For those who hate Crash, you all understand that it’s not the James Spader version that includes both straight and homosexual sex after intentional vehicle collisions, right?
Good. Even so, I voted right away for 2004 piece of garbage, when both Munich and Brokeback Mountain were masterful pieces.
I actually like the James Spader film of the same name, though.
What’s strange, though, is I never knew there was so much hatred for Crash. It seems like everyone I ever talk to in person loves it, loves its message, its production, bobloblawlawblog. Before today, it’s always been my secret shame to hate this piece of shit movie.
If you are instructed not to respond unless you have seen at least 15 movies, responding that you have seen fewer than that is a violation of the instruction set. That’s the ironic point being made.
The thing about “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is that it was horribly NOT what Tolkien wrote. About the only part of the movie that is really impressive is something that Tolkien DID write: the arrival of the Rohirrim on the battlefield at the siege of Minas Tirith. But the rest of it is just awful, from the icky portrayal of Denethor to the schlocky attacks by the fell beasts the Nazgûl are riding. And yes, the award can be considered an attempt to reward Jackson for the whole trilogy, and I agree, that’s not particularly right. Might as well have given the Academy Award to “The Deathly Hallows, Part 2” for the same reason.
Well I for one voted for Crash. Of course people who love that movie love its message but, come on, I can’t recall any acting, plot, direction, that would make it an Oscar level film. And yes, Brokeback Mountain was far and away the superior film for that year.
Looking through the list (I’ve seen about 20 of the films), I am unfortunately reminded of just how cold most BP winners leave me. They hardly ever seem to break new ground either via narrative or technical production, so I’m at a loss as to what specific characteristics make them ‘best’ anyway. The real tell, however, is that there is not a single film of this group that would make my little personal list of 'watch whenever and wherever it’s on".
As for worst, well, there can be only one, and for me that’s…Titanic. Yes, some considerable technical achievement there, but the jaw-droppingly lazy, primitive storytelling really put me off.
Of the others I’ve seen, the only totally legit winners (in my view) are:
No Country for Old Men
12 Years a Slave
The Departed
Also, count me as one of the few who seem to have any affection for Argo and The Artist, although without ever considering them Best Pictures.
Of the 20-some I’ve seen (and I haven’t seen Crash), I’d say The Shape of Water. A good period sf romance but not quite of Best Picture caliber.
Those I’ve seen that I thought did earn their BP wins: Amadeus, The Silence of the Lambs, Shakespeare in Love, Gladiator and No Country for Old Men. Some others were good, but not *that *good.,
You left one of the most egregious offenders off the list: Oliver!, which beat out **2001 **in 1969.
A pleasant enough little musical, nothing earthshaking, beat out one of the most significant movies of the 20th century.
Are you sure you saw the movie? I’ve seen it several times and I certainly don’t recall any baby being born. Thugs have the biggest guns? They both ended up WITHOUT their guns. {SPOILERS}
What a lot of people dislike about the movie is what I actually like. Of the main characters, there are only 2 that come out as relatively all around nice people. And even they aren’t perfect. You go along thinking that you’ve got a bad cop and a good cop until you see the bad cop show heroics and compassion and the good cop commits murder and covers it up.
I like that no ethnic group is really spared. I really like how every character has their racist terrible moments and also their compassionate humane ones as well.
I know with movies and books, a lot of people need a really likeable character that they can identify with. I’m more intrigued by movies and books that can keep my interest in the story even when the characters are people I wouldn’t want sitting at my breakfast table.
I’ve given too much thought to this topic not to weigh in… sorry.
I voted for Driving Miss Daisy as it doesn’t represent the “peak” of anything or anybody in this film. It’s not peak Tandy. It’s not peak Freeman. It’s not a peak “anti-racism” movie. It’s just there, wallowing in its whataboutisms and white washings. Other films on this list may have worse aspects, but none of them exude the mediocrity which DMD does.
To go with the idea of what films were right (or arguably right), my list would include:
Terms of Endearment
Amadeus
Silence of the Lambs
Unforgiven
Schindler’s List
Forrest Gump*
Titanic**
ROTK
Million Dollar Baby
No Country for Old Men***
12 Years a Slave
*Yes, I said it. And I love Pulp Fiction.
**Gets my vote as most accurate Best Picture winner on this list. A 3 hour action-tinged costume drama romance, one which cost $200m to make and was a ridiculously troubled shoot, becomes the biggest movie of all time (unadjusted)? Seriously, how could that not be the best production of the year? (Right, GWTW?)
***Had this lost to There Will Be Blood, TWBB would be on this list.
I remember reading somewhere that The Greatest Show on Earth (which won Best Picture in 1952) was considered to the worst film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars.
It certainly is a classic example of a pretty bad movie that won and I also had often read that it was one of the worst. People complained at the time, I think.
I picked Forest Gump for two reasons – the first, and probably the most relevant reason is that, in spite of liking Tom Hanks (almost everyone does), I thought the movie itself was technically clever, without actually being good or important. The less relevant reason was that I totally was in love with “Pulp Fiction”, and thought it ought to have won Best Picture for its writing, acting, sheer audaciousness, and complete originality.
There are other films that I might have picked, but on a really personal basis, it had to be “Forest Gump”.
That said, there are other overrated films, I feel, that have won, but that’s simply the way it is. I may not get why someone loves another film that I dislike, or hates a film that I really love. But usually I can accept it. For some reason, Forest Gump really sticks in my craw.
I was able to see the point in, and tune into the pathos of, Gladiator. It’s longish, but it’s sooooo bitter. Loved it.
Titanic was steaming, drippy, shite. That it is so popular just makes me wonder what planet I’m on. I’ve tried to find something to like about it, and I’m good at that–I can watch just about anything and at least understand why the movie would have been made, but there’s nothing at all I can find about Titanic that makes it worth seeing.
Shakespeare in Love, ugh. Had to see it twice (first time ended with power outage 3/4 way through). Wife loved it. Brutal. All-star cast. Drek. Seemed to be recycled memes on writers block, impossible love affairs, cross-dressing for parts.
If only they’d done it as a parody - think Airplane or Galaxy Quest. Let the high-powered stars devour the scenery; I might, might have enjoyed it.
Without looking up the competitors (which we’re not supposed to!), I liked Argo a lot. Maybe not best picture a lot, but it’s a very well made movie only slightly spoiled by a silly sequence at the end.
The Artist was perfectly charming, certainly not a Best Picture worthy film, but Hollywood likes to regard itself.
Titanic was bad, but it made sense as BP because as infantile as I found it, it was also a grand spectacle and visually amazing, so fine, I get it.
