Biggest Crime in Oscar History?

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Permalink Reply by Alter_Ego on July 1, 2009 at 3:25pm

Sigourney Weaver got nominated for her role in Aliens, but she didn't win. But you are right about the Academy's preferences (or should I say, prejudices) towards movies. The movies that get all the Oscars have almost become a genre in themselves. Most of them seem to be character studies rather than have an actual narrative. Maybe that's why Saving Private Ryan did not win, because it emphasized plot over character.

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Permalink Reply by Guitaro Man on July 1, 2009 at 6:52pm

Yeah, there was a time where genre films got their due. Back in the 70s and 80s, films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. were nominated for best picture. The good ol' days.

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Permalink Reply by khuff92 on July 1, 2009 at 2:32pm

She was really good.

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Permalink Reply by Manny S. on July 1, 2009 at 1:03am

Oscars usually end up making it up to people by giving it them for latter performances. Just look at Pacino, he was nominated seven times (Twice for playing Michael Corleone) before he won the Oscar for "Scent of a Woman". I am glad Scorsese didn't die because he went on to make other Great movies (Goodfellas?)

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Permalink Reply by HaveYouFoundFSM? on July 1, 2009 at 1:28am

It isn't really one single crime, but my main problem with the Academy is their idiotic bigotry towards Science Fiction and Genre films. Why didn't Dark Knight get a Best Picture nomination? The Academy hates Superhero movies. Why didn't The Prestige get any writing or directing recognition? The Academy doesn't want to legitimize Sci-fi. This goes into Animation as well; the Academy never wants to give Pixar any Oscars because, for some ridiculous reason, they think that if a movie is animated, it can't be quality filmmaking.

Maybe, now that they're offering 10 slots for Best Picture, we'll see a bit of the prejudice reduced. Last year, if there had been 10 slots, Dark Knight would have absolutely been in, as would Wall-E. This year I don't doubt that Up will get a Best Picture nomination, and if it doesn't, either we've had a great year (which we haven't so far) or the Academy will, most likely, never learn.

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Permalink Reply by MDS on July 1, 2009 at 2:05am

If you don't deserve to win, you don't deserve to be nominated. If it's 5 movies, or if it's 50 movies. If you aren't going to win, you shouldn't be nominated.

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Permalink Reply by HaveYouFoundFSM? on July 2, 2009 at 6:20pm

I'd rather see great movies get nominated, even if the Academy doesn't think they deserve to win. It still gets the film recognition.

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Permalink Reply by MDS on July 1, 2009 at 2:03am

Biggest snub, was Al Pacino for BOTH Godfather, and Godfather 2.

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Permalink Reply by Witten on July 1, 2009 at 3:09am

you make a good point with Al Pacino, the fact that he didn't win any academy awards throughout the 70s and 80s; The Godfather Part 1& 2, Serpico, dog day afternoon, scarface (didn't even get nominated),and justice for all. he didn't get any oscars for these roles.

and when they gave him the oscar for his perfomance in scent of a woman (IMO it wasn't his best performance), it seemed like a "well, we've snubbed him so many times, let's give him the award anyway, after so many years" by the academy. And one can argue that Robert downey jr (chaplin) and clint eastwood (unforgiven) deserved the award more.

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Permalink Reply by MDS on July 1, 2009 at 3:17am

That's what I felt too. That after a decade of not getting the award, they basically handed him one for "Scent of a Woman".

Granted, I think that Clint's direction for Unforgiven was better than his acting in Unforgiven, I still think that had it been a non Al Pacino year, he would have won.

But, like you said, after the 1970's and not a single Oscar, they sort of painted themselves into the corner. Because when I think of his "Best" work, I never think of Scent of a Woman, but those 70's movies and The Devil's Advocate.

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Permalink Reply by khuff92 on July 1, 2009 at 2:35pm

I agree but I really did love him in Scent of a Woman.

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Permalink Reply by Alter_Ego on July 1, 2009 at 2:40am

Does anyone remember the 1999 Oscars, when Saving Private Ryan lost the Best Picture award to Shakespeare in Love? That one still gets to me.

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