Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 16:50:51 GMT -5
In the midst of the Academy Award's latest controversy it was pointed out that "achievement in popular film" was actually a category at the first Oscars. So, for the sake of argument, let's say they had never removed the category. Which movies would have been nominated and won? I'm gonna try to figure this up decade by decade. First up, the 2000's. 2000Almost Famous American Psycho Cast Away Remember the Titans Requiem for a Dream This is a tough one because the Best Picture nominees that year WERE popular movies. Gladiator, which won Best Picture, was a blockbuster. Chocolat, Crouching Tiger and Erin Brockovich were successful movies. So they might have used the Popular Film category to acknowledge "pop culture" movies with maybe Cast Away winning since 18 years later you can look at a volleyball, say Wilson, and people know what you're talking about. Gladiator, aside from Doomsday, does anyone give a fuck about that movie? I think everyone immediately dismissed that as Braveheart-lite. 2001Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Monster's, Inc Moulin Rouge! Shrek In contrast, this was super easy. A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture that year, which made everyone roll their eyes. So the question is: do they give Popular Film to Oscar-friendly Moulin Rouge or crowd-favorite LOTR? Let's say LOTR did win, in your eyes Dracula, which was REALLY the Best Picture winner that year??? 20028 Mile The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Minority Report My Big Fat Greek Wedding Spider-Man Obvious winner: Minority Report. Chicago won Best Picture that year. Same question as above goes to PG Cooper in this round. 2003Big Fish Finding Nemo Kill Bill, Vol. 1 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Plot twist: LOTR wins Popular Film, Mystic River wins Best Picture  2004Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The Incredibles Shaun of the Dead Shrek 2 Spider-Man 2 The real debate is if the Oscars would have had the balls to nominate The Passion of the Christ. Regardless... Eternal Sunshine is our winner. 2005The 40-Year-Old Virgin Batman Begins King Kong March of the Penguins Sin City Crash won Best Picture that year. Nuff said. 2006Borat Dreamgirls Casino Royale Happy Feet The Pursuit of Happyness Would Best Animated Film have even existed if Best Popular Film was a category? Regardless... we know the Oscars would have chosen Dreamgirls. 2007The Bourne Ultimatum Enchanted Knocked Up Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Ratatouille Same question as above. 2008The Dark Knight Iron Man Mamma Mia! Tropic Thunder Wall-E In a stunning upset, the winner is Wall-E.  2009If the Popular Film category existed, the Oscars would have never expanded to 10 nominees in 2009. So this is the EASIEST one to figure out cause this was the year the Oscars were trying to suck people's cock. Avatar The Blind Side District 9 Pixar's Up Maaayyybeee The Hangover just to shake things up. Winner: Avatar |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 9, 2018 17:25:28 GMT -5
This is actually a great thread because it points out just how ridiculous this category is going to be come Oscar season.
I would take Requiem for a Dream and American Psycho off the list for 2000, those movies while good and now with big followings, wouldn't have been anywhere near that category. Remember the Titans though, wow remember that piece of shit? It's the most cliched sports movie in the history of sports movies. They all jog to a Civil War battlefield, get the fuck outta here.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 9, 2018 17:32:38 GMT -5
20028 Mile The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Minority Report My Big Fat Greek Wedding Spider-Man Obvious winner: Minority Report. Chicago won Best Picture that year. Same question as above goes to PG Cooper in this round. If anything, this would just annoy me more. Minority Report is my favourite film from 2002; giving it a consellation prize for being "popular" feels like a slap in the face and a failure to recognize the film's artistry. Anyway, fun thread. |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 18:26:02 GMT -5
20028 Mile The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Minority Report My Big Fat Greek Wedding Spider-Man Obvious winner: Minority Report. Chicago won Best Picture that year. Same question as above goes to PG Cooper in this round. If anything, this would just annoy me more. Minority Report is my favourite film from 2002; giving it a consellation prize for being "popular" feels like a slap in the face and a failure to recognize the film's artistry. Anyway, fun thread. Best Picture: Minority Report Best Artistic Merit: Chicago Fixed. |
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Post by Dracula on Aug 9, 2018 18:26:59 GMT -5
This is a bit of an odd exercise given that we know nothing about the criteria of how eligibility is going to work except that movies are going to be eligible for both this and BP (meaning your decision to keep the Gladiators of the world out of this is probably wrong). Also you might want to look up some of these box office numbers because I don't see any scenario where American Psycho (domestic gross: $15 million), Requiem for a Dream (domestic gross: $3.6 million), Shaun of the Dead (domestic gross: $13 million), or even Eternal Sunshine (domestic gross: $34 million) would have fit whatever the criteria ended up being.
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 9, 2018 18:32:23 GMT -5
If anything, this would just annoy me more. Minority Report is my favourite film from 2002; giving it a consellation prize for being "popular" feels like a slap in the face and a failure to recognize the film's artistry. Anyway, fun thread. Best Picture: Minority Report Best Artistic Merit: Chicago Fixed. But Chicago doesn't have more artistic merit than Minority Report. |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 18:38:38 GMT -5
This is a bit of an odd exercise given that we know nothing about the criteria of how eligibility is going to work except that movies are going to be eligible for both this and BP (meaning your decision to keep the Gladiators of the world out of this is probably wrong). Also you might want to look up some of these box office numbers because I don't see any scenario where American Psycho (domestic gross: $15 million), Requiem for a Dream (domestic gross: $3.6 million), Shaun of the Dead (domestic gross: $13 million), or even Eternal Sunshine (domestic gross: $34 million) would have fit whatever the criteria ended up being. Movies can become popular on home video. So I guess it would depend on when it was released and when nominations get announced. |
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Aug 9, 2018 18:39:58 GMT -5
Best Picture: Minority Report Best Artistic Merit: Chicago Fixed. But Chicago doesn't have more artistic merit than Minority Report. And Minority Report (somehow) isn't more popular than Chicago. MR: $132 million Chicago: $170 million |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 18:40:08 GMT -5
Best Picture: Minority Report Best Artistic Merit: Chicago Fixed. But Chicago doesn't have more artistic merit than Minority Report. Best Picture: Chicago Best Artistic Merit: Minority Report |
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Aug 9, 2018 18:41:42 GMT -5
This is a bit of an odd exercise given that we know nothing about the criteria of how eligibility is going to work except that movies are going to be eligible for both this and BP (meaning your decision to keep the Gladiators of the world out of this is probably wrong). Also you might want to look up some of these box office numbers because I don't see any scenario where American Psycho (domestic gross: $15 million), Requiem for a Dream (domestic gross: $3.6 million), Shaun of the Dead (domestic gross: $13 million), or even Eternal Sunshine (domestic gross: $34 million) would have fit whatever the criteria ended up being. Movies can become popular on home video. So I guess it would depend on when it was released and when nominations get announced. Those movies have cult followings but they weren't built by the February of the next year, especially not with year 2000 theatrical windows. |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 18:42:28 GMT -5
But Chicago doesn't have more artistic merit than Minority Report. And Minority Report (somehow) isn't more popular than Chicago. MR: $132 million Chicago: $170 million The Last Jedi is the highest grossing movie of 2017 and the most hated movie of 2017. |
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Post by Dracula on Aug 9, 2018 18:48:57 GMT -5
And Minority Report (somehow) isn't more popular than Chicago. MR: $132 million Chicago: $170 million The Last Jedi is the highest grossing movie of 2017 and the most hated movie of 2017. I don't know, that was the same year as Justice League... |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 9, 2018 18:57:10 GMT -5
The Last Jedi is the highest grossing movie of 2017 and the most hated movie of 2017. I don't know, that was the same year as Justice League... The Phantom Menace |
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Post by Pbar on Aug 10, 2018 0:02:25 GMT -5
In the midst of the Academy Award's latest controversy it was pointed out that "achievement in popular film" was actually a category at the first Oscars. Actually...it was "Best Unique Or Artistic Film" |
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Post by Neverending on Aug 10, 2018 2:19:26 GMT -5
This should be interesting. The 1990’s. 1990Die Hard 2 Edward Scissorhands Home Alone Pretty Woman Total Recall Dances with Wolves, Ghost and Goodfellas are popular movies, BUT, they also nominated Godfather III, which is fucking bizarre, and Awakenings is a forgotten movie. I watched Awakenings as a kid. I like Robin Williams. My mom liked the movie. I have the VHS laying in a box somewhere. But the movie is unknown to most people under 30. So you can see the choices above as “pop culture.” Even Doomsday has to admit that people like, say, Total Recall more than Dances with Wolves, even back then. The fact it beat Goodfellas was a shitstorm from the moment it was announced. People have REASONS to hate Dances with Wolves. 1991Beauty and the Beast Boyz n the Hood Cape Fear Terminator 2: Judgement Day Thelma & Louise 1991 was progressive. Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture. Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture. But it also ignored cultural touchstones like Boyz n the Hood and Thelma & Louise and industry touchstones like Terminator 2. So a Popular Film category could have been fitting in spite of Dracula’s bitching and moaning. 1992Aladdin Bram Stoker’s Dracula A League of Their Own Malcolm X My Cousin Vinny Again. There’s progress being made with The Crying Game, which is an LGBT movie, but then there’s the massive snub of Malcolm X. I think you could have shuffled the Best Picture and Popular Film categories. Put Malcolm X in Best Picture and Few Good Men in Popular Film. PG Cooper, your thoughts? 1993Groundhog Day In the Line of Fire Jurassic Park Mrs. Doubtfire Sleepless in Seattle An extra Oscar for Spielberg. 1994Dumb and Dumber The Lion King Pulp Fiction Speed True Lies  1995Die Hard with a Vengeance Heat Se7en Toy Story The Usual Suspects Whichever Kevin Spacey movie wins, we lose. 1996Independence Day Jerry Maguire Mission: Impossible The Nutty Professor The Rock Believe it or not, this list is better than the actual Best Picture nominees that year. FShuttari, you win this round. 1997As Good as It Gets Good Will Hunting Liar Liar Men in Black Titanic Titanic: winner of 12 Academy Awards 1998Saving Private Ryan Shakespeare in Love There’s Something About Mary The Mask of Zorro The Truman Show Winner: Shakespeare in Love  1999American Beauty The Matrix Toy Story 2 The Sixth Sense Sleepy Hollow  |
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 10, 2018 8:30:21 GMT -5
The Last Jedi is the highest grossing movie of 2017 and the most hated movie of 2017. Yeah, by idiots. |
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 10, 2018 8:31:36 GMT -5
Yeah, if this category existed in 93, both Spielberg's films would have won.
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 10, 2018 10:41:27 GMT -5
I give a fuck about Gladiator. In fact, possible hot take: I prefer it to Braveheart.
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 10, 2018 11:42:01 GMT -5
A lot of people love gladiator. Maybe not people in our cinephile circles, but a lot of muggles love it.
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 10, 2018 11:46:29 GMT -5
1992Aladdin Bram Stoker’s Dracula A League of Their Own Malcolm X My Cousin Vinny Again. There’s progress being made with The Crying Game, which is an LGBT movie, but then there’s the massive snub of Malcolm X. I think you could have shuffled the Best Picture and Popular Film categories. Put Malcolm X in Best Picture and Few Good Men in Popular Film. PG Cooper, your thoughts? I'll agree that Malcolm X was screwed over. The Academy has a proud history of criminally ignoring Spike Lee. I give a fuck about Gladiator. In fact, possible hot take: I prefer it to Braveheart. That's because Gladiator is much better than Braveheart. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 10, 2018 12:19:49 GMT -5
Yup. As much as I like Braveheart -- and I DO think it's a damn good movie -- it loses steam in its last hour.
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 10, 2018 12:26:33 GMT -5
I give a fuck about Gladiator. In fact, possible hot take: I prefer it to Braveheart. That's because Gladiator is much better than Braveheart. Yup. As much as I like Braveheart -- and I DO think it's a damn good movie -- it loses steam in its last hour. |
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 10, 2018 12:27:27 GMT -5
Yup. As much as I like Braveheart -- and I DO think it's a damn good movie -- it loses steam in its last hour. I just think Braveheart is...kinda dumb. I mean, it's really entertaining and certainly a fun watch, but it's ultimately a pretty shallow movie with some laughable dialogue. I guess Gladiator is pretty shallow too, but it feels a lot more dignified. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 10, 2018 12:51:21 GMT -5
Yup. As much as I like Braveheart -- and I DO think it's a damn good movie -- it loses steam in its last hour. I just think Braveheart is...kinda dumb. I mean, it's really entertaining and certainly a fun watch, but it's ultimately a pretty shallow movie with some laughable dialogue. I guess Gladiator is pretty shallow too, but it feels a lot more dignified. Hear that? Doomsday's head just exploded.
I wouldn't go so far as to call Braveheart "dumb"...just that both movies have different approaches, and they each ultimately succeed. Gladiator just does it in a more consistent, compelling manner for my money.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 10, 2018 13:00:37 GMT -5
Gladiator is a tighter movie. More focused on a few key events, fewer characters, it does meander in places but it doesn't have the scope of Braveheart which is a guy's life story. The battles in Braveheart though are light years better than the opening Gladiator battle. You can disagree but that will just force me to paste more youtube vids.
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