that Fahrenheit 9/11 was totally shut out. I guess the Academy had enough Michael Moore.

[crule81]

I have to disagree.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind was quite an amazing movie. So was Maria Full of Grace. Everyone is calling Spiderman the best comic book movie ever made, and it probably is. Garden State and Collateral were good. Harold and Kumar was pretty funny for the genre.

I think it was a pretty good year for movies overall. Better than a lot at least.

This isn't the worst year. In fact, in my opinion, the last several years have been pretty terrible for movies in general. It seems that I used to be able to go to the movies once every two weeks and see a decent flick. That was back in the 90's, not so anymore. And I hate the academy awards for not giving Saving Private Ryan the best picture award.

[mgb]

This isn't the worst year. In fact, in my opinion, the last several years have been pretty terrible for movies in general. It seems that I used to be able to go to the movies once every two weeks and see a decent flick. That was back in the 90's, not so anymore. And I hate the academy awards for not giving Saving Private Ryan the best picture award.

Yeah the Academy has a pretty unattractive track record. What can you do?

I think there has been a movie revolution since about the time Pulp Fiction came out and it is still continuing. As well, we are starting to see some of the best movies from other countries getting a lot of play in theatres.

To find the good movies you have to leave the multiplexes. I mean, Are We There Yet? was the number one grossing movie last weekend. That is a disgrace.

I think you might be right about the quality of the entire volume of movies out there, but if you are just looking at individual movies, I think that movies are becoming vastly better now than they have been for generations.

[crule81]

I would like to see more of the "artsy" movies, but my friends are too mainstream and I hate going to movies by myself.

[MacGuffin]

The best time for movies ever was the 70s.

The best year for movies recently was 1999.

[mgb]

The best time for movies ever was the 70s.

The best year for movies recently was 1999.

I think you are going to need to back that up with examples.

[MacGuffin]

The best time for movies ever was the 70s.

The best year for movies recently was 1999.

I think you are going to need to back that up with examples.

Sure!

1970s:

The Godfather I & II, Star Wars, Alien, Annie Hall, Jaws, The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rocky, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Conversation, The French Connection, The Exorcist, etc.

1999:

American Beauty, The Matrix, Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, The Insider, Three Kings, Dogma, Toy Story 2.... I'd even throw in Phantom Menace, but people seem to hate it.

[booyalab]

the 70s? lmfao...the only way I can see someone thinking that is if they grew up at that time or something, so they construe nostalgia as quality

[Zero Angel]

70's spans ten years, 1999 spans one.

[booyalab]

Sure!

1970s:

The Godfather I & II, Star Wars, Alien, Annie Hall, Jaws, The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rocky, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Conversation, The French Connection, The Exorcist, etc.



I like 5 of those. At least a third of them were severely overrated. I'm sure I could name as many, or more than that from any other given decade. (edit: except maybe the 80s, *shudder*...although the third star wars was the best)

[booyalab]

70's spans ten years, 1999 spans one.

thank you for defining a decade and a year, respectively, for us

[Zero Angel]

Just stating what is obvious (?)

[booyalab]

Just stating what is obvious (?)

I saw that, and you must be butter cuz you're on a roll :)

[MacGuffin]

the 70s? lmfao...the only way I can see someone thinking that is if they grew up at that time or something, so they construe nostalgia as quality

Now I realize it is all subjective, but the 70s are generally seen as the time American cinema "grew up", and when directors like Coppola, Speilberg, Lucas, Scorsese and the like were able to take what they learned from Kurosawa and French New Wave and remake movies into what they are today.

The summer blockbuster began then (Jaws, Star Wars) plus movies also became more sophisticated and adult (Taxi Driver, Chinatown).

[booyalab]

Now I realize it is all subjective, but the 70s are generally seen as the time American cinema "grew up", and when directors like Coppola, Speilberg, Lucas, Scorsese and the like were able to take what they learned from Kurosawa and French New Wave and remake movies into what they are today.

The summer blockbuster began then (Jaws, Star Wars) plus movies also became more sophisticated and adult (Taxi Driver, Chinatown).

I know what you're saying but I don't know that just because films began moving in slightly different directions in the 70s that it necessarily makes the decade the 'best'. Take One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in my opinion it was liked because of a horrible sense of style everyone seemed to have in that era. People thought just because something was 'different' and previously thought as 'ugly' that it was good. The message of that movie is ambiguous at best and the filmmaker is basically exerting and taking advantage of a perceived artistic superiority over the ones watching it. So if you don't like it and pretend to 'get it', you're not hip.
Remember that Calvin and Hobbes strip in which Calvin draws his name in the snow and claims that art is dead, and then tells Hobbes he can own that work for a large sum of money. Hobbes replies by saying it doesn't go with his furniture. What Calvin says in the last panel about not knowing in the art world who's putting on who best describes my opinion of 70s art as a whole(except for Lichtenstein)

[booyalab]

About the quality of films in 2004, I heard it said that this year was a "bad year for great movies and a great year for good movies", and I would agree.

[Swift]

What? The Belgian movie "The Alzheimer Case" was not selected in the category "Best Foreign Language Film of the Year"? How disappointing...

But that doesn't mean I can't advertize it here: :smooch:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374345/
http://www.nixflix.com/reviews/alzheimer.htm
http://www.consolationchamps.com/archives/001189.html

The story is about a professional hit-man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He isn't able to remember any details, so he writes everything down on his arm. When he's hired to kill a 12 year old girl who was the victim of pedophiles, he doesn't do his job, but goes after the bad guys.

[mgb]

What? The Belgian movie "The Alzheimer Case" was not selected in the category "Best Foreign Language Film of the Year"? How disappointing...

But that doesn't mean I can't advertize it here: :smooch:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374345/
http://www.nixflix.com/reviews/alzheimer.htm
http://www.consolationchamps.com/archives/001189.html

The story is about a professional hit-man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He isn't able to remember any details, so he writes everything down on his arm. When he's hired to kill a 12 year old girl who was the victim of pedophiles, he doesn't do his job, but goes after the bad guys.

Sounds like a ripoff of Memento.

[mgb]

Now I realize it is all subjective, but the 70s are generally seen as the time American cinema "grew up", and when directors like Coppola, Speilberg, Lucas, Scorsese and the like were able to take what they learned from Kurosawa and French New Wave and remake movies into what they are today.

The summer blockbuster began then (Jaws, Star Wars) plus movies also became more sophisticated and adult (Taxi Driver, Chinatown).

I think part of the problem with cinema today is that those directors are still around (and the studio execs) and aren't letting the good films get made. I suppose this might be a product of the 60s and 70s fatalism during the cold war and the what the hell, let's do it attitude. If anything I would say that the 70's set the stage (combined with globalism) for the modern film renaissance.

Lucas, Scorcese and Spielberg are good but are being eclipsed in my opinion by directors like Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, not to mention the asian influence of Ang Lee and Yimou Zhang, of which the Wachowski brothers would have been nothing without.

I also find that, probably through seclusion, Kubrick managed to stay sublime over the years, unlike, say Lucas.

[MacGuffin]

Sure!

1970s:

The Godfather I & II, Star Wars, Alien, Annie Hall, Jaws, The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rocky, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Conversation, The French Connection, The Exorcist, etc.

1999:

American Beauty, The Matrix, Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, The Insider, Three Kings, Dogma, Toy Story 2.... I'd even throw in Phantom Menace, but people seem to hate it.

I forgot in 1999 we also had: Election, The Virgin Suicides, Boys Don't Cry.

Anyone come up with a better decade than the 70s yet?

[IceMasterDLarge]

I'd like to see "The Aviator" win a lot of awards, that was a superb movie. But I'm predicting that "The Aviator" won't win all of its nominations like "Lord of the Rings" did last year. It also looks like Michael Moore gambled and lost big time, his movie would've won Best Documentary for sure.

[MacGuffin]

I suspect that The Aviator will beat out Million Dollar Baby simply cause Eastwood has won before and Scorsese hasn't. Now another picture could sneak in and take it, but it won't be Eastwood's.

[mgb]

I suspect that The Aviator will beat out Million Dollar Baby simply cause Eastwood has won before and Scorsese hasn't. Now another picture could sneak in and take it, but it won't be Eastwood's.

I think the Aviator will probably win to. Which I hate about the Academy. They often pick the most "Hollywood" movie to win, which is retarded. For example, when A Beautiful Mind won. Any one of the other four could have won and was probably a better movie.

As for the seventies...I find those movies you listed to be good movies, but I can't say they are the best movie ever. I could list some movies from the 90s, like Shawshank Redemption, The Usual Suspects, LA Confidential, etc...and all of those give your movies a run for their money.

I really think that the best movies have come out in the last 10 years though. We are getting movie like Fight Club, Amores Perros, The Matrix Series, Lord of the Rings, Memento, Crouching Tiger, not to mention the flood of Anime, Kill Bill, I mean, the movies we are seeing are becoming amazing. And if you won't count the last ten years as a decade, then I have to say the decade we are in now.

I wouldn't even count the 80's out, there are some excellent movies in there too. Not all the movies from the 80's had Charlie Sheen in them.

[booyalab]

Anyone come up with a better decade than the 70s yet?

There is no 'best decade' for movies. You can compare 8 random movies and come up with a 'best' one, because each of them was probably conceived without any connection to or contribution from the others. You can't compare 8 decades of movies and come up with one that was the 'pinnacle' ,or whatever, of cinematography because they are representative of the different steps in the evolution of film so far.

[MacGuffin]

There is no 'best decade' for movies. You can compare 8 random movies and come up with a 'best' one, because each of them was probably conceived without any connection to or contribution from the others. You can't compare 8 decades of movies and come up with one that was the 'pinnacle' ,or whatever, of cinematography because they are representative of the different steps in the evolution of film so far.

Since it is all subjective we can do whatever we want!


I really think that the best movies have come out in the last 10 years though. We are getting movie like Fight Club, Amores Perros, The Matrix Series, Lord of the Rings, Memento, Crouching Tiger, not to mention the flood of Anime, Kill Bill, I mean, the movies we are seeing are becoming amazing. And if you won't count the last ten years as a decade, then I have to say the decade we are in now.

Eh. Once again it is all subjective, but a lot of movies in the past 10 years seemed too gimmicky. Surprising plot twists or overly reliant on SFX.

Fight Club? I'll raise you Taxi Driver.
Matrix Series? Star Wars trilogy.
L.A. Confidential? Chinatown.
Lord of the Rings? You got me there. Unless I get to use Star Wars again....

Has any movie freaked people out the way The Exorcist and Jaws did? And don't say The Ring.

And nothing from the last 10 years is on the level of Godfather I & II.

[booyalab]

Since it is all subjective we can do whatever we want!



Ok, next let's argue about what's the best kind of soup.

[mgb]

And nothing from the last 10 years is on the level of Godfather I & II.

If you just want a gangster movie, City of God is much better. The characters have dimensions and human-ness to them.

What is so good about the Godfather. I mean, they are good movies (same #3) but I can't say that any of them are the best movie I have ever seen.

I mean if we go back to 1972, I liked Deliverence better, which reminds me that Deer Hunter was a much better movie as well.

As for scary, The Grudge scared the hell out of me. I am jumpy, I'll give you that, but I wasn't super scared by the Exorcist and certainly not Jaws. And while Romero did kick ass in the 70's, Shaun of the Dead was great and the new Dawn of the Dead was great too, nothing is scarier than zombies that want to eat you and can run really really fast.

[mgb]

Ok, next let's argue about what's the best kind of soup.

Tomato, it's a classic.

[mgb]

Since it is all subjective we can do whatever we want!



I wonder if we can make it less subjective.

Find some top 100 or top 250 lists and we'll compare decades that way.

[rich036]

I say the 1890's were the best years of film.

[MacGuffin]

I wonder if we can make it less subjective.

Find some top 100 or top 250 lists and we'll compare decades that way.

http://imdb.com/chart/top

http://afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx

http://www.filmsite.org/ew100.html

Or in general:

http://www.filmsite.org/films.html

Here is the 70s:

http://imdb.com/chart/1970s

Man, I forgot A Clockwork Orange and Annie Hall!


What is so good about the Godfather

Be warned it is the #1 film on imdb.com, #1 on Entertainment Weekly's list, and #3 on AFI's list.

[rich036]

I've never seen the Godfather. The Mafia doesn't appeal to me.

[mgb]

http://imdb.com/chart/top

http://afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx

http://www.filmsite.org/ew100.html

Or in general:

http://www.filmsite.org/films.html

Here is the 70s:

http://imdb.com/chart/1970s

Man, I forgot A Clockwork Orange and Annie Hall!



Be warned it is the #1 film on imdb.com, #1 on Entertainment Weekly's list, and #3 on AFI's list.

I know it's number one. But how does the 70s do? (You have to scratch the imdb 70s list)

And Eyes Wide Shut was just as good.

[mgb]

I also find that some sites favor extremely old movies, not helping either of our cases. This nostalgic film rating doesn't appeal to me either.

AFI does not feature any international content either, which is really a tragic flaw in their reviews.

[rich036]

AFI does not feature any international content either, which is really a tragic flaw in their reviews.

no 28 Days Later? no Goodbye Lenin? no Trainspotting? no Four Weddings and a Funeral?

The list is flawed!

[booyalab]

I wonder if we can make it less subjective.

Find some top 100 or top 250 lists and we'll compare decades that way.

I was quite obviously making it less subjective through my arguments, but of course, since when does anyone care what I say :p

Rich has brought some more weight to my argument against the 70s. If you want to gauge the overall quality of film in a decade based on how much it changed, which is what you're doing macguffin, you have to concede that the decade in which it was created was the best. (edit: or at least the 20s, when they finally got 'talkies', or at least the 50s when singing in the rain (about invention of talking pictures in the 20s) was made)

[MacGuffin]

Rich has brought some more weight to my argument against the 70s. If you want to gauge the overall quality of film in a decade based on how much it changed, which is what you're doing macguffin, you have to concede that the decade in which it was created was the best. (edit: or at least the 20s, when they finally got 'talkies', or at least the 50s when singing in the rain (about invention of talking pictures in the 20s) was made)

Ummmmmmm.... no. That is like saying the first person to put colored oil to canvas is the greatest painter ever cause he was the first. That makes no sense.


Eyes Wide Shut was just as good.

Now you're just talking crazy.

[rich036]

Ummmmmmm.... no. That is like saying the first person to put colored oil to canvas is the greatest painter ever cause he was the first. That makes no sense.

Then why are 1970's films defined as 'the best' by you? It's because of technical advances like picture quality and sound, made on films just as good as the 1960's, 1950's, 1940's...

[MacGuffin]

Then why are 1970's films defined as 'the best' by you? It's because of technical advances like picture quality and sound, made on films just as good as the 1960's, 1950's, 1940's...

It is a subjective, artistic determination.

[rich036]

It is a subjective, artistic determination.

Yes, I understand that - but why? - what qualities do you see in the 1970's, that didn't exist before?

the 1940s had film noir which brought in so many techniques to make the viewer feel certain things, which hasn't happened since - they were artistic. CGI is the biggest advance in recent times, but not as influential as the 1940's techniques.

[booyalab]

I'm mostly just gonna strategically juxtapose stuff that has already been said...maybe then you'll understand (rich too).


That is like saying the first person to put colored oil to canvas is the greatest painter ever cause he was the first.



If you want to gauge the overall quality of film in a decade based on how much it changed... you have to concede that the decade in which it was created was the best. (edit: or at least the 20s, when they finally got 'talkies', or at least the 50s when singing in the rain (about invention of talking pictures in the 20s) was made)



.. but the 70s are generally seen as the time American cinema "grew up"...take what they learned from Kurosawa and French New Wave and remake movies into what they are today.
The summer blockbuster began then ... movies also became more sophisticated and adult...

[MacGuffin]

Yes, I understand that - but why? - what qualities do you see in the 1970's, that didn't exist before?

the 1940s had film noir which brought in so many techniques to make the viewer feel certain things, which hasn't happened since - they were artistic. CGI is the biggest advance in recent times, but not as influential as the 1940's techniques.

You seem focused on techincal advancements. I am talking about the stories and characters put on the screen. Along with the ability to finally use realistic violence and language.

You see a gradual increase in quality and then in the 60s it really starts jumping. The 70s was the peak. Then the bean counters took ahold of the studios and you started to get a lot more derivative and the overall quality began to decline. Not that there weren't excellent movies made since then or today, there are.

The 70s were a real change in movies. Every movie made since then reflects the changes in that decade. The industry has not had a period like it since.

[mgb]

The 70s were a real change in movies. Every movie made since then reflects the changes in that decade. The industry has not had a period like it since.

What was the "real change"? I would say that we are enjoying another change right now.

I think we might have to dig up some essays on film for this.

[rich036]

You seem focused on techincal advancements. I am talking about the stories and characters put on the screen. Along with the ability to finally use realistic violence and language.

You see a gradual increase in quality and then in the 60s it really starts jumping. The 70s was the peak. Then the bean counters took ahold of the studios and you started to get a lot more derivative and the overall quality began to decline. Not that there weren't excellent movies made since then or today, there are.

The 70s were a real change in movies. Every movie made since then reflects the changes in that decade. The industry has not had a period like it since.

Every movie since the 1890's reflects the changes made then. Technical and plot based. It is a continual process.

The 1970's is regarded highly, because that is when a lot of film critics and the influential people of the present, grew up.. those younger fall in with this and agree with this 'looking back to the past'.

[mgb]

Here is one on the 70s.

http://www.filmsite.org/70sintro.html

[rich036]

Here is one on the 70s.

http://www.filmsite.org/70sintro.html

Ther majority of films on that list have taken time away from me that I shall never ever get back.. and for that they should be banned.

When was American Werewolf in London made? I like that for the bit where the city worker is running through the tube tunnels, and the way he looks mauled in the porno theatre..

I also rate Mary Poppins for fake accents.

[jjt]

To get back to the subject re Oscar predictions.

Short film - Two Cars, One Night.
Why? Because it's the only Kiwi (New Zealand) nomination this year. I've only seen bits of it, but people who have seen it all say its very good.

The last few years we Kiwis had the Lord of The Rings.

We get incredibly excited when anything New Zealand does makes the International arena. Perhaps this is because we feel mostly quite small and isolated, at the end of the world and there are only 4 million of us.

Our short film being an Oscar contender is a top item in national news!

[MacGuffin]

Here is one on the 70s.

http://www.filmsite.org/70sintro.html

I like the opening sentence:


Although the 1970s opened with Hollywood experiencing a financial depression, the decade became a creative high point in the US film industry.

[rich036]

I like Doris Day in 'The Pajama Game'

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4212207.stm)

[MacGuffin]

I like Doris Day in 'The Pajama Game'

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4212207.stm)


My wife and I were very shocked but we watched it until the end because we couldn't believe what we were seeing.

Classic!