Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Since Twilight destroyed the MTV Movie Awards I expect it to be in the top 10.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

What do you mean? The Oscars are notorious for snubbing films that deserve to win and giving make up statues later. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Batman 3 walks away with a best pic statue if its anything comparable to TDK.

For the record also, Scorsese should probably have at least four statues right now (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Departed.) Ordinary People & Dances with Wolves...seriously? At least Rocky is respectable but Bull still wipes the floor with it.

I'm just real curious to what nine other movies are gonna fill out the slot. I guess UP is a shoe in, but what the hell else is coming out that can get a nom? Public Enemies? Inglourious Basterds? Maybe Scorsese can grab a second statue from Shutter Island. Who knows.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

How incredibly stupid.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

In addition to the obvious money/advertising implications it is also a resume/backslapping maneuver.

Just think:
I produced Best Picture nominees in 5 consecutive years, or starred in them, or was a gopher on the set. It's just more self-congratulatory crap, which I can only hope will backfire and diminish the "prestige" (?) of being a best picture nomination. Just think about 5 years from now: "Transformers 2... that was an Oscar best film nominee in 2010... really? Oh that was when they were nominating everything."

Still, it's a rather curious move because it is unclear how much "best picture nominee" actually generates in terms of ticket or DVD sales. It may also make the late in the year Oscar machine backfire as you will either have movies earlier in the year taking away from the process or just have twice as much politicking compressed into the same time period making the end of the year pump and dump that much harder.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

I think they are doing this because when movie goers see advertizing that it's nominated for an Oscar they will go see it.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Just because they're now offering 10 slots doesn't mean Transformers 2 will be on it.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Havent watched the Oscars for about 10 years, as the quality of movies has really dropped this decade. I think once Shakespeare in Love won for the 1998 Best Picture, I realized I was wasting my time watching this show.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

1998 is almost the same time for me. I still held out hope until 2000 when Traffic won Director, Editing, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor. Then it vanished when that somehow didn't equal a Picture win.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Here we fucking go again.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

I don't understand why they just don't nominate films they feel worthy of winning the award each year, no matter how many or few there may be. A set number will always make it so that deserving films get snubbed or underserving films get nominations.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Can't say I really understand the decision...However, if they open the category to foreign films...

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

That goes without saying.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

I don't see the big deal here. First, they did this back in the beginning as mentioned. And yes, probably more and better quality films were released. Plus, critics do a Top 10 best of list at the end of each year.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

They also didn't have as many awards category 'back in the beginning' either. Somehow, this getting back to its roots spin rings a bit hollow and I'm a bit stunned that they think anyone will buy it.

And if you look at some of the crap that makes critics Top 10 lists, I'm not sure that's the example they want to follow.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

What do you mean they didn't have as many awards category?

Also, if by "crap" you mean non-commerical films or box-office hits, then that's mostly what the Oscars nominate anyway.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

the first year, 1927-28, only three films were nominated for best picture. Eight films were nominated in 31-32, ten the next year, TWELVE in 33-34 and 1935, so the academy has always been all over the place.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

They already are eligibile. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon scored a Best Picture nom back in 2001, but it is a rare feat, much like an animated film getting nominated.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

After last year's Oscar's telecast I more or less have given up on the Academy. This bonehead decision is just the icing on the cake.

Perhaps they want to make sure every Holocaust or WWII picture gets a Best Picture nominee? ;)

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Fine by me as long as Inglourious Basterds is up there :lol:

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Of the 24 current awards, 5 didn't exist pre-1947, 8 didn't exist pre-1940... there were a few awards in the 30's that had a few years of run but overall there were fewer award types in the days they are trying to "get back to"

What I was trying to say is that just because critics decide to have top 10 lists, doesn't mean the Oscars should.... most critics also do not separate out awards for foreign films, documentaries or animated films like the Oscars. And there is a bunch of crap that shows up on these lists... the Oscar nominees already have some questionable choices - adding 5 so they potentially avoid slighting one or two films in a given year is ridiculous. So a movie gets left off the nominee list in an odd year...because of that risk they need to double the nominee list EVERY year? How do folks see this as anything but a commercially driven decision

Bottom line you don't need a 10 movie list to get the best picture... if a movie is 7th or 8th on the nominee list, then it probably is not really the best picture to begin with.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

I was about to the say the same thing. I hope Tarantino gets some love from the Academy if Basterds is as good as I hope it is. I mean...it's a WWII film using 8 Jew soldiers out to kick Nazi ass. It's like Munich + Saving Private Ryan...in Tarantino style.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

I was bored, so I checked this out. If I'm not mistaken, only 3 films have won Best Picture without getting a Best Director nomination. The last was Driving Miss Daisy in 1989, and you have to go back to 1932 for the previous one, Grand Hotel. Wings was the other, and they had separate categories for dramatic and comedy directing that first year.

So, at least half of the 10 nominees will be considered very long shots right off the bat. It will be interesting to see if a movie can crack this in the coming years, if they stick with it.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

Yeah, the last ten years have been pretty pathetic for Best Oscar Winners:


2000- Gladiator - good, fun movie, but Best Picture?
2001- A Beautiful Mind - good movie, but a payback to Ron Howard for Apollo 13.
2002- Chicago - don't need to explain this one.
2003- Return of the King - winner because of the achievement of trilogy for the past 3 years.
2004- Million Dollar Baby - I liked it, but WAY overrated.
2005- Crash? I think this beat Brokeback Mountain?
2006- The Departed - Another good movie, but more a lifetime achievment award for Marty as he should have won for Goodfellas and Raging Bull.
2007- No Country for Old Men - Solid movie
2008- Slumdog Millionaire - Honestly haven't seen it yet.


Wow, what a terrible decade. Making 10 best movie selections wont make a difference with the crap out today.

Re: Oscars doubling best-picture nominees to 10
 

No Country For Old Men
Slumdog Millionaire