Mabuse

Yeah, Shawshank didn’t even have to win and it still got a huge boost thanks to a bunch of nominations. That’s how much the Oscars used to mean. Thanks for making my point.

Shawshank was horribly marketed. I had read the book and really liked it and even I didn’t go see it until the post nom re-release.

AaronHernandez

I wouldn't say audience are dumb,most foreign markets have have their own drama and art films and all they need from Hollywood is Big Action films and really the the complex plot's and smart writing in the US and UK is done for the small screen. The average age for the US moviegoer is also significantly younger then it was pre Jaw's despite life expenctancy jumping since then. Adults go to the movie's now for the spectacle. Essentially people stay home for foreplay and go to the movies for the freaky 5 minute handjob

Mabuse

So are you arguing they’re not getting dumber? I’d say what you wrote proves my point.

AaronHernandez

Has nothing to do with intelligence many drama's and comedies come from a very Americancentric prespective. Same way UK or American's are not dumb cause they weren't watching Polish or Turkish Comedy's in the 70's that were megahit's in those places but joke's in their films were very much centendered on the people of those countries. Tyler Perry and Seth Rogen movie's don't do anywhere near as business as much oversea's because the humor may only translate to a certain niche American audience not because people are too stupid to get Medea Goes Boo

Dr. Mantle

Are you arguing that Shawshank became a hit on video primarily because of the Oscar noms? Then why doesn't that happen to every small film that gets nominated?

As for any decline in the quality of Best Picture nominated movies goes, look at this roster from just two years ago.

Spotlight
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room

Not a bad movie in the bunch. And three of them made $100 million.

Now compare that with a couple of years from the 90s.

1998
Shakespeare in Love
Elizabeth
Life is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line

Ryan and Line are great, but has there ever been a movie more shamelessly manipulative than Life is Beautiful? I like Elizabeth, but it's a fairly standard costume drama with a gangster ending. And do I need to actually use the words, "Fuck Shakespeare in Love," or is it pretty much implied by now?

What did the Academy pass over (for Best Picture) that year?
The Truman Show
Pleasantville
Primary Colors
Out of Sight
Bulworth
Babe: Pig in the City
Rushmore
A Simple Plan

1990
Dances with Wolves
Awakenings
Ghost
The Godfather III
Goodfellas

Did everyone forget that fucking Ghost was nominated for Best Picture? I'm actually a defender of GF3, but you can't ignore it's many flaws. Awakenings and Wolves both work, but their main selling point is telling the audience, "You're a good person if you like this movie." Only Goodfellas is a genuine masterpiece.

What didn't get a BP nom in 1990?
Dick Tracy
Misery
Jacob's Ladder
Reversal of Fortune
Pump Up the Volume

The Academy slate seem to consist of one or two genuinely great films, one or two mostly good films, and one or two pieces of manipulative dreck. Of course with up to ten films that could be nominated now, some of those films may fall lower on any scale.

Did you know Chocolat was nominated?

Have you seen 1956 winner The Greatest Show on Earth?

Movies vary from year to year. The Oscars vary from year to year. Claims of a downward trend are just Get-Off-My-Lawn syndrome.

mcnabb

Ghost is a great movie, IMO. There seems to be certain movies that get a backlash years later for some reason because they have a love story that certain people find corny (Ghost, Jerry Maguire, Titanic). They are all great movies that have heart, and yes they are alittle cheesy, but they are better then any of the shit that comes out today. These movies were made for a mass audience, and that is what is missing in today movies.

I still think TV is the better medium and that is another reason the Oscars aren't relevant anymore. 10-15 years ago, I would rent a movie every weekend, whereas I would rather binge watch a good TV show these days.

nando820

This is a review of the movie "Annihilation" starting Natalie Portamn.
I'm posting it here because they touch a bit on Hollywood and how they seem to be marketing movies.
And yeah these guys are ruthless

JeffTheAlpaca

Dances with Wolves won but it was a terrible movie.

Mabuse

It’s an alright movie. It’s a bit cliche and overly sentimental, but I like its pace. It’s not afraid to spend a long time to get where it’s going. And it was a passion project of just one person. I admire that. Like Get Out. So many movies are made by committee. I like a personal project.

Defiant1

I would say that the Academy Awards' selection of Elizabeth and Cate Blanchett certainly helped launched her career. She is the most acclaimed actress of her generation and is still in the top-tier class 20 years later.

nando820

Decker

I just watched I, Tonya and I really liked it. I actually thought Allison Janney was really good in it, but I still came back to the same conclusion : Not only was Laurie Metcalf better, she was better in essentially the same role. Both play demanding, unaffectionate, hyper-critical mothers of rebellious adolescent girls but Metcalf brings some nuance to the part, allowing you to see the cracks in the veneer while Janney just plays her as a monster. How did Janney win every award and Metcalf not take home a single one? What are they seeing that I'm missing here?