And the Winner Is...

[eleanor]

[size=1] I really wanted to get a look on which movie you guys think will snag Best Picture at the Oscars. I think the three main films most people are talking about are [b]Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King[/b], [b]Cold Mountain[/b], [b]Big Fish[/b], and [b]The Last Samurai[/b]. Unfortunately, I have yet to see all of them excluding LoTR. It's a bit stupid saying this when I haven't seen all of them, but I really think it'd be great if LoTR won, since I belive Peter Jackons deserves it. Heck, all of them probably deserve it, but I'm your regular Lord of the Rings fanatic, here.

Your opinions?[/size]

[Semjaza]

I think the main idea in the past was that if any of the Lord of the Rings pictures were to win best picture, it would have to be the last one. It made really no sense to give it to the first two when a third would be coming so soon. This is the only one that even has a chance.

Personally, I feel Big Fish is the best movie I saw this year... However, fantasy movies in the vein of these films very, very rarely win Best Picture oscars (which is another problem against Lord of the Rings in general).

[Guest lavalamp]

[i]Mary-Kate And Ashley: The Challenge[/i], hands down.

[DeadSeraphim]

If I had to choose from them I'd say LOTR, but otherwise I'd say the movie Lost in Translation. Or Cowboy Bebop *laughs quietly to himself*. But Mary Kate and Ashley???? What were you thinking???

[Xyandar]

I agree with CrH! LOTR is a REALLY good movie. I vote for that:P

[krippled master]

I tell you what, there were like 1000 good movies last year, great year for movies. I think LotR will win because thats the way it goes. I thought it was uber cool, so thats strait. I think however, The Matrix Revolutions should start winning some crap. The special effects were too cool.

[Charles]

I think you LOTR fans are in for a serious dose of disappointment. From what I've been reading, [b]Finding Nemo[/b] has a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture. The only other animated feature to do such a thing was [b]Beauty and the Beast[/b]. So it's in good company, that's for sure.

[b]The Last Samurai[/b], although a fantastic movie, was not very original. It borrowed too many elements from [b]Dances with Wolves[/b] to come away with the big one. [spoiler]I also didn't like the thoroughly "Hollywood" kiss scene.[/spoiler] Having said that, I don't think it's serious competition.

[dd protector]

I really hope that LOTR wins the best picture this year but i think Big Fish has a good chance.

I didn't really get to see Finding Nemo but the graphics for it looked pretty good.

I agree about the last samurai Charles.

[haruno_sakura]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Charles [/i]
[B]I think you LOTR fans are in for a serious dose of disappointment. From what I've been reading, [b]Finding Nemo[/b] has a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture. The only other animated feature to do such a thing was [b]Beauty and the Beast[/b]. So it's in good company, that's for sure.
[/QUOTE]

Do you mean the only other animated feature to be [i]nominated[/i] for Best Picture was [b]Beauty and the Beast[/b]? Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture ever, but it didn't win. It lost to the Silence of the Lambs, I believe.

I am a little worried that LOTR isn't going to win Best Picture, mainly because as someone pointed out before, the Oscars just isn't kind to fantasy films when it comes to the Best Picture category. As much as I hope for Return of the King to win, I'm not sure if it actually will. From an article I've read in Rolling Stone, it seems they believe Mystic River will take the top prize on Oscar night. I've never seen the movie so I wouldn't know how great it is, but I'm going to be rooting for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King all the way! ^_^

~haruno_sakura

[eleanor]

[size=1] Yes, I know there's a huge possibility that LoTR won't be going home with Best Picture. Ocars tend to choose movies that have deeper meaning, and like Semjaza Azazel said, fantasy-genre movies are usually just looked down upon in that sense.

But I think it has a very good chance at winning Best Director. Or maybe I'm just being stupid.[/size]

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by haruno_sakura [/i]
[B]Do you mean the only other animated feature to be [i]nominated[/i] for Best Picture was [b]Beauty and the Beast[/b]? Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture ever, but it didn't win. It lost to the Silence of the Lambs, I believe. [/B][/QUOTE]

Yes, I apologize. I should have been more clear. I thought I came across well enough at the time. I can see the confusion though. I meant, it has as an opportunity as [b]Beauty and the Beast[/b] did. I can see how my point could be misunderstood though with the way I worded it.

[duorocks17]

I really hope that Lord of the Rings wins, even though i hate to admitt that it might not have a chance. All of the LOTR films where great epic masterpieces. The visual effects where stunning, and the fight scences where great. If it doesn't win best picture, i hope that Peter Jackson will at least win. He did an awesome job. And just think of all that time he put into it. All those hours of special features, and that sort of stuff. (Plus, i loved how he incororated his kids into at least one scence in every movie.)

Out of the ones listed I think that Cold Mountain will win. I never saw this movie but there has been a lot of hype about it.

[krippled master]

Finding Nemo was great, every thing about the movie was amazingly done, however, I think it would be a shame to let the last LotR(the best of the three) go down. I havent seen Last Samurai because i have not been able to since it came out. I want to see it though, I am a fanatic about feudal japan and samurai stuff. Either way, if it is nominated, I dont think it will win.

[JazzLady22]

Hmmmm, I think that [B]Cold Mountain[/B], [B] Lord of the Rings: Return of the King [/B], [B] Lost in Translation [/B], [B] Finding Nemo [/B], [B] Big Fish [/B], and [B] Mystic River [/B] all have a legitimate shot at being nominated. Of course, that's too many films, but I couldn't pick one over the other.

Someone mentioned [B] The Last Samurai [/B] earlier. It was a great, enjoyable movie, but just not Oscar material. I agree that it borrows way too much from Dances with Wolves, and it didn't really do anything groundbreaking that you hadn't seen before. The other movies listed above did more than just entertain.

And no one more than me wants to see an LOTR win on Oscar night. But over hard hitting, realistic dramas, it doesn't stand much of a chance in the voters eyes. But I'm looking forward to a nomination, and maybe a win, for Peter Jackson.

[Hybrid Theory]

I really think that Lord of the rings:return of the king, should win because that movie is the best out of all the lord of the rings movies. And they put alot into that, they had to explain alot and finish the story,and they did it very well in the retrurn of the king. I hope it wins:D

[Dagger]

Although I haven't yet seen Monster (a film that was originally released in 2003, but recently expanded to more cities and theatres), I've read articles which stated that it has a very good chance of getting nominated in several categories. Starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci, it's based on the story of Aileen Wuornos, a female serial killer who was executed in 2002. Due to its subject material, Monster is said to be an intense movie--difficult to watch and emotionally taxing, but ultimately very well done.

I'd like to know whether anyone plans to see this film or believes that it's capable of winning an Oscar.

~Dagger~

[Mitch]

[size=1] [b]The Last Samurai[/b] was the best movie I've seen all year. I haven't really seen Dances with Wolves, so I can't comment on what Charles said; but honestly, something like that shouldn't get in the way of a film winning something it deserves. While there are original movies out there, I think that there's been so many movies, that you could, within some reason, point out some point that isn't original in a movie. Movies, to me, aren't about orginiality. They're about telling a story, just like writing, in some aspects, is.

And the story that [b]The Last Samurai[/b] told, and how it was presented, and so many aspects of this movie in general, were amazing.

Charles, if Finding Nemo has a shot, it's not original. It's just like Toy Story, only with fish. :rolleyes:

Heh. The Matrix: Revolutions, it wasn't original at all, it was just another Matrix all over again, with its special effects for its prosthetics and main draw point. :rolleyes:

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wasn't original at all. There's been plenty of movies about Kings, even some fantasy movies. Lord of the Rings is just your typical fantasy story of good versus evil, your cliche story, told so many times in movies, of the bad guys against the good guys. And there were already two other Lord of the Rings movies, the first was original, but the second two weren't, they took everything from the first and just expanded. :rolleyes:

Beauty and the Beast. What a horrid movie, lol. :p

I say everyone, if they want to see one more good movie this year, should go see [b]The Last Samurai[/b]. The movie was amazing, and stands out much farther than anything--even Lord of the Rings, and that right there is saying a lot.

I highly doubt Lord of the Rings will win Best Picture. We'll see though.

I still think Last Samurai deserves it. It's honestly the best movie, if you actually were to go see it and know. ;p

Or of course, maybe I'm just an opinionated *****, and I'm wrong in saying this. But I'm sure many people that saw Last Samurai would stand where I've stood and say what I've said the same way. The movie was honestly amazing, originality aside.[/size]

[Guest Inuyasha7575]

I think LOTR is the best it had me hanging on from the beginning to end leaving me mad wondering how long till I get to see the end I just want to know what happened to Frodo after he got on the boat with the Elves and Gandalf. The battle scences were beautiful and I could take my eyes of it for a second.

[OlgaTheDwarf]

[i]Finding Nemo[/i] has no chance of winning. Simply because the academy decided, in an attempt to justify not giving [i]Shrek[/i] the award it deserved, to create the Best Animated Feature award. So, I have no doubt [i]Finding Nemo[/i] will not lose that, even though I really didn't care much for it at all.

I really think that [i]LOTR[/i] is going to win, but that's what I thought the last 2 years, and what happend, it didn't. I'm just simply blinded by my own fanboy-ism of LOTR to see anything else as worthy. And if it doesn't win, I can always blow up the academy, can't I?

[Semjaza]

I thought the best Animated Feature award only appears when there were enough new animated films released to justify it being a category? I expect it to appear this year, but who knows.

[James]

[color=#707875]I haven't seen a lot of these movies (Big Fish, LotR: RotK), so I don't really have any particular recommendations.

But I would make two points. Firstly, I think Peter Jackson should win Best Director -- he [i]should[/i] be recognized for the three LotR films. He worked incredibly hard on those movies, bringing each to the screen consecutively. That's a massive task. If he isn't recognized at all...then I will pay even [i]less[/i] attention to the Oscars in future, because that would only prove that they are for big ticket Hollywood insiders and not "good movies" in general.

I would also love to see Kill Bill win something, though I don't know what. A nomination would at least be good. Kill Bill was the best (or one of the best) movies that I saw in 2003.

And of course, Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions should be in the running somewhere -- at the very least for special effects. Revolutions particularly deserves to win that award, as I can't think of another movie in the past year with effects on that level.

In any case, there probably aren't enough categories for all of these movies to win something, or even to be nominated. And as we know from history, a [i]lot[/i] of amazing movies miss out on getting the nod at the Oscars.[/color]

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i]
[B][size=1] Charles, if Finding Nemo has a shot, it's not original. It's just like Toy Story, only with fish. :rolleyes:
[/size] [/B][/QUOTE]

No, it had very little in common with [b]Toy Story.[/b] It's a computer animated film from Pixar. That's it. lol

Obviously, [b]Finding Nemo[/b] has a darker, more adult edge to it than [b]Toy Story[/b]. Its message was that handicapped children are often handicapped by others' perceptions of them; their limitations begin with outside influence.

[spoiler]In Finding Nemo, we see Nemo's father constantly sheltering his son because of his weak fin. It's his own limited expectations for Nemo that stops him from accomplishing things. He also fails to enjoy the minor details of everyday life because of his father's fear of losing him. So, in a way, the entire movie is about overcoming handicaps.

Nemo reaches within and finds his own independence; he discovers that he's capable of great things. His father overcomes the constant fear and paranoia that had plagued his life since the trauma that opened the movie. And, Ellen's character defeats her memory handicap.[/spoiler]

By identifying this movie as nothing more than a write-off of [b]Toy Story[/b] you're showing a total misunderstanding of the material and undercutting the powerful message it communicates so well.

Think about that! ^_^

[Mitch]

[size=1] Yes Charles, I was just being sarcastic, and also showing you that originality doesn't matter. See how silly it is to say that, just because Toy Story had the same computer animation as Finding Nemo, that it's not originial?

This was my point. Just because Last Samurai took things from Dances with Wolves doesn't make it any lesser of a movie at all. That was my point by what I was saying.

And I totally agree with you--Nemo wasn't much like Toy Story at all. Nemo had a deeper, more adult message. I was just pointing out, as I've said, that just because Toy Story has the same computer graphics, that doesn't make Finding Nemo not original; and in comparison and retrospect, just because Last Samurai stole things from Dances with Wolves, that doesn't make Last Samurai any less original or any less better.

That's my personal opinion, though, heh. Charles Bobs can have his own. ^_^[/size]

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i]
[B][size=1] Yes Charles, I was just being sarcastic, and also showing you that originality doesn't matter. See how silly it is to say that, just because Toy Story had the same computer animation as Finding Nemo, that it's not originial?

This was my point. Just because Last Samurai took things from Dances with Wolves doesn't make it any lesser of a movie at all. That was my point by what I was saying.

And I totally agree with you--Nemo wasn't much like Toy Story at all. Nemo had a deeper, more adult message. I was just pointing out, as I've said, that just because Toy Story has the same computer graphics, that doesn't make Finding Nemo not original; and in comparison and retrospect, just because Last Samurai stole things from Dances with Wolves, that doesn't make Last Samurai any less original or any less better.

That's my personal opinion, though, heh. Charles Bobs can have his own. ^_^[/size] [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, it's not as if I'm suggesting that [b]The Last Samurai[/b] plagiarized [b]Dance with Wolves[/b] simply because they're live action films. I'm drawing a comparison between [i]plots[/i]. Whereas [b]Finding Nemo[/b] was an original film that appealed to all audiences, [b]The Last Samurai[/b] was a good film [i]despite[/i] recycling and repackaging its story and characters from another film.

You've never seen [b]Dances with Wolves[/b] so you obviously don't fully understand why I'm making these comparisons. I'm not just doing it for the sake of doing so. [spoiler]Look at it this way: both films star disillusioned soldiers in the 1870s who become captivated in the ways of "barbarians" and ultimately reject the ways of the white man. Secondly, in both of these films, the characters fall in love with a female member of the barbarian societies.

In [b]The Last Samurai[/b], Tom Cruise defends the samurai in their village. He takes up arms and wars for them against his own people. Likewise, Costner's character in [b]Dances with Wolves[/b] defends an indian village and fights side-by-side with the Indians.[/spoiler]

So, what we have here is a rehash of [b]Dances with Wolves[/b], but with a Japanese theme. I'm not insisting that [b]The Last Samurai[/b] is a bad movie because of this. But, it certainly doesn't deserve to be rewarded. I don't see why you'd even joke about punishing [b]Finding Nemo[/b] just for having computer graphics. I don't see the comparison. lol

While you're obviously allowed to have your own opinion, I can't really take it too seriously since it's not an informed one. See the movie. ~_^

Anyway, I saw [b]Cold Mountain[/b] this past Friday, I certainly think it's deserving of winning something. Not best picture--but best supporting actress for sure.

[Mitch]

[size=1] Yeah, I'm sure I'd agree with you if I saw Dances with Wolves, heh. But still, Last Samurai is a good movie, not needing of an award or not.[/size]