Nikki Finke is reporting that fans of the Dark Knight, referred to here as nerds and comic book geeks, plan to boycott the Oscars. Finke, who sits at the cool kids table, agrees with them:
But I definitely agree with them — as I complained when the Oscar nods were announced – that Chris Nolan (who wasn’t nominated for Best Director) and his pic were both robbed.
I know a lot of people who don’t care enough about the Oscars this year to watch them, which may not be a direct boycott so much as boredom with the choices — when you sense a film as popular as the Dark Knight headed for Oscar when the excitement stops, so does the anticipation for the season. In the ten years I’ve been doing this no popular film in that position has ever missed getting a Best Picture nod until now, which why it’s a bit of a drag. On the other hand, here are some great reasons to watch.
1) Kate Winslet may finally pick up the Oscar win that has so far eluded her.
2) Heath Ledger may win his much deserved posthumous Oscar. Unless Oscar voters decide to punish the geeks, which has been known to happen once or twice.
3) Slumdog will finally pick up Best Picture on its march to a gold sweep. If enough people have seen the movie they should be happy about this feel-good moment.
4) If all else fails Hugh Jackman singing and dancing? Look, Oprah Winfrey’s audience alone can bring huge numbers to the broadcast, all she has to do is have Hugh on her show again. What’s that? Oh, right, Australia. Well this is different, it isn’t three hours long and….what’s that? Oh, right, three hours long. Hm. Still, come on, millions of screaming fans will show their love for ABC.
5) Brad and Angie and a slight chance Jennifer Aniston may show up. I doubt it, though. Buddhists don’t feed the beast but I did read it on a gossip site somewhere and maybe that will get people to watch.
6) And it’s the Oscars! The Oscars! Come on, guys! It’s been 365 days of blood, sweat and tears on this website alone. I know you all are going to watch. Let’s do this thing! So what do you all think, will you be watching, yes or no?
132 Responses for "Introduce a Little Anarchy?"
2 and 6 are the reasons I’d watch the Academy Awards, although it’s a shame that said fanboys are willing to pass up on the chance that the Academy will honor the Joker, who was arguably the best part of the movie anyways.
The Oscars have always been a bit of a sham … but this is the first year I can remember where they got more wrong than right …. seriously the best picture choices are terrible … and the snubs reek of pretension and show how monumentally out of touch ith reality these voters are … and that’s a huge accomplishment with something subjective, but they pulled it off. Because of that I am so uninterested in this sham – I have much beter ways to spend my time.
It is a little bit rediculous to follow the oscar race and then not watch simply because your favourite film isn’t nominated. It’s not exactly a unique situation. Oscar voters hardly ever nominate my fav movies and yet I still watch. Why? Honestly, I have no idea. When I think about it, it’s hardly the most entertaining show with winners rambling on about people who we have never heard of. And yet, the oscar ceremony has a quality that is hard to describe, that makes it almost irresistible, that keeps me glued no matter how much my eyes want to snap shut.
It’s not that they got stuff wrong, they always do … it’s the sheer amount they got wrong vs. what they got right and the reasons we assume they got it wrong … petty pretentious reasons like it’s in the wrong genre.
And if you believe Wall-E and The Dark Knight were given an equal chance and not snubbed because of genre/medium … then I have a bridge i’d like to sell you.
I loved The Dark Knight (my#3 movie of the year) and of course I was thoroughly disappointed in its snub & Nolan’s snub (not sure which was worse). But it’s the OSCARS! For film buffs, award mavens, movie enthusiasts this is the night. Good or bad it’s the Oscars. Memories are made, undeserving winners are crowned, surprise Oscar winners emerge, and the no-brainer performances or achievements are rewarded.
Jackman should be fun to watch, a new kind of Oscar host.
There’s way too much to see. 98% sure the Best Picture is locked up. About 93% sure that Boyle is going to win. But we have another some odd 23 or 24 categories that are up in the air. Personally I’m a fan of every category (excluding doc. short those are the only shorts that don’t get screened at theaters). I mostly see every nominee & the Oscar’s are my favorite night of the year (for entertainment purposes at least).
There’s too many unanswered questions:
Who accepts for Heath Ledger?
Does Winslet finally win? Cruz, Tomei, or Viola Davis?
How much can Slumdog win? Can TCCOBB get any Oscars outside of Makeup & Vis. Ef? Can Slumdog lose the screenplay honors to either TCCOBB or The Reader?
Will Rahman win zero, one, or two Oscars? How many Oscars will The Dark Knight get (just its Ledger Oscar or a couple of the sound categories)?
That’s my Oscar diatribe. (Now only six days away to the BAFTA’s)
Of course I’ll watch, no matter how terrible the nominations and snubs are. Besides, the last couple of years have been relatively satisfying as far as the winners go, so we’re due for another off year.
6) To see Bardem giving his girlfriend, Penélope, the Oscar!
I haven’t decided yet. I know I am going to pay attention to Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, and perhaps Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress. But it seems like the acting categories are the only competitive categories this whole year. While Heath may be pretty much 99% locked and loaded, the acting categories have a strong set of contenders and it will be interesting to watch for Nolan accepting the award on Heath’s behalf, the battle royale between Rourke, Penn, and Langella, and the wide open races of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. However, pretty much everything else is so boring and predictable it almost makes last year look suspenseful by comparison. Slumdog is practically guaranteed to win all three major awards (Best Pic, Director, Screenplay) and will likely pick up some techs as well. But like I said, unlike last year where No Country for Old Men was winning everything and you had a wild card thrown in the mix (There Will Be Blood), there’s no wild card this year. Slumdog has won practically everything and as much as I loved the film, the non-stop winning streak has gotten boring and predictable. I will watch, but just kind of half way whilst multi-tasking on something else.
I’ve noticed that people who publicly announce they’re not going to watch or do something out of protest generally do.
So so far it seems we are all in agreement … these nominations are a joke and the whole thing is a fiasco … but hey … it might be an entertaining fiasco or at best a car wreck we can’t take our eyes from.
And Thermos … I can’t speak for others but I have no interest in watching them … good moments will be on youtube almost immediately anyway. I plan on watching some snubbed movies – a much better use of my time.
Besides its much more fun to talk about what went wrong, than the actual show anyway … and its a compelling story too – how a group of insiders, supposed experts can be so out of touch and get it so wrong.
Of course TDK fans will watch… to see Heath Ledger win. They can whine and moan all they like, but you know they will be dressed up as Batman in their mom’s basement getting all gitty when Ledger wins.
ML we can watch that on youtube, and I think your a bit out of touch – TDK wasn’t just a movie for nerds in their parent’s basements – it was critically and commercially one of the best received films of last year (or the last decade) – you might not have liked it – but you should be self-aware enough to realise your in the vast vast minority.
Anyone who comments on this site will watch the show! Get a clue! We all obsess over the Oscars all year long. We’ll all watch it, bitch about what we don’t like, and get ready for next year. People who are boycotting would never be on this site in the first place.
Reason number 7) “Man on Wire”, the most impressive cinematic experience of the year, is hopefully awarded Best Coc!
Dark Knight fans — get over it and stop your whining. Every year there are great movies that get less than they deserve, or that get ignored totally. In fact, I can barely remember a year when the film that I thought was geuinely the best english language movie of the year won the Oscar. Hell, in most cases the best movies aren’t even nominated.
And getting so upset about this ignores the reality that the Oscars are 97% a meaningless game. It’s kind of pathetic to take seriously something that is essentially so stupid. Don’t get me wrong — I love the Oscars, but only for their sheer silliness and fun, and not because I actually think any of it matters. But I don’t get “upset” by the fact that, for instance, the far-and-away best female performance of the year, Kristen Scott Thomas in I’ve Loved You So Long, was snubbed. My reaction is, who cares?, and then I happily go and watch the dumb spectacle that the Oscars are.
I can fix that typo to read “Best Doc” Dominik, unless you know something we don’t.
@ LOL, Ryan!
I assume my typos may be motivated by something Freudian my consciousness doesn´t know…?
What I really wanted to point out: I really hope Penelope wins the award she deserves!
This really is getting pathetic. So what I your favorite movie isn’t nominated in the big categories? That happens to all of us but is that really why we are interested in the Oscars? Of course not. If so I really don’t know why people bother spending their time on sites like this. We have all been greatly dissapointed over the years but to even consider not watching the Oscars because of it is totally ridiculous. It’s not about the MOVIE. It’s about the MOVIES!
As disappointed as I am with the choices this year (not enough love for The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, and Rachel Getting Married, while too much love for The Reader and Frost/Nixon), I most certainly will be watching. My family always gets together on Oscar day and does the whole party thing (costumes, ballots with prizes, themed food) and so that’s a good time no matter what happens with the show itself.
I just keep trying to remind myself that this is more of a political guessing game than it is a celebration of the year’s best. There are always good movies nominated and bad movies nominated. Last year was a bit of a freak accident, I think, with my three favourite movies of the year (Once, There Will Be Blood, and No Country for Old Men) all winning Oscars. Plus, I was a big fan of Atonement and Juno, too.
But this year is a strong reminder that the Academy and I have different tastes. So, in the end, I’ll always watch the Oscars, but I often won’t agree with them.
Boo-hoo, Nikki Finke and her nerds and geeks — “The Dark Knight” has 8 nominations and has neither been robbed nor snubbed by the Academy. A boycott?! You would render yourselves ridiculous and fraudulent, given how closely you’ve followed every step to the final nominees announcement. The nominations still provide an overall history of what was decent and entertaining in films released in 2008.
Get over it!
I really find it hard to believe that anyone is so motivated by the inclusion or exclusion of any given film. I’m really hoping these TDK freaks are merely over-represented online because it would be sad if the sentiment had any actual numerical significance. Many of your loved TDK. Good for you. Many of us felt it was a mediocre comic book movie that was at least an hour too long. Oscar material this is not, imho.
We watch the Oscars every year just like we watch the SuperBowl every year. Some years we are more in to it than others. Sometimes we feel like we have some skin in the game and most times we don’t. But we still enjoy the tradition. We always discover new films we’d like to check out. We always get a laugh out of the “what is she wearing” nonsense.
As for Sashs’s list:
1. YES! I’m invested here. I am rooting for Kate!
2. I really couldn’t care less if Ledger wins. Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed with the performance as most others. Firstly, how easy is it to go a little nuts playing the Joker in a Batman movie? Secondly, the make-up was a huge part of people’s reaction to the character. So, I’d me happy to see anyone but Ledger win as that would restore some of my respect for the Academy (some of which was lost with Robert Downey, Jr’s nomination).
3. Ugh! Gag me. Yet another film I’m totally out of the loop on. I just don’t get the obsession with this cheese.
4. Unless he is half naked….:-)
5. Indeed! Now this is cheese I can get behind.
6. Tradition! It is the American way, baby!
Like I said – its not just one or two films that got snubbed – its virtually every category where there are bewildering snubs – like Sally Hawkins, Rachael Getting Married, Let the right one in, etc. I said every year they miss a few – but this year they missed way more than they got right.
And I wont be watching – with virtually every category being so incomplete to be uninspiring – there isn’t a point.
I think I made it clear that this years lists were not about one film – maybe the TDK and Wall-E snubs are so bad thats all some of you people can see.
Honestly, I won’t be watching. I find majority of the nominees to be boring and undeserving, the nominated films are dull, my favorite movies like Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Visitor were snubbed and I’m not a Hugh Jackman fan. That and the fact that I don’t own a T.V
I will be watching for reason #5, which is always the reason I watch. That said, might as well admit it: these shows are always more exciting and interesting when the categories aren’t as locked up. Even last year was a snoozer: Cotillard and Swinton just felt like sure things to me after the BAFTA groundswell. The new rule, bubbling for years but not fully articulated, is, if it’s remotely European and especially British, if BAFTA loves it, and if the category is not completely zipped up, beware. Even so…that emerging pattern does little for us in terms of surprises at the ceremony, as The Reader is close to locked in Best Actress anyway.
I’m watching it because I love the Oscars and I love films. And what’s with the hate to Frost/Nixon? It has 91% in Rotten Tomatoes. It only has 3 points less than The Dark Knight so how are the critics wrong with that one?
Absolutely pathetic. They can boycott whatever they want nobody gave a fuck about them in the first place.
Also, Nolan didn’t deserve a BD node in the first place.
Any excuse to get the TDK moaners moaning again!!!! MOVE ON!
I’m sorry I didn’t want to bring The Dark Knight subject again. I just wanted to make a point about Frost/Nixon.
I also liked Let the Right One in but any complaints about that getting snubbed are from people that don’t understand the Academy’s history there was no way that was going to get any nomination even if Sweden submitted it as their entry. It’s a weird little film, a coming of age romance with a vampire. The Academy will reject that kind of movie every time out unless it’s directed by an auteur like Del Toro. Both writer & director are fairly unknown in world cinema & I would have been shocked by a screenplay nomination.
Yes there were bad snubs, it wouldn’t be the Oscar’s if they got everything right. Was there anything really crazy about the snubs? The Dark Knight wholeheartedly deserved to be in there but it’s not Academy friendly (comic book / pop corn fare & that third act problem). I wasn’t completely surprised by TDK snub (angry & annoyed, yes).
I loved Synecdoche, New York but I’m not surprised it came away with zero nominations.
I started watching the Oscars in the early 1960s (the year Patty Duke won) and have seen them every year since then. At first, I took them at face value, but by the end of the 60s I realized the inherent paradoxes and politics of AMPAS as an awards body.
Regardless, Oscar is a tradition, and Scott (#15) has the right idea.
American viewership could be what? 32-35 million?
Double that with Indian viewership this year. Enough said.
I haven’t missed a broadcast yet, why start now.
Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it though.
I have a strange feeling Avatar with it’s prime December release date, might be the “see, we are cool” BP nomination apology to nerds.
Yep, I will be watching for the same reasons you listed, but this year reeks of pretension more than any other just like Glenn, Proman and Rockmocha’s post.
I think we should make a new betting game for AD:
Everytime a thread is started that in some way deals with either TDK or Slumdog, we should all place bets on how many of the comments will complain about how these movies are overrated and didn’t deserve to be nominated / don’t deserve to win.
That’d make it a lot less painful to have to scroll through all the haters’ compaints….
2 and 3 are the reasons why I want to watch the Academy Awards.
If Wall*E and Heath Ledger don’t win, Oscars lose a dedicated fan. I have to say, I’m not fanatic about them since that Crash fiasco, but these losses would be too much. I am watching this year, but if they fail these awards, I am turning off the TV.
T.
PS: just re-watched The Last Emperor, but in blu-ray. They don’t make films like this anymore. Bring back the big epics, I say.
I agree on everyhting except #1, it will be Meryl Streep who will win the Best Actress anyway. That’s all
“Nikki Finke, who sits at the cool kids table…”
Nikki Finke = Veronica Sawyer?
RockMocha,
Just a heads up for you. Ledger is the one who came up with the makeup design for the Joker. And do you think that voice was anything like Heath Ledger’s real voice? And if it’s so “easy” to go crazy in a movie role, then Anthony Hopkins and Javier Bardem shouldn’t have won Oscars for playing total psychopaths.
RockMocha, how’s the air up there on your high horse?
TDK fans not watching the academy = people who would probably not watch the Oscars anyway plus a small percentage of people who would actually watch the oscars. Thus, the loss is marginal. If you are compelled or discouraged from watching an awards show simply because your favorite movie was/wasn’t nominated, you’re not a serious enthusiast for film. You are nothing more than a fanboy.
It’s akin to me not watching the Superbowl because my favorite team didn’t make it. Arguing that TDK should be nominated is one thing. Planning a boycott is pathetic. Let it go. You sound like sore losers.
In the entire history of the academy, films have been snubbed. This year is no exception. Carmelo Anthony didn’t get a reserved spot on the All-Star team (one of my favorite players). I plan to watch the entire All-Star weekend.
How can you NOT watch?? I will watch for these reasons:
1. Meyrl may finally win her third, DESERVED, Oscar, showing that YES< the acadamy does pay attention to AMERICAN actresses!
2. Heath Ledger may end up losing because he deserved to win for Brokeback, and the homophobic acadamy-lead by Ernest Bourgnine-can’t get the image of Heath, Jake & a handful of spit out of their small little minds.
3. Perhaps the Acadamy will realize that Slumdog is a boutique film that has become trendy because of it’s “bollywood” flavor. Then they will give the award to the real winner, Milk.
4. Perhaps Hugh Jackman will have a wardrobe malfunction, ala, Janet Jackson. Imagine it…he walks out on stage and his suspenders snap! Ka-ping! Suddenly we realize he wasn’t wearing underwear!! I am so there.
5. We can count how many people Angelina is rude too while Brad trails behind her like a lost puppy!
6. It’s Oscar and anything CAN happen!! Come on people! This is actually one of the more exciting years where anything (besides slum-log for best pic) could really happen! All the acting catagories could actually go several ways!! I am disappointed about TDK too, but wow, some suspence for a change! I find it refreshing!!
TDK might not have been nominated for BP. But I want to nominate all those who are boycotting the academy awards for the “snub” for the 2nd annual Cry Baby Award.
D: Excuse me for having a different opinion. Ledger was a pretty good actor in a mediocre popcorn movie. Simply not my cup of tea. Sue me.
Alfredo: It is quite nice, indeed.
I’ll watch parts of it, but I’m unhappy about TDK’s snub. Then again, so are a lot of other people.
I wanna see Christian Bale and Robert Downey Jr. present an award together. And let people know when they are presenting. I think that will make some of the boycotters cross the picket line.
Memo to ABC:
NBC Experiments with creative new ways to boost viewership?
“Comcast is working on a plan to compensate customers,” and “Comcast has set up an e-mail account to take feedback from concerned customers.”
Dear Comcast, I do not live in Tuscon and therefore missed the best part of the Super Bowl. How do I apply for compensation?
THE Diego you just want fanboys across America to collectively jizz their pants, don’t you?
That would be awesome though…the Bale/Downey Jr. pairing…not the jizzing of the pants
I don’t give a shit about Winslet winning a gold statue of a naked guy. Same for Streep. I have been anticipating the Oscars for months, thinking “what if they really nominated TDK. That’d be something wouldn’t it?” I was stupid enough to get my hopes up and actually think the Academy would try something new. They really missed out on the best of the best. I still think that Slumdog is the kind of movie that sucks up to American self-indulgence of rags to riches. But as Steinbeck proved long ago, it doesn’t matter how determined you are. Life can deal you a really bad hand and no matter what you do, you’re still fucked because no one (no one rich anyway) really gives a shit. It really owes a lot to a little movie called ‘City of God.’ Oh well, I guess it’s not about the best movies it’s about the biggest campaign, isn’t it?
So no, I’m not buying the Oscars’ self-indulgent crap this year. We need to send them a message that they hold no relevance any longer. They have become obsolete. In fact, in the future, I predict the deserved BP line-up to hold at the most one or two of these films.
Bottom line: Oscars, up yours. I aint watchin’ this year.
In response to what, fuck you. I love movies. In YOUR opinion, TDK wasn’t that good. IMO, TDK was a great movie. Neither of our opinions are absolute. I just don’t go around calling people fanboys like a narcissistic little prick.
“Callers said that the clip showed a woman unzipping a man’s pants, followed by a graphic act between the two.”
LMAO Ryan, that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “Roethlisberger get penetration in the end zone”!
@ THE Alfredo
That’s a great song.
Batman/IronMan presenting and Wolverine hosting. Joker winning an award and HellBoy can win.
Oh, c’mon, these fanboys should grow up and get a grip.TDK never, never would be nominated for best picture. I always knew that. And I told all my folks about it. As well as I said The Reader would be nominated. They didn’t believe me. But, guess who got the last laugh?
Beat me, but I can’t take seriously a story about a guy wearing a bat costume. It’s good entertainment, it can be fun to watch, but nothing more than that. Love it or hate it, the Oscar is something much bigger than a bunch of angsty, frustrated 30 and something geeks all angry because their man in a batsuit wasn’t nominated. These guys seriously need to get laid.
I also think that Ledger’s Oscar is one of those things that people will look at with some regret in the future. Well, giving him the Oscar certainly makes sense now, but, when the whole buzz is over, people will things more clearly. He would not win if he was alive. Who knows if he would be nominated after all? If he was alive, maybe he would’ve been snubbed big time, just like the movie was.
As someone already said, it’s not that hard to play crazy in a superhero movie. You can’t compare Heath’s performance with Anthony Hopkins in Silence of The Lambs or with Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. First: Heath never was and never would be in the same league of these great actors. He was good, yeah, but, really, nothing impressive. Not even in Brokeback Mountain. Second: Silence of The Lambs and No Country were far better and more consistent movies than TDK, for God’s sake. Wake up, people. If you don’t wanna watch, don’t watch and stop whining. Nobody gives a damn about you anyway. You are not that important. The Oscar will go on happening, year after year, probably forever, whether you like it or not.
RockMocha, you are an idiot. The moment someone says “How hard is it to…” in terms of the skills needed to be nominated for these awards, that trips us off that they don’t have a fucking clue.
Don’t tell me why I liked the Joker; how can you presume to know?
Heath Ledger was on his way to being one of the finest actors of this generation. This will be his posthumous lifetime achievement Oscar. Just because you are annoyed that you don’t get why nearly everyone loved his performance in TDK, that doesn’t warrant the smack talk.
Being among those who are incensed at the TDK snub, I’ve gotta say, I’ve never been referred to as a fanboy so much in my life! I promise you, I’m not. Most people I know whose movie opinions I trust also at least liked the film. No one lives in their parents’ basements. No one reads comic books. Some of us drink cocktails in refined company, some of us have healthy tans & go to the gym, some of us have mortgages. I myself did not give a damn about Batman before I saw the film, and I still don’t now. The film was bigger than the Batman character, bigger than any other comic book film, bigger than most of blockbusters we’ve seen in the past 10 years given the perfect storm of critics, box office, and guild merit, and if you don’t see that you’ve got your head up your ass. That to your mind it doesn’t “deserve” any big nominations is irrelevant. There are plenty of films who have deserved it less who have gotten in. The film is bigger than your distaste. Though it was snubbed by the Academy, it still is.
That said, boycotting the awards because your fave films were snubbed is a little silly. Others have said it already – we’ve been following this all year, etc etc, you should take the Oscars with a the grain of salt the size of a Buick, etc etc. I’ll be watching because I love them. I may do some taxes at the same time though…or, of course, read comic books…
The curtain comes down for me if Ledger doesn`t win. Very unhappy about the Chris Nolan snub but anyway 8 categories still motivates me to watch this year but if Ledger doesn`t win – I won`t sit through the rest.
I personally am much more interested in the acting categories than the best picture award this year. The films are fine films all, but I don’t know, the list doesn’t exicte me as much as previous years.
However, I would like to see Kate Winselt finally win and get the recognition she deserves. I would also like to see Heath Ledger win for the defining performance of his unfortunately all-too-short career.
I remember in December of 2007 I was studying for finals when my friend sent me the Dark Knight trailer. At the time I was skeptical of Heath Ledger as the Joker. After watching the trailer I thought, “He’s going to win the Oscar if the entire performance is this good.” And this was before he died. I will watch to see my prediction come true.
So yes, although I was pulling for TDK and Nolan to at least be nominated, I will still watch. (Although it won’t be as exciting as last night’s Super Bowl. After watching the Steelers win in a thriller, my friends and I took to the streets of Pittsburgh, joining hundreds of other frenzied fans in a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, or drunkeness, or both! That was fun!)
Of course I’ll be watching!!!!
And yes I’m agree, Totally Agree!!!!!
-Kate Winslet will win the Oscar, c’mon guys she deserves it, and after all she’s been winning all major awards for her role in The Reader.
Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice Award, SAG, and we are waiting only for BAFTA, and then she will be a locked.
-Slumdog Millionaire will win only 5 Oscars, Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing and Original Score.
-Heath Ledger, of course he will win, there’s no competition for him, and is like I’ve said, is POP culture Moment!!!
-Penelope Cruz will become the first spanish actress to win an Oscar, and her boyfriend Javier Bardem will give her the award, woow.
-And The Dark Knight will win probably all the nods, except for editing.
-The Courious Case of Benjamin Button, mmmm im not that sure, could happend like Gangs of New York. a lot of nominations and zero wins :S
-Sean Penn will win his second Oscar, that’s for sure.
-Waltz with Bashir will win, and all of u, expect an emotive speech, because of the war
Lydia,
You can most certainly compare the performances of Bardem and Hopkins with Ledger’s performance. Take off the anti-comic book movie blinders and you’ll realize his performance was incredible. He became that character in the same way that Hopkins inhabited Lecter. Ledger was BETTER than Bardem in my opinion, and I thought Bardem was pretty fucking amazing to be quite honest.
And for the record, I really couldn’t care less if TDK didn’t get nominated. The best movie of 2007 (Zodiac) didn’t receive a single nomination. TDK got 8. That’s nothing to complain about. The fanboys need to chill out.
D!!!!!!!!
I know!!, I love Zodiac, and yes not even a single nod for that film.
Sorry, I feel guilty. I didn’t want to bring up the the Dark Knight argument again. Let’s make from now on a The Dark Knight free threads. Ok?
I hope the boycotters have something else interesting going on in their life at the moment, as complaining and refusing to watch the show that this site is all about seems pretty sad to me! Get another hobby, perhaps?
I hope and expect that Sasha and Ryan are both well aware that, just as they are obsessed with the whole Oscar palaver (and all the good and the bad that this entails), so are the majority (perhaps less vocal) of posters here.
Yes, this is a predictable season. Yes, Sally Hawkins was robbed. Will this stop me from having an Oscar party to end all Oscar parties? Hell, no!
I’ve been watching the Oscars since the first telecast back in 1954, and I will continue to do so!
Sure, many years I felt a film or perfomances was ignored, but i anticipate the early morning nominations being announced, and I love the pageantry of the awards itself.
As I’ve said before, this year should be great because there is maybe only one sure winner in the 6 major categories-that being Danny Boyle.
So i will have my Oscar morning breakfast-get ready for the arrivals, and sit back, sip a few drinks and watch the ceremony.
Then I’ll go into a funk, because the next announcements are a year away.
jwright40: so, if we don’t agree with you we have our heads up our ass? HIGHlarious. You should go watch your lil Batman movie on blueray, curl up in the corner and weep at the injustice! Ooooh, the IMAX chase scenes!!!WOW!!
LOL
And if you think Heath Ledger was one of the finest actors of his generation you need to watch more of his movies. I mean, really. I liked the guy fine, but this deification is beyond absurd.
Political boycotts are meaningful. Oscar telecast boycotts are kind of funny.
I find it hard to believe that people who regularly post to a year-round movie award speculation site could find anything bad about the ceremony that would cause them to not watch that year, or stop watching altogether. Even if you find something else to do that night, you’ll be back next year. You’re addicted. We all are.
Lydia,youre a fucking MORONIC tart!
Nothing more needs to be said. Ledger was a waaaay better actor than Bardem,and on his way to being one of the greats just like Hopkins is.
You say no one gives a damn about TDK fans,well im pretty sure most people with the misfortune of knowing your pompous self-impressed windbag self dont give a crap about you either, except the sigh of relief they breathe when you leave the room.
Smug little braindeads like you give film fans a bad name.
GO F*** YOURSELF (no one else is!)
Who cares if TDK fans watch the Oscars or not? They weren’t watching before this year and won’t watch next year. They’re boycott also won’t change the reality that TDK will never receive a BP Oscar nomination. Time for TDK fans to move on to the MTV movie awards where TDK is sure to be “honored”.
RockMocha,
Ledger was only 28. If he was a mediocre actor for his generation (aka other actors in their 20’s), I’d love to see your list of actors in their 20’s that are unequivocally better than Ledger was in your opinion.
He was in a lot of mediocre movies, but he was very talented. He had 3 great mainstream roles in his career. He had some others that weren’t as well-known but were still pretty good (Candy comes to mind).
Lily,
I agree. TDK fanboys are making complete asshats of themselves with this boycott. They need to chill out and accept reality.
My God, I’m laughing out loud! I spoke of the angsty, frustrated 37 year old geeks angry about the Oscars snubbing the man in the batsuit, and they show up! These people are hilarious. Well, this kind of comment just confirms my point: fan boys seriously need to get laid! hahahahahahahaha
Bardem is a far superior actor. This guy obviously doesn’t know his early work. He was already impressive from the beggining and I’m very happy for his success. And Heath never, never would be like Anthony Hopkins. Apart from some nice works in Brokeback Mountain and in two, or three indie flicks, he was just one more cute guy in Hollywood. I even liked him. But, as someone already said, this deification is really beyond absurd! XanderLJ, you already had enough attention today. Now go have some fun reading your Spiderman comic books. Enough said.
D,
Don’t get me wrong, I think Heath was pretty talented and was finally making some good choices in the last few years. But, he was there quite yet. Wes Bentley, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt were all light years ahead of Ledger, imho. Heath was great in BBM and the Bob Dylan movie. That’s about it. I just don’t think TDK was his best work.
What’s more pathetic:
A) a frustrated, whining TDK “fanboy/girl” or B) a smug, vindictive TDK “fanboy/girl”-stalker?
Tough call, but I’ll go with B.
Ledger’s performances in Monster’s Ball and Candy were also striking.
RockMocha,
I think his work in TDK was on a similar level to Brokeback. His work in Monster’s Ball was great too. Thanks for providing your list. I think Gosling has been in his share of mediocre roles but he’s a pretty good actor.
RockMocha:
I hate to be a buttinsky, but jwright did say “Ledger was ON HIS WAY to becoming one of the finest actors of his generation.” We all know of the Academy’s bias against acting males under 30 so the fact that Ledger would have received 2 nods and possibly a win by that age is remarkable.
And it seems that you keep hammering the very point that jwright40 was trying to refute. There is a varied demographic of people incensed about the TDK snubs. Yes there are fanboys. Yes there are popcorn movie goers. There are also people who normally don’t give two rats about awards. People who have their dinner anywhere from McDonalds to a five-star. Introverts and social butterflies. I like jwright didn’t care at all for Batman before this movie. If I had to pick a favorite “superhero”, it would have been the X-Men. I thought those movies were excellent, but I didn’t think they merited Academy Awards simply because I knew they were just a horse of a different color when it comes to recognition.
So in a way, yes, you do have your head up your ass. But you must be fine with that since you agree with the Academy in the sense that no matter how beautifully directed, artfully crafted, character driven this movie could get, the lead character is still just a guy in a Batsuit.
As to the topic at hand, I’m a college student, and had TDK been nominated for Pic, Director, or Screenplay, I would have at least made the effort to go to a friend’s house to watch the telecast. For now, though, I’ll be fine with YouTube clips unless it’s on in the dorm basement or something.
(BTW, if Nolan goes through with Batman 3/7, and makes it all the more amazing, anyone think there might be a chance for a make-up Oscar a la LOTR 3? I know it’s two totally different scenarios, with LOTR having each of its films nominated for BP, but still, one can dream)
Hans,
TDK is a flawed movie. So are the other movies that were in contention for nominations, but that’s kind of the whole point. It’s completely subjective to a person whether they are more annoyed by the flaws in TDK or Slumdog or The Reader or The Wrestler or Frost/Nixon or Milk or Ben Button, and on and on. The Academy felt TDK wasn’t among the 5 best. It’s their opinion. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
The best part of the movie is Ledger. It appears that he will be rewarded. That’s a pretty good compliment for the film.
I’m not watching. I’m done (and I’m a filmMAKER as well as film lover). I will only watch the Best Supporting Actor category and either turn the TV off after Heath wins, or PUT A HOLE THROUGH IT if he loses (and I still think there’s a chance that can happen).
I would watch Best Doc Feature, but if “Man on Wire” (easily the most overrated film of the year, IMO!) beats out “Trouble the Water,” I’ll just get even more pissed.
Finally, can we stop with the TDK fans = geeks/nerds/fanboys/whiners crap?! I’m just a person who appreciates quality filmmaking! Slumdog lovers don’t get called out for being zealots! We deserve the same courtesy.
filmfemme, if you don’t want to be labeled a whiner, don’t act like one. You’re not going to watch the Oscars because TDK isn’t nominated for the major categories? That sure does sound like a whiner to me. I do agree with you about the generalizations being thrown around that everyone who liked TDK is somehow a comic book dork. I think that’s an unfair generalization to make given that most of the people who do like it probably haven’t read a comic book in their lives.
No, the Slumdog freakshow is full of whackjobs too.
I’m watching because I’m finally getting to watch them live rather than a delayed telecast. Pretty sure this is the first time they’ve been shown live in Australia (albeit on cable). No more all-day media blackout!
So is not watching becuase you really have no interest and lost any last shred of respect you had for the awards a “boycott”. Truth is this has been a long time in the works for me and it isn’t one particular snub that did it (including the crash/brokeback snafu) – but this was the one that finally sealed the deal.
RockMocha,
Agreed about the Slumdog freakshow. Some of the comments I’ve seen from Slumdog fans across the web remind me of the hyperbole used to describe Titanic by its fans.
I would love to see Michelle Williams accept the award for Heath, though I know it’ll probably be his parents and sister as it was at the Aussie film awards
Alan,
Chris Nolan told Entertainment Weekly at the Directors Guild ceremony that Ledger’s family would be at the Oscars to accept if Ledger wins.
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/02/heath-ledgers-f.html?xid=rss-hollywoodinsider-Heath%20Ledger%27s%20family%20will%20accept%20Oscar%20if%20late%20actor%20wins
This is getting ridiculous. There are dozens of worthy films that did not get any or very little awards consideration this year (as it is every year). Yet everyone is still complaining about a film not getting recognized by the academy that recieved eight…EIGHT (!) nominations and will take home one of only four acting awards being given out. There are so many things wrong with the way the Academy chooses their films that I find it amusing that people are getting so revved up about a snub like this when there are so many films that were better than “The Dark Knight” that got little or no recognition. I understand that so many people do feel geniunely about the fact that this was the best or in the top 5 best films of the year. I do respect that but at the same time I feel that some of these people must not have seen a good chunk of the work that came out this year. Again some people probably have seen the majority of what came out and still are behind TDK but I seriously think some of these people just did not see many films from 2008. TDK is a good film but not a great one at least in my opinion.
i have wacthed every oscar since the lord of the ring, but every year they became more irrelavent, and anger me with their nomination, this year i was really hoping they’ll step from their comfort zone and nominate something like wall-e or dark knight. But they didn’t. sooo why should i watch, it not that my favorite flim didn’t get nominated, it that every year they piss me off more, and this year i had it. i’m going to watch heath ledger win, and if he doesn’t i m going to watch the kodak theather on fire on the news.
Popular does not always = quality.
Boycotts of television broadcasts are completely pointless–unless you are a Nielsen viewer, nobody knows what you are (or are not) watching. Watch whatever you want, but don’t kid yourself that you’re sending a message to anyone but yourself.
“i have wacthed every oscar since the lord of the ring…”
Of course, that’s the kind of film you want to see nominated.
Katie, your logic can easily be applied to the films that WERE nominated. The Reader, Frost/Nixon, etc.? The Reader was flat out bad in my opinion and Frost/Nixon fits right into the “good but not great” category. It’s a weak year for movies, no doubt about it.
I do agree with your point about people whining that TDK wasn’t nominated for the big awards when it received 8 nominations. That is a lot of recognition considering its predecessor, which I feel is just as good as TDK, only received 1 nomination and there are so many really good movies out there that don’t get any recognition at all (Zodiac last year is the glaring example I will always point to).
To all you people insulting those who love TDK,
I saw quite a bit of movies in 2008 (Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, Slumdog, Frost/Nixon, Wall-e, Kung-fu panda, The Fall, Milk, The Visitor, Doubt, just to name a few) and I still think that The Dark Knight is far and away the best film of ‘08. I have yet to see Waltz with Bashir or Let the right one in, but I doubt they’ll change my mind. And as for the 8 nominations, it doesn’t matter in quantity. It’s quality. What the Academy has said is “hey, you’re a good movie, but since you’re about a guy in tights, we’re not gonna nominate you and reinforce the moronic belief that superhero movies can never bring something important to film”. And as evidenced by a bunch of idiots on this site dubbing people ‘fanboys’ for simply admiring the film, it seems they have succeeded.
You remember that scene in ‘Stand by me’ where River Phoenix tells his friend about the milk money? How he wanted to make a good impression on people but it was because of his punk brother he was never taken seriously? The same thing happened with TDK.
D – I agree that my logic could be applied to the other films as well although I loved “The Reader” and thoroughly enjoyed “Frost/Nixon” (for whatever reason I’ve seen the film 3 times which some people on this site would probably stone me to death for. I cannot help how much I enjoy it. I agree its not top 5 material by any means but subjectively I cannot get enough of it) but so not think it should be in the Picture category. But then again I do not think any of these pictures should be in the Picture category outside of “Milk”. But I would not put TDK in there either. I would put other films I felt were deserving. I agree that the choice of films this were bad considering what else was out there but I personally just feel that this TDK snub thing has gotten way over the top for my taste. (No offense meant)
P.S – Totally agree about “Zodiac”. Incredible film. 0 Nominations. : (
And Katie, I think you would agree with me that if there’s ever an argument about the Academy’s bias, Zodiac should be used as Exhibit A. The Academy has a tremendous bias towards films released in the fall compared to films released earlier in the year. Zodiac suffered from this. If you release your film early in the year instead of during the fall, you’re screwed no matter how good your film is…that seems to be the general trend that I’ve noticed.
Regarding the TDK snub, I agree that it has gotten out of hand. The fanboys are making asshats of themselves. 8 nominations is a hell of an accomplishment and nothing to sneeze at.
As a “geek” I would like to tune in to Mickey Rourke win, we love him for “Sin City”. Geeks love Boyle too for making “28 Days Later” and underrate sci-fi pic “Sunshine”, so it will be nice to see him pick up some awards. I’m not excited about Ledger’s win because you know he’ll win but it’s sad he’s not there to pick it up.
D – I agree, “Zodiac” suffered from one of the Academy’s many biases by being released way too early. : (
Of course I’ll watch the show. It’s the damn Oscars. I used to wake up at two in the morning when I was 8 years old and living on the other side of the planet, just to watch.
I’ll watch but this is the first time in my life where I really am not excited. It isn’t just The Dark Knight snub (yes, I’m still pissed about it, and NO I don’t have to get over it). It’s Revolutionary Road getting snubbed across the board, and no nomination for Ralph Fiennes who deserves the respect they obviously won’t give him. It’s letting Frost/Nixon seem worthy when it isn’t. It’s giving Benjamin Button as many nominations as Ben-Hur.
There are way too many things wrong with this year’s nominations for me to care. Sure, lots of films and performances I’ve loved have been ignored, but this is just too much.
The one true reason to watch is for Heath. And I hope all the Dark Knight fans will choose watch and not boycott. I hope they watch to support him and remember what a brilliant actor he was.
personally, i think they should go back to the old days (somewhere around the 30’s to the early 1940s..i think) where they nominate like 10 for best pic.!!!
Nick K,
I shouldn’t wasted my time responding to your long-winded, albeit, empty response to me. But to ensure my views are not being distorted, I’ll reiterate my position.
My argument is if you decide to boycott an awards show because your favorite movie is not nominated, then you are an extremist or fanboy. The logic behind my argument stems in large part from why award shows exist period. Moreover, we all accept that award shows, in general, and the oscars, in particular, don’t always get it right. If we accept this position since we’ve been watching the oscars and continue to watch, then what’s the exception with the DK. The only exception is the fanaticism of a particular individual.
You can’t accept the structure of the academy when it goes your way and then pout about it when it doesn’t. Pick a side and stick with it! TDK being “snubbed” is no different from “Dreamgirls” being snubbed for some (emphasis added). You can make as many arguments as you want: the box office score, the critical reception, etc. Bottom line is this, nothing guarantees that a movie will be nominated. And if it’s not, that’s that. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Hence, websites like this. Boycotting the oscars seems like something a child would do if he didn’t get his favorite toy.
No where in my argument did I give a normative opinion regarding the DK. But, I will state, for the record, I thought TDK was one of the best films of the year, if not the best. But, I’m not going to let it being “snubbed” induce me into acting like a spoiled child.
I accepted it a long time ago.
See, when you talk down to a person and compare them to a child, that’s not the most effective way of making a point or trying to change their minds. I’m not quite sure what your intent was ‘what’. When you’re ready to talk like a responsible adult, I’ll be there and we can have a lively discussion about films. I’d certainly enjoy the discussion.
I will be watching in the hopes that I see Kate win her first Oscar and that maybe, just maybe there might be some big “Crash”-esque upset that will be worth watching the whole 3 hour shindig. Plus, I loved Hugh at the Tony’s. Anyway I haven’t missed an Oscar ceremony in almost 12 yrs.
Just a question. Do you believe that Wall-E and TDK were given an equal chance by academy members – or were they dismissed due to genre – if its not an equal playing field then there is a problem.
Nick K,
Don’t put yourself on a moral high ground when you’re guilty of unruly conversation etiquette (remember I’m not the one who told you to go fuck yourself).
I was simply making a point. If you are offended by the term “fanboy”, there is nothing I can do about it. For me, it describes someone who is unwilling to accept the structure of the academy when the nominations don’t go their way. There are plenty examples of this. One example is when a child complains when he doesn’t get his way.
For the record, I’m not trying to insult you or anyone for that matter. I just think it’s hypocritical to support an awards show when it works in your favor and to be up in arms when it doesn’t. It bothers me. Either you accept the structure of the awards ceremony (the voting procedure, etc) or you choose not to watch it. If you honestly think the validity of the awards procedure is flawed, then stay vocal about it all year. I think it’s unacceptable to pick when you think the structure is invalid.
Maybe we need to start a list of snubbed films and performances, just to remind ourselves that this problem happens every single year and will continue to happen so long as industry insiders are allowed to vote in spite of the fact that their often too busy to see many of the smaller films.
My feeling about the people boycotting the show because of the TDK snub is that they are either ignoring or unaware of how regularly this problem occurs.
We all know this and we continue to watch. Just like people watch the Superbowl and World Series even when crap teams manage to sneak their way through the playoffs.
We could start with Bette Davis in 1934…..
#1. KATE WINSLET winning her FIRST OSCAR. She deserves it more than anyone else. Streep was not even good in Doubt. Very mediocre.
It must be as much a shock to AMPAS as it is hard for the reality to sink in for the rest of us: There are better groups that make better choices about the best movies of the year.
It happened gradually, like most forms of evolution, and it took several years for the newcomers to work through their own quirks and kinks.
But if the Oscars want to continue to be relevant and meaningful, they’ll stop trying to act like critics and audiences are the enemy. Being different for the sake of being different is a screwy way to run an awards ritual — especially when everyone you’re struggling to be different from are proving themselves better at getting it right.
If AMPAS gives us too many more years like this one, the Oscar will be about as significant as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Heckuva job, Borgnine.
Item#1: I will place my bet to Kate if she was nominated for Rev Road, but honestly, her role in The Reader is too soft, nothing new.
Meryl’s portrayal of Sister Aloysius reflects power and vulnerability at the end. Her acting was a force to reckon with. She acted with her face, since she is covered with black clothe. She got noticed from it! That is a remarkable feat. Tell me if any actress can do this.
Meryl will win it for sure!
That’s a very good question, StandaloneMatt, and the answer in my opinion is a resounding no, the Academy did not. For WALL-E: take away the animation, the space plot, make the robots human, and you’ve got a high brow romantic comedy the academy would embrace a la Annie Hall or City Lights (granted City Lights didn’t get nominated for anything, but it was 1931, and the Oscars were still a toddler). For The Dark Knight: take away the man in the bat suit, the gadgets, and the sinister villain in makeup and you have a crime saga a la The Godfather. There were just too many out of the ordinary elements for the Academy to embrace.
I know I will be crucified now for comparing WALL-E and TDK to such classics but I think these two films will stand the test of time moreso than a lot of other films (of the BP nods I’ve only seen CCoTB and Slumdog, so I will not cast “test of time” judgment on the other 3 until I’ve seen them. That said, I don’t think CCoTB will but am cautiously optimistic that Slumdog might).
I agree that there are always films that for whatever reason get ignored or snubbed every year. This is understandable. What is a bit hard to swallow is that neither of the two films that were the most successful with both the critics and the public garnered a Best Picture or Best Director nomination. Both TDK and Wall-E ranked above most of the other films nominated in those two categories. Whether you liked the films or not, this is a fact.
No, this will not deter myself or any true fan of film from watching the Oscars, or being happy that the films did have other nominations. It just let a lot of air out of the ballon.
Hans,
Why do you think TDK and Wall-E will stand the test of time more so than other movies?
Meh, I’m feeling the boredom as well. I’ll definitely still be watching but I’m so disappointed that TDK was snubbed. If Heath doesn’t win, this will go down as the year the Academy did EVERYTHING wrong.
So wait a minute: if you think TDK got snubbed, you’re a whiny fanboy? Hmmmm…….
The Academy more or less boycotted the idea of recognizing TDK as one of the 5 best films of the year when all the guilds endorsed it and it finishes as the #2 film on Awardswatch’s Top Ten list compilation. But I guess all those guilds and top ten lists must have been fanboys…………
If the Academy wants to thumb its nose at TDK, why is it so pathetic that the film’s fans want to do the same to the Academy?
If people who like a $1 billion behemoth that wins awards and is well-acclaimed are fanboys, what the hell does that make the Academy who ignored it? I’d rather be a fanboy, I guess, than an out-of-touch group of geezers who bend over whenever Harvey Weinstein feels the urge. Mercy.
Meh, I probably shouldn’t have said “stand the test of time” since that does sound rather cliche and overused, but perhaps, maybe, age better? I enjoyed CCoBB but I simply don’t think it’ll become a classic that people will come back to 5, 10, 20 years down the road. It really is a beautiful film, and it’s in my top 10 of the year, so I don’t know what I’m really going with except gut I guess. Slumdog will have its BP award to help it last, and I’m really glad it managed to break out of the arthouse circuit to become the little film that could because it really is a brilliantly novel little film and I think people will be recognizing that for years to come. I can’t say anything yet about Milk, F/N, or The Reader as I have not seen those yet, but how have biopics of 10, 20 years held up?
To MDK,
Is that directed toward me? If so, you have misstated my point. I did not argue that by stating TDK was snubbed, you’re a fanboy. I’m arguing that by refusing to watch the oscars simply because your favorite movie was not selected when, in the past, you’ve accepted the frailties of the oscars (i.e. its inability to always get it “right” (whatever that means)), is hypocritical.
To Hans,
I understand your definition. I’m just curious what allows a film to age better than others?
I hate to say that no matter what happen no matter how wrong or out of touch the Academy members are, I will watch the show, anyway. And on top of that, as the show is normally telecasted in my country in the morning, I always take a day off my work to watch it..but god forbid, I’m so happy about that!
The fact is Oscar tends to not like movies that are successful commercially. If we go back 29 years (to 1980), you’ll see that the highest grossing film of the year was only nominated in the Best Picture Category 7 times.
Those films were: 1981–Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1982–E.T., 1988–Rain Man, 1994–Forrest Gump, 1997–Titanic, 1998–Saving Private Ryan, 2003–Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
The box office “snubs” for the highest grossing films of the year were: 1980–Empire Strikes Back, 1981–Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1983–Return of the Jedi, 1984–Beverly Hills Cop, 1985–Back to the Future, 1986–Top Gun, 1987–3 Men and a Baby, 1989–BATMAN, 1990–Home Alone, 1991–Terminator 2, 1992–Aladdin, 1993–Jurassic Park, 1995–Toy Story, 1996–Independence Day, 1999–The Phantom Menace, 2000–Grinch Who Stole XMAS, 2001–Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2002–Spider-Man, 2004–Shrek 2, 2005–Revenge of the Sith, 2006–Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, 2007–Spiderman 3, 2008–The Dark Knight.
So, yes we can quibble about the short-sightedeness of the Academy, but we would probably be going all the way back to its beginning in 1929, and we would still find fault.
I have seen all of the movies listed above, and most were critically acclaimed; and, I remember that many people had the same level of “intense feelings” and “sense of loss” when their pictures failed to receive Best Picture nominations.
We could put Aladdin, Toy Story, and perhaps Shrek alongside Wall-E, and cry foul.
We could also put the Star Wars, Spider Man and Harry Potter series alongside The Dark Knight, and still cry foul. The same thing happened in 1989 when “Batman” didn’t receive a BP nomination.
Once again, “we” have our Awards Show and it’s called the People’s Choice Awards. The Critics have their Awards Show and it’s called the Critics Choice Awards. Ad infinitum for the editors, cinematographers, animators, directors, producers, etc. Each guild essentially has their own Awards show.
The movie industry has their Awards Show and it’s called the Academy Awards. So, the question is, which people in the movie industry are boycotting The Academy Awards because they don’t like the nominations?
Let me think…..oh, yeah…..like every year, probably everyone that didn’t get nominated.
Rockmocha, are you 12? Are you 6? You’re not paying attention to anything I said, so…I guess you’re just having a laugh? What I said is not a matter of opinion, so yes, you’ve got your head up your ass. Look, this isn’t hard. I never said that you should love the film. What the film has done to our culture this year makes it zeitgeist. Whether you like it or not. I’m over it. I will watch the Oscars (to repeat myself). But just the same way that I will not convince you that ‘TDK’ is worthy of a Best Pic nom, no one will convince me that ‘The Reader’, ‘Slumdog, ‘F/N’ etc. is a very impressive crop. The Academy chose the wrong stuff. IMO.
Ryan said:
> “It must be as much a shock to AMPAS as it is hard for the reality to sink in for the rest of us: There are better groups that make better choices about the best movies of the year.”
So I looked on the AMPAS Oscar site and it has short lists of current members — the first names on their list were Will Smith, Salma Hayek, Ryan Gosling and Keira Knightley.
I KNOW those four were not voting for Frost/Nixon and The Reader! LOL
I assume the Academy wants us to see them as young and hip, but these noms only show how much power the elder Hollywood still has in picking the nominations, and maybe how little time the younger Hollywood has to see enough movies to get rid of some of the stuffier nominees….
I read a post in this thread that said, “many of us feel the movie (TDK) was mediocre.”
I believe that “many of us” feel TDK was snubbed. “Many of us” would include a majority of the 500,000 people or so who saw the film and 94% of critics who reviewed it. So by saying “many of us”, you are about as wrong as you could possibly be.
We are not going to stop talking about it. People need to know this is unacceptable. It’s only whining to people who don’t want to give this film the respect it deserves. The film has been disrespected, and we won’t stop until it’s acknowledged. So YOU deal with it.
Once again, “we” have our Awards Show and it’s called the People’s Choice Awards. The Critics have their Awards Show and it’s called the Critics Choice Awards. Ad infinitum for the editors, cinematographers, animators, directors, producers, etc. Each guild essentially has their own Awards show.
‘TDK’ won People’s Choice. ‘TDK’ was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. ‘TDK’ was nominated in the guilds for editing, cinematography, directing, producing (and writing and some others). ‘TDK’ was in the mix throughout the industry, bulldozed the critical filter, and landed with great success among the public. What more does it take to be the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Jaws, the Star Wars, the ROTK of the year?
I’ve seen all the contenders this year, as I’ve done every year since the age of eight, the year my mother said I had to watch a All Quiet on the Western Front for every Rush Hour. I was rooting for a TDK and Wall-E nomination, and even for a long-shot win. But to say that TDK is far and away the best picture of the year is crazy and that needs to have their head examined. Let the Right One In, The Wrestler, Wall-E are all better. Gomorrah and Bashir follow closely behind TDK.
And can we please stop saying that Ledger should’ve won for Brokeback. He shouldn’t have. That award is rightfully Hoffman’s. Everybody voted for Hoffman that year, and I remember a lot of people on THIS site that agreed. The second Ledger died it there was a rallying cry that he was robbed. I call bull. And, to an earlier post, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be the next great actor, along with Gosling, others such as DiCaprio, Downey,Norton, Crowe don’t apply, under-30. He just needs to find that one role that matches artistry with an at least marginally seen film.
My God, don’t you all see? It doesn’t matter if you liked TDK. It doesn’t matter if it was “critically acclaimed”. It doesn’t matter if it made a billion in the box office. It just wasn’t nominated. Get over it. Stop acting like sore losers. If you liked the movie, good for you. If you didn’t, good for you too. But the AMPAS don’t give a crap about what you think or like. They have their own opinion and the power to nominate whatever they want to. And they are so relevant that, even the haters still lose their time discussing their decisions.
Who cares if TDK wasn’t nominated? It’s not the end of the world. It’s not hurricane Katrina or the Holocaust. Stop turning a simple thing into a major catastrophe.
I’m not a fan of the movie myself, because, I still think that the concept of a movie about a dude in tights and a villain in heavy make up is hilarious beyond description. But, it’s just my opinion. Who cares about it anyway?
Stop whining, folks. It’s completely pointless. There’s nothing you can do or say to change the way things are. I bet Christopher Nolan, the cast and the crew are mighty happy with the things they achieved. They made the movie. They were personally involved with the project. And they’re happy. So, why do YOU (a random stranger) care so much?
As The Joker would say: why so serious?
P.S: I just couldn’t resist… TDK “a la Godfather”? C’mon. I know you like the movie. But, common sense is essential.
RockMocha,
You gotta be kidding me with the Wes Bentley reference, right?
Now THAT is a terrible actor. Definitely the weakest part of American Beauty…don’t even get me started on Ghost Rider….
*sigh* And. here. we……..GO!
D (76) – How does making the decision to not watch the Oscars this year translate into me (or anyone else not watching) being “whiners?” Reading a book or going out or watching another channel isn’t whining. That’s a decisive action. And last I checked, a law wasn’t passed requiring all Americans to watch the show every year!
Christy (122) – Yes, there are a plethora of issues that are far more important than TDK being snubbed for Best Pic. But you do realize that you’re on a web site about MOVIES and MOVIE AWARDS, so that’s going to skew the conversation a bit. Not to mention (and this is for D too) – if you bothered reading Sasha’s post – she asked a direct question of her readers: who is or is NOT watching the Oscars ?!
I’ve accepted that AMPAS wasn’t ready for “The Dark Knight” and that there are those who feel the film didn’t deserve to be nominated. But being accepting doesn’t mean I have to AGREE with it.
Finally, the results are mostly such a foregone conclusion at this point that it would be frankly BORING to watch. If “Milk” had a shot at winning BP, I would transfer all of my TDK passion to rooting for it. But it doesn’t. Slumdog’s gonna take it, as well as Danny Boyle for Best Director and as much as I liked that film, I’m just not down with those choices. And whatever the haters say (if you can call me a whiner, then I can call you a hater), deep down they KNOW that in time history will agree with me.
So y’all enjoy No. 81. I’ll check in when Heath wins.
Well, I’ll watch the show. I’ve been doing this for years. It’s tradition. And so addictive. You can’t stop once you start.
And, I know the site is about movies and movie awards. I was trying to make a point. I said, stop turning a simple thing into a major catastrophe. I was just trying to say that it’s not that important if TDK or any other movie is nominated or not. Some of my favorite movies were never nominated and they are not smaller or less important in my eyes. A nomination simply doesn’t matter. And TDK got some considerable recognition. 8 nominations! That’s a lot. Everyone in the production is OK with the way things are. I just don’t understand why some people (who were not even involved in the production) take this issue so seriously, like it’s the presidential election or the asian tsunami. It’s amusing.
If you liked TDK, go and support your movie forever, instead of wasting time with pointless whining. Complaning, whining, boycotts, it won’t change the way things are. Watch the movie, enjoy it and keep it in a place close to your heart (yeah, I can be sappy too!). When people can truly relate to a movie, it’s worth more than awards. And these words come from someone who seriously can’t stand TDK. But I’m not going to put down the fans just because I didn’t like the movie. People are entitled to their opinions.
I loved The Dark Knight, and will still watch it because I also loved some of the other nominated films. Reasons 1 and 2 are also applicable, but Kate has lost me every time she started talking at her acceptance speeches… may be she should just not be allowed to speak…
Brian,
Not sure how you came up with that 500,000 estimate. It sold around 75 million tickets at the North American box office.
filmfemme,
Regarding your label of me as a hater: You will find no bigger fan of Batman and the Dark Knight than me on this website. I’m not a comic book reader, but I have seen Burton’s Batman around 1,000 times (saw it at the age of 3 and grew up watching it every day), Batman Begins well over 100 times, and I’m closing in on 50 times with the Dark Knight. That doesn’t change the reality of the situation that the film isn’t perfect and it’s completely acceptable if the Academy felt it wasn’t worthy. I don’t think it’s really any better than Batman Begins, and Batman Begins only got nominated for Cinematography. I love both movies to death and hold them on equal footing with each other. So if one isn’t nominated, I have no problem with the other not getting nominated.
As for me labeling you a whiner, that is based on the notion of boycotting an awards show strictly because one movie got snubbed. Don’t get me wrong, I typically don’t watch the Oscars except for the last 30-40 minutes each year. I’ve usually got much better things to do than sit around watching an awards show for 3+ hours. But boycotting it because TDK got snubbed? LOL, that is beyond silly and definitely goes into whiner territory.
I watch the Oscars every year, regardless of the nominees. If I were to boycott them every time they don’t nominate someone/something that I like, I would never watch the show. Many of the movies haven’t even been released in my country anyway.
I love the dark knight, and personally i never thought in the first place it would get nominated for best picture or best director, i actually thought it might not even get a nomination for heath at the time so i never really paid attention to the awards season, until around the end of december when i checked out the news of how much awards its been receiving i was shocked and excited cause i never thought i movie like this could get so much attention, then it started receiving PGA DGA WGA nominations and at that moment i REALLY thought it had a chance to get nominated for best pic at the oscars…until that day came and wow how i was so disappointed to actually think it would get nominated, why would these award societies give it sooo many nomination and wins, and when it came to the biggest awards show they would just cut it off like that? why would they tease us like thatt? how stupid
Ryan @ 106,
I’m curious which groups you think are better at making their choices. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you. I’m just interested in which group(s) you think do the best job with their awards. I personally like the New York Film Critics a lot.
And you know the thing about chaos?…
It’s FAIR.
Bottom line…The Dark Knight will go down as one of the best films of all time, it doesn’t need an academy award to achieve that status.
To those who say get over it, I believe we have achieved our goal. We have achieved our share of voice. No other film has generated this much furor over a snub. Therein lies all the proof anyone needs.
TDK not being nominated for best picture has taken away the prestige of the honor this year. Whoever wins this year I suspect will feel like they kissed their sister. Something will bug them forever. Like an itch they can’t scratch. The applause will be so-so. The accolades will be very little. There is no top of the mountain this year for who takes home the statue for best picture because that spot is already taken by TDK. That is the most satisfying thing of all.
Peace
i know that it is too late but i will just say it
i am NOT a fanboy or geek. i am a crime fan. i thought TDK was brilliant. it was okay for me that no picture for TDK but best director i was sooo disapointed.
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