# Which Academy Awards should be revoked? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726 "2004-12-27T01:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/41 "2004-12-27T19:29:00Z")
Five words: _The Greatest Show on Earth_. Come on, with a field consisting of _High Noon, The Quiet Man, Moulin Rouge_ and _Ivanhoe_ and the Oscar goes to the circus picture? And you there, Princess Grace? We will take the Oscar out of your cold dead hands and put it in Judy Garland’s cold dead hands where it belongs. For pete’s sake, Academy, Grace Kelly was getting a whole country, you couldn’t give Judy the Oscar she deserved? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/42 "2004-12-27T19:45:22Z")
I boycott the Oscars for their unconscienable refusal to recognize the genius that was [Harvey Lembeck.](http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/beachparty/pp5.jpg) . Bastards. ---
**Author:** ![3894](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/f4b2a3/32.png) [@3894](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3894)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/43 "2004-12-27T20:02:27Z")
S.J. Perelman, national treasure though he truly was, did not deserve the screenwriting Oscar for “Around The World in 80 Days”. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/44 "2004-12-27T20:55:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > :eek: > > You have got to be kidding, right? _Star Wars_ is a joke. There is not one single thing in that movie that is original, and the performances of the actors is wooden at best. (I love the movie, but Oscar-worthy it ain’t!) > > Ditto for the treacle that is _ET_. > > The other ones you mention I agree with totally. 😃 You’re right. Star Wars _is_ a joke. The acting _is_ bad. But… it’s also the most influential movie of the last quarter century, whereas Annie Hall is just a nice Woody Allen movie. And **lochdale** , those are the movies that Kramer vs. Kramer _beat_. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/45 "2004-12-27T21:08:05Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > I disagree with that. I felt _Shrek_ was much more clever and certainly less formulaic than _Monsters, Inc._ I agree that **Monsters Inc.** didn’t break any grounds in terms of its story, but as an animated movie overall, I think it’s a better long-term film than **Shrek,** which largely rode on its cachet of “hip” jokes to cover up its weaknesses (the most blatant being how it violates its own “don’t judge people by their appearance” theme with the recurring jokes about Prince Farquaand’s shortness). I mean, **Snow White** isn’t noted for its groundbreaking storytelling, but I don’t think anyone will deny it’s a classic, either. Again, mark my words – in ten years, people will watch **Shrek,** feel the gags drop like lead balloons, and wonder what the frag the Academy was thinking when they gave it the Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/46 "2004-12-27T21:17:47Z")
I can’t believe no one has yet nominated **The English Patient**. What a load of crap! Elaine Benes was right when she ripped into it on Seinfeld. It’s nine (count 'em, nine) Oscars in 1996 made me want to hurl a brick through my TV. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/47 "2004-12-27T21:22:31Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Marisa Tomei for _My Cousin Vinny_. She was up against some of the greatest actresses of our time: Judy Davis for _Husbands and Wives_, Joan Plowright for _Enchanted April_, \*Vanessa Redgrave \* for Howards End, and _Miranda Richardson_ for Damage. I mean, really now, the only thing she’s got that they don’t have is… she’s an American. Amen to that. The only thing Marisa Tomei should win an Oscar for is the ability to play Marisa Tomei in movies. Generally speaking, I think the Academy does itself a disservice when it gives a best-performance award to someone making his or her first starring appearance unless the person has a _long_ resume of other work. It’s too hard to know whether the Oscar should go to the performer or the casting director. ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/48 "2004-12-27T21:52:28Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Remember **Chariots of Fire** beating **Raiders of the Lost Ark** for Best Picture? Shit, has anyone even **seen** Chariots? It’s like it was scrubbed out of human consciousness. Seen it several times. Love it. Watch it whenever it’s on one of the movie channels. Maybe helps that I’m a coach… ---
**Author:** ![3894](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/f4b2a3/32.png) [@3894](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3894)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/49 "2004-12-27T21:58:45Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > I can’t believe no one has yet nominated **The English Patient**. What a load of crap! Yesssssss! Truly terrible. It’s the only film Mr. 3894 and I have ever walked out on. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/50 "2004-12-27T22:08:42Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Have I missed where someone jumps in and says Saving Private Ryan over Shakespeare In Love? > > That usually goes first. Agreed. I have not seen Shakespeare in Love, but I highly doubt that it even comes close to Saving Private Ryan. That decision pissed me off to no end. Jon Voight needs to have his oscar revoked simply on the merits of his current work. That monkey makes William Shatner look subtle and nuanced. The only good thing he ever brought to the screen was Angelina Jolie, who deserves an oscar for every movie she has ever been in simply based on personal hotness. > [@AwSnappity](#): > > Sorry, I’m going to have to defer to the Academy on that one. I think they have a pretty good idea about what they’re doing. If that were true, we wouldn’t have this thread now would we 😉 Julia Roberts should lose hers. It was just a pity award anyway. She’s made a career out of playing the same part over and over and over and over again. Plus she _really_ sucked in Mary Reilly. With a performance like that on your record, you should never ever ever be even considered for an oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/51 "2004-12-27T22:59:35Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Agreed. I have not seen Shakespeare in Love, but I highly doubt that it even comes close to Saving Private Ryan. That decision pissed me off to no end. Well, having had the advantage of actually seeing both movies, I disagree. Saving Private Ryan was a fairly predictable and ordinary, if unusually gory, war movie. Shakespeare in Love was a very clever, unusual, and well acted movie. No one would doubt this pick if it weren’t for the bizarre casting of Ben Affleck. Seriously, what the hell was he doing in that movie? My pick - Kevin Costner won best director for Dances With Wolves. Sorry, I don’t know if I can live in a universe where Kevin Costner has an Oscar for _anything_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/52 "2004-12-28T00:52:45Z")
Best Picture for **Terms of Endearment**. There’s no way a sappy, Shirley MacLaine tearjerker should get that award over **The Right Stuff**. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/53 "2004-12-28T01:06:24Z")
Paul Newman. I’m sorry, man, I love your work, but The Color of Money? Please. I don’t know who else was nominated, but they can’t have stunk up the joint that bad. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/54 "2004-12-28T01:09:20Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You’re right. Star Wars _is_ a joke. The acting _is_ bad. But… it’s also the most influential movie of the last quarter century, whereas Annie Hall is just a nice Woody Allen movie. Yeah, but you couldn’t tell that by the end of _that year_. **Star Wars** was a very influential film…in the long run. As a stand-alone judgement, it stank. 😃 And I have to go with **Kyla** on **Shakespeare in Love**. Much more original and moving than **Saving Private Whatisname**. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/55 "2004-12-28T01:13:03Z")
I would like to join others in piling on **Gladiator** , and to return to the year 2000 best picture contest. The greater outrage here lies in the list of nominees. **Erin Brockovich**? **Almost Famous** didn’t even get a best picture nomination, while the Miramax-produced crapfest that was **Chocolat** did. Oh, my god, I’m looking at the list of films from that year (2000) and there’s another one that should have been nominated: **Wonder Boys.** Outrage! Who can I write to? ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/56 "2004-12-28T01:18:12Z")
And has anyone mentioned **L A Confidential**? Oh, they have? Well, carry on, then. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/57 "2004-12-28T01:36:17Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Paul Newman. I’m sorry, man, I love your work, but The Color of Money? Please. I don’t know who else was nominated, but they can’t have stunk up the joint that bad. For the 1986 Oscar, Newman beat out Dexter Gordon (_Round Midnight_), Bob Hoskins (_Mona Lisa_), William Hurt (_Children of a Lesser God_), and James Woods (_Salvador_). [This site](http://www.filmsite.org/aa86.html) has year-by-year lists of nominees and winners in the major categories. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/58 "2004-12-28T01:52:01Z")
I saw _The English Patient_ on DVD a while back. Now I’m not really sure what kind of competition it had running against it, but surely they could have found a better recipitent for any of the awards it was nominated for, or won. What a horribly boring movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/59 "2004-12-28T02:28:58Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Julia Roberts should lose hers. It was just a pity award anyway. She’s made a career out of playing the same part over and over and over and over again. Truer words were never spoken. She plays the plucky, feisty Everygirl (often the underdog, outsider, etc) in every single movie she’s in. I think she is by far the most overrated actress in Hollywood. For the Best Actress Oscar in 2000 she was against Joan Allen for _The Contender_ (great performance, good movie), Juliette Binoche for _Chocolat_ (Juliette is lovely, but she’s just lucky this movie was cast before Audrey Tantou burst onto the scene), Ellen Burstyn for _Requiem for a Dream_ (I hated the movie but EB was great), and Laura Linney for _You Can Count on Me_ (LL is always good, she’ll get her Oscar sooner or later). ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726/60 "2004-12-28T03:02:57Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > For the 1986 Oscar, Newman beat out Dexter Gordon (_Round Midnight_), Bob Hoskins (_Mona Lisa_), William Hurt (_Children of a Lesser God_), and James Woods (_Salvador_). [This site](http://www.filmsite.org/aa86.html) has year-by-year lists of nominees and winners in the major categories. Just after I posted I stopped being lazy and looked on [imdb.com](http://imdb.com). Hoskins was head and shoulders better. Hurt was great. Woods was excellent. I have not seen Round Midnight, to my knowledge. But certainly there are three better performances than Newman. Making a mistake by ignoring him for the Hustler should not have been rectified in this manner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-academy-awards-should-be-revoked/281726.md?page=4)