Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

2009 Academy Award Nominations Are In!!!

First by batomm	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:21:02 AM
The Dark Knight gets the shaft
No DARK KNIGHT best pic. by Gilkuliehe	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:21:16 AM
Bummer. Yaaay IN BRUGES script!
Forrest Gump 2 gets 12!!! by tile_mcgillus	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:21:24 AM
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Richard Jennkins instead of Clint Eastwood? by rainbowtrout1265	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:21:37 AM
And The Reader instead of TDK? Hollywood must be trying to turn off the mainstream audience and decrease viewership.
What the fuck by Your Moms Box	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:21:43 AM
is up with the Gran Torino snubs??? Stupid slumdog millionaire...
Batman got shafted by wildphantom07	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:22:02 AM
8 nominations, including art direction, editing and cinematography. and no picture or director nomination??? The Reader has come out of nowhere. Where was that on all the best of the year lists from the critics? Awesome nod for Richard Jenkins in The Visitor - well deserved 6 for Wall-E - nice
Ugh by Yeah I Wrote That	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:22:03 AM
Slumdog should be a lock here. Yay for In Bruges and yay for Michael Shannon. Underwhelming choices abound.
First by JayWells87	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:22:32 AM
Wow, the Reader puled some major upsets
AMPAS dropped the ball on this one by Zeegloo	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:22:49 AM
Take a fucking bow.
How they dare? by MrFloppy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:05 AM
Come on! It's not that The Reader is a bad one, it's great, but it was MISSED from the entire awards season!!
Cue the DARK KNIGHT wailing and gnashing by Nordling	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:22 AM
I'm more bugged about the Springsteen snub.
THE DARK KNIGHT was a good film... by Mockingbird Girl	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:22 AM
...but not a great one. I applaud the nomination of Heath Ledger, but agree with the Academy that it wasn’t one of the five best of the year. Hell, I didn’t even think it was the best superhero movie of the year - IRON MAN was loads more fun, and less portentous.
let me commence the bitching by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:48 AM
no dark knight for director or best picture = academy insanity. haven't they gotten it through their pretentious skulls yet that the general public only give a shit about the oscars when a super smash hit is nominated in the major awards. if memory serves, the highest rated viewership in recent history was when titanic was nominated for everything.
Surprised by Downey's vote. by npjs55	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:55 AM
Ok role and acting.
BULLSHIT!!! by SkidMarkedUndies	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:24:14 AM
NO DARK KNIGHT FOR BEST PICTURE/DIRECTOR?!?! TRAVESTY! BUTTON GETS 12? BULLSHIT!!!
The Reader? No Eastwood? No Knight? by Crash115	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:24:16 AM
Seriously?
Boring, Predictable Nominations by topaz4206	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:25:33 AM
Especially Button for Best Picture. BEST PICTURE?!!?!?
AND NO SPRINGSTEEN!?!? by SkidMarkedUndies	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:25:36 AM
DOES HOLLYWOOD HAVE THEIR HEAD UP THEIR ASS!?!?!?! OMFG I'M SO PISSED!
and more bitching by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:26:03 AM
why the fuck wouldn't springsteen get nominated for best song. even without the visuals of the wrestler, that song is still fantastic. did we really need BOTH songs from slumdog millionaire? also, i didn't see happy-go-lucky but i thought it would've been really cool if sally whatsherface was nominated for best actress. and seriously academy, the reader? the motherfucking reader??!!
13?! yikes by The Shyster	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:26:05 AM
suck on that Pitt cock!
At lease ledger got his - RIP by npjs55	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:26:07 AM

At least a little love for IRON MAN by Seth Brundle	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:26:12 AM
just visual effects, ...better than nothing i guess , and Batman on best picture....well, dreaming was nice while it lasted
I Was Proven Right About TDK--No Best Pic Or Director Noms by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:27:33 AM
Told you. Chris Nolan is hacktacular??? Dark Knight completely sucked!!!
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ROBBED by IndoorPlumbing	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:27:36 AM
This makes no sense. NO SENSE.
No TDK = Geeks attempt suicide by lb	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:27:42 AM
I loved TDK but am not bothered at all by it not getting a nod. It really was not that great but it was better than Milk and Button
by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:27:52 AM
Rourke will win Best Actor. Pitt shouldn't be nominated. Colin Farrell should have been for In Bruges. Come to think of it, where the fuck are In Bruges' nominations? It was the best film of the year. The Reader? Fuck off! Kate Winslets statue chasing is starting to get on my fucking nerves. She should not have been nominated of for Rev Road. Michael Shannon as supporting actor? Yes, definitely. He was brilliant. But Kate Winslet can fuck right off. Where the fuck is Jason Butler Harner's nom for Changeling? The guy was awesome. As much as I like him, Downey Jr can fuck off as well. Tropic Thunder was okay, but his role was a fucking gimmick, not a character. Frost/Nixon? Fuck off! Langella maybe deserved a nom. Maybe. But the flick was average at best. These noms are pretty shit.
FUCK THIS SHIT. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:28:29 AM
All of it. No Dark Knight in Picture, Director or Adapted Screenplay, no peace.
No Wall-E for Best Picture!?!?!?!??! by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:29:05 AM
Forget TDK, but no Wall-E?? Come on...
lol what's with the TDK bashing guys by Stickman83	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:29:19 AM

BOYCOTT by IndoorPlumbing	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:29:47 AM
Need I say more?
things i was pleasantly surprised about by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:29:50 AM
i walked out of revolutionary road thinking that michael shannon deserves an oscar for this performance (though it should really go to heath). apparently when i talk, the academy listens. i was also surprised at hellboy 2, which was a cool surprise. i haven't seen frozen river or the visitor, but its nice to see mellisa leo and richard jenkins get some much deserved love for their long career as unknown character actors. i've loved jenkins since flirting with disaster and he really showed he was a great actor on six feet under. also, best screenplay for wall-e!!!
Jenkins Deserved It Over Eastwood by mrbeaks	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:29:56 AM
Great call by the Academy. Winslet not getting a Supporting Actress nomination for THE READER is the biggest surprise (other than THE READER being the dark horse BP nominee over DOUBT).
TDK for Best Editing? by yodalovesyou	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:30:08 AM
I thought it was annoying. Undermining the great comedy moment where The Joker washes his hands with sanitizer by sticking it in the middle of Bruce trying to save Reese's life was one of the worst editing decisions ever. Nolan obviously can't do linear storytelling all that well. Ledger should be a sure-bet, if not, fuck 'em. Would like to see Sean Penn take actor. Everything else, I'm indifferent to.
lol what's with the TDK bashing guys by Stickman83	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:30:18 AM
do you really think tiny stones like you people will change the overwhelming tide of praise for TDK? no one thinks you're "cool" for thinking that... only you guys. only you.
Was pissed about Dark Knight until I remember... by sambafreak13	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:30:23 AM
it's kinda silly to judge art in the first place, right? Sure, TDK was in my top 5 but the whole "best" thing is kinda silly...so the Academy voters didn't like it as much as those 5 other movies...doesn't make it any less awesome. Frost/Nixon, Benjamin Button, and Slumdog were all great movies...still need to see the other 2. Nording: Good call on Springsteen...they only nominated 3 songs, they couldn't throw one more in there?
Jolie, Downey Jr?? Oh please by Gungan Slayer	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:30:38 AM
the rest of the acting nods I'm ok with, although, I'm surprised to see Eastwood didn't get much love this year, what with two films out.
Academy to American moviegoers: FRAK YOU. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:31:05 AM
The Visitor: $9.4m total boxoffice Frozen River: $2.3m Frost/Nixon: $8.8m The Reader: 7.9m Rachel Getting Married: $10.7m The Wrestler: $5.5m The Dark Knight: $531 million If that's not just bending and submitting to the arthouse circuit, I'm not sure what does.
Benjamin Buttons Is The Film!!! by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:31:25 AM
The Messiah called it again, well in advance!!!
DK is not as good as you think it is. by estacado1	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:31:53 AM
Just like Children Of Men, it's not as good you think it is. Just because it has long sequences of single-shot scenes, it doesn't make a good movie great. And just because Heath Ledger is dead, doesn't make a good movie like DK great.
Why Springsteen was snubbed ... by Lou C.	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:31:55 AM
He didn't get nominated because the song wasn't eligible. The Academy refuses to change it's antiquated rules, so since Springsteen put "The Wrestler" on his new album, that disqualifies it from contention. The song must appear only on the film's soundtrack and cannot have been released in any other form. It really is silly. He wrote the song for the movie, at Rourke's request, then later added it to his album because he liked it. They're making the category irrelevant. Some interesting choices here. If you're going to nominate Downey for Tropic Thunder, though, where's the buzz for Russell Brand in Forgetting Sarah Marshall? "I was going to listen to that ... but then I just went on livin' my life." Genius.
Fck Button! It wasn't that good... by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:32:57 AM
Oh, and Hellboy II should've been nominated for audio cinematography, but specially for cosutmes...
Harvey at it again? by Crash115	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:33:02 AM
It's been 10 years since Harvey W. orchestrated the theft of the Oscar from the classic Saving Private Ryan for his whispy romance Shakespeare in Love. Now he is at it again with The Reader. Certainly not a bad film, but not a memorable one either. 10 years from now, people will look back and say "how did that happen?"
That's Button But... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:33:15 AM
I'm so excited right now!!!
The Reader + Stephen Daldry = FAIL by Zardozap2005	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:33:55 AM
C'mon. This list was so predictable, it's pathetic. Daldry shouldn't even be on there. If the Academy was so scared of a super-hero movie, they should have at least given some director credit where it was due. The Curious Case of Forrest Gump is so over rated. BAH!
Congrats RDJ , and good luck your up against over rated hype by JeanLuc Dickhard	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:33:59 AM
RDJ deserves this ..... and clint got fucked over
no torino at all??? by Superzerotwo	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:34:37 AM
man, clint shoulda got something for that flick.
No Best Picture Nomination for TDK by thethirdman3	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:34:55 AM
I guess it goes to show that elitism is alive and well.By the way good luck with 2009 Academy Award show , because the Academy is going to need it. The ratings are going to dismal to say the least.
Richard Jenkins? C'mon, Beaks; with due respect... by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:35:21 AM
His movie bombed. Cratered. 1941 made triple the boxoffice of The Visitor. Although we were spared Sally Jenkins in lead actress for a movie that made only $3.5 million in its run.
mvckalel you are correct by sambafreak13	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:35:37 AM
WALL-E was amazing and it would have been nice to see it recognized, but now that they have the Animated category you will likely NEVER see an animated feature make it for BP
How the FUCK did "THE FALL" not get a nod by Gungan Slayer	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:35:39 AM
for best costume design? That movie had some crazy and badass costumes if I ever saw any.
its ok that TDK didnt get best pic or director noms by movieManiac	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:35:43 AM
that was a long shot anyway, but not even Best Original Screenplay??? I mean if anything it should have gotten that! Im glad at least songs from Slumdog got nominated this time, Globes nominated fucking Miley Cyrus for best song.
No Springsteen!!!!! by erichaislar	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:36:30 AM
WTF! That song is great.
DerLanghaarige by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:36:43 AM
no, that's not necessarily why dark knight should've been nominated, but it certainly helped it's case.
Yikes. by filmicdrummer17	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:37:12 AM
The Weinstein triumphs again... ugh. There are at least three other films (Wall-E, TDK, Wrestler) that more deserve to be there. I hope their base is really satisfied with itself. No Springsteen = weird. At least now the very good Peter Gabriel track has a legitimate shot at winning. Speaking of, Wall-E got 6, so at least there's that...
Mvckalel: You Know You Love Benjamin Button by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:38:31 AM
All Dark Knight fans rejoice...a better film got the best picture nod and that's Benjamin Button. Soon, the best picture Oscar will be Button's...and David Fincher will have the best director award and you will all collectively say: "Damn that Media Messiah Mother Fucker, he was right again???!!! Fuck him, Rat Fink Mother Fucker!!!"
Shut up about the Dark fucking Knight by Your Moms Box	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:38:36 AM
It flat out didnt deserve anything other than the nominations it received. What about the Wrestler?? Totally left in the cold to make room for Bollywood shit like Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader...a flick totally ignored by every single other awards outlet. This is why people tune out for the oscars. The academy nominates irrelevant dreck that most people dont see until its available on HBO.
Oh well, WB is still laughing all the way to the bank by Shut the Fuck up Donny	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:39:29 AM
I don't think the five best pic nominations' box office gross combined came even close to TDK. Considering art is subjective anyway, I think the "uncultured" masses have already spoken. Come Oscar Night, I'll watch the monologue, watch the In Memorium to pay my final respects (while observing the applause-o-meter popularity contest), and go to bed.
my picks, no matter f*#%king what... by CHUDfucker	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:39:33 AM
Best actor: Mickey Rourke Best Actress: Kate Winslet Best Sup Actor: Heath Ledger Best Sup Actress: Taraji P Henson Best Animated Feature: WALL-E Best Art Direction: The Dark Knight Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire Best Costume Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Director: David Fincher. Best Feature Doc: Man on Wire Best Short Doc: The Witness Best Editing: The Dark Knight Best Foreign Film: Waltz with Bashir Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Music (Score): WALL-E - Thomas Newman Best Original Song: WALL-E - "Down to Earth" BEST PICTURE: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Animated Short Film: Presto - Doug Sweetland Best Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland) - Jochen Alexander Freydank Best Sound Editing: WALL-E Best Sound Mixing: WALL-E Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Adapted Screenplay: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Best Original Screenplay: WALL-E
WTF??? No Dark Knight? by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:39:38 AM
Oscars is Gheeeeeeyyyyy!! But altleast SDM will clean up.As for Downey, have got the nod for Tony Stark instead of some dude in blackface. (Fucking Hollywood..)Benjamin Buttons was overrated, I would pick Defiance or even Gran Torino over this fluff piece. Can someone tell me why the screenplay for Juno won last year, yet TDK got overlooked for best screnplay?!?
Downey Jr did NOT deserve to be nominated by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:40:32 AM
No Farrell or Eastwood. Fuck that shit. Good on Jenkins though. I'll have to see The Visitor now. Benjamin Button was technically brilliant but failed to engage the audience. Pitt's physical performance to bring the old Button to life was very good, but his overall performance to create the character was not.
The question is this, guys... by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:40:42 AM
What will be remembered 20 years from now?! The Dark Knight or.....The Reader? The Visitor? Rachel Getting Married? Milk? Frozen River? Exactly.
Oh, and Gran Torino too by Your Moms Box	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:42:02 AM
thats the one that REALLY pisses me off.
I'm Doing The Moon Walk On TDK Right Now by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:42:17 AM
One of the worst films of 2008 because it was so flat when there was such great room to do much more with the film...instead hyped colored people's glasses with the color of roses.
STFU Donny, I don't think the 5 movies combined boxoffice by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:42:20 AM
totals equal the FIRST FUCKING WEEKEND of The Dark Knight.
Buttons?!?Really?!?! by soloaj	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:42:23 AM
Watched it last week in a packed theater & it just did not connect. Most of the time I can dig this type of movie but not this time. It was way too long = long films do not bother me but movies that make themselves lllooonnnggg to appear Epic just annoy. I also love me some Fincher and he had some nice touches through out but that does not make it best picture. Out of that limited list I would lean toward Slumdog. Side note: both movies where packed with people & the impressions I got on the way out = Slumdog - people moved happy/enjoyed film / Buttons = Bored and not happy audience. My girl even fell asleep in Buttons & she never does that in a movie = my real gauge for how a film went ;). I would go with Wall-E, Knight, or even Doubt as some favs in my own 2 cent list.
If Winslet finally wins an Oscar by Shut the Fuck up Donny	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:43:05 AM
do you think she'll make Mendes strap it on and fuck her with it? I've never seen anybody lust for one like her.
robert downey jr. by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:45:00 AM
was good, but i agree with some of the other tbers, it was a gimmick, a fucking funny gimmick, but it didn't really require great acting. it was a slot better deserved for james franco for milk or dev patel for slumdog.
For posterity, FTW: by The Shyster	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:45:10 AM
(not my personal picks, but this is who'll win... easy money) Actor, Sean Penn - MILK Actress, Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married Sup. Actor, Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Sup. Actress, Amy Adams - Doubt Best Animated - WALL-E Best Art Dir., The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo Best Cinematography, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda Best Costumes, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West Best Director, Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle Best Doc, Man on Wire - James Marsh, Simon Chinn Best Doc Short, The Final Inch - Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant Best Editing, The Dark Knight - Lee Smith Best Foreign, Waltz with Bashir - Israel Best Makeup, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom Best Music, WALL-E - Thomas Newman Best Song, WALL-E - "Down to Earth" Best Animated Short, Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchanrd Best Live Short, Spielzeugland (Toyland) - Jochen Alexander Freydank Best Sound Edit, WALL-E - Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood Best Sound Mix, WALL-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt Best Visual Effects, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron Best Adapted Screen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth, Robin Swicord Best Original Screen, WALL-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter BEST PICTURE, Slumdog Millionaire
Why only 3 Nominees for Visual FX, Original Song, Makeup? by kamenliter	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:45:42 AM
I'm sure they could have found other worthy nominees in these categories. Why not a nod to Hellboy II for visual FX? Almost all the other categories have five nominees. I don't understand the reasoning.
some interesting conclusions there... by Obscura	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:45:55 AM
makes sense though. would have liked wall-e to get a best picture nom, but theres been so many good films this year. Re: dark knight, im more annoyed that it didnt get a scare nom, but somehow managed to get 2 other sound based noms.... the music is as much a part of the effects work in that film as anything else.
An Oscar strap-on ... by Lou C.	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:46:19 AM
... is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Nice work, sir. ... As for The Reader, it's a movie about the Holocaust. OF COURSE Hollywood is going to nominate it. You could make a holocaust porno flick and the Academy would nominate it.
Rooting for Button for Best Pic by SoylentMean	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:46:36 AM
It's the only film nominated that could be considered timeless, the rest of the pics are merely of the moment. What an uninteresting list of nominees.
holocaust porno titles by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:48:20 AM

Slum Dog: Bollywood Is Trying To Buy Hollywood by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:49:08 AM
I love the Indian people, but Hollywood is major in need of financial investment due to the economic crash, and they want, and need, Bollywood and the Indian people watching the Oscars en mass...and with it, they are hoping to win favor and more investments by Indian Billionaires in Hollywood productions and studios like Dream Works, by giving Slum Dogs those nominations...and despite my love for Benjamin Button...the Hollywood elite are crooked enough to fix this thing so Slum Dog wins best picture over Benjamin Button just so they can get that cash!!!
TDK is a great film... by RockLobster800	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:49:24 AM
and it was my favourite of last year, but Im not shocked it's gotten shafted-its just not the academys kind of film. And it is true that despite how excellent he was as Mr.J if Heath were still alive, he wouldnt have gotten the nod...Im not trying to undermine him in anyway, cos that performance deserves every praise it gets. The one really tragic Batman snub didnt happen this year though folks-it was when Shirley Walkers Mask Of The Phantasm score didnt get a nod in '93...truly one of the best soundtracks ever made and its just dismissed by most people as cartoon music
MrBeaks—Winslet by GregoryHarbin	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:49:51 AM
She was nominated for BEST ACTRESS for The Reader. How can you be complaining she wasn't nominated for Best Supporting for that movie?
The Joker by SpikeTBB	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:50:39 AM
I jumped straight to "Best Supporting Actor" to make sure Heath Ledger is there like he should be.And to be honest, don't care much any of the others. Except for any that Dark Knight is up for. Send a message to Hollywood execs that comics book films can be artistic serious FILMS not kid's stuff silly ass fluff
to lou c: holocaust porno titles by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:50:46 AM
The Night of Broken Ass Cock-centration Camp Gooish Jewish: Cum Swallowers of Poland
uninspiring selection by Lost Jarv	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:51:26 AM
Angelina Jolie? Fuck no.
Funny book movies=not taken seriously by Darth Deezen	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:51:59 AM
Doesn't matter how good they are or how much angst there is. And, anyway, if THE DARK KNIGHT didn't have Batman in it and was just a thriller about a cop, it would seem rather ordinary. It's a great movie because of the funny book element...but no one can take a guy with his own Underoos line seriously. But having said that, I DO have Batman bed sheets.
Soloaj: In A Year You Will Be Singing Button's Praises by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:52:02 AM
Stop fakin' the funk. You know you loved Benjamin Button. You laughed, you cried, you cheered, you loved the movie!!! Buttons, buttons, buttons!!!
If you want to know the REAL best picture... by OBSD	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:52:17 AM
Look at the choices for Best Original Picture. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. But here we go again with another batch of mediocre, safe and boring choices from The Academy. At least half of the "Best Picure" choices are barely above Liftime Movie Channel quality. Let The Right One In has been THE gold standard for what film should be in 2008. It showcased superior cinematography, screenplay, musical score, direction and acting (from the two leads). As far as I'm concerned, the Acadamy's "choices" for what they consider "Best Picture" seem like a limp handjob from a syphilitic 90 year old 3 dollar whore in comparison.
None of the best actress performances were striking? by tonagan	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:52:34 AM
I beg to differ. Melissa Leo is fantastic.
Any Benjamiin Button haters can eat a dick by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:52:58 AM
after all the hubbub about the score for DK..nothing...that's a shame
Benamin Button was the silliest movie I saw all year by robertkent.net	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:53:18 AM
Imagine there's two people in love, but one of them's becoming a baby. Oh no. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from that. The Dark Knight got robbed, and that sucks. It's better than Button and Frost Nixon, for sure. I haven't seen the other nominees yet, but I will.
The Dark Knight by richievanderlow	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:53:18 AM
I'm not surprised it didn't make the cut, not real sure on whether its deserving.. I thought it was, but what do I know. Either way, this year's awards have generated zero interest and I won't be watching. This looks like any given year at the Oscars with a bunch of overrated movies that may be well done, but seem to get there because of their supposed avant garde subject matter over true innovation.
Button is good, but not great by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:53:41 AM
Button's cinematography/looks is bad, it needed the 16:9, not the 2.35...Pitt's acting is bad, reminds me of Bale's Batman with the voice...the movie is just not interesting...but I love Zodiac and Se7en, so it's really the movie...
Media Messiah by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:54:21 AM
You're a complete fuckwit.
Did Wall-E break the record for most noms for an animated film? by The Shyster	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:55:06 AM
Anybody?
Button is still good, but not great by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:55:09 AM
Longer than needed...bad pacing...
Those are some lousy choices for best pic by Robstar	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:55:25 AM
Crash...No Country...now Slumdog for this year. Nothing against those films, but theyre NOT classics.
the ideal best picture nominations by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:55:35 AM
Dark Knight, Wall-E, The Wrestler, Milk, and the last one's a toss up between Revolutionary Road and Benjamin Button. Those were the best told stories of 2008 (haven't seen let the right one in so please don't shit on me for not including it in this list).
Benjamin Button? by OBSD	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:56:37 AM
Don't you mean "Gump2:Still Gumpin"?
Six Demon Bag by richievanderlow	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:56:46 AM
No kidding on TDK's score. Certainly the most innovative and appropriate music in any film I've ever seen. So much for being different. It's the same ole' same ole' for the Academy this year... how boring.
Pennsy, once and for all, box office does not = quality by JimCurry	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:56:55 AM
Saying The Visitor "bombed" is hilarious. Was it released in over 3,000 theaters? Was there a massive push for it? No. It's a low-budget, independent film that, shock, people who ACTUALLY SEE IT seem to like. You child.
Best film of 2008 was In Bruges by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:57:00 AM
And Colin Farrell was robbed.
Agreed Juror #8...those should have... by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:57:36 AM
But No Country for Old Men and The Departed are GREAT films...and let's not get into the 'classic' category, because Toy Story is classic, and it didn't win Best Picture...
OBSD is right by Lost Jarv	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:59:06 AM
look at the best original screenplay noms. There's your best picture.
once and for all by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:59:59 AM
no, box office doesn't = quality, if that were the case then the fucking grinch would've gotten a best picture nom. BUT, it does help make a good case for an already amazing movie where the general consensus of critics and moviegoers agree on it's sheer awesomeness.
Boy, if they thought last years Awards had low ratings... by Mr. Nice Gaius	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:00:48 AM
...wait till they get a load of this year. What a snoozefest of films. (Although, I'm sure there will be a spike in the ratings when the Best Supporting Actor category goes down.) The most important thing to remember here is that the best film of the year, bar none, is/was MAN ON WIRE. Everthing else? Fiction.
Where is your anger towards the Academy Harry?!!! by DarfurOnTheRocks	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:01:03 AM
Seeing that your rant against the foreign Film press because they shunned DK could have been construed as nationalistic tripe on your part.....
What will viewship be this year by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:01:37 AM
About 12 people???
Apparently, I can't type today. by Mr. Nice Gaius	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:01:47 AM
Bloody typos.
Batman needed more gay men and holocaust by jimmy_009	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:01:55 AM
to make it a best pic contender. Sad but true.
Lost Jarv by OBSD	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:02:47 AM
Thanks for seeing through my stupid fuckup. I meant to put "Screenplay" and never did. I'm glad you figured out what I was trying to say.
The Departed is a sack of crap by Lost Jarv	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:03:12 AM
Infernal Affairs destroys it.
The Academy just slit their own throats by HEADGEEK	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:03:32 AM
Not having THE DARK KNIGHT in the major awards running will kill viewership. Especially with Wolverine hosting.
Benjamin Buttons lovers can eat shit.. by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:04:49 AM
...and die in their own shit.XD
on man on wire and docs in 08 by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:05:22 AM
it was a fantastically made movie, but the best documentary released theatrically in 2008 was "Taxi To the Dark Side" which won best doc last year. after that, in no particular order, would be man on wire, religulous, standard operating procedure, shine a light, and (even though most critics didn't respond well to it) where in the world is osama bin laden?
That's why HeadGeek is Headgeek. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:05:37 AM
He knows his shit. :)
I hope Wall-E doesn't win ANYTHING by SnowDogs	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:06:27 AM
Most overhyped movie imaginable. Kung Fu Panda was better in all respects.
'The Reader' was pretentious garbage by KennyKilo	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:06:56 AM
Receiving a BP nod over 'The Dark Knight' is a joke, and what makes matters worse is Christopher Nolan being snubbed by Stephen Daldry. No Clint, No Kate (for the far superior Rev Road), No Springsteen, or The Fall. And no 'Rock Me Sexy Jesus!?!' Well, I actually liked 'Crash' so this is like Christmas; you can't get everything you want every year. Boycott the telecast!!!!
I agree Harry... by JimCurry	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:07:08 AM
This will be the lowest rated ever, if not, pretty darn close... TDK would have gotten millions of geeks, and curious casual viewers, watching... No one really gives a flip about Frost/Nixon vs. Slumdog.
Shite year for movies.. by Lacloake	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:07:16 AM
Best films I've seen this year are 'Let The Right One In' and 'Hunger' but there's a snowball's chance of either of those getting a nod.... And where the fuck is Eastwood for Gran Torino? I know it's a bit of a flawed movie but he was fantastic in it!
TDK by mode_7	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:09:46 AM
I'm way more surprised TDK didn't get a nod for the score than anything else. How the fuck can that score not be nominated? It's a fucking masterpiece.
Borrriiiinnnnnnngggggggggggggggg by CountdeCeredigion	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:10:51 AM
Would it really have been so hard to nominate Dark Knight for best picture or have a little recognition for Nolan?
Spiderman 2 was one of the best reviewed by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:11:21 AM
films of the year, the year it came out, with a lot of support for Alvin Sargeant's screenplay. And just like then a "comic book" movie has a chance in hell in getting a best picture nom. Gone are the days when popular (Star Wars, Close Encounters) and popular fluff (Airport, The Posidein Adventure) were nominated. As far as The Reader...I guess Ricky Gervais' advice to Kate Winslet was right. Do a holocaust movie, and the awards will follow.
about the springsteen snub by Juror Number 8	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:11:26 AM
i dont give a fuck if its against some arbitrarily moronic rule, its a travesty the wrestler wasn't nominated for best song. the fact that springsteen is playing the superbowl would increase interest in him playing the song at the oscars, but now we have to listen to TWO bollywood songs. nothing against bollywood, but one is definitely enough. also, springsteen would bring his legion of fans to watching the oscars for his performance and his definite win, if he were only nominated, of course.
The Reader - 58 Metacritic score; The Wrestler - 81 MC score by DirkBelig	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:11:52 AM
Way to go Harvey!!! Way to go Academy!!!
What will Happen when Heath doesn't win by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:12:19 AM
Because that will probably happen.
they forgot a little movie called Snow Angels! Stupid Assholes! by What The Duck	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:12:27 AM
Great movie with great performances. It should have at least been nominated for the acting. On another note ddid anybody really believe TDK was gonna snag a best picture nomination?
sorry harry "in bruges" will win best screenplay by logicalnoise01	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:12:47 AM
also fuck watching this boring telecast.
If There Will Be Blood's Score didn't get by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:13:00 AM
nominated, I'm not shocked about TDK's score not making the ctu.
The Academy Awards/The Wrestler by gunnarcannibal	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:13:18 AM
Weeee woopdee fucking shit! But still I hope Mickey gets the oscar just for bragging rights and because he deserves every single award he can get for this role. The Wrestler was better than all those nominated films...it took something as silly as pro wrestling and turned it into a heart wrenching tradgedy. Whatever, it won best picture in my little dream world...along with Let The Right One In, The Dark Knight, Rachel Getting Married and Tropic Thunder!
Not really Harry by Your Moms Box	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:15:10 AM
The Academy knows what they are doing, especially in terms of viewership. Best Supporting Actor wont be presented until far into the night, because PEOPLE (not fucking rabid comic book douches) will be curious to see if the dead guy wins. Cut their own throats??? I think you overrate yourself and your minions of comic obsessed fan boys this site has polluted over the years. I really wish this page would lean more towards movies and film rather than verbally felating any comic-book based feature that comes down the pike. Great films like the Wrestler and Gran Torino were vastly overlooked in several major categories as well, and all aintitcoolnews gives a company fuck about is Batman. Get over it. And yourselves.
Rourke ain't going to win by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:16:46 AM
I'd like to see it happen, but it ain't going to happen. He's going to get the Bill Murray runner-up award.
Slumdog Win= by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:17:44 AM
Thank you Bollywood for funding Hollywood during the economic downturn.
The American Beauty Prequel set in the 50's by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:18:46 AM
didn't get nominated, but the Forrest Gump remake did. Interesting.
Tomato Meter and the Oscars by knowthyself	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:19:29 AM
What's even scarier is if you bother to check the tomato meters for the films nominated. Best films of the year getting 70% fresh? WTF? Benjamin Button 73%, The Reader 60%, Meanwhile Wrestler got 98% and Dark Knight got 94%.
Kate Winslet..The Susan Lucci of Oscar by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:20:39 AM
She'll finally win and do important films like a remake of Wes Craven's Shocker and the lead in some Michael Bay action movie.
Who the fuck cares when AVATAR is fucking our eyeballs in 2009? by Motoko Kusanagi	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:20:52 AM
Fucking academy. THE mediocre READER??? What the fuck? WALL*E for best script??? Christopher Nolan not nominated? Plenty of BENJAMIN borefest BUTTON love??? I fucking hope that Ledger gets his golden boy. Plus, IN BRUGES rocked!
Couldnt agree more Samuel Fulmer by Your Moms Box	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:20:56 AM
Look how long it took the academy to give Sean Penn an oscar after years of nominations because they hate him. Rourke has the hate, but not the string of performances under his belt to garner an award. That statue has Pitt written all over it.
Oh and ENOUGH with the god damn Holocaust movies. by knowthyself	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:21:37 AM
Can we stop with those already? Its like an automatic win whenever your killing jews in your movie.
Maybe there's some truth to this Bollywood/Hollywood by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:22:43 AM
conspiracy theory. TWO B-wood songs in Original Song and no Bruce? WTF?
Media Messiah: I am convinced by soloaj	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:22:53 AM
I stand corrected = love me some Buttons now! You Win! ;) HA! Is it Friday yet? = need some BSG ASAP
Eastwood by ForkTongue	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:23:08 AM
He's okay at delivering a weak script and some terrible dialogue. Should have let someone else direct that film and just stick to the acting and playing the song.
What contest? by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:23:37 AM
Its a lock. Rourke for The Wrestler, the comeback win. Winslet for The Reader, the multi-nominated-no-win win. Ledger for the career interrupted win. Henson for the supporting minority win. And Slumdog Millionaire for director (which Boyle shoould have got for Trainspotting) and picture for the little film that could that had more substance the Little Miss Littlefilm.
Dark Knight Sucks Shit by Mr Sidney James	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:24:37 AM
Is it just me that thinks the dark knight would have benefitted from cutting by at least 1/2 an hour. Sorry but nominations just because you're dead suck shit
TDK for BEST MAKEUP?!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:25:06 AM
Uhhhh.....they do know that Two-Face was 90% CG, right? I'm righting a letter right now to get it disqualified.
TDK for BEST MAKEUP?!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:25:10 AM
Uhhhh.....they do know that Two-Face was 90% CG, right? I'm righting a letter right now to get it disqualified.
fuck....thats WRITING not RIGHTING.....retard by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:25:49 AM

And a big LOL to all the dumbasses... by Motoko Kusanagi	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:26:25 AM
...who still don't know what "editing" is about. It's not the montage within a scene, you morons! It's how the movie as a whole is visually told. TDK should win that category. Great editing.
Your Moms-The Penn thing by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:26:30 AM
I totally agree. He had to demean himself in crap like I am Sam in order to look serious (which is funny because I thought it was the most unintentionally funny performance ever) so when Mystic River came out, he could win. Rourke hasn't really been good in years, and they're just going to skip over him for this reason. I think it's stupid, it's the best performance of the year, not best career or whatever.
Fuck Milk and Sean Penn by masteryoda007	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:26:51 AM
What a cunt of a movie. What a cunt of a lead actor. Sho nuff.
My vote would be for by Mr Sidney James	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:27:12 AM
Anus, Penis, Anus, Oh Yeah!
Bruce Springsteen, Benjamin Button and the Oscars... by spooky2k	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:28:02 AM
So how come 'The Wrestler' isn't in the best original song category? I mean, obviously it's because it wasn't voted for but come on...Peter Gabriel? That song was terrible. Jai Ho was great and I hope it takes it. Sorry but I'm not feeling the love for Benjamin Button at all. It was OK but essentially was a completely forgettable 'me too' Oscar film. The film cut it's own logic in half at the end! (He started as a little baby who looked 80, so logically he should end as an 80 year old who looks 1 hour old, right? I felt short changed!) Also, Ease up the the Dark Knight love. It isn't half as good as you remember it being.
it's the best performance of the year, not best career or whatev by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:28:23 AM
Because Al Pacino deserved an Oscar for his HOO HAA?? Of course, the performance plays just a portion of the award.
Maybe Pacino will do Cruising 2 by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:30:07 AM
Electric Fistaloo.
A disgrace that Dark Knight left out of Best Picture by Stan Gable	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:30:43 AM
In a world where Titanic, Gladiator and LOTR: Return of the King have all won best picture awards, the Dark Knight isn't even nominated? Milk, Frost/Nixon and Reader and no Dark Knight? Dark Knight was clearly the most entertaining movie of the year, with great acting performances turned in by ALL, excellent direction from Chris Nolan and an epic screenplay. If Heath Ledger hadn't died they probably would have left him out too.
For the First Year.. by Playhouse	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:31:04 AM
...I've realized how bloated and ultimately unimportant the Oscars are. The Globes and the Oscars this year are both pretty staid with a few bright spots. I'll tune in to see Ledger become only the second actor to receive a posthumous Oscar after Finch. That's about it. It's not that I don't support a number of these fine films. It's that the Academy Awards continue to be out of touch with quite a bit of excellent cinema. I think I'm finally done with awards shows. And the Oscars were one of my favorite things growing up. Oh well, on to more important things.
Once again.. by kbass	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:31:16 AM
The Academy proves just how out-of-touch it is when it comes to nominations. "The Dark Knight" snub is a travesty, but not surprising. I'm equally displeased that "Gran Torino" and Clint Eastwood were ignored. It's a fairly simple movie but he delivers an amazing performance. Nice job Academy! And TV viewership continues to spiral downward...fewer people watch because fewer people care. When you slight a film like "The Dark Knight" you deserve your fate.
2 questions - Gran Torino and Ben Button by jones1899	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:32:08 AM
1. Did anyone else find MUCH of the acting and dialog in Torino to be so bad that it pulled them RIGHT OUT of the movie? Not talking about Clint here.____________________ 2. Can You explain to me Brad Pitt's nod? Sure he acted in different ages, but as far as emotional performance - the guy was just kinda walking around, watching shit happen, talkin about it. Maybe thats the fault of the script (which also makes me question the nods for best screenplay and picture)
My 2009 Oscar picks, and Fuck the Academy... by Leafar the Lost	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:32:38 AM
...for not nominating the Dark Knight. Best Actor-Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) Best Actress-Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) Best Supporting Actor-Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) Best Supporting Actress-Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) Best Animated Feature Film (Kung Fu Panda) Best Art Direction (The Dark Knight) Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando Best Picture (The Dark Knight) Fuck the Academy on that one.
Don't kid yourselves.... by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:33:29 AM
Viewership will not plummet due to lack of The Dark Knight being nominated. Most of these films that were nominated have made money this year. This is also the first year where most of the people I know have seen the majority of the nominated films. The viewership will either stabilize to last years or improve a bit. The Dark Knight wasn't going to save the Academy. It's a great movie that should have been nominated, but it wasn't. The hate should be directed at The Reader. Not at films like Slumdog or Button. Kate was better in Revolutionary Road, and even in that movie Leo out acted her. This whole movement behind The Reader by the Academy is a surprise to me.
Soloaj: BSG MAY BE A TV SHOW BUT... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:33:39 AM

Sally Hawkins by BirdMnJr	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:34:52 AM
Sally Hawkins was robbed. She gave the best female performance of the year in Happy-Go-Lucky, won a Golden Globe, and got shafted here. Good job AMPAS.
Soloaj: BSG MAY BE A TV SHOW BUT... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:35:06 AM
It's Oscar worthy. Maybe they should make film versions of it so they can get those Oscars after all!!!
The real ROBBERY by Adelai Niska	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:35:13 AM
was the lack of a Wall-E best director nom. It was only a completely incredbile movie that had no talking for about an hour, I guess that takes no skill at all. It's a much better skill to be able to point a camera at Sean Penn's sad little one-dimensional gay impression
I'm a Fincher fan...but BUTTON doesn't deserve BEST PICTURE. by JDanielP	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:35:40 AM
I haven't seen all the BEST PICTURE nominees, yet. Maybe David Fincher's BUTTON deserves to be in THAT specific group. However, I do feel that Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT was a superior flick to Fincher's. Many thanks to Chris Nolan. And here's to my hope...that he introduces Superman in the next Dark Knight installment, even while maintaining his life-like style. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed...for Nolan to prove that even Superman can transcend the genre.
The usual Oscar Bullshit! by Power_Girl	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:35:45 AM
Honestly why does anyone care about the Ego, vanity awards known as the oscars. It isn't about the best films of the year and honoring a years work in cinema. Only types of movies are even considered and they have to be studio films or at least owned by one.
Solution: Instead of watching the Oscars that night... by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:35:59 AM
Rent The Dark Knight instead on PPV, DVD or Blu-Ray.
As much as I loved The Wrestler... by IAmMrMonkey!	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:36:02 AM
I'd really like Langella to take the Oscar. I truly enjoyed his performance in that movie and think the guy deserves some recognition. However, if he lost out to Rourke, I wouldn't be unhappy at all.
I agree Adelai Niska by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:36:39 AM
Both on your point about Wall E and on Sean Penn's overrated performance.
Snubs, etc. by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:41:42 AM
I really enjoyed Ben Button, but I think Leo or Colin should have been nominated over Pitt. Great to see In Bruges got a screenplay nod, though. Best screenplay I've seen in a while!! I can't believe Springsteen didn't get nominated. If you would have asked me for a sure thing, his nomination would be at the top of the list. And he won the Golden Globe!!! Good to see Michael Shannon in there for Rev Road. The Dark Knight should own the technical categories. Stephen Daldry for direction over Christopher Nolan??? WTF?? All the Reader is is 2 people in a bedroom banging each other and talking!!! This is a great example that the Oscars are political snobby BS. Good job Weinstein!!!
Why only three Best Song noms? by Nasty In The Pasty	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:42:28 AM
And nominating two songs from Slumdog Millionaire means the votes will be spilt and the award will go to WallE. Danny Elfman's "The Little Things" from Wanted deserved props. And -- trivia alert! -- this is the first year since 1992* to feature an un-nominated John Williams score.
Stalkeye: Isn't That A Bit Harsh... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:43:14 AM
...you could have told us to eat vagina...and die in vagina, instead??? A much more pleasant way to go. You know you love Benjamin Button too, see...I know you. See, you're smiling now. I saw that! Your grin!!! I have a confession to make, just like you, I cried during the movie, Benjamin Button, also. It's okay to admit it, we're still strong men...and best of all, the ladies will be impressed by our sensative sides. Just ask Mavra Chang...she'll tell you.
Oh well, so much for ratings. Too bad, ABC. by Orbots Commander	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:43:28 AM
The only one of these major nominees in wide release is Benjamin Button (and it's not exactly setting the world on fire); everything else is still in only playing in selected theaters in NY and LA. Good luck in getting anybody to tune in.
The night of Kiss assing and self congratulating!!! by Power_Girl	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:44:58 AM

That's "Sensitive"...Sorry For The Misspelling by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:46:40 AM
I'm sorry for the misspelling, but a tear was in my eye as I was just crying watching a bootleg of Benjamin Button. I'm still chocked-up!!! Please excuse me, I have to go cry some more!!!!
Media Messiah:SO SAY WE ALL by soloaj	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:46:42 AM
If they can't get some TV award love give them some movie award love ;) Get me the academy on the line or they will feel the wraith of the 13th colony.
Since the academy will allow movie trailers by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:48:28 AM
to run during the telecast, I wonder if there will be a teaser for Avatar? THAT would get the geeks to watch.
See I Told You by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:48:53 AM
I'm too choked up to spell choked. Haha!!!
Pennsy, stop being such a child by sambrook	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:49:46 AM
Just because a film made more money than another doesn't make it better (just like winning an Oscar doesn't). Pirates 2 is the third biggest film of all time worldwide, should that have won Best Picture? I agree that The Dark Knight should have been nominated for Best Picture but not because it made so much money, but because it was a genuinely fantastic film. And saying that Richard Jenkins doesn't deserve an nomination because his movie "bombed"? For such a small indie film it made a tidy profit and to completely denounce his performance because it didn't do blockbuster figures? Fuck off. That's one of the most ignorant, childish and retarded things I've read on here and - as you seem to be on these boards every day - you know how ignorant, childish and retarded these comments can get.
No Best Picture for The Wrestler? Boo. by Stuntcock Mike	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:50:07 AM
It'd be nice if Rourke won.
Why The Reader suprise? by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:50:20 AM
Don't the Jews still run Hollywood?
Slow to post the nominees guys? by Brody77	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:51:02 AM
Even IMDB was faster!! I'm not too thrilled by a lot of it. I haven't watched Slumdog yet, but the universal cock sucking is getting a bit old now. Never mind the noms, what do folk think Jackman will bring to it as host? Will he do Oklahoma dressed as Wolverine? Will he apologise for Van Helsing? Hopefully he's gone to Billy Crystal for tips and not Letterman.
The Academy Finally Gets It Right! by horato	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:51:32 AM
Jerry Lewis is finally getting an Oscar this year(albeit for humanitarian efforts). All other snubs this year are instantly forgiven.
As for The Reader..I would love to "read" ... by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:51:46 AM
Kate Winslett's lips :P.This is more like a Cumming of age film, than your average historical Nazi Docudrama.It com every teenage male's fantasy..to get busy with a Milf.The Movie is just ok,but it should have NEVER gotten the nod over TDK.Paul Verhooven's BlackBook runs circles over this shit.
NO CATE BLANCHETT?!!!!! WTF! by FuckMichaelBay	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:51:46 AM
SHE WUZ ROBBED!
THE READER is way overhyped. by FuckMichaelBay	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:53:32 AM
It's a good but forgettable, and often predictable film with prestige talent. This is more of a nod to Pollack and Minghella than to the film itself.
Kate Winslet should've won for Little Children. by Stuntcock Mike	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:54:03 AM
She also needs to start doing movies like Doomsday and stop licking the Dick of Oscar.
Benjamin Buttocks was ass..... by Thot	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:54:16 AM
One of the worst films I've seen in quite a while. Pitt for best actor in BB?? What the hell? He was FAR better in "Burn After Reading" He actually had to ACT in that film. (A far superior film to BB by the way). No TDK for best pic? Odd indeed. The Oscars are a joke, I never watch them.
Richard Jenkins nom by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:54:45 AM
The guy has been a beloved character actor for years, and he got a chance to shine in a main role. Kinda like David Strathaim in Good Night And Good Luck. So give him his time in the sun. Rourke will still be the sentimental favorite to win.
The Academy can Kiss My A$$!!!! by Jazner	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:55:43 AM
Sorry folks, but I refuse to watch the Oscars' broadcast or lend any credence whatsoever to the legitimacy of the nominated films. Granted, you can no doubt make a case for why each film nominated should win the actual award. However, there is NO REASON why TDK shouldn't have at least been nominated to categories such as 'Best Picture,' 'Best Screenplay' or 'Best Director.' In short, The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences is an arrogant, self serving group of elitist hypocrites and they can all kiss my ass for their continuous attempts to cram their snobbish cinematic tastes, among other opinions and beliefs, down my frakin' throat.
WEAK!! by JacksParasites	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:55:44 AM
Once again, the Oscars proves its own irrelevancy. Once again this is the same academy that opted not to honor Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Double Indemnity, Star Wars, or Pulp Fiction with Best Picture, in most cases in favor of films that have been long-since forgotten. Now granted I've never seen The Reader, but I'm pretty fuckin' sure it's not going to stand the test of time like Dark Knight will. The Academy consistently makes the same mistake, picking the flavors of the months instead of those films that will stand the test of time, will become classics, and will be taught in film classes. Kudos for the unexpected Downey Jr. nomination though. He deserved something for his awesome performances in 3 films this year. He's a dude playing a dude pretending to be another dude.
Let The Right One In by mithrandir16	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:55:53 AM
My understanding is that Sweden submitted a different movie for the Foreign Language category, but it wasn't selected for the final nominees. Anyone know what that movie was or why they would make that decision? Let the Right One In was definitely one of the year's best, foreign or domestic, and it's a tragedy that it doesn't have a chance to win.
Re: "Will he do Oklahoma dressed as Wolverine?" by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:03 AM
I would pay front row seats to see that happen.Just to jeer and laugh at Jack(off)man as he sings; "I got a beautiful feeling..." What a douche and yes he should apologize for Van Hellsing and Swordfish too.Hugh Hackman indeed.
The people that care that "Wolverine" is hosting by HypeEndsHere	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:10 AM
don't place much value on The Oscar (tm) anyway.
For TDK to get an editing nod by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:19 AM
The editor would've had to excise that entire dueling boats with bombs on them sequence.
Forrest Gump 2 and a bunch of movies no one saw by Defrost	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:34 AM
And then they'll act shocked when no one watches this
FUCKING CUNTS! FUCKING CUNTS! FUCKING CUNTS!! by most excellent ninja	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:54 AM
this awards show gets more irrelevant every year. by the way idiots. billions of viewers? it's not the champions league final. hell it's not even a barca - real madrid match or even a man u - liverpool match. Fucking cunts.
knight gets the shaft. by El Borak	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:58:17 AM
figures.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:58:46 AM
should have been up for Production Design.
Soloaj: You Never Know About A BSG Movie... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:58:48 AM
...the Oscar folks are a different crowd.
And the award for best actor goes to... by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:58:49 AM
Hugh Jackman for his role as "heterosexual man".
Titanic gets a nomination (and a win), but not DK? by BrantleyFoster	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:59:17 AM
This, to me, is insane.
The Reader: Less reading,more fucking! by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:00:04 AM

Chris Menges AND Roger Deakins by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:00:19 AM
as co-cinematographers for The Reader? That'll be hard to beat. Very glad to see In Bruges get a screenplay nod.
Pitt in Benjamin Button by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:01:07 AM
Pitts actual performance (aside from the physical aspects of the motion capture) was shit. Seriously, he has fuck all actual dialogue, it's all voice over. And the dialogue he does have he delivers like he's Karl Childers dimwit cousin. The special effects made his performance look much better than it was. If they're going to do that, then they should've nominated Andy Serkis for Gollum.
Titanic is a much better film by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:01:36 AM
than The Dark Knight.
How did the academy not nominate.. by JimCurry	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:01:49 AM
My balls?
I fully expect SDM to join.... by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:01:50 AM
Shakespeare in Love, Annie Hall and The English Patient in the "what the living fuck were we thinking?" Hall of Reverse Fame.
TDK by tranpkp1	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:03:06 AM
wow, everyone was really thinking TDK could pull of the win and then they just shut the doors?? LAME. Button is OVERRATED and boring. I'd rather watch Gump 3x over before going thru Button again. I wish I aged backwards cause Button was LONG / slow and ultimately pretty boring. Slumdog for the rest. Pretty lame, Heath will win, and it'll get all the death, blah about it Nolan got robbed.
How is Titanic by Defrost	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:03:56 AM
better than any movie really?
Clint should have been nominated for Gran Torrino. by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:04:41 AM
"Go ahead,kiss my ass".
Defrost by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:05:03 AM
You may not like it. I don't like it all that much. But Titanic is a Grade A piece of filmmaking. I don't like it...but I can admire it.
Langella should win Best Actor by MontyPigeon	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:08:40 AM
It was the best male performance of the year but the academy will go with Mr Rourke.
Agreed. TITANIC > TDK by Motoko Kusanagi	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:09:07 AM
Fantastic movie. Fuck the haters.
Silly me, I honestly had hope this year by T 1000 xp professional	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:12:08 AM
for a movie so inarguably loved by everyone and still untopped this year as far as being compelling and emotional. No other movie made me think as much or feel as much during or after the movie. Slumdog was great Button was better, but Dark Knight changed filmaking..... I gotta a question for the film buffs here. What actually makes a good movie?
The Reader... by I AM ROCKO	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:12:17 AM
...I watched it as a fan of the book, and apart from Kate (who gives an amazing performance) the film is very average and bearing in mind the subject matter(s) dull, and I cannot quite believe how they managed that. I mean a film where an older woman seduces an under age boy who turns out to be a Nazi...it should have been powerful, dramatic, intense and gripping it is none of these things. TDK is a great film, not perfect, but better than other billion dollar grossers The Return of the King and of course the woeful Titanic (even the effects now are underwhelming).
kwisatzhaderach-Titanic v. TDK by BrantleyFoster	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:12:17 AM
While my personal taste leans toward TDK being a better all around film than Titanic (no sense in arguing why--we'd go in circles forever). However, the fact that both overall critical reception and public opinion (rarely do this things match) were overwhelmingly positive for the TDK (similar to Titanic--at least in the public's embrace of the movie). That this fact alone did not warrant at least a best picture nomination is surprising to me.
Right on Pennsy by T 1000 xp professional	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:13:40 AM

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump...... by BacardiRocky	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:13:47 AM
....was a chore to watch. As already stated it was nothing more than an updated version of Forrest Gump. They both have a handicap They both are southerners They both never had a relationship with their fathers They both had understanding mothers who years later lose their mothers The both had brushes with history They both went off to sea and war (They did opposite in both films but you get it) Forrest Gump had the feather, Benjamin Button had the Hummingbird They both loved a woman who wouldn't pay them any mind, and the woman finally did and had their child. The scene early on where the preacher told Benjamin to get up and walk out of the wheel chair and falls on his face was similar to when Forrest tries to walk in the doctors office and falls. If Hollywood honors this, then why aren't they honoring all the shitty remakes that they have been puking out the last few years? What a fucking joke. Oh yeah, Bruce was fucking ROBBED for The Wrestler.
If Langella wins for Frost/Nixon by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:13:57 AM
He's really winning for Masters of the Universe.
What terrible, terrible choices. by mefrog	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:14:07 AM
The Reader is a VERY mediocre movie, The Dark Knight got shafted (not even a fucking screenplay nod?), Revolutionary Road got nothing... this had the potential to be one of the most exciting Oscar years... now I don't know if I'll even watch.
Sigh… by funwithwords	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:14:56 AM
Another TB destined to be focused on TDK, in which the level-headed feel it’s their responsibility to inform the starry-eyed fanatics that the movie was not remotely good enough to be considered among the best pictures even when you figure in how entirely mediocre this year was for film. Great. Count me pleased with TDK exclusion, but count me out of the gloating.
Zzzzzzzzzz....... by Orbots Commander	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:15:36 AM
Seriously, why even tune it? To see The Reader, a movie that I'll likely never see except on late night cable, win? As Homer Simpson would say, "Booooo-riiing!" These nominees and Jackman prancing around on-stage doing musical theater will make this Must Not See TV.
Brantley by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:16:23 AM
First and foremost the Academy would still view TDK as a comic book/action movie, and they are notoriously snobbish about those genres. Titanic was undoubtedly helped by being a) a historical movie and b) an old-school Hollywood melodrama sepctacular.
KWIS I would agree about Titanic except... by Maestro610	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:17:14 AM
it won when nominated against LA Confidential. Titanic is a great piece of filmmaking but featured two actors who were not ready for the material. I think Winslet and DiCaprio are two of the best actors in major films.... NOW. At the time they were almost there... The story was predictable and didn't allow anyone like BIlly Zane or even Kathy Bates to really shine in any regard. Meanwhile LA Confidential which is also a period movie, featuring incredible set pieces, direction at least 4 interweaving subplots and gives every single actor and actress something interesting to do, loses. If we're giving awards just for the craftsmanship of making a film then I understand the Titanic win, but if we're talking about the art as well then LA Confidential is clearly the better film by far.
Considering that TDK got BOTH noms by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:17:24 AM
from the Producers Guild AND the Directors Guild, but got snubbed by the academy by The Reader is proof enough. Asshats. Sure, you can debate if TDK is Oscar worthy, but I'll bet you find it on more top ten lists, hell top five lists, than The Reader.
The Weinstein Company are to blame. by Grando	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:17:52 AM
They heavily petitioned Oscar voters over the past few weeks with DVD screeners and "gift baskets" to sway voters towards The Reader ahead of The Dark Knight. The fucked up thing is that it worked.....
Maestro610 by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:18:17 AM
I completely agree. Confidential was the ebst film of '97.
"Not having THE DARK KNIGHT in the major awards running will kil by Mr Incredible	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:20:26 AM
Harry, get real. Your worship for this movie is clouding your judgment. People around the world will watch this back-slapping shitfest, no matter what. TDK made Warner Bros. a billion bucks plus, and you're crying about it not getting more nominations? Please.
Dark Knight by SpawnofAchilles	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:20:44 AM
is overrated and NOT best pic material. I feel that Nolan should be nominated for director though. The Springsteen snub is unforgivable and Iron Man AND Dark Knight should get costume design...Gran Torino looked like a fucking joke from the trailer, is that movie actually good? Like I literally thought it was not a real movie...Dark Knight score should also be nominated but NOT screenplay. And Ben Button was great so suck it haters! GO HEATH!
LA Confidential was better than Titanic but by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:21:20 AM
Boogie Nights and Jackie Brown were bother better than LA Confidential. I watched LA again recently and was shocked by how great Kevin Spacey used to be, and how over the top Crowe was. Russel Crowe's Bud is a cartoon character who would've fit in better with De Palma's Black Dahlia.
Here Is A Song For The Academy! by laraz	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:21:22 AM
FUCK OSCARS...YEAH...FUCK YOU....RIGHT IN THE ASSS...FUCK YOU OSCARS, FOR NOT GIVING THE BATMAN A CHANCE.....YEAH...FUCK YOU OSCARS....FOR NOMINATING EVERYONE IN THE FILM_OF slumdog millionare--EXCEPT IT'S ACTORS.....FUCK YOU OSCARS...FOR PASSING ON THE BOSS FOR A BEST SONG NOMINTATION, BUT INSTEAD YOU NOMINATE M.I.A. WHOSE MUSIC IS SHIT.....FUCK YOU OSCARS....FOR NOMINATING FILMS NO ONE HAS EVERY HEARD OF.....OR WILL SEE!.....FUCK YOU OSCARS.....FOR PLACING ROBERT DOWNEY JR AND HEATH LEDGER IN THE SAME CATERGORY....ITS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE....FUCK YOU OSCARS....FOR NOMINATING THE READER WHICH REMINDED ME HORRIBLY OF ATONMENT.....I HAD NIGHTMARE'S FOR DAYS AFTER I SAW ATONMENT...SO FUCK YOU OSCARS...FOR PASSING ON LEO ONCE AGAIN....IT COULD OF BEEN HIS YEAR...IF YOU ONLY GAVE HIM...AAAAAAAAAAAA.....CHANCE. ...SO FUCK YOU OSCARS.....ME AND ALOT OF YOUR VIEWERSHIP WILL NEVER WATCH YOU LAME ASSES AGAIN....SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO......FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK............ .YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOU........AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAACADEMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
LA Confidential by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:21:26 AM
Didn't Horner also win over Goldsmith for score? For shame, considering Horner steals his best ideas from Goldsmith.
kwisatzhaderach - You're right. Good point. by BrantleyFoster	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:22:03 AM
And that's a damn shame about the Academy. Maybe in 15 years when the fossil-like academy members are no longer around, the remaining voters will start looking at genre movies in a new way. It's almost a moot point this year anyway; TDK would not have beaten the all the other competing films.
Just you wait... by Lacloake	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:23:26 AM
Even if it's a fucking masterpiece the same thing'll happen to Watchmen next year... sayin that I didn't enjoy TDK at all... Besides how many times has the true best film of the year actually won best Picture? Like last year I thought 'There Will Be Blood' was a far superior piece of cinema to 'No Country' and I hope time will prove that.
Don't care by Tomarru	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:23:38 AM
Tbh i've had little to no interrest in the oscars for a very very long time. It just seems to be a way for hollywood to give a nod to films that were so crap or pretentious that next to nobody seen them. Every year the big blockbusters get shafted because of what they are and the fact that they have already raked in the cash just so some rubbish that nobody wants to see can add a sticker to its dvd cover. The oscars have become so predictable anyway, films are made and released solely for the purpose of awards and they generally get them. They appeal to a select group of people who are so snooty to begin with and generally go against what the rest of the cinema going public thinks just for the sake of keeping their circle of nutters intact and exclusive. Maybe in a few decades the current crop of people in charge will have lost the keys and a group of people that are more in line with what everyone else thinks will hand out the awards. Until then, the predictable rubbish will continue to reign supreme.
James Horner has three good scores by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:24:40 AM
Star Trek II, Aliens, and Willow, all of which he does over and over again in every film other film he's done. Goldsmith should've won for LA Confidential, but then again, he should've won for Chinatown too!
Fulmer by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:25:51 AM
The Rocketeer!
Speed Racer by ED2D2	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:27:26 AM
How Speed Racer couldn't at least be nominated for best visual effects is beyond me...
I am someone who feels TDK should by Maestro610	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:29:15 AM
have been nominated for more categories. Having actually seen most of these films I think Wall-E, Slumdog, Button, TDK, and Doubt should have been the nominees for best picture... if you want to swap Doubt for Revolutionary Road I'd buy that. Coming in and eschewing rancid bile because TDK was not nominated while offering no reasoned alternative or even a film on the list nominated that was actually better means your opinion is completely invalid. You're not cool because you didn't like the Billion Dollar Batman Phenom. You're not cool because those of us who think it should be nominated didn't get our wish. In fact the majority of the people in this talkback probably haven't even seen 45% of the films on that list. If you thought TDK was only a good film and not a great film do me a favor please tell us what this year you thought was better. Then its actually you know a discussion instead of ... HEHE TDK wasn't nom'd toolz!!!!... Find something to add to the conversation.
The Dark Knight will sweep by buffywrestling	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:29:58 AM
The MTV movie awards - yeah, that'll show'em!
Why so serious? by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:33:23 AM
You TDK people are better off that it didnt get the nom anyways, because it wouldnt have won. Then youd REALLY be furious. This is, and has been, a two-horse race since September. Slumdog vs. Ben Button. Obviously a slow year for nominatable films. My favs of the year: Wall*E, Let The Right One In, In Bruges, & Slumdog. I found [REC] & Clovie more fun than I did TDK, but I still thought TDK was a great movie. Bottomline: Who cares what the AMAMAMAAPS think? I dont.
As a concerned heterosexual... by Franklin T Marmoset	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:33:43 AM
Am I allowed to post in this thread? I am only a heterosexual and not as knowledgeable about lavish Hollywood parties and designer dresses as everyone else here, but I did want to say it is a great insult to all the Batman-loving children in the world that this fine film about a man fighting crime dressed like an animal did not get more recognition this year. Surely, it is time to consider a category for Best Children's Film? That way, The Dark Knight need not miss out on an award. I hope that's okay.
FUCK the academy! by zooch	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:36:29 AM
How out of touch with the rest of world are they? What planet do they live on? You can not tell me these are best films of the year. You absolutely CAN'T! The Reader over The Dark Knight!? No Wall E BP nom? Gran Torino shut out? Who even saw the Reader!? It grossed about $524 million dollars less than the Dark Knight. After this travesty who will even watch the Oscars now? I sure won't. Expect it's lowest ratings in history. The Academy is officially irrelevant.
"The Reader" fills the Holocaust quota by Reno	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:36:42 AM
Gotta have a Holocaust-themed film in there somewhere at the Oscars, for obvious reasons.
PRESTO - the best thing I saw at the flicks all year! by BiggusDickus	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:36:46 AM
If it doesn't win it's golden baldy there's no justice.
I just think there's a consistency problem from year to year by Lou C.	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:36:55 AM
This year, for example: Doubt earns FOUR acting nominations, one for every major performance in the film, but they don't consider it one of the best pictures of the year? That seems weird to me. The Dark Knight earns eight nods, seven that would suggest it was one of the most well-made films of the year, but they don't consider it a best picture or best director nominee? On the other hand, The Reader only earns one acting nod, and yet it's up for best picture and best director. Slumdog gets all these nominations, but no one thought highly enough of the acting to nominate someone? And there's a good chance that Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke could walk away with Oscars, and yet The Wrestler is otherwise virtually ignored. I'm not lobbying for any of these flicks, but the whole system seems out of whack.
Slumdog Millionaire by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:39:09 AM
Why is it cool to hate on this movie all of a sudden? It's not crap like Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, Shakespeare in Love, or Crash. Slumdog Millionaire is a movie I went to see with no expectations and I wound up enjoying it very much. And I don't like Danny Boyle. But he got a lot right here. The look is authentic and realistic, the score, the young actors, the story. It was all a good experience to watch. The movie also took a much ignored part of (the world that is slowly becoming a force in the global marketplace) and shows us their struggle without being preachy. And they even wrapped a relatable love story around it. It basically has everything an Academy voter could want in a film. People need to stop being ridiculous cynics and direct their hate somewhere else. It's foolish. Also while The Dark Knight is a superb film, it leaves you cold after viewing it.
Black Jack by Maestro610	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:39:39 AM
Let The Right One In is absolutely one of this year's best films. Unfortunately, with the rules of the Academy and the Foreign Language Film award it would never have a chance to make the list. Should it be in the best picture discussion absolutely but so should In Bruges.
Meryl Streep could be in Meet the Spartans by Reno	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:39:46 AM
and she would get nominated for trophies. Some people are just automatic noms.
Benji Button and Milk were totally overrated. by iamnicksaicnsn	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:39:56 AM
Milk at least was a good movie, if not a great one. I didn't think he had enough trial and tribulation on screen, and too much of it was off screen in his voice overs. I also thought Dan White's character should have been delved into a bit more, for instance, what was the point of saying he was gay or an alcoholic, but only really referring to it in no more than a single scene? As for Benjamin Button, the first two thirds were ok, but by the end it was just totally absurd. It also didn't really follow the rules it set for itself. I mean, I know no one in their right mind would ever show a baby the size of a man, but if he came out the size of a baby, he should have left the size of a man. I also got tired of the lightening guy after the fourth or fifth time.
THE DARK KNIGHT Should Have At Least Been Nominated by LaserPants	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:40:30 AM
for best picture (if not win). Ledger is an easy win for supporting actor.
Where's Rambo?!?! by TylerDurden3395	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:40:44 AM
Best film of the year by FAR. Slumdog Millionaire was absolute shit. I'm sorry but why am I going to pay $10 to see an extended version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when I can see that shit on Game Show Network for free? And out of all the game shows in the history of broadcasting, why did the filmmakers have to center their film around Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Couldn’t they have picked a better game show? I mean there are like 100 cooler game shows they could’ve based their film on. Here are just three game shows the filmmakers could’ve used for inspiration that would’ve made the movie a lot better. (I hope you’re taking notes, Boyle.) Hollywood Slumdog Squares. While thinking up an answer to Who was the 17th President, Paul Lynde has a flashback to his Thug Life childhood when he and his homeboy Vincent Price popped caps in people and fought over the affections of Rose Marie. Win, Lose, or Draw: The Movie. Celebrities’ drawings come to life in whimsical and magical ways. Then suddenly, Dom DeLuise’s doodling of Godzilla comes to life and eats Rip Taylor. Burt Reynolds laughs hysterically. Match Game Millionaire. Flashbacks reveal just how dumb Dumb Dora really was. Then, after years of lustful innuendo, Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn finally get horny enough to double stuff Fannie Flagg while Charles Nelson Reilly tells everyone where to put their ________.
WTF?!?! No Dark Knight? No Bruce Springsteen? by DKT	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:41:56 AM
Academy Awards, you are dead to me.
Lou C by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:43:49 AM
The whole system IS out of whack. When have they ever gotten it truly right? Think about it; how many times have you heard "That wont get nominated because noone has seen it or knows about it.". How is that an excuse? Isnt that the JOB of these people, supposedly? To get out there and see as much as possible as to truly identify and reward the best of the best? No, for the most part, the judges/voters are HANDED what they are TOLD are the best films/perfomances of the year... Ah well, thus is life.
Wow. This fucking sucks. by casale2a	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:44:27 AM
Movies I would have wanted to see nominated: Best Foreign Language Film - Let the Right One In Best Picture - THE DARK KNIGHT!!! Fucking Bastards. Best Director - Chris Nolan What the fuck is The Reader anyway? I've never heard a thing about it. The only reason why they didn't chose The Dark Knight was probably cause its a superhero movie based on a comic book.. Dickheads. I'm not watching the Oscars.
Oscars will be a ratings bomb by Tenenbaum	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:44:39 AM
bleh...what a weak year. the Oscars are going to have another ratings disaster on their hands. perhaps a good host and Ledger's nomination will interest viewers...but I'm not holding my breath. The Oscars have been criticized in recent years for nominating films that no one has seen. As a cinemaholic, I don't want to see pedestrian films nominated, however nominating a wildly popular, critically acclaimed film like "The Dark Knight" for Best Picture, Best Director, etc. would have drawn non-traditional viewers.
Franklin T Marmoset--I understand the point you're making, but.. by BrantleyFoster	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:44:42 AM
While we're talking about children's films, how about the film about a guy that's born old who ages backwards? If we wanted films to only be a total, plausible reflection of reality, we could all save a lot of money and just go sit at a bus stop for two hours. To say that nothing of cinematic value (based upon your highly developed sarcasm)can be gleaned from fantasy might put off a lot of filmakers, authors, painters, etc. I do, however, applaud your willingness to draw the ire of the vast majority of people on this site. What an original concept.
here is a rap for the Oscars! by laraz	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:44:50 AM
you fucked up like titanic/not nominating the dark knight cause you thought your awards would be in a panic/how pathetic!/no acting nods for slumdog millionar/india wont even watch/so who cares/kate got nominated for the reader/even though reveloutinary road was a far better picture/you nominate richard jenkins but forget to give props to the eastwood legend/josh brolin snuck in and stole another nomination from that emily hirsch and james franco kids/you left chris nolan out in the wind again!/hes the next stanley kubrick so he dont need your awards anyway/give it to ron howard or danny boyle/cause the both of them are a little spoiled/you give props to isreal with waltz with bashir but forget let the right one in, what a mess/dont even ask me why im stressed/Robert Downey jr got a nomination for tropic thunder/is this a joke, maybe i'll have to take a plunda/TDK got no musical score nomination, yet youll nominate defiance, which aint even in the same constolation/IronMAN got best visual effects over speed racer/it'll probably win to cause stan winston is the creator/in brudges got a shout out for orginal screenplay/but the nolan brothers got played/ Dam i'm only being real...every dam oscar show i watch...i see the same old hoes..yeah.yeah..
Best Editing for TDK?! Fuck that. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:44:54 AM
Absolutely standard editing. Nothing special about it. Thats a sympathy nom if I've ever seen one.
Lou C by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:45:32 AM
Sometimes a film can feature better performances than the film itself. Doubt is one of those movies where the actors all bring their A game, yet the direction is lacking. The Wrestler features a pair of great performances from Rourke and Tomei, but the end of the film leaves you cold. Revolutionary Road is another case of great acting from both Leo and Kate, but the film itself underdelivers as a whole. Slumdog Millionaire is a great film, but it's not due to acting. It's the story and the direction. The main thing that bugs me is when directors are nominated for best director and their films don't get nominated for best picture. To me those two go hand in hand but the Academy voters don't think so.
Maestro by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:45:54 AM
I totally agree with you and it's sad that Sweden didnt at least TRY to get that film nominated. Some political crap Ive read.
I stopped watching years ago.... by dingleberryjerry	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:48:40 AM
I used to watch the Oscars every year when I was younger, even if it meant staying up wayyyy too late on a school nite. But you know what, about 10 years ago I missed one..and the world didn't end. Sure I caught the news the next day to find out who won. And that was enough for me. I just grew up I guess.
Amen, biggus... by HapaPapa72	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:49:09 AM
We have Wall-E on DVD and so far we've only watched it once more. But we've watched Presto a good 10 times at least now. Just the best Pixar short yet. Re-watched TDK again too. Heath was fine right up until the end..the incessant laughing reminded me of getting tired of Jack's incessant laughing back in '89. The torch has been passed, indeed. I hope he wins, though, so we can all get on with our lives and forget about it.
Rambo 4 was fun.... by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:49:54 AM
My friend and I were probably the only 2 hysterically laughing at each ridiculous death. It was so much old school fun. Can't wait for The Expendables.
Oh, the Irony! by RetroActive	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:50:32 AM
Winslet jokingly said a few years ago that the sure fire way to get nominated is to do a movie about the Holocaust. Which is true. Every damn movie, brilliant or terrible has received a nomination based purely on the subject matter. Now, although the picture gets nominated, she does not. Well, they sure showed her, didn't they?! Idiots. The bottom line is, you can never be reminded enough of the atrocities of Nazi Germany. ut enough with the automatic nominations, even if it is deserving! There are other stories to be told! I almost feel as if a few categories should be created based on the sheer volume. "Best Animated Picture", "Best Picture", "Best Holocaust Themed Picture" "Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Holocaust Movie", "Best Title Attempt of a Holocaust Movie to Keep You Coming Back for More"
Of course the ratings will go down. by mrfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:51:56 AM
They go down each year and have been for some time. Has nothing to do with the nominations. Has to do with the quality of the show. Get over it people. Just because certain movies haven't been nominated doesn't mean jack.
Should have been... by zooch	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:52:12 AM
Dark Knight Gran Torino Wall-E Slumdog Millionaire Milk Benjamin Button Fuck the pandering holocaust film like The Reader, and Ron Howard is still overrated.
Bull. Shit. by HoboCode	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:52:32 AM
Watch the ratings for this broadcast sink to new depths.
No TDK Best Picture nomination = No TV ratings by SpyGuy	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:53:19 AM
When the #2 box office film of all time fails to land a Best Picture nomination, you've just about guaranteed yourself a low viewer turnout. Hell, if it wasn't for Heath Ledger, WALL-E and Peter Gabriel, I wouldn't be watching either.
Nominations were generally spot on except TDK got a bad deal by zapano	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:53:24 AM
overall the oscars seem to be improving and actually acknowledging deserving films. Last year was excellent i put it down to academy members' demographics actually changing. At this moment i'm rooting for Slumdog.
Oh, the Irony! (correction) by RetroActive	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:54:35 AM
Even more irony! I misspoke. Winslet WAS nominated for The Reader! Hysterical! She's a lock! Especially since her main competition is Streep as a Catholic nun...though, since Streep is playing a "witch hunt" Catholic...this could get interesting!
RetroActive by sambrook	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:55:06 AM
She DID get nominated. And it's not like she said that in a press conference - it was written for her when she was playing herself in Extras. Which is why I'd get a kick out of her winning just to give that episode the perfect punchline. Not to mention the fact that, while the film itself wasn't fantastic (it was interesting but lacked dramatic impact and felt longer than it was), she gave a very strong performance.
Watch Heath get his Oscar on YouTube. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:55:42 AM
Don't give ABC the satisfaction of your presence. That's all you do. At this rate, I'm hoping for a Sopranos-like ending when it comes to announcing best picture. :)
Sorry RetroActive by sambrook	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:55:54 AM
Just saw your next post...
Mr. Profit: I Give Slum Dog A Chance by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:56:08 AM
It's only fair, right!!!
Will Jackman be in Wolverine Drag by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:57:21 AM
That's what matters. Will Brandon Routh host next year?
Jolie in Changeling is underrated by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:58:06 AM
As is the movie itself. Eastwood did a great job but he's getting more attention for Gran Torino. I'd rather see Jolie win than Hathaway who only played a piece of trash junkie who ruins a wedding.
No nomination for TDK for original score? by Rickey Henderson	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:58:10 AM
Bullshit. It's bad enough they snubbed a terrific movie for best pic and best director, but they couldn't even give the soundtrack some much deserved lip service? On this day, the Academy takes one more giant step towards irrelevance. Benjamin Button was light hearted fluff--nothing more. How the hell does it get nominated for anything other than a few technical awards?
BuffyWrestling: That Is Funny As Hell by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:58:28 AM
Your riff on the MTV Awards and TDK is a classic!!! Brilliant work!!!
typical by sokitome	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:58:31 AM
Reader got in because it is about the Holocaust. Ricky Gervais had it right at the GG. You make an above average movie about the holocaust and white academy voters eat that shit up. Frost/Nixon was meh and I'm a history fanatic (b.a. in history), but it's about a so called real historic event, ironically to most historians a non-event, so it gets in. MILK is about GAY people so that's automatically in Hollywood, but I haven't seen it so I guess I can't be too judgemental. All i can say is TDK and WALL-E should be in this category.
Lets hope there are lots of political speeches by Knobules	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:59:28 AM
Because Hollywood is where I go for information on how to run my life.
No Dark Knight? Fuck You All! Yo Old Acadamy Hacks by kenjinattix	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:00:14 AM
I just needed to get that off my chest Acadamy. If you can hear me. If this message gets into your brain somehow. That I wrote on an Aintitcool message board and wished for your narrow minded long winded death.
Boycott the Awards ceremony! by zooch	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:00:32 AM
Join me!
Obama to attend by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:01:52 AM
And give out best actor award.
BrantleyFoster is with me! by Franklin T Marmoset	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:02:05 AM
Clearly, the children would like to see their film about a colourful crime fighter rewarded with an Oscar of some sort. Listen to your audience, various Academy members! I think the Oscar for Best Children's Film is the way to go for The Dark Knight. I suggest they make the statue slightly smaller than the grown-up Oscar, and with something covering its swimsuit area, because exposed genitals on awards is not appropriate for kids.
Moral of story: the holocaust > superheroes by Rickey Henderson	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:02:49 AM
class dismissed.
Wanna see a cool Holocaust themed Movie? by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:03:20 AM
Checkout Defiance in which the Jews actually kick Kraut ass.Now that's a good Nazi Movie as opossed to the Reader.
Colin Watkinson fucked over for cinematography on THE FALL!!! by Prague23	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:03:42 AM
Who didn't suck who's dick so that this film was completely overlooked? I know the script was kinda weak but the cinematography was STUNNING!
Gran Torino is overrated by beatleMatt	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:04:03 AM
Clint was great, the story was excellent, but MAN the supporting cast were chock full of shitty fucking actors. Every time I hear that asian actress say "Hill people! booga booga booga!", or here the priest say "We're not IN korea" I wanna gouge my fucking ears out. That ranks up there with J-Lo's "Gobble Gobble" line in my book. Could Clint not find decent actors?
Let's just get one thing clear: The Reader is not a good movie by mefrog	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:04:30 AM
Not really. It's poorly paced, the relationship between Winslet and the boy is borderline ridiculous, and the ending drags. Winslet is good (not as good as she was in Revolutionary Road) and Ralph Finnes is strong but I was shifting in my seat wildly by the first hour mark. It really is true: make a Holocaust movie, get a nomination. Fuck you, Academy.
Mr. Profit by Lou C.	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:05:56 AM
Fair enough, but can't you predict some of this stuff every year? You just KNEW that Mickey Rourke was going to get nominated but the film wouldn't, despite the fact that it received far better reviews than The Reader, as far as I know. Last year, you KNEW Juno would win for screenplay because the voters love the movie, but not enough to give it best picture (not that I thought it deserved it) and they wanted it to win SOMETHING. No one really knows how the process is broken down, but inconsistencies abound on how they choose nominees and winners from each category. I haven't seen Doubt, but I refuse to believe that it makes sense that the Academy could consider every major performance in the film among the best of the year, but not consider it one of the best films of the year. If just Streep was nominated, I could buy that argument ...
So Harry - TDK should be nominated to boost ratings? by geraldbeans	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:06:29 AM
Did you really just say that?
I wonder if Kurtzman/Orci by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:06:34 AM
will get a nod for Star Trek next year?
Benjamin button and David Fincher own ALL of you by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:07:03 AM
accept this fact...you know it to be true
Captain America movie will win an Oscar by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:07:11 AM
As long as it has a concentration camp scene.
Why Rourke should win.... by Chicken Grease	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:07:41 AM
The acceptance speech. If Sean Penn wins, he'll go off on a speech about rights and Prop 8 and yadda yadda yadda. If Rourke wins, he will give us an awesome funny speech like the Globes. Plus Penn went full gay, no one wins an Oscar for going full gay. I was surprised by no Gran Torino and no Sally Hawkins. And we all know that the Mumbai terrorist attacks was just a marketing ploy for "Slumdog Millionare"
Also, how about Colin Farrell for In Bruges? by Franklin T Marmoset	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:08:42 AM
I found his performance in the role of 'Joey Tribbiani, but Irish' to be deeply affecting. Where's his nomination? This is typical of the Academy's prejudice against actors playing their parts as though they were characters from Friends but with different nationalities! It's nothing but elitism!
Do you think by Defrost	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:08:51 AM
the Academy sees the irony in nominating Downey for a movie that makes fun of the types of movies the Academy seems to always get a hardon for when he is surrounded by all the types of movies the Academy gets a hardon for?
get real....this will not affect ratings....... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:09:24 AM
People forget the rest of the general public doesn't bitch and whine like all these man-children on here. People who saw and liked TDK can give a fuck if its nominated for anything. Most people probably didn't even know it was being hyped up for Best Picture. Ordinary folk wouldn't necessarily associate TDK with the Oscars. No one will care.
I'm not sure but by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:11:18 AM
I think the highest recent Oscar ratings were for when two popular movies one (Titanic and LOTR:The Return of the King).
spot on Danny by Rickey Henderson	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:12:26 AM
No one gives a flying fuck about Oscar nomination politics. Besides, everybody knows that the Oscars are like the Superbowl for dudes who enjoy fornicating with other dudes.
geraldbeans by Mr. Nice Gaius	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:13:00 AM
I'll go ahead and answer that. THE DARK KNIGHT should have been nominated (I have to believe it was seriously considered) because it was a great film that was critically acclaimed and immensely successful with the public. After films like TITANIC and THE LORD OF THE RINGS (ROTK), there really shouldn't be any quibble by the Academy over whether or not a popular superhero movie is worthy of a Best Picture nod.
Most Academy members would have fallen asleep during TDK by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:13:29 AM
Blame Bale's insomnia-inducing performance.
Not Unexpected by greenhorn1	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:13:30 AM
Not that I expected any different but it's still sad that Synecdoche NY didn't get any nominations. Best film of the year and some wonderful performances as well.
2 Ways to improve the Oscars... by TheWacoKid	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:13:55 AM
The Academy needs to start nominating movies people actually have seen and/or heard of. Also, it would be awesome if they told us how close a vote was or if somebody won by a landslide. That would great. It will never happen, but it would have me watching. However, after hearing these horrible and uninteresting nominees, I will be no where near this telecast. Oh, and I know I am alone here, but it is a slow acting year if Mickey Rourke wins. He was good, but not great.
If The Dark Knight took place during the Holocaust, it would win by Jordo	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:14:22 AM
I feel totally blue-balled.
Oscar best Best Picture of this decade by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:16:07 AM
2000: Gladiator -- 2001: A Beautiful Mind -- 2002: Chicago -- 2003: LOTR:Return of the King -- 2004: Million Dollar Baby -- 2005: Crash -- 2006: The Departed -- 2007: No Country for Old Men......Agree....Disagree
DG_DB by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:18:42 AM
Exactly. People will tune in to see post-hum Heath win his award. Look at how many fools went and saw Mamma Mia and probably consider THAT to be the best of the year. Most of the general public are very disconnected from what goes on here and in these talkbacks. And no, geeks, I did not compare the quality of Mamma & TDK, just their money making = public love aspect.
Leo DiCaprio - Rev Road by eickhry	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:18:48 AM
This guy was robbed of a nomination. I enjoyed Pitt's performance but DiCaprio's performance was definitely better. Congrats to Michael Shannon though who was mesmerizing in Rev Road!
Departed by Tenenbaum	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:18:52 AM
I loved "The Departed" in 2006 and thought it should win. Two years later..."Children of Men" was clearly the best pic that year.
TDK SHOULD have taken place during the Holocaust by Franklin T Marmoset	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:19:50 AM
Christopher Nolan's Batman would have made a GREAT Nazi, and we could all have clapped and cheered as anti-fascist loose cannon The Joker punched his uptight face and saved the day. Oscars by the boatload, surely.
bacci40 by Defrost	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:22:19 AM
That would make sense if the ratings for this idiocy wasn't going further down the toilet every year.
Snubbed! by kafka07	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:24:03 AM
Fuck you, Academy, for ignoring Dark Knight in Best Director, Best Picture and Best Score categories. I'm not saying it has to win every category but the the film deserved those nominations. Nominating Ledger is great in one sense, but the lack of other noms for the film seems as if Ledger's nom is more for sympathy.
Bring back the interpretive dance portion by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:24:27 AM
Imagine what they could do to Milk and The Reader.
Oscars will suck regardless because by kenjinattix	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:25:27 AM
Hugh Jackman is the host...people keep forgetting that. Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, HUGH FUCKING JACKMAN???? I like Hugh. I'm going to watch Wolverine. I think he's a nice guy. I know he did broadway. But him hosting the oscars is like T.I. hosting the BAFTAs. You lost the young viewership by taking off Dark Knight Acadamy. But its all good you sure got the Holocost surviver viewership and the Bollywood crowd. Should make up for it. I'm so glad the acadamy hasn't stopped Catering to arthouse repetitious films like period pieces and Nazi films. Thank god they respect the hard work and huge dividend earning pictures like Dark Knight. Wait...thats sarcasm Acadamy voters. I keep forgetting that your blowhardedness and obtuse thinking prevents you from knowing when someone isn't really blowing sunshine up your puckered ass.
The Curious Reader's Slumdog Nixon Milk by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:25:37 AM
Now there's an Oscar Winner!
Doesn't matter by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:25:44 AM
regardless of who is nomd and wins the oscar, the films made will speak for themselves in time...good or bad. Oscars are irrelevant to which films you like and which are actually, in fact, worthy.
Bale will accept Heath's award using his "scary" Batman voice by TylerDurden3395	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:25:48 AM
You know you want to see that.
Samuel Fulmer by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:26:13 AM
I'll stick to what was nominated in those years mentioned, otherwise this will go on forever: 2000 - Agree; Gladiator 2001 - Disagree; Fellowship 2002 - Disagree; Gangs of NY AND Two Towers were better than Chicago. 2003 - Agree; ROTK 2004 - Disagree; The Aviator 2005 - Agree; Crash 2006 - Agree; The Departed 2007 - I both agree & disagree since I liked both No Country & There Will Be Blood, so I had no problem with No Country winning. As far as "film" goes though...Blood was superior and probably SHOULDVE won. Of course those years, like this year, just because it was nominated doesnt mean it was the best that year. I just dont feel like going back and researching what was when, so Im taking the lazy way out for now.
Lou C. by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:26:44 AM
I saw Doubt. It's totally obvious that it was the directors first film. It was shot funny at times. But the actors brought it home. And I was actually a bit worried about Rourke being nommed. People hate on him despite the fact that he delivered the best male performance of 2008. I'm glad he was nominated.
The Reader 2: Easy Reader starring Morgan Freeman by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:26:48 AM

No Wallace and Gromit? by supertoyslast	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:27:01 AM
Is it too new to qualify for this year's Oscars? Did it not qualify for some other reason? Was it just not good enough? It surely can't be because it's a TV piece, since all the others were too.
kwisatzhaderach - you buerk! by Darth_Tarantino	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:27:38 AM
How exactly would academy members be put to sleep by "Bale's insomnia-inducing performance"?
Gabriel does not exist in this dojo by Cobra--Kai	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:27:51 AM
Good to see Peter Gabriel got a nom for that WALL E song... and on the subject of people not tuning in because of the obscure noms I think it's a fair point. People are surely more interested in the fate of movies that they've actually seen (and everyone saw TDK)... still I think Jackman will help make the show watchable and there are a few juicy categories to get excited about.
The Reader? Come on... by Dr. Chim Richalds	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:28:08 AM
I have to admit that I don't understand the Academy's apparent love for The Reader. The best word that I can use to describe it is "inconsequential." Kate Winslet's character in particular says very little throughout the film and apparently does not engage in much introspection. We never truly learn why keeping her one secret is so important to her that she would risk going to jail for decades over it. Moreover, it is not clear what we are to make of Fiennes's thought process throughout the movie. Ultimately, it's a breezy film which suggests that it is more meaningful than it truly is.
Dear Academy, by The Ghost of Marcus Brody	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:28:35 AM
This list of nominees is a complete travesty. Your job is to SELECT THE BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ART OF FILM MAKING, that's it. And you have proved to us all that that is a task to hard to comprehend for you. Frost/Nixon??? The Reader??? Benjamin Button?? Where the hell is Wall-E and The Dark Knight?? Just because they were a commercial success does not mean they were not best picture contenders. Stick your head out of your asses and look around.
supertoyslast by montimer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:30:10 AM
Unless it's had a release in the LA county area between 1st January 2008 and 31st December 2008 it is inelligible for an oscar.
I guess Lou Ferrigino was busy by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:30:36 AM
Must explain Jackman hosting.
Forget DK, where is Synecdoche by ENAN	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:30:51 AM
I can't understand why, based on box office draw, Dark Knight should be nominated... It was fun and pretty and sort of fresh...but compared to Synecdoche, NY it is a footnote in cinematic history. DK is way uneven, and frankly, Ledger's performance is the most noteworthy aspect and I am glad that the academy reflected truth in that sense. While being smart enough to see Dark Knight clearly, missing the boat on Synecdoche, NY is inexcusable. I have seen all the movies in contention except for The Reader because the premise is soo boring I wouldn't drop a dime on it. Considering this reality: Benjamin Button - Best Film, Rourke - Actor, Melissa Leo - Actress, Shannon - Supporting actor, Cruz - supporting actress, Fincher - Director, Button and Happy-Go-Lucky for scripts. Oh, and to those of your knocing THE DEPARTED...you are so right. That movie was barely coherent and frankly paled in comparison to Goodfellas or Casino. Scorsese in the 21st centuries sucks ballz.
No Wall-E or Dark Knight in Best Pic Noms? by DisneyFanatic	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:32:29 AM
Yep, there goes all hope that they were legit. No offense to ass kissing liberal hollywood pricks, but this goes to show just how fucking gay for each other that community is.
if you're gonna complain, complain about the omission of No Beni by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:32:36 AM
he owned this year
no Benicio for CHE??? by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:33:31 AM
see above
INDY does not exist in this dojo by Cobra--Kai	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:34:10 AM
Ghost of Marcus Brody... I notice INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is NOWHERE to be seen in the noms. You need to rattle your chain and spook up those academy voters abit more.
TylerDurden3395 by DisneyFanatic	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:36:29 AM
Thiis maan. Deserved this awaard. For all the haard woork. He puut into the chaaracter.
Cobra-Kai by Lost Jarv	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:39:09 AM
that's because it wasn't very good.
One bright spot. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:39:56 AM
At least the dozens that watch this turdpile of an awards show won't hear any music from High School Musical 3.
Gran Torino got the nominations it deserved by Sometimes I Guess	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:40:16 AM
which is none. That movie was pretentious and ridiculous and horribly acted. What's so awards worthy about a story of a crotchety, racist war vet (because all war vets are crotchety and racist and completely socially inept according to Hollywood) learning to love people and not judge them for the color of their skin? And I never did understand how we were supposed to see Eastwood as "old fashioned" because he didn't like his granddaughter showing up to his wifes funeral in a mid drift and texting during the service. I think anyone above the age of 7 would share his hostility to that behavior. Stupid movie.
Eh by malpaso	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:40:29 AM
The noms, overall, suck. MT and MR from "The Wrestler," and the rest blah. Pitt over Eastwood? For a make-up role? The day Pitt wins an Oscar is the day they need to shut it all down. I'll look for the results on Yahoo the next morning.
When you blame the "Academy"... by eustisclay	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:41:29 AM
...remember that the largest voting block is the actors. They usually gravitate to "actors" films. It's a shame as they used to nominate movies that were great but popcorn flicks. Hell, didn't Jaws get a nomination? It wouldn't now. And I agree that LA Confidential should have taken best picture over Titanis, but at least it wasn't as bad as that Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan mess. And Richard Jenkins totally deserves his nomination, but I'm confused. Someone is going to put his performance down because 1941 made more money than The Visitor? 1941? Jeez, of all the movies you could pull out of your ass, you come up with 1941. Which was not a very good movie and does not hold up very well. I'd have understood saying Gran Torino made more, but 1941? Have you seen a movie BESIDES TDK in the last 30 years?
That said, Paramore got fucked over with 'Decode'. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:41:45 AM
Don't care how this comes across, but that song from Twilight should have made the final list. Or a couple of Forgetting Sarah Marshall songs (Inside of You and Dracula's Lament).
FX does not exist in this dojo by Cobra--Kai	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:41:58 AM
Looking at the Special Effects category - Harry, i'm really surprised you'd side with BENJAMIN BUTTON over TDK. You're always one to extol the virtue of practical effects and stuntwork over CGI and TDK featured that aplenty. I must confess I haven't actually seen BUTTON yet but are its FX really more worthy than TDK's?
INDY 4 was nominated for a Razzie. by Orbots Commander	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:43:07 AM
...as it should, as well as The Love Guru. I contend that the Razzie awards would be more entertaining to watch than the Oscars.
Oscar Outrage! by LoneGun	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:44:59 AM
The Academy has failed to nominate as Best Picture the film that mattered the most in 2008. THE DARK KNIGHT was not only the year's most highly profitable movie and one of the very best reviewed, it will be remembered as the most influential. What other film generated more discussion, more fervor than this one? Studios are already scrambling with their next batch of films to meet its ceiling-shattering standards. THE DARK KNIGHT is the movie that made history in 2008. All else paled in comparison.
Hugh Jackman is a song and dance man by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:45:16 AM
Give him a lifetime pass to host the Tonys. Give Hollywood the willies and let Gary Busey host the Oscars.
Samuel Fulmer - re Oscar winners by MontyPigeon	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:45:44 AM
2000 Gladiator (disagree) - Memento 2001 A Beautiful Mind (disagree) - The Fellowship of the Ring 2002 Chicago (disagree) - City of God 2003 The Return of the King (disagree) - Oldboy 2004 Million Dollar Baby (agree) 2005 Crash (disagree) - A History of Violence 2006 The Departed (disagree) - Pans Labyrinth 2007 No Country for Old Men (agree) 2008 Slumdog Millionaire (agree)
Benjamin Button is Fincher's worst film by Lovecraftfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:46:02 AM
Visually striking but drawn out and completely uninvolving.
What a bunch of bullshit... by Kirbymanly	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:48:59 AM
1) Jolie for "Changling"?! Seriously?! I LAUGHED (as did others I know) during her entire performance. One of the most forced performances by an actress I've ever seen in a major motion picture. 2) No "The Dark Knight" or "The Wrestler" for Best Picture or Director?! Shows how out of touch the voters are. Both of those films run circles around "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon". 3) I may lose some of you on this one but... "Cloverfield" not getting anything for Sound Design?! That was, next to Wall*E, one of the best designed films I've seen in years. The Academy's picks are actually making The Golden Globes seem legit.
Pennsy by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:49:31 AM
Why not a song from Sarah Marshall indeed. Does Best Song always have to be something played over the end credits while people shamble out of the theater? And yes, your Twilight nod does come across as gay.
Benjamin Button would be the worst best picture winner. by drewlicious	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:50:18 AM
Of all time. It was an unspired movie that sprang out of an uninspired idea. Also, what the hell is Brad Pitt doing up there when I can name at least two performances that were better?
BOGUS! ben button was weak...NO WRESTLER!?!? by FleshMachine	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:50:48 AM
hopefully slumdog will get it...way better then button.
Oscar best Best Picture of this decade by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:50:50 AM
Should have been: 2000 - Traffic. 2001 - The Fellowship of the Ring. 2002 - The Pianist. 2003 - Master and Commander The Far Side of the World. 2004 - The Aviator. 2005 - Munich. 2006 - The Departed. 2007 - There Will Be Blood
Fuck the Academy. by Crimson King	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:52:03 AM
Kate should've been nominated for Revolutionary Road instead of The Reader. Same for Roger Deakins. Obviously The Dark Knight needed to be nominated for more awards.
You know what I'll say it. by kenjinattix	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:52:38 AM
Fuck Slumdog Millionare. Fuck India for that matter. It pisses me off that this is the movie the awards shows are getting behind this year. Some cross between Quiz Show and Ghandi. Hearing the concept makes me want to fall asleep.
Crystal Skull by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:52:40 AM
should have been up for Sound, Production Design and Visual Effects. The fact that The Dark Knight is up for Best Editing and Skull isn't is pretty ridiculous. The Academy sure do hate Lucas though.
Razzie does not exist in this dojo by Cobra--Kai	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:52:54 AM
Orbots do they actually televise the Razzies? Do awardees turn up to recieve?? Also I wasn't saying for a moment that INDY 4 deserved a nom but in the past most of Lucas' and Spielbergs blockbuster pics have been nominated in the FX and technical categories... not this year though boys.
yep Button and Panic room..both weak fincher filx by FleshMachine	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:53:53 AM
forrest gump redux.
Anyone confused by the nominations... by montimer	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:54:21 AM
Check out this Variety article about how the nomination process works: http://tinyurl.com/cc7jt9
13 Nominations For Benjamin Button by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:55:00 AM
Now guys...if you are smart, you'll tell every girl you know that you love this movie...and they will love you almost as much as they love me. Excuse me right now, I have to go cry, another lovely scene is coming on in the movie and I am going to sob...not just cry, and I'll weep too.
this argument that the Academy should nominate popular films.... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:55:59 AM
....people actually saw. FUCK THAT. Box office should not translate to awards. For that, I'm glad TDK wasn't nominated. A film that makes a bazillion dollars shouldn't be guaranteed a Best Picture nom. Tons of people go to see some horrible fucking shit. If we're going by Box Office-- than Indy IV and Hancock should also be nominated for Best Picture. This is exactly what the fucktards on the site would turn the Oscars into. And Judd Apatow would get the Lifetime Achievement Award. No fucking thanks. I'll stick with the decisions from the old folks home. You guys can bitch all you want-- if you don't wanna watch, than don't fucking watch. I guaranfuckingtee ratings will be up this year.
nutjob by Lost Jarv	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:00:45 PM
Didn't you learn your lesson with trash talk when wixmmmm schooled you?
Hey, DANNY. by mrfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:01:29 PM
In total agreement with you.
Also, glad for Richard Jenkins. by mrfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:02:18 PM
Very underrated performer finally getting some recognition. Had a great year.
by millermeusa	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:06:09 PM
Lets praise GOD that Beyonce wont be singing any of the nominated songs!
What a bland group..... by NoCalFlicks	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:08:21 PM
with the exception of Slumdog Millionaire, it just seems that the Best Picture nominees are your run of the mill biopic films that were made in order to get someone an oscar. I am not so much mad that TDK didn't get a nod, more just mad at the blandness of the group that did get picked. Also, Let the Right One In should have got a nomination for best foreign film. That is perhaps the best movie I have seen all year, horror or not.
DannyGlovers by Rand92	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:09:22 PM
Your opinion about popular films is valid. But how can you say ratings are going to be? With only two or three films total that anyone actually saw why would they watch? Most of these films I couldn't go see even if I wanted to because they do not show outside of big metro areas. I don't think boxoffice should be any standard for garnering Oscars. What I will say is that the Oscars are irrelevant to anyone outside of the film industry or film school culture. People may still tune in for awhile just to see what people are wearing, but I can tell you that who actually wins these awards will not matter before long if they even matter now. Besides you can't tell me that there aren't popular commercial films that are just as deserving as these obscure films that no one goes to see. TO echo your own argument, a lack of viewers doesn;t make a film great either.
Ledger got nominated,Now STF @ TDK by j2talk	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:09:31 PM
Ledger got nominated,Now Shut the FUCK UP about TDK...The Dark Knight WAS NOT the Best Picture in 2008 so it should not have been nominated......
Happy to see Dark Knight eclipsed by better films by 9000rpm	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:11:25 PM
TDK wasn't the best picture of the summer, never mind 2008. I do wish there had been room for Gran Torino and Clint but all and all this is a much better group of films than the last few years.
Others have said it and so will I: by Orbots Commander	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:11:29 PM
The only reason the Academy is so high on SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is that Hollywood is eager to suck in all those potential Bollywood investor bucks at a time when hedge fund money is suddenly scarce. It's really funny to see.
These nominations are a turdpile, by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:12:26 PM
And maybe we all should take up DannyGloverD-Blood's generous offer. Like taking candy from a baby. :)
Obama a presenter by 9000rpm	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:14:48 PM
He's pretty much been elevated to sainthood by the Hollywood clique so you never know. 13 covers on Time magazine in one year, disgraceful.
Sally Hawkins actually turned in the best performance for Happy- by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:15:31 PM
Unbelievable that she was ommitted. Also, why The Reader? What's the academy's weird fixation with that movie? It was OK, but not great. The only ting great about it was Kate's amazing (SUPPORTING) performance. Also, where is The Wrestler and Gran Torino for best song? Lastly, The nominating committee from Sweden should all be shot. Let the Right One In deserves the Oscar for Best Foriegn Language Film.
Mr. Incredible by Rand92	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:17:49 PM
I am with you, but this is not how the Oscars work anymore. They used to mean something to the average moviegoer, but no longer. The Oscars seem to prefer to nominate films that they want to see make more money. I think they use the awards to prop up the types of films they would rather be making instead of the movies that average people want to see. I see it as a kind of war between the self-important people in the film industry and the people who pay to see their films.
I do get it.... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:18:09 PM
........and the Academy is not beholden to critics or their reviews. Most of the times the films are well reviewed, sure....but these are individuals voting. No one can tell them who to nominate. If TDK wasn't nominated, who fucking cares? How the fuck will that affect your life whether or not it wins? And its not like every Oscar winning film is seen by no one. How the fuck do you explain Titanic, Gladiator, Return of the King and many other financial hits? Oh they don't support your argument so we don't mention them, right? I get it. When the Academy sucked Peter Jackson's balls they were great-- now suddenly they are the villain again because they don't nominate a Batman movie. Oh fuck all of you.
RDJ by HoboCode	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:18:50 PM
I think that nomination is a joke. I couldn't understand a word he said in the film.
The problem is... by codymr	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:18:50 PM
TDK did have a lot of stiff competition this year - a lot of quality films made it to theatres. This made it even tougher for TDK because it's unfairly considered a "genre film". A shame that there was no Best Pic, Director or supporting actor nods for Eckhart or even Oldman. BTW: What's all the hate for Button? Fincher did a good job with it. Seems people here are hard on it because it's a romance... to me, that's just as bad as disqualifying TDK for being a comic book adaptation - both reasons are shallow and unfair.
Well, waitingimpatiently... by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:19:29 PM
There are only so many movies that .002% of the American people saw that can be nominated for Oscars like Jenkins and Leo. Hawkins would have been too much. Or in Happy Go Lucky's case, .00007% of people in the U.S.
Happy-Go-Lucky by Bungion Boy	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:19:44 PM
One of the most wonderful films of the year. Almost completely shut out of the Academy Awards, after being COMPLETELY shut out of the BAFTA's. Sally Hawkins won more critics awards than any other actress this year and yet wasn't nominated. Criminal. Happy for the Mike Lee nod though.
Jordo...That's Funny And Your Are Right by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:20:10 PM
If TDK took place during the holocaust it would win. Very funny observation!!! The problem is with the film, is that it didn't...and TDK is boring and overlong. Ask yourselves something, what did Bruce Wayne do that was human, through the whole film??? He just stood around...and or sat in chair while wearing suits...and talking near meaningless filler dialogue with Alfred. We learned nothing about Wayne, Alfred...Morgan Freeman's character, Commissioner Gordon, Rachel, nothing??? The film missed some very important emotional beats, that it should have had. They should have brought Joss Whedon in to write a love triangle between, Wayne, Rachel, and Dent...and really showed us that Bruce and Rachel love each other...so we could feel her death...and feel Bruce's loss. As well, the Joker could have used some Joss Whedon's sucker punch dialogue and motivations. Man, if they just brought in Joss and said...Dude, you have 20 pages to write a section in this movie showing us Wayne's emotional relationship with Rachel and the love triangle...and another 5 to 10 pages, working to beef up the Joker and his dialogue...and if they saved Harvey Dent, the villain for another film, they might have had something. Also, the Joker should have remained something of an urban legend until the middle of the 2nd act, no beng quite sure if he is real or not, not even his men? Chris Nolan and Brother...along with Goyer...blew that, because they failed to give the film heart, humor and substantive impact. Bruce Wayne should have tortured himself knowing he had the chance to kill Joker multiple times, and could have saved many lives...including Rachel's. The Joker was just a sad crazy who should have been euthanized...as that would have been the most humane thing to do for him...and for everyone else...and that is the problem with the movie, they failed to go there with it. Joker was essentially looking to commit suicide by cop...and Batman should have granted him his wish. The real villain of the film is Batman, because sometimes the lives of the innocent must go before one's code.
Rand92 -- the Oscars don't mean anything... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:21:02 PM
....to the average moviegoer anymore? Oh really? Thats why Oscar winners see massive box-office bumps for weeks after the show? When you say the Oscars don't mean anything you really mean "They don't mean anything to AICN nerds." Be honest man.
Yep, thank you Academy for continuing to by blindambition238	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:22:52 PM
Reaffirm our belief that you guys are morons.
"No one cares about Oscar" is not borne out by facts by JackRabbitSlim	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:23:13 PM
The "quality of film" is a masturbatory exercise in fanboy vs arthouse vs mainstream futility that is pretty much fucking pointless. On the other hand, the number of people going to a movie after it has been nominated or won for best picture is well-documented, best demonstrated by boxofficemojo's illustrative charts. Best examples would be "There Will be Blood" earning 65% of its gross post nomination, Chicago earning 40%, etc etc. Even better - the mere fact that so many of the quality films are released late in the year demonstrates the profit-driven studios know the effect of the awards. Yes, many of these are strictly oscar-baiting, but suggesting the academy is out of touch is pretty much ignorant. And, seriously, fuck Wall-E. That movie blows chunks.
No surprise about TDK snub...... by bugkill	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:23:15 PM
I absolutely loved TDK, but I was not surprised that it did not get nominated. Actually, I'm more upset at the fact that the screenplay did not get nominated, and the performances by Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman were overlooked. Heath Ledger should win Best Supporting Actor, but I would not be surprised if he is passed over as well. The Oscars are not like they used to be. TDK was more than a meg-hit at the box office, it was a great film as well. The one thing that I did notice was the fact that the academy gave TDK a nomination for its biggest flaw, which was the editing. I thought there were a couple parts where the editing could have been done way better, but I think they did it by giving TDK a boost in the amount of nominations it received. I will not watch it because most of those films did not interest me. The only thing I hope to see (actually, read about) is Heath Ledger win. He had the biggest impact in a film as a supporting actor, hands down. The only competition he has is Josh Brolin, and I would not be surprised at all if Brolin wins. Also, I hope Mickey Rourke gets Best Actor.
Nolan should have at least gotten best director by A for Aristocrat	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:24:20 PM
Regardless of TDK being best picture of the year (it was), Nolan deserved a nomination for taking a genre franchise superhero movie and elevating it to an oscar worthy film. The Ledger nomination was to appease the public and there is no way that Ledger will lose that but the nominations stink of the Academy bullshit that produced the lowest ratings in Oscar history last year. I havent watched the Oscars in over 20 years and the Dark Knight snub won't bring me back for this one. Still TDK winning any Oscar will be an achievement considering Acadamey bias.
Media Messiah by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:24:29 PM
Spot on. The Dark Knight has the most boring central character in any film i've ever seen. And you're right about the missing emotional beats, something that completely undermined Rachel's death.
kwisatzhaderach is an idiot by 9000rpm	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:24:54 PM
Should have been: 2000 - Traffic. AWFUL MOVIE, ALMOST UNWATCHABLE TODAY 2001 - The Fellowship of the Ring. MAYBE 2002 - The Pianist RIDICULOUS. 2003 - Master and Commander SO BAD I WALKED OUT. BEYOND INSULTINGLY STUPID 2004 - The Aviator. REALLY? WOW, JUST WOW. 2005 - Munich SO PAINFULLY BAD EVEN THE AUTHOR OF THE ORIGINAL STORY RIDICULED THIS PIECE OF SS SILLINESS 2006 - The Departed ANOTHER EMPTY PIECE OF OVERBLOWN HOLLYWOOD HOOPLA THAT NO ONE WOULD EVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN 2007 - There Will Be Blood HMMMM...MAYBE.
Pennsy by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:25:57 PM
Whether anyone's seen it or not, it doesn't change the greatness of her performance. I agree with Bungion Boy. It was a great movie and a shame Hawkins wasn't nominated for it.
shocked TDK screenplay didn't get a nom?! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:26:45 PM
Fuck. I like the movie. I saw it 3 times in the theater. It was a great theatrical experience and everyone except Bale in it is great. But come on now-- the screenplay? You thought it deserved a nomination? Seriously? Its not an award for Story Structure, its an award for everything on the page. I read about half of it after seeing the movie, ands its amazing how bad the dialogue is on the page. It reads very fucking juvenile and you start to realize poor Bale had nothing to work with. Read the script. Its shit. The structure is great. The film is great. The script itself is not.
Well, at least we got Obama. by Vern	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:31:43 PM
There are a bunch of good ones on there, I'm happy to see Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon are Oscar nominees (although I haven't seen those movies and probaly won't watch the second one), it's hilarious that Robert Downey Jr. is getting an Oscar nomination for wearing blackface in a movie about how stupid it would be if someone did blackface to try to get an Oscar nomination, and I was glad Taraji P. Henson got nominated because she was really good in that movie and deserves some recognition. But I can't help but be a little disappointed. I kind of thought they had evolved beyond that "well, the Weinsteins have a new movie about nazis or something, and Kate Winslet is in it, must be important" mentality. And I think it was a great year for movies, but you'd never guess it from those nominees. Of course I'm used to my favorite movies not being recognized - I'm not gonna complain that Chewitel Eijiofor is not nominated for REDBELT (though, let's be honest fellas, he should be) - but it's not like DARK KNIGHT and WALL-E are a secret. They're being punished for being openly commercial movies that happen to be important instead of commercial movies pretending to be small but important. People have already discussed the meaning and substance of DARK KNIGHT a thousand times more than they have the explicitly political FROST/NIXON, and will continue to. WALL-E is a timeless classic and I respect that it got the writing nomination, but that will be remembered 50 years from now and I bet you THE READER will never be watched or mentioned again 6 months after it comes out on DVD. The only reason I've even heard of it is because it was hyped up as an Oscar contender, it exists for no other reason. And yet it gets the nomination over WALL-E so that it can be in the cartoon category alongside a mediocre movie where John Travolta plays a talking dog. That's real fair. And you know, I was ready for BENJAMIN BUTTON to be a masterpiece, but it's not, and everyone I've talked to is in the "pretty good" category. It always makes me sad to see a director like Fincher get his first nomination for his not as good movie. And what the fuck is up with no Bruce Springsteen? Not the biggest fan of end credits songs, but that was a great one. Not sure how that happened. (I was rooting for Clint even though I knew he wouldn't get up on stage and sing that.) Anyway, whine whine whine, this is nothing new, but what about the new era of responsibility, Hollywood? You are shaming your country and your ancestors.
Milk for costume design by indyjonez100	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:32:10 PM
What the hell did he have to do, hey everybody wear something from the late 70s. Come on,
9000rpm by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:32:29 PM
Those film choices were out of the films that were nominated for Best Picture. Let's hear your choices. Otherwise shut the fuck up and go learn about filmmaking.
Springsteen by adolfoliver	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:32:43 PM
Someone stated that the reason Springsteen's track for "The Wrestler" wasn't nominated was because it was included on another piece of work, namely Bruce's new album. However, I remember Janet Jackson getting a nomination for her song "Again" even though that was on her album.
There's always the MTV movie awards for TDK by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:32:46 PM
that's gotta hurt
Pennsy by sambrook	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:33:18 PM
Seriously, stop talking all this crap about actors only deserving to be nominated if a certain amount of people saw their performance. That doesn't matter. The strength of the performance would remain if 100 or 100,000,000 people saw it. To use an example you'd get - Veronica Mars' viewing figures were never huge. Yet would you deny that praise and awards?
Jolie? by Stalkeye	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:33:35 PM
My Wife said how the hell she got nominated? all she did throughout the movie (The Changeling) was cry; "where's my sonnnnnnn"?Sure it may not really matter if TDK got snubbed, but it would have been cool to have compete against all the other picks.Not to mention breaking the elitist choices that are mostly Dramas.
9000rpm by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:34:19 PM
You thought Master and Commander was insultingly stupid? What the fuck are you talking about?!
oh yeah by Vern	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:34:44 PM
And I do not believe for a second that Ledger would've been nominated, or even discussed as a contender, if he hadn't died. I think he deserves it but I don't think those people would recognize that under different circumstances.
TDK snub was somewhat expected... but no Leo?? by SamLowry27	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:35:25 PM
His performance in RR blows most of these others out of the water. Rourke has one real emotional scene that he knocks out of the park. Leo has about 10, all masterfully done. I'm no Leo fan, but I can't believe he's not getting more attention. Huge snub.
DannyGlovers by Rand92	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:36:23 PM
Yes, there are still boxoffice bumps. Oscar awards still probably mean an increase in rentals. Yes, unfortunately most people are still beholden to the opinion of the "experts" and are unable to think for themselves about whether they want to see a movie or not. But that is going to change. As soon as they see enough of these films to realize that most of them are not what they typically enjoy, then the bumps are going to stop. How long will that take? That depends on the viewer and how ingrained they are into thinking that Oscar=entertaining. Mark my words, the Oscars will be totally irrelevant within the next decade if they continue this trend of rewarding only obscure films.
Vern by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:36:30 PM
Spot on.
Vern nailed it by IAmLegolas	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:37:37 PM
in his "Well, at least we got Obama." posting. But award shows are bullshit any way you slice it, and classic movies aren't really know until 10-15 years have passed by.
by RonnieBarzel	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:38:34 PM
"Once again this is the same academy that opted not to honor Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Double Indemnity, Star Wars, or Pulp Fiction with Best Picture, in most cases in favor of films that have been long-since forgotten." 'Casablanca' did win Best Picture, as well as Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. 'Star Wars' pretty much swept the technical awards, which makes sense since it was a B-movie with A-level production value, before losing to 'Annie Hall.' 'Pulp Fiction' lost to 'Forrest Gump,' a verdict I disagreed with at the time but have come to understand.
Ledger would have gotten a nom if he were still alive by blindambition238	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:38:38 PM
Remember the AA nominate Depp for his Jack Sparrow in the 1st Pirates movie.
know = known by IAmLegolas	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:38:57 PM
or I should have said "recognized"
Actually, Hanks got an Oscar for going full gay . . . by gruntybear	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:38:57 PM
Didn't he? For "Philadelphia?" I'm just sayin'.
Harry's got it all right... by lovecraftian	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:39:04 PM
Look TDK shouldn't win Best Picture. I loved it. I still love it. But there are plenty of other relatable films out there that were probably better. Having said that, TDK should've still gotten the nod. Why? Because of all things GLADIATOR won. And there is no one anywhere, at anytime, and anyhow that can convince me GLADIATOR was a better achievement than TDK. (I know we're comparing this year's films. Bear with me.) Nolan managed to somehow make something that had previously been relegated to pure fanboy summer fare and make it more than that. He made a relatable and even pretty believable film out of one of America's leading pop icons. That, in and of itself, means something. Giving out the nod to TDK wouldn't result in doing the same for HANCOCK or INDY, because it was nothing like those films. TDK affected people in a big way. Batman, the character, and by extension the Joker, are mythic images born out of the collective American psyche. And, unfortunately, up until now, (while the 1988 Burton film was a valiant effort)no one had truly captured why. I think Nolan really got it. So, in my humble opinion, not giving him the nod when so many previous films of lesser quality have received it is just not-so-veiled discrimination based on the subject matter of the work instead of the quality.
And didn't Rex Reed say Synedoche, NY was by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:40:19 PM
the worst movie ever made?
By the by... by lovecraftian	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:40:26 PM
He is right that it will directly result in poorer ratings than they would've gotten if there had been a Best Picture nod for TDK.
I don't know Vern, they gave Johnny Depp by comedian_x	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:40:32 PM
a nomination for Jack Sparrow. The academy seems willing to acknowledge when an actor creates an Iconic character in a blockbuster -- at least these days.
How did the academy fail to notice... by Kizeesh	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:41:09 PM
that The Reader was a pile of dull unmitigatedly drab shite? I mean yes winslet did capture perfecly the Germaic utter lack of je ne sais pas, by having her an ungainly clomping teutonic cougar, but the story was bland, preictable and unless you are a german riddled with holocaust guilt, it was unfathomably stupid.
TDK better than Gladiator?!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:41:33 PM
Awwwwwww hell naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!
FUCK. RIGHT. OFF. by henrydalton	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:41:40 PM
Seriously. I was so looking forward to the Best Pic noms. Wasn't expecting a Dark Knight win, just really wanted it to be recognised. And these are just... rubbish.
FUCK. RIGHT. OFF. by henrydalton	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:41:45 PM
Seriously. I was so looking forward to the Best Pic noms. Wasn't expecting a Dark Knight win, just really wanted it to be recognised. And these are just... rubbish.
Dark Knight would've been nominated if... by Thanos0145	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:41:52 PM
George Clooney would've played Batman instead of Bale.Marvel will now hire Harvey Weinstein to help produce Captain America (set during the holocaust)so it can get nominated for best picture when it comes out.
Now You See It? by mvckalel	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:42:07 PM
TDK wasn't and will never be the greatest movie ever...it's overrated, and (unfortunately) aided by Ledger's death. Iron Man was the 2008 superhero movie, it's a complete work that is enjoyable from beginning to end........................... ..but, really, do you now see that you might be wrong? That TDK is not the masterpiece you thought about? Obama already won, things are "brighter", get over it. Leave all those thoughts aside, rewatch TDK with a clean and empty mind, and you will see the truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . plus, if TDK had been nominated the ratings would've been higher (supposedly), either ways, next year, back down again...Wall-E was also robbed for Best Movie and Best Actor (you give the award to the animators). Speed Racer wasn't nominated for Visual Effects, how come? Hellboy II not for costumes, how come? GET OVER TDK, see the truth...
Danny... by lovecraftian	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:42:39 PM
Sorry man... But it's true.
I'm even more shocked that there is no DK cinematography nom. by Evil Hobbit	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:42:44 PM
Dark Knight had easily one of the most impressive cinematography in a film since since... I dunno, a long long time. And not just because of Imax. Bummer bummer, at least Nolan should have gotten a best Director nom. I can see how it didn't get a best picture though.
This is a Joke by djscott95	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:43:44 PM
13 noms for "Forrest Gump 2" and no BP Nom for "The Wrestler"!?! Worst... Nominations... EVER. Here's hoping that Slumdog kicks Fincher's overrated ass all over the place that night.
lovecraftian by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:44:02 PM
Nope. One reason-- the leading man in Gladiator knows how to act.
Oh and Wall-E is defiinately best director/best picture material by Evil Hobbit	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:44:25 PM
Fuck the reader.
TDK got the Bat-Pole by Kentucky Colonel	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:44:30 PM
right up the Bat-Hole
"We mortals are but shadows and dust... by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:44:56 PM
shadows and dust Maximus!" Gladiator shat all over The Dark Knight.
FUCK The Reader! by thewizardofoz	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:45:19 PM
So angry right now! This was the worst awards season film I've seen in a while! Pretentious, self indulgent and the most obvious attempt at "oscar bait" I've ever seen. NO NO NO! It's rediculous that this would be nominated. Ten years from now everyone will still be discussing the Dark Knight and what an achievment it was. Will anyone even REMEMBER The Reader?
Evil Hobbit by sambrook	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:47:24 PM
The Dark Knight DID get Best Cinematography. And rightfully so - above everything else that was one of the key strengths in the film. And I completely agree about WALL-E.
WHAT?! NO NOMS FOR "PUNISHER: WARZONE"? by IAmMrMonkey!	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:47:54 PM
I'm outraged. In fifty years time, people will still be discussing that masterpiece. Fuck you Oscar people.
Honestly Punisher: War Zone by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:49:08 PM
....could have gotten a Cinematography and Sound nomination.
Kwisatzhaderach... The sleeper must awaken. by lovecraftian	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:50:21 PM
Look. It's useless to say that GLADIATOR was better. It wasn't; at least not as an achievement. It was BRAVEHEART in Rome. I liked Derek Jacobi. And of course, the late Oliver Reed was amazing. But it's easy to lend gravitas to a story like that. TDK managed to actually take seriously something that previously not been and make it accessible and believable.--And Danny, seriously, you may not have liked the "growl", but we all know Christian Bale can act.
Another Snubbery!!! by Mathom	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:51:01 PM
I'm amazed at how many TDK "Not that great" quotes I'm seeing on this page. Did somebody splice clips of Batman and Robin into the reels when you watched it? I'm not suprised by the Accademy's decision as most of the greatest films in history are slighted at the Oscars. And The Dark Knight truly is of that glorious stock. Here is to the truly best movie of the year.
Gladiator>Braveheart by Thanos0145	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:51:38 PM

TDK wasn't going to win BP or BD anyway by Liberty Valance	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:51:57 PM
TDK had no chance of taking home Best Picture or Best Director. Zero. Zilch. NO FUCKING CHANCE. So why is a meaningless nomination so important to you? Nobody ever remembers the losers. You always have 2 movies vying for the big prize (Button and Slumdog this year) and the other 3 are mere ballast. TDK wouldn't even been one of the final two, so fuck it. No movie whose main character growls every line is ever going to win Best Picture. The Academy was right to shun this glorified action movie.
sambrook: thanks for that, by Evil Hobbit	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:51:59 PM
I am so blind for not seeing that.
And... by Mathom	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:53:35 PM
Gladiator is weak.
I wish to adopt Kentucky Colonel's Bat Pole/Bat Hole by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:53:48 PM
as my official .sig. 10 words that sum it all up.
lovecraftian by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 12:56:17 PM
Christian could act great when he was a kid. I think he lost that now and he equates physical change to great acting. Rescue Dawn is a great example of that. His acting is absolute unlikeably boring shit. I sat there thinking how much better the movie would have been if Steve Zahn were the lead. Fuck Christian Bale. Act my ass. He can growl, mope, lose weight, and bulk up. Real fucking impressive.
Does anyone care? Does anyone watch? by conspiracy	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:00:28 PM
Just entertain me, give me quality entertainment, and keep the self importance to a low rumble. I've never watched the Academies grand circle jerk..and never will. And by the way...Wall-E was PURE art...simply beautiful.
oh by the way-- CAROLINA KENNEDY is OUT!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:03:36 PM
THANK JESUS!! I'm probably more qualified for the Senate than that hizz-oh.
And speaking of Snubbs... by Mathom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:05:05 PM
No love for Cloverfield?
Let's be honest... by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:05:52 PM
Yes, we all loved The Dark Knight. Ya, Heather Ledger was cool and it made a ton of cash...BUT....the simple fact is it simply isn't Best Picture material. (There, I said it and am now eagerly awaiting all the fanboi abuse). Some of the acting wasn't quite as tight as it could've been and Two-Face's character seemed rushed and almost tacked on as he hurdled toward insanity and violence. The editing also wasn't very good (highly noticeable on repeat viewings). And yes, the IMAX scenes looked kickass....but seeing something in massive scale is NOT the same as 'gorgeous cinematography work'. TDK kicked ass...but it wasn't the best film of the year by any means.
Cloverfield deserved a Sound nom as well.... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:06:22 PM

The Bank Robbery scene = best directed scene by most excellent ninja	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:07:25 PM
Nolan should have been nominated, the bank robbery alone is better directed than any of the other movies combined. The hospital explosion. batman fighting the mobsters in the carpark with that music. yeah academy can suck a dick.
But I would argue... by lovecraftian	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:07:25 PM
That THE PRESTIGE and EQUILIBRIUM (though, that's a bit older) proves he can act. I can't believe physical strain is the sum total of his acting tool kit.--As for RESCUE DAWN, I like Steve Zahn okay... But Jeremy Davies is ALWAYS the shit. See the HELTER SKELTER remake and his audition reel for it if you can.
The Dark Knights snub by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:07:49 PM
Those who argue that TDK made 500 whatever million versus all the other nominees (Pennsy, looking at you), is an empty arguement. But as I stated earlier both the Producers Guild chose TDK in their nominees for best picture, and the Directirs Guild chose Nolan in their choices for best director. Those are two big nominations from the unions themselves. That TDK got snubbed in both, in favor of The Reader the usual "IMPORTANT film dealing with the HOLOCAUST and GUILT", is the reason that a lot of people are upset.
DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD ohh shit the fuck up you cunt by most excellent ninja	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:09:33 PM
you are the worst poster this side of animalstructure. Bale is probably the second best actor on the planet, second to Day Lewis. You talk so much shit. The Machinist you forget he is skinny and he's just losing his mind, the scene where he confronts jennifer jason leigh's character with the photo was amazing. Fuck yourself dickblood, you know shit.
I'll admit I've joined in the Button/Gump by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:09:43 PM
comparisons, but since when did Gump become this beloved film. I swear 6 months ago people were moaning that it was the sappy film that beat Pulp Fiction for best picture (which let's face it, both films pale next to Ed Wood). Now it's a beloved classic. What a difference a few months make.
Bale's acting by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:10:38 PM
I still think his debut in Spielberg's Empire Of The Sun is one of the best "child" performances in film.
The Wrestler was totally ROBBED. by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:12:41 PM
I don't care about the reason, Springsteen not being nominated is a fucking crime. And it was simply the best film of the year. I feel that it's the only bonafide classic of any of these films. Both times I've seen it my heart has been in my throat at the end. Milk was probably the second best of the year followed by Slumdog. Great films, also, but not as good as The Wrestler.
most excellent ninja -- you sound like a fucking retard by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:13:38 PM
fat 13 year old slobbering all over himself "And and and and Batman is cool....and and and he beat up the mob....and and and and I like the music when it goes DA DA DA DA.....and and he just kicks a lot of butt....and and and it should have won every award in the galaxy as best movie of all time ever!!!"
Bale should've won for American Psycho by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:14:00 PM

Oh, and fuck Benjamin Button. by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:14:17 PM
It won't win anything major because the lead character doesn't do anything in 3 hours. He just observes and people die. It's a "great movie" for people who don't watch many movies.
I agree. Bale is genius in Empire. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:14:39 PM
And The Machinist is like most of his films, overrated shit. How does he manage to be so consistently boring? He even looks half asleep in Terminator.
TDK did not recieve a best pic nom because... by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:16:06 PM
Hollywood realised that Heat, a far superior film which TDK mimics, didn't get nominated for ANYTHING. So feel lucky to have gotten your couple of noms TDK fans.
Fuck it. All is one in Darkseid by most excellent ninja	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:18:04 PM
hopefully Final Crisis happens before and Darkseid eats the academy "All is One in Darkseid".
I couldn't be happier at the Wall*E and TDK snubs by Hawaiian Organ Donor	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:18:14 PM
I haven't seen The Reader or Frost/Nixon yet, but if anything people should be more upset that The Fall got snubbed for cinematography, The Visitor and Defiance all but got ignored and once again comedy is all but absent save for Downey Jr. The foreign nominations are a joke as are the FX contenders.
Bollocks as usual by Wormie1	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:19:00 PM
How come the Oscars, Baftas, Golden Globes, etc. come up with the same small group of films as each other every year? I suspect the clueless voters only watch the same six screeners they get sent over the whole year. It's pretty clear that these awards shows despise OUR favorite genres, the most popular genres. It's also clear that they have a pathetic record (particularly over the past thirty years or so) of not picking the films which have had a lasting value, appeal and impact. The Oscars is just an excuse to hype box office turkeys like The Reader. Although, hey, I loved Slumdog.
Where was the outrage when Batman Begins by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:19:15 PM
wasn't nominated? It's better than The Dark Knight.
No Dark Knight by AlwaysThere	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:19:28 PM
Praise the Lord.
DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD by most excellent ninja	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:20:36 PM
and you sound like a dumb cunt every time you post. kill yourself.
most excellent ninja by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:22:31 PM
"......and and and Christian Bale he's like really strong in this one and and and and batcave is burned they are working on it and and and and and its cool cause guy gots face half burned but he still alive and and and when he screams its like AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH and and and Joker-Man is scary too and and and and I like the DA DA DA DA music and and and pretty much its greatest movie of all time and and and yeah....its the bestest!"
FUCKING BOOOOORRRRRRRRRRING by SomaShine	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:24:18 PM

I hope there's a buddy cop movie montage by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:25:30 PM
That'll help break up the monotany of seeing people get awards, because we don't want to see that. Who wants to see people get awards?
funwithwords and the rest by Slaphappy Slim	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:26:03 PM
A lesson: It's called your opinion. You can state your opinion as if it's gospel truth all you want, but it still boils down to whether or not something is or isn't your cup of tea. Thanks, funwithwords, for bearing the stressful responsibility of being so "level-headed" and informing us that TDK wasn't "worthy" enough, or whatever. I stand in awe of your vast intellectual superiority and infallible taste. Oh, right, it's not "taste", but in your warped view "truth". So let's sum it up: any one of you out there want the definitive word on any particular film, guys like funwithwords will be thrilled to "educate" you.
sseriously by lucky slevin	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:26:05 PM

"The gilded ghetto". by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:28:04 PM
That's what E! Entertainment Television's website said about TDK's snubbing today: "The Dark Knight did earn eight overall nominations, but aside from its expected acting honor for the late Heath Ledger, it didn't bash its way out of the gilded ghetto for big-budget superhero movies: the special-effects and technical categories."
Kentucky Colonel by codymr	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:28:20 PM
"TDK got the Bat-Pole" LOL... very, very funny!
The Dark Knight SHOULD have been nominated by Nickn328	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:28:42 PM
Seriously, THE READER? Indy 4 got better reviews, Dark Knight is one of the best reviewed movies of the year, and...God this is an awful list.
sseriously by lucky slevin	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:29:32 PM
fuck the academy. who cares what those self righteous pricks have to say. watch something great that wasn't on this list like Let the Right One in instead of this garbage.
This Oscar telecast... by codymr	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:31:32 PM
will be the longest in history... half the show will be taken up looking back at the people who passed away... there seems to be a lot this year.
Really bummed out over Dark Knight. by heyscot	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:32:09 PM
I thought the direction, writing, and picture was worthy of nomination. It's so disappointing that it didn't get a nod for Best Director, Best Picture, or Best Screenplay.
Why don't you two fight to the death? by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:33:24 PM
No matter who loses, the rest of us win.
SPAM FROM MORIARTY by loserguy3000	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:33:32 PM
Hey people, Just got a spam from Moriarty, convincing me to read his new site. I didn't sign up for it, nor was it appreciated. The only thing I can imagine is that Mori - who has access to AICN's log files - has begun stealing private information from Harry and AICN in order to leech off the AICN website. Did anyone else experience this problem? Is this a violation of the AICN terms and agreement, or indeed actionable? I don't appreciate my private information - submitted to AICN - to be used in this way.
New Oscar Category! by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:34:05 PM
That's what the Academy needs - "...and the Oscar for Jewish suffering goes to..." - that's what Directors do when they want a cheap, easy Oscar (they do a film about WW2 atrocities or related tales like the limpdick film that was The Reader). I still don't think TDK was even close to Best Picture; but I do agree the Academy has a VERY transparent agenda and it governs the way it votes big time.
loserguy3000 by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:39:49 PM
I too received an email and I did sign up for Mori's initial newsletter, but under a different email address. The one he spammed was the one I registered on here with.
Wow. by PTSDPete	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:40:13 PM
An outright snub. Bastards. NO VIEWERS FOR YOU, MOTHERFUCKING OSCARS !!!!!
loserguy3000 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:40:14 PM
shut up and go away if this is your biggest problem...gitmo has been closed down and im rounding up all the benjamin button haters and giving them a one-way ticket to go live in the BEARD
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Panda by Plathismo	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:41:11 PM
Snowdog, I'm with you--having watched both films repeatedly on blu-ray...Kung Fu Panda is my favorite of the two. Now, normally Dreamworks + Talking Animals = Vomit, as far as I'm concerned. But KFP transcended its roots. As for Wall-E, I hate to admit this, but Devin at CHUD nailed it--it's 30 minutes of a brilliant film followed by about an hour of a pretty good one. For me, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts. I can't help but think it would have been a stronger movie if it had stuck to its early convictions and junked the humans altogether--their pudgy, soft-focus cartoonishness just feels out of place after the photorealism of the early scenes. A story about humanity's robotic servants continuing their rote tasks long after their creators went extinct could have made for a more interesting (and sobering) movie, IMO.
Nominate TDK just for the ratings boost by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:41:46 PM
Seriously, The Reader has a .07% chance of winning best picture. As would any of the films that occupied that 5th slot. So why not at least pick a nominee that'll put asses in seats?
Danny Glover by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:42:16 PM
So, Danny, you think Russell Crowe is a much better actor than Christian Bale? You think Russell Crowe was better in 3:10 to Yuma than Bale? Bale out-acted Crowe and had a better character to work with. Even though Crowe was good, it wasn't as challening a role as Bale's. Russell Crowe has been sleepwalking through the last few of his films (3:10, Body of Lies, looks like State of Play is the same, boring shit from him)
Benjamin Button was lackluster as fuck by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:44:43 PM
Seriously. Who the fuck are these people who love this movie so much, and why?
SHUT UP ABOUT THE DARK KNIGHT< FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!!!!!!!!! by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:44:44 PM
Fucking hell, you morons. It wasn't that good. That ferry boat shit at the end was so convoluted, it was basically one long non-sequitir. Ledger was really good, but he really shouldn't win. The direction was fine, not earth-shattering. Good Lord. Being upset about this is ridiculous. It's a COMIC BOOK movie.
Im boycotting the oscars... by nick b - london	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:44:51 PM
and here's why... Cos i am fed up of the same predictable arty farty guff being pushed into our faces year in year out. The last 7/8 years the winners have been dull and the choice sucked too. I am not going mad about TDK not being nominated, I called that one after I saw the film. But Slumped dogged Million bleugh and Frosty/Nixons Talky Talky movie over such amazement as Wall-E and The Wrestler? Where is the Academy's balls? Oh year, in the mouths of the Weinsteins, of course!!!
reckoner by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:44:52 PM
it was a draw
The Importance Of Being Oscar by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:45:23 PM
The best picture winner may get a week or two bump in the box office if they are still in the theaters, but outside of that? The best picture seldom if ever sell big on DVD. Titanic and LOTR excluded. Did Forest Whitaker's Oscar help land him his role in Vantage Point? Halle Berry in Catwoman? Did Phillip Seymour Hoffman's price go up all of a sudden, and now he has a pick of better scripts? Anyone RECALL who won best actress last year? Ummm that foriegn chick...The Oscars are just the final stop in the dog and pony show that this time of year has become. The common jamoke could care less, and the entertainment starved enjoy it like a Kentucky Derby with people.
Reckoner by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:45:37 PM
Okay okay....I forgot about 3:10. I think its Bale's only great adult performance. I agree he was better than Crowe in that film. But that was more a writing thing. Overall Crowe wipes the floor with that boy. In The Insider and L.A. Confidential he puts out performances that Bale will never rival.
Being a "comic book movie" makes it less worthy of praise? by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:45:38 PM
Stupid.
but yes....Body of Lies looked gay as fuck. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:46:49 PM
No offense to the gays.
Less worthy of praise? by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:47:03 PM
No, but it does make it less important.
Funny, how many of the Bale lovers are the... by mrfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:47:14 PM
same ones who cried, bitched, and moaned when it was announced he was playing Batman. Make up your minds. Oh, and Crowe is the better actor of the two.
nick b - london by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:47:15 PM
The "arty farty" films you refer to are selected over the popcorn fare that you so obviously love because they are far more artistic films. Period.
also to any face book people by nick b - london	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:47:19 PM
http://www.facebook.com/home.p hp?ref=home#/group.php?gid=508 35610951&ref=mf My Boycott the Oscars group. Come join, it will be fun. Lets spread the hate!
no dark knight wah wah wah by slappy jones	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:47:42 PM
while i would rather see it there than the turgid reader i would rather see the wrestler then than tdk. i mean come on just because it made a ton of money doesn't make it the best film.
Kid Idioteque by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:49:03 PM
I do not share your view that a film's type of source material makes it less important. Good is good no matter what it's based on.
Don't worry Dark Knight fans... by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:51:10 PM
Inglourious Basterds will be the best movie of 2009, in my estimation ;), and there's no doubt in my mind that at most it may receive a screenplay nomination...
Danny by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:52:22 PM
I agree with you about The Insider. Crowe was unbelievable in that, and it's one of my favorite movies. But I think the overall body of work, Christian has the edge. Bale has been more exciting to watch the last several years, and he gives 100% in every role he does. Crowe just doesn't seem to care that much anymore. He's still a fat ass from Body of Lies, and Ridley Scott demanded that he lose the weight for Nottingham, but he hasn't yet.
Dark Knight didn't have SEAN PENN in it by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:52:55 PM
If Sean Penn had played Harvey Dent, the academy would be all over that shit because they fucking love that cocksucker. He's the worst over-actor ever and I don't understand why any movie he's in automatically gets a free fucking pass. And why does Dark Knight get best makeup but not best screenplay? Think they got their categories mixed up... since the only makeup was messy Heath clown face, and the rest was CG Harvey Dent. Oscars are a joke.
Dr. Dickblood by Vern	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:53:17 PM
If you don't like Christian Bale in Batman, whatever. You think he's a boring actor, I don't get it, but fine. But I challenge you to claim he was bad in AMERICAN PSYCHO. You have consistently gone beyond the call of duty in being so utterly wrong about pretty much everything that it seems impossible, but I DARE you to cross into this line of headscratchingly bizarre, bordering on brain damage incorrectness. DO YOU HAVE THE BALLS, DICKBLOOD?
Bale's good if he gets over the top characters by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:53:52 PM
Harsh Times and American Psycho being two prime examples. Crowe is terrible when he's asked to do this. Crowe's better at the subtle stuff (like The Insider), but he has a tendancy to go so subtle that he looks like he's ready to go into a coma.
I don't know waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards by mrfan	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:54:00 PM
That Tom and Jerry origin movie might have the edge.
Re: Cruel Kingom by nick b - london	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:54:24 PM
So The Wrestler and Wall-e are popcorn flicks??? Read what I said you numpty! Besides, Can you say A Beautiful Mind or No Country For Old Men will be see in 20 years time as masterpieces?? No. Just films that undeservedly won Oscars cos Money talks!
Mattman Returns by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:54:28 PM
Sorry, but you are retarded. Had to be said. There, I said it.
Milk by way of Harvey Dent by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:54:52 PM
Now there's a movie!
'Kay, now if Slumdog wins BP... by Ravetin	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:54:56 PM
...I'll instantly forgive the insane lack of Gran Torino and Wall-E in the same category.
No Country for Old Men is a fucking masterpiece by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:55:06 PM

If TDK bombed.... by drewlicious	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:55:13 PM
Would Warner Bros still be cutting 800 people? It was a record year and they're afraid of not having another one. A lot of this is a pre-emptive strike against loss they're afraid to have. So if they make money this is all for nothing.
And fucking Titanic got fucking nominated .... by PTSDPete	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:56:39 PM
Good-for-drivel, senile Zionist hacks !
OK enough with TDK...what about The Wrestler? by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:57:33 PM
So am I missing something? Everyone's fired up about TDK not being nominated for Best Picture (which it's not really worthy of) but Darren Aranovsky who directed The Wrestler doesn't get nominated at all but Stephen Daldry does for the Reader which was like watching two retarded geriatric flies fuck? And The Reader gets a best picture nom but The Wrestler is left off the list? What am I missing?
Gran Torino? Negro please by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:57:53 PM
You thought THAT should be up for Best Picture? It wasn't even original, and was racist as fuck to boot. And Clint OVERACTED with that guttural growl that was a cross between Bale in TDK and Carl from Sling Blade.
Cruel_Kingdom by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 01:59:09 PM
Sean Penn must've sucked your cock too. I don't blame you for standing up for him, I'm sure he's quite good at fellating by now, after going down on the entire academy. Enjoy.
What Penn movie GOT A PASS? by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:00:09 PM
Tell me the bad Penn movie that received Oscar nominations, Mattman Returns. I'm really curious to see how far your stupidity can reach.
The Academy doesn't know the difference between makeup and CG by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:00:37 PM
Let's face it, the Academy is old and out of touch. Always have been. That should've been obvious the moment Hoop Dreams was snubbed ten years ago. You can make arguments for and against The Dark Knight, but the Hoop Dreams snubbing was so blatant, I think it may have given Roger Ebert cancer. After that, nothing they do surprises me. Especially not nominating a comic book movie.
MattmanReturns by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:01:49 PM
Are you freaking nuts? What the hell do you have against him? You think he's the "worst over-actor ever"... Penn's range is astounding. Have you seen Dead Man Walking, Carlito's Way, Fast Times, I could list 10 more.
Milk got a free pass by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:01:55 PM
What the fuck do you think I've been talking about?
Cruel_Kingdom by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:02:48 PM
I couldn't have said it better myself. I haven't seen the Wrestler, Frost/Nixon, or Slumdog yet, but from everything else I've seen, nothing from 2008 really stands up to No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood
MILK was one hell of a movie by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:02:49 PM
Have you actually SEEN it?
Sean "I cry in every role" Penn by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:03:54 PM
Oh fuck, what have I done? I've made fun of Sean Cocksucking Penn and everyone's pissed. I know you all love him because he cries in every role... but that's not good acting. Why the fuck did he start bawling in the Interpreter? I'll never know.
Why did he cry? by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:05:21 PM
I'm gonna go out on a limb and see either because the director wanted that or the script called for it. You don't like him because he selects roles in which he has to cry? Um...
I'll give you Carlito's Way by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:05:32 PM
He was good in that, because he played a cocksucking asshole.
GT is leagues better than... by Ravetin	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:05:47 PM
...all the other Clint movies that have nabbed major noms in the last few years.
to me, BB is perfect... by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:05:51 PM
stop yr bitchin, these are the facts ladys...TDK is not nominated. done. Button is. Does that make it a better film? No..it is a better film because everything it was nominated for...I do think Button is the best films that i've seen in the last few years. I challenge any of you haters to find any flaw in Button or a better film..til then shut the fuck up...and boycott the oscars..i really do give a shit
Six Demon Bag by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:07:04 PM
Benjamin as a character had no personality. That's a pretty big fucking flaw there.
The academy doesn't reward subtlety by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:07:12 PM
That's why The Wrestler didn't get a best picture nod. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie and her histrionics got nominated. Reminds me of the year Sean Penn beat Bill Murray because Bill Murray never stood in the middle of a Tokyo street and screamed "IS THAT MY DAUGHTER IN THERE?!"
The Reader over TDK AND Revolutionary Road? by flickchick85	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:07:22 PM
Come ON! And I get that RR disappointed some people (not as much as the Reader, though), so I'm not shocked it didn't get a best Best Picture nod, and I loved Benjamin Button, but there is NO WAY Brad Pitt turned in a stronger performance in that than Leo in Revolutionary Road. I can't even believe that. This was the best performance of DiCaprio's career and the Academy didn't give a shit. And damn, I'm thinking Winslet's gonna lose again, too. I also loved Frost/Nixon, but Chris Nolan deserved a spot in that directors list over both Ron Howard and Stephen Daltry. Yep, overall, these nominations somehow feel like one big "Fuck You" by the Academy. I'm glad In Bruges got in there, though, with that Screenplay nod (aka, the "sorry, our memory's not good enough to nominate you for Best Picture, so here's a consolation prize" nomination that was also given to Almost Famous and Eternal Sunshine for the same reason).
Best Foreign Film... by MJDeViant	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:08:40 PM
Is "Let the Right One In" eligible? If it is, then that deserves the best foreign film Oscar.
flickchick85 by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:08:53 PM
I agree about In Bruges. It's actually my favorite movie of 2008.
My Disgust Knows no ends by ChocolateJesusMan	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:09:52 PM
No Best Picture Nomination for Paul Blart Mall Cop...I say Boycott
Find a flaw in Benjamin Button? by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:10:03 PM
That's like saying, "Find a drunk person on Spring Break".
MJDeViant by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:10:22 PM
Let the Right One In didn't get nominated by its country of origin, so it wasn't able to be voted on by the Academy. I agree with you though.
Tell No One by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:11:31 PM
was also an amazing foreign language film... no love from France.
Cruel Kingdom by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:12:10 PM
Benjamin had no personality? Now I see where you're coming from... subtle, nuanced characters do nothing for you. You need a cry-baby who bellows all his lines, like Sean Penn, so you'll know exactly how you're supposed to feel.
In Bruges by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:12:34 PM
So glad the screenplay got recognized. It's one of those films where the dialogue is so good, that even if you've seen the movie 3 times, there are new quotes that pop up that you forgot were so damn funny or good or whatever the first time you saw it. It reminds me of Pulp Fiction in that way...
Mattman Returns by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:13:41 PM
Nice language there with the "cocksucking asshole" during a serious film discussion. I'll bet Ebert frequently says, "Well, this guy is a cocksucking asshole..." I hear that Francois Truffaut, Andre Basin, and the Cahiers du Cinema crowd used to judge movies based on the "cocksucking asshole" criterion, as well.
F*ck the oscars commitee in the @ss with hot iron bars. by Damien Chowder	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:14:29 PM

fookin' Bruges by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:14:35 PM
I've never been there, but I'm sure it's a sh*thole.
Yes, the subtlety of Benjamin Button... by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:15:02 PM
Without that manipulative swelling music I would not have known that I was supposed to be sad when the infant Benjamin died, right...
Vern by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:15:11 PM
He was well cast in American Psycho. He can play an asshole well. The movie sucks balls, and I'm shocked you would bring it up after your rants on misogyny. The problem with Bale is, he is sort of an asshole in everything he has done since. There is nothing likable about his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. I'm completely wrong about this? There are lots of people that will agree that Bale was the weakest thing in TDK.
Bale was better than Crowe in 3:10? WTF? by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:16:49 PM
Crowe shat all over Bale in that. Crowe was charismatic as fuck and Bale was, well... Bale. He plays two types. The strong, silent type with a moral agenda or slick, rich boy. In the Batman flicks he gets to play both. Don't get me wrong, he's a good actor and is brilliant in American Psycho but his range is shit.
Danny, the weakest thing in TDK by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:17:09 PM
was Eckhart's courtroom scene. It came across as totally forced and premeditated.
Serious film discussion? by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:17:11 PM
I like how you berate me for the "cocksucking asshole" remark, yet your entire argument consists of calling me "retarded" and "stupid".
Reckoner by waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:17:29 PM
I know what you mean! I've watched In Bruges 3 times now, and each time I get into it even more.
If Holocaust = Oscar Bait, then Rob Zombie's bound to get an Osc by AgentArchangel	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:17:38 PM
Mark my words, the 2015 Oscars will be the year of "Werewolf Women of the SS"! Best Actor: Nicholas Cage, Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture! You heard it here first!
Did Jonathan Winters win an emmy... by Isolar	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:17:46 PM
...when he played Benjamin Button on television in the early eighties? Wasn't that the name of Mork & Mindy's kid who was born as an adult and aged backwards?
Benjamin Button is a bad remake of Forrest Gump by BigTuna	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:18:38 PM
I can't believe people on this site like that boring, recycled, Eric Roth bullshit.
Mattman Returns by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:19:54 PM
I was only stating fact when I called you a fucking moron. Oh, I guess I didn't call you that... Well, now I have, you fucking moron.
It's all fixed by SpikeTBB	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:21:54 PM
I have, for a long time, suspected the Oscars are just negotiated and traded off and fixed by the studio heads. Not voted on. Its not the voters who count it is who counts the votes. TDK doesn't need an Oscar to boost DVD sales, and that is what the Oscars have been reduced to I think. They want Benjamen Buttons to be unquestionably regarded as a classic heart rending blah blah blah. No one better dare think it is less than that. I didn't like Forrest Gump or Private Ryan either. They weren't bad but they didn't do anything for me either. Just not my cup o tea. But the business wants that wonderful rep that if YOU don't love their movie then something is wrong with YOU. Why wouldn't they? Titanic was mediocre but if you say that in some circles its like blasphemy. The Emperor's new clothes syndrome. So now that dvd sales and rentals are so vital to their profit I am sure they make deals. "You take Best Actor and let me have Best Picture. I'll take Best Editing and we can give this one Best Sound. It need the boost to push it to the 15 million mark."
BB music was actually pretty minimalist by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:22:32 PM
garbageman33 still waiting on the flaw or do you need to see the film first?
WHAT THE FUCK? by Out of your element	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:22:38 PM

Reckoner by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:22:45 PM
Hmmmmm...that scene was a bit weak. But overall I think Aaron did a much better job than Bale. He is likable, and he has charisma....something Bale knows nothing about. You know what made that scene feel cheap was that shitty ass piano playing lightly. God that shit sounded like an after-school special on teen pregnancy. It was for that music cue right there that Hans didn't get nominated. Well.....that and the fact that 30 people wrote the score.
Just got one thing 2 say: by steele8280	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:23:12 PM
Richard King - Dark Knight - Best Sound Design... what y'all taling about???? SNUBBED MY ASSSSS!!!!!
Cruel by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:23:15 PM
So I've evolved from retarded, to stupid, to fucking moron. Yes, you are clearly the epitome of "serious film discussion."
WHAT THE FUCK? by Out of your element	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:24:00 PM
Fucking academy is full of a buch of twats. Harry, Benjamin Button wasnt that good.
MATTMAN RETARDS by BringingSexyBack	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:24:51 PM
Nothing ... just felt like writing that subject line.
BringingSexyBack by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:26:03 PM
I hope that username isn't taken... that's brilliant
MATTMANRETURNS = PIMP MADE by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:28:05 PM

HAVEN'T SEEN MILK BUT DOES IT TOP DEAD MAN? by BringingSexyBack	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:28:26 PM
Because that was once in a lifetime brilliance.
Superhero Flick vs Holocaust Flick by buffywrestling	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:31:46 PM
"It's not enough to bash in heads, you have to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer
Dead Man by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:31:56 PM
You mean the Johnny Depp movie? Jim Jarmusch kicked ass with that film (it's imminently watchable over and over again).
The Reader and Gran Torino both susked balls by Outlaw	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:32:59 PM
The Reader was a shitty story with good acting (from Winslet) while GT was a good-ish story (with piss-poor shitty acting...minus Clint). Disappointed to see the Reader get a best movie nod though. Wall-e or TDK should have been up their, but no real sweat off of my balls.
SpikeTBB-I wouldn't be shocked by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:33:12 PM
Benjamin Button has currently grossed 115 million dollars on a 150 million dollar budget after being out for almost a month. It has a very long way to go to break even, let alone make a decent profit.
Rock me Sexy Jesus was robbed... by Alonzo Mosely	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:33:26 PM
Can you imagine the entire middle of the country watching in shock before grunting in unison, "Hon, get me my gun, I'm a gonna go to Hollywood and kill them Jeebus mocking fuckers..."
Dead Man's Chest? by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:33:35 PM
Yeah that was pretty brilliant, even though it didn't have Sean Penn, Lord of All Cocksuckers in it.
ScottinDC by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:33:43 PM
Dead Man Walking... Sean Penn is in both Milk and Dead Man Walking... ha ha Though I have seen Dead Man w/ Depp. It was oddly enjoyable, though I could watch Depp in anything
I MEANT DEAD MAN WALKING by BringingSexyBack	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:34:35 PM
Lazy me typing on a Treo ...
Maybe if Katie Holmes was in The Dark Knight by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:34:54 PM
It would've gotten nominated.
But it did have Crispin Glover by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:34:55 PM
"They're shooting the buffalo!"
William Blake! You were a poet and a painter! by Kizeesh	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:35:15 PM
Do you have any tobacco?
speaking of Depp and Bale, by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:35:15 PM
PUBLIC ENEMIES will own your ass and Oscar's next year!!!
Hehe by ScottinDC	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:36:15 PM
Sorry - had to throw Dead Man out there ;) I freakin dug that weird ass movie (I need an Indian buddy named Nobody to help me scalp some fuckers here at work).
why the fuck are people saying Wall-E was robbed? by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:36:21 PM
There is an Animation category for a fucking reason. You think the Academy can just pick which animated film is really really extra special good and transcends the Animation category for Best Picture territory? I don't get it. Why make the fucking category if it means jack shit.....if anything they need to get rid of one of the Sound awards and make BEST STUNTS so Jason Statham can finally get a fucking Oscar.
Lord of all Cocksuckers is taken.... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:38:06 PM
Its a three-way tie between Chloë Sevigny, Coughlins Laws, and Shia LeBeouf.
Wall-E by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:38:24 PM
Am I the only one who doesn't have much desire to sit through this?
Crispin Glover in Dead Man by Kizeesh	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:39:28 PM
is my favourite part, especially as he begins by obscurely narrating the closing seconds of the movie and the thoughts running through Blake's then moving from inquisitive to angry, vindictive and finally grave. Essentially Microcosming the entire movie into a 3 minute exchange before summing up the horror of it all by pointing out the buffalo in an almost angel of doom sort of way. I got a lot of time for that film.
Yep, Chloe was good by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:39:37 PM
in The Brown Bunny.
Benjamin Button had no personality by drewlicious	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:40:18 PM
His presence in the entire film was completely benign. Brad Pitt could only do so much with that character and most of it was superficial. On another note I do think Wall-E deserves a fighting chance outside of the animation category. Unfortunatley the acadmey's attitude towards animation is the same as it is to comedy, neither are considered as compelling as drama.
Shia needs to suck more Academy cock by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:40:52 PM
It's not about how many cocks you suck, it's about WHO you suck off.
drewlicious, I completely agree by BigTuna	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:43:05 PM
Benjamin Button had no personality and life in the film. He's such a dull character. That's the big problem I had. Pitt was good, but imo, not good enough for an Oscar nom.
I think what you people don't get about Ben Button by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:43:24 PM
having no personality is this: The guy was born an old man, and feels like an outsider. He becomes an introvert because of this. Not being accepted, but basically being raised with love. Thus, he is a quiet, introspective person. He's not supposed to have a grand personality.
MattmanReturns by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:45:06 PM
Its a combination between WHO and HOW GOOD. The Berg gets his dick sucked at least 5 times a week by random assistants looking for a promotion or actors looking for a gig. He's seen 'em all. Shia struck a chord with him because of his skills. Lets just say he doesn't shy away from the salt and vinegar taste of a 60 year old man's asshole. That smug, smart-ass loudmouth he's so good at playing, thats no act man. He is confident with the cock and not afraid to say so.
FUCK THE ACADEMY I'M BOYCOTTING by bradsand	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:45:59 PM
you know I used to have Oscar parties and make a big deal about the Academy Awards, but the past few years I've stopped and this year I'm just not even going to give them the time of fucking day, (yeah I'm pissed Nolan and Dark Knight got snubbed- THE READER- WTF!!!!??????) BOYCOTT THE OSCARS BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shia....if you're reading this. O.D. SOON!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:46:45 PM

Being an introvert doesn't mean you have to be lifeless by BigTuna	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:48:08 PM

Thank god this site wasnt around in 89 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:51:59 PM
you guys wouldve rode Miss Daisy HArd
Ben Button wasn't supposed to be the life of the party.. by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:53:53 PM
in every scene with people "his own age" (in NY) hes an outsider. hes comfortable in the old age home and on the boat and with people older than him (Tilda) and with Cate
Downey Jr's nomination is the only bold one by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:55:57 PM
It's a good one though.
Best Cocksucker Oscar by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:56:34 PM
Danny has me convinced that Shia would win...
I was pretty moved by Button's journey by lioner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:56:43 PM
His character has to deal with quite a bit, and has a strange, interesting life. The power of the movie, to me, is seeing an inexperienced young man experience the world, fall in love for the first time, get drunk etc, with the exterior of a well traveled old man. And on the other side, seeing a 20 year old who is actually a 65 year old man with all of these experiences. Pitt plays it wonderfully. I dunno. There is a strange, uncanny emotional thread running through that film that is very distinctive to Fincher, and not Gumpian in the least. And also, I would like to add, not in the least "Oscar bait." It seems to me that everyone on here hates the movie, and I think i'd just like to say it's worth another look. I'm going to check out TDK again this weekend to see if I just misjudged it as superficial and awkwardly constructed and plotted. I might have been wrong. Button's worth another look in my opinion.
Ben Button by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:56:57 PM
Being looked at as a freak would make anyone feel lifeless and completely alone. And by the time he ages to be more normal, he still has the introverted personality that he grew up with b/c of feeling alien. Daisy gives him a spark, but I thought the script did a good job of keeping him calm and somewhat introspective because that's who he is deep inside. Basically, they made him have a bland personality because they were being true to the character.
How Can I be moved by Benjamin BUtton's journey.. by BigTuna	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:58:03 PM
When I saw it already in Forrest Gump?
DerLanghaarige -- I'm not kidding..... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 02:58:32 PM
.....I think it is appropriate for them to have a BEST STUNTS. Not like one single stunt but for the stunt-team on the film with the best overall physical stunts of the year. Why not? They are on screen performers doing things that are just as amazing as any visual effects nerd. They need to be acknowledge as well. There are some stunt people that have been pushing for this for years.
That's why Ron Howard kissed Obama ass by Reno	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:00:07 PM
Ron Howard has never been politically active before, like many of his peers have been. But, when Ron Howard had a movie about evil NIXON coming out, it was time to kiss a bunch of Hollywood Dem ass. For the publicity, but ESPECIALLY for awards season. The noms are his reward. The people affiliated with Batman obviously didn't kiss enough Obama ass.
Shia realizes its all about the suction..... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:00:12 PM
...and if you're going to use your hand while you blow-- please go with the same rhythm of the head bob. Nothing worse than two clashing motions tugging your dick in different directions.
waitingimpatientlyforingloriousb astards by PTSDPete	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:01:50 PM
Yes. " No Country for Old Men "/ " There Will Be Blood " - greatest films since Apocalypse Now.
article from 2005 on Stunt Oscar by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:02:04 PM
Frank Pierson, the academy's president, announced last week that its board of governors rejected a proposal to create a new Oscar category to honor stunt performers. As the academy is ''more focused on reduction than addition," Pierson said, ''the board is simply not prepared to institute any new awards categories." Such logic didn't stop the academy from adding a best animated feature film category in 2000. Still, anyone who has slogged through one of those interminable Oscar telecasts wouldn't mind seeing the ceremonies trimmed to, perhaps, a maximum of three hours, and even that's pushing it. Yet it would make more sense to eliminate such fat as the usually dull musical numbers -- c'mon, people, did this year's show really need Beyonce performing three of the five nominated songs? -- than to continue to deny recognition to men and women creating some of the most indelible moments in film history. Filmmakers and actors, including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Steven Spielberg, supported the proposal submitted by several stunt performers' organizations for a best stunt coordinator category. A statement on the Stunts Unlimited website, representing stuntmen, coordinators, and action directors, laments stunt performers going ''unnoticed and unrewarded" by the academy. And there's also the hard-to-argue contention that stuntmen and stuntwomen ''are the only faction of the movie industry that must literally risk their lives for the sake of their art." Those who are willing to leap from buildings, be set on fire, or maneuver careering cars through traffic during a high-speed chase -- and do so to make some much-better-compensated famous face look good -- deserve more than a shrug from the academy. It's summer, the time when filmmakers are more concerned with spectacle than intellectually salient and serious movies, and thus the high season for stunt performers. Even with the prevalence of CGI -- computer-generated imagery -- some of the best stunts are still performed by actual people. And for all the wonders of CGI, more often than not it can make movies look like the video games they will eventually become. In 1960, ''Ben-Hur" swept the Academy Awards, winning 11 Oscars, including best picture, best actor (Charlton Heston), and best director (William Wyler). Yet what most people remember about this biblical epic is the dramatic chariot race between Heston's Judah Ben-Hur and his friend-turned-rival Messala, played by Stephen Boyd. Of course, we see Heston and Boyd only in close-ups, while their stunt doubles do all the real work, which was plotted and choreographed for two years by legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt. Yet while the film received an award for best special effects, neither Canutt nor his stunt teams received any academy recognition for what remains one of the greatest action scenes in motion picture history. (Canutt was given a special citation in 1960 for his direction of the chariot race by the National Board of Review; in 1966, he received an honorary Oscar for ''achievements as a stuntman and for developing safety devices to protect stuntmen everywhere.") Nearly 50 years later, the academy is still deluding itself into believing that stunt people aren't a vital, necessary part of the film community. At next year's ceremony, count just how many fantastic stunts -- whether it's the white-knuckle car chase from ''The French Connection" or Steve McQueen's iconic motorcycle jump in ''The Great Escape," actually performed by stuntman Bud Ekins -- are included in all those lengthy hooray-for-Hollywood montages. When it comes to self-congratulations, Hollywood understands just how important those amazing scenes are, yet when it's time to honor the people who plan and execute them, the academy is unwilling to acknowledge their irreplaceable contributions. If, as the Academy Awards like to trumpet every year, their much-ballyhooed night is about celebrating the creativity, the spirit, and especially the magic of the movie industry, then it's time for adequate and respectful recognition for some of their most unheralded magicians.
Gump is totally different from Button tone wise by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:02:35 PM
whereas Gump took the saccharine and sappy way to overdramatise every scene, Button never reaches that point...just when you fear the cliches are coming Fincher restrains himself from manipulating the audience. Still haven't found a flaw yet? C'mon guys, you've been bitchin all day and have come up with nuthin!
OMG WHERE'S MAMMA MIA!? by Mattyboy122	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:03:41 PM
I, LIKE, CAN'T BELIEVE MAMMA MIA DIDN'T GET A NOD! IT MADE ALMOST $600 MILLION AT THE BOX OFFICE! THAT'S QUALITY! OHMAGAWD! Jesus H... All you people frothing at the mouth over TDK need to take a look in the mirror. Which isn't to say TDK is a bad movie, but get real. A film's box office is in no way an indication of its quality. Slumdog is a fantastic flick and it's great to see Danny Boyle FINALLY get some recognition.
Reno by PTSDPete	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:05:03 PM
But Obama is a fan of the Batman. If it were up to him, ' The Reader ' would fucking GO TO HELL !!!!!
Bale in Public Enemies by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:05:45 PM
After being on set for a few shoots and after reading a few prelim reports from screenings (this site's included), I can say that Bale isnt going to be what all the buzz is about in that movie. You'll see. And white he didnt single handedly ruin TDK's chances at a best pic nom, I can pretty much safely assume that his performance didnt help to get one. At all. That being said, Marion Cotillard is jaw-droppingly gorgeous in person.
Spielberg snubbed for KOTCS. by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:07:41 PM
A damn shame...
Also by Mattyboy122	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:08:35 PM
Kate Winslet's shameless quest for an Oscar is really terrible. First of all, she is an average actress most of the time (I'm always aware of her acting, and it's not because she's pulling some Brechtian shit or anything). And Benjamin Button may be one of the most well-made films of the year, but there is a lot wrong with it. It never gets its own logic right, it introduces the clockmaker only to have him disappear completely and be only tangentially related to the story, the movie spends 2 hours of its run time with Benjamin up to the age of 40, then 30 minutes for the rest of his life, etc. Without the reverse age gimmick, Benjamin Button wouldn't be talked about at all. Blanchett was good in it, though.
I LOVE the Academy!!!! by standundermyumbrella	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:09:44 PM
FUCK the dark Knight!!!!!!!
Best Original Screenplay by Oomlot	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:10:10 PM
All I can say is: Wall-E, um what screenplay, it only had 5 spoken lines. it would have read like: retarded robot looks at garbage, things blow up, people chase it, aww it fell in love, hey check out all the fat people, lol, oh look, there was always grass, the end.
Kid Idioteque by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:11:09 PM
Nice name. I saw them in Atlanta this summer and they played both Kid A and Idioteque... Great show. Spielberg needs to get his ass in gear and quit making popcorn crap. Go back to stuff like Munich, Private Ryan, etc...
Mattyboy122 -- you mean Blanchett? by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:11:15 PM

Black Jack iii-In regards to Public Enemies by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:11:28 PM
What are you refereing to as being "buzz" worthy. Is it on the directing or acting end?
Funny to read people downplaying Roth... by BigTuna	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:12:58 PM
ripping-off his own Gump screenplay. Fuck the "It's a different tone" bullshit! It's the same goaddamn movie. Why don't they get it over with and call the drunken seacaptain Lt. Dan.
Mattyboy122 by hst666	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:15:46 PM
Nobody is saying Slumdog or Danny Boyle should not have been nominated (maybe someone has, but I am not going to read every talkback comment). I think most are pissed about Benjamin Button or the Reader being nominated over Dark Knight, neither of which is as good.
Ben Button by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:16:47 PM
In the director's cut, Ben Button says "She smelled like cigarettes" to the boat captain, referring to the prostitute in town.
I thought INDY IV was robbed by The Razzies.... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:17:49 PM
...because it wasn't nominated for Worst Picture of the Year. But then I found out its getting a special honor!! WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF OR SEQUEL: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Samuel by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:18:49 PM
Directing and acting both...I shouldve been more specific. The film will be amazing; but Bale will still be..well Bale. His character isnt developed and he doesnt put much into the scenes that he does have. Very cardboard. Depp, however, is amazing. Not that he ever isnt.
Bad year for great films by Coma Baby	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:20:07 PM
at least compared to last year. I saw a fair amount of movies this year but hardly any of the top reviewed ones (like these best pic nominees) seemed really interesting to me - just sort of middle brow. None of these movies really wanted to challenge anyone - well maybe the reader but I haven't seen it.. If Benjamin Button wins best picture it will be remembered much like forest gump - a sentimental mistake. What makes it eerie, if it wins, is how closely the film was modeled after Gump. It was a nice enough night at the movies, but after, I had to pry it's hands off my pant-leg. I only saw three of the five documentary nominations (man on wire, werner herzog on ice, and trouble the water) but all three were better than Benjamin Button. Why don't they just rename best picture "best narrative picture"? Dark Knight was good and suspenseful, with some interesting plot turns and a great performance by Ledger, but somehow Bale and Nolan made batman bland and uninteresting. Didn't seem like a best picture to me but I think it'd fit right in with this bunch.
This talkback is hilarious! by The_joker	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:21:58 PM
I've never seen so many movie nerds outraged that their favorite film didn't get nominated. It's not like any of you have a serious stake in the film. If you were like, "I busted my ass all day long as a key grip on The Dark Knight, and we didn't even get a best picture nomination?! Aw hell no!" Then maybe I could sympathize with you, but whether TDK got a nomination or not wouldn't have any affect on me at all. I guess the Oscars are like The Superbowl for movie geeks, and today is the day you found out that your favorite team got eliminated from the playoffs. Too funny.
It's jewish folk that got "The Reader" all those noms. by GQtaste	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:25:15 PM
Jews run hooywood so you guys shouldn't be surprized.
THE RAZZIES by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:25:50 PM
The Love Guru will sweep the Razzies: Worst Picture Worst Actor, Mike Myers Worst Supporting Actor, Verne Troyer Worst Supporting Actress, Jessica Alba Worst Screenplay, Mike Myers
Thanks Black Jack iii by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:27:03 PM
I really like Michael Mann and feel that his films this decade have been okay, but I'm more impressed with his 90's output. I'm hoping that Public Enemies can stand beside Last of the Mohicans, Heat, and the Insider.
Reckoner -- i think you're right. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:27:09 PM

Best Animated Feature pretty much killed any chance by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:27:38 PM
Of an animated movie to ever be nominated again for Best Picture. Enjoy your place in history Beauty and the Beast.
Coma by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:28:48 PM
Obviously Shawshank was the winner that year, or even Pulp arguably, but any one of those three would (I hope) landslide any other year in which they were nominated on their own. (Think Shawshank THIS year). Man, that was the year of Ed Wood!
The Oscars are a sham anyway... by A for Aristocrat	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:28:48 PM
Its all politics and bleeding heart bullshit. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Sean Penn will always be nominated because they are such "good" people. They let Ledger get nominated because they felt sorry for him. They nominate films that support their world view. And yes the actors and movies on this list deserved to get nominated but so did Nolan and Eastwood and a dozen other people and movies. The Oscars arent relevant anymore...they are basically for Hollywood to feel good about themselves nothing else.
Ah, the irony by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:29:05 PM
I love that the guy scolding everyone for getting too attached to The Dark Knight has the username The_joker.
The Dark Knight stays 'cool' by Dr Gregory House	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:29:11 PM
by NOT being nominated. I mean, who is really shocked by this? F the Academy! Period pieces and gayness...
Miami Vice = DA' BOMB by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:29:18 PM

But will Myers show up for the Razzies? by tonagan	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:29:23 PM
Or is he too sensitive?
Yes, Yes, Mr. Sherman. Everything Stinks. by Larry of Arabia	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:32:22 PM
Look, just because your favorite film didn't get nominated doesn't mean that you should hate on the films that were. Slumdog has a legitimate shot at becoming a classic. Milk hits all the bio grace notes but rises above them to become something special, and is very much a movie of it's times. It's a race between Slumdog and Button, and I hope the latter wasn't able to pull the "epic" card, because it's just not moving enough.
Yeah, I love Michael Mann, too by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:33:02 PM
But I was wondering what the hell he was doing attached to Hancock. He almost directed it, but let his protege (Berg) do the honor. Thank God... Is Hancock nominated for a Razzie? If not, it needs to be.
No "let the right one in" for best foreign pic? by knowthyself	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:34:35 PM
Dammit.
Don't forget to add an hour to the Oscar telecast by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:35:55 PM
For all of the Obama ball licking that will occur. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a honorary Oscar.
Lovecraftian by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:36:02 PM
I think Gladiator was much better than The Dark Knight. I was emotionally involved in the story. It's not perfect, and it is Braveheart in Rome as you say. But as a piece of filmmaking it is much better than The Dark Knight, mainly because Ridley Scott is a much more talented artist than Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight to me was like somebody trying to copy a Michael Mann film. It was flat and uninvolving. I know the comic book fans are happy because the subject matter is being taken seriously but that does not make it a great piece of cinema.
TDK snub..due to politics? by knowthyself	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:36:42 PM
You think Batman's "do anything to stop a terrorist" approach turned Hollywood away from nominating it for best pic? I mean it pretty much defended Bush's policy of breaking civil laws for the common good. Their was no other way to stop The Joker.
Reckoner by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:37:16 PM
I love Mann too, what the hell is he doing having Berg hanging around. I'm dreading his version of my life story, Dune.
He's too sensitive. He wouldn't go. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:37:22 PM
I think he takes his career very seriously and he wants to succeed once again. He just doesn't know how.
Samuel by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:37:22 PM
I sat behind Spinotti and watched Depp come out of the Biograph over and over again for about three hours to get probably 6 or 7 minutes worth of film (picture the Jennifer Connelly shot in Requiem with the camera mounted to her chest as she leaves the "party" - same style and look, but much smoother). To say Mann is a perfectionist would be an understatement, so his inconsistency will always baffle me.
knowthyself by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:38:00 PM
I think the snub is more to do with it not being a great film myself.
Oh and Miami Vice sucked a fat fucking ass by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:38:09 PM
From the guy who was the EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of the TV show, he couldn't even put the theme music in it let alone anything else resembling it other than the names Crockett and Tubbs.
"absolute travesty" why? by curtis3martin	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:38:30 PM
My reading comprehension skills are slipping. Are the Best Pic noms a travesty because the Dark Knight wasn't included? Is that what we're to assume? You gotta be fuckin' kidding if you thought a Batman movie would get best pic. It was a really good comic book movie, but nothing more. It took interesting themes but still presented them in a simplistic comic book way--not Oscar stuff no matter how much dough it raked in. In other words, it was really good within the confines of the genre. And that's about it. I'd have had nothing really against DK getting a best pic nod, but it definitely would have made me laugh a bit. And it not being nominated is FAR from being an "absolute travesty." Jesus!
Revolutionary Road by movieman742	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:39:46 PM
Still mad that it didn't get more noms. It was nice to see Shannon get one. He's becoming a very good supporting actor in the last several years. The Reader over Revolutionary Road is shit. I can't really say I'm disappointed in the academy considering it's been shit the last few years anyway. Oh well, at least I'll know Revolutionary Road was better than The Reader...and Slumdog Millionaire for that matter. Leo's best performance of his career isn't even recognized. It's a shame. I agree with someone else who mentioned SDM. It's gonna be one of those that in 5 years from now, everyone will go, "Um, wait, what did we do?!?!" LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL is a good example. Oh well.
Black Jack iii by kwisatzhaderach	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:40:31 PM
What inconsistency?
kwisatz by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:41:22 PM
I think Berg is talented, he just needs to lend his talents to stuff like The Kingdom, not a steaming pile like Hancock. Yeah, Myers won't show up. He's a notorious egomaniac. He just hides it from the public.
I forgot Spinotti was working on PE by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:42:12 PM
Great to see him back with Mann.
DannyGlover by Mattyboy122	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:42:22 PM
Nah, I was talking about Winslet. I don't know how to create spaces for separate paragraphs, so I just went straight into my thoughts on Benjamin Button. I like Blanchett quite a lot.
Black Jack iii by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:45:03 PM
You see Mann freak out?
I loved The Dark Knight but it wasn't some genre by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:45:45 PM
changing or industry changing film. It was a sequel to Batman Begins. Sure Ledger is great in it but if he hadn't died the box office take would have been less. Plus it's the JOKER. Never underestimate the popularity of the Joker. If it had been the same movie with a different Batman villain who hadn't been used before (say Mr. Zsaz was upped from his brief cameo from Begins) it would have made less.
Mattyboy122 by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:46:16 PM
space like this < p > but with no space between p and the >'s
WTF NO DARK KNIGHT !?!?!?! by quintana007	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:46:56 PM
Soon there will be a lot of basements free, i smell plenty fanboy suicides.
I love Winslet. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:47:32 PM
I don't know how anyone that has seen her work in Eternal Sunshine can say she's not a very good actor. She is fucking amazing in that film. Blanchett on the other hand always feels like she is really trying too hard. But they're both fine as fuck for what its worth.
Let's have our own Best Picture contest by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:48:28 PM
Among four blockbuster/populist films that WERE nominated for Best Picture and The Dark Knight. Pick the Best Picture winner: Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghost and The Dark Knight.
kwisatzhaderach by Black Jack iii	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:48:55 PM
Manhunter - Great Last of the Mohicans - Amazing Heat - Amazing The Insider - Good Ali - Good Collateral - Good Miami Vice - Wtf?? Public Enemies - TBD ---- First three were sick...followed by average to above average films. It's disappointing, I guess, to see a guy do something amazing and follow it up with something less than that. Good news with Mann though, even his "less than that" is still better than 90% of Hollywood's average.
"Stunt Oscar" by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:49:50 PM
There is the Taurus Award that has been around for about 5 years. It's been televised on Spike.
The Keep by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:51:00 PM
So bad it's not even on DVD. Still I'd buy it for the excellent cinematography.
Ledger not a shoe-in by Coma Baby	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:51:11 PM
Michael Shannon was all kinds of awesome in Revolutionary Road - he almost stole the movie. I'd pick Ledger over him because he was just as good, if not better, and his role was more substantial (more of a co-lead, really). But I can definitely see the academy types picking Shannon.
Indy Collector by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:52:56 PM
May sound cliche, but I'd have to choose the one that started it all (the pop culture super-blockbuster)..."Jaws". Still holds up beautifully all these years later.
I'll say it now, Ledger isn't going to win by Samuel Fulmer	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:53:17 PM
Remember Eddie Murphy was also supposed to win for Dreamgirls, another movie that didn't get nominated for best picture (rightfully so, it was terrible).
Mattyboy122 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:54:46 PM
The film is not about the clockmaker..he made the clock which happens to tell time bacwards...which coincidentally is how Benjamin ages. If you have ever been around anybody on their deathbed, you would know that there are some tangent stories floating around. Daisy was sating this in passing, then started talking about Benjamin
What happened in the Best Picture category by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:57:55 PM
Academy members fuckin dropped the ball
IndyCollector --- I GO WITH JAWS by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:58:33 PM

Shannon ain't going to win by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:58:39 PM
This is like the 2nd nomination out of like 30 that he's been nominated. Plus, he's a newcomer and we know how that is with the Academy. I'm sure he's great, but no. I would put my life savings on Ledger to win. Brolin will be a distant second...
For anyone doubting Mann's genius see Thief by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:59:03 PM
Fucking awesome flick. Caan is great in it.
Myers success= Shrek 4 + 5 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:59:21 PM
they wont't be critical successes but they'll make him money. he rocked in 54 tho.
No KOTCS for Best Effects? by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:59:46 PM
I mean, they actually made Indy look so almost mid-50's again instead of almost 70. Fuck Benjamin Buttass. That was some real movie magic. And, unfortunately, the only "magic" in that entire movie.
I go with Raiders by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:59:49 PM
Obviously based on my name. Raiders is the perfect movie. It blends so many genres successfully.
IndyCollector by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 03:59:54 PM
I say Jaws also. I've seen it like 20 times.
even though I despise KOTCS..... by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:01:11 PM
....I am actually surprised its not nominated for effects or sound.
If Ledger doesn't win by rhcp2sweet	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:02:06 PM
TDK fans can come over to my house and I'll have some nice cyanide spiked fruit punch for us all to drink.
I still knew it. by UltimaRex	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:03:33 PM
TDK one of the best films of all time was never going to get best pic so why nominate it? The five other films (and the industry as a whole) needs the cash a TDK win would take away. TDK is still one of the best films of all time so I simply don't care.
JOhn williams by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:06:42 PM
its the 1st time he hasnt been nomd in a looooong time
IndyCollector - I'd have to pick Raiders by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:06:49 PM
I just never get tired of that movie. The acting is great, the story is well written. The music incomparably kicks ass. I really dig Jaws. It was one of the first DVDs I ever bought. I woudl even concede that on a per person basis, the acting is superior to Raiders. But the writing, in my opinion, isn't quite as good as Raiders and the music not as thoroughly engaging, though the geneal Jaws theme parts (beyond just the "Dah-dum! Dah-dum!" stuff) is damn good.
Relief no TDK - but no Hellboy SFX? by elab49	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:07:10 PM
Glad the academy didn't fall for the fanboy hysteria on what is an occasionally excellent but overall muddled and overlong film with an unbalancing 'support' that doesn't really take off till the jail cell. But where the hell is Hellboy's SFX nomination? Couldn't the old geezers make it to that film as they tick boxed down the overrated Benjamin Button? As for Streep - did they mean to say Scott Thomas? Eddie Marsan was also robbed and is the only one of that lot that then would have deservedly beaten Ledger. Thank heavens Jenkins and Leo bring some common sense to the nominations outwith the cliched little clique that had built up.
Six Demon Bag - Johnny Williams by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:07:58 PM
Because the old man has lost it. I don't know what else he scored that came out in 2008, but Indy IV blew.
I wonder what Vegas odds are on Ledger by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:08:05 PM
I'm not sure if Vegas still does Oscar betting, but they used to. If they do I bet they have Ledger at 1 to 5 odds, meaning that if you put $500 on him to win, you would win $100. I thought about betting on Helen Mirren for The Queen, but I wasn't in Vegas. That was easy money. She was a lock that year.
Ben Kingsley in The Wackness by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:10:57 PM
Where's his fucking nomination?! You want to bitch about something, bitch about that. Also, Ralph Fiennes for In Bruges. The supporting actor category was stacked this year.
Ledger is 1-10 on Paddypower.com by I_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looki ng_for	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:13:48 PM
A UK bookie.
Eddie Murphy would've won by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:14:42 PM
If he'd only had the good sense to overdose on prescription medication. Hollywood loves dead people. Or have you forgotten about the In Memoriam popularity contest they do every year?
People who don't like Winslet by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:14:46 PM
can suck Sean Penn's cock. Sorry, I hadn't brought up Sean Penn in ten minutes...
garbageman33 & mattmanreams by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:16:52 PM
garbageman - that's pretty low. matt - nice one
Hey KOTCS is up for four Visual Effects Society awards by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:17:03 PM
So eat it KOTCS haters. It even has one for Best Single Effect for, gasp, the "Valley Destruction." http://tinyurl.com/9289ue
Put next month's mortgage on Ledger!!! by Reckoner	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:17:41 PM

Hollywood does love dead people and by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:19:04 PM
rapists
Didn't someone once suggest that we (or Harry) by skimn	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:23:07 PM
put together our own Oscars, but with nominations similar to the MTV Awards? Like best gunfight..Best catchphrase..Best representation of an animal in CGI...Most creative use of profanity...
John Williams hasn't lost it. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:27:38 PM
Its just the stench of Indy IV is so foul it can even destroy the most talented people in cinema. Seriously....how the fuck do you make the Raiders March sound shitty?!! It never once sounded cool because the visuals accompanying the tune looked like dogshit. Poor Johnny. Its okay-- he'll rebound with Lincoln.
Harry. I've said it before and i'll say it again by Mr_X	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:29:09 PM
Get your fucking act together and create a proper voting system on-line on your website and let your readership vote for the Ain't it cool news "Oscars"
ron howard is the most overrated filmmaker of all time. by oceanic86	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:32:46 PM
without a budget and a good screenplay, he wouldn't be shit. also, frank langella's "nixon voice-face" is laughably distracting.
John Williams has sucked the final big one artistically by Kizeesh	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:33:48 PM
His Obama worship piece was rotten. The introitus was stolen wholesale from HALO for christ sakes and the rest was a plaguerised lift from Lord of the Dance. Bad AIDS john.....Bad AIDS.
DANNYGLOVERS - it's a testament to how shitty KOTCS was by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:38:13 PM
it was so bad, it ruined everything else he did in 2008. Good theory. though, I really don't think Williams' compositions are as novel or exciting as they were 10+ years ago.
BTW, why is anyone still here & not on HITFIX.com??? by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:40:12 PM
The power of McWeeny compels you! The power of McWeeny compels you! The power of McWeeny compels you! The power of McWeeny compels you!
Fuck up the Oscars by karma_god	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:40:21 PM
Wouldn't it be great if thousands of TDK fans showed up and protested outside the red carpet and the ceremony. After all, it's we comic nerds that have kept Hollywood afloat for the last decade, with one comic book film after another. It's time to push for a little payback. I haven't watched this shit in a decade, and I won't now.
John Williams by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:41:50 PM
The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban score is amazing.
Harry won't get his act together by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:48:49 PM
Where's his DVD column that he said he was "working" on during the inauguration? He'll have some lame excuse prefacing the column like he always does to make it sound like it's the first time it's ever been late, "Hey folks, Harry here. Sorry the column is late but it's been a hectic week this week. Since Obama got sworn in I haven't been able to stop masturbating. I'm sure you understand. Yoko is threatening to leave me if I don't get a film career going soon so I've been busy calling some chums to see if they can help a fatty out. Anyway, the links go to Amazon like always. I've even included some shitty movies I don't recommend but buy them anyway." Only with more grammatical errors.
People who say "Button" is "Forest Gump 2" by Mr. Profit	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:54:55 PM
Are just repeating the bullshit they read on a message board. The movie is in no way similar to "Forest Gump". Just because we see the life Button has traveled, doesn't make it similar. Button did not go through several decades and alter American history with his actions. It was a simple story about a man who was born old and alone. He grows up acting like an old man, therefore he doesn't have some oversized personality. The music is subtle and memorable. And while Brad didn't bring it (I agree that Leo deserved a nod more) the movie wasn't shit. People on AICN give it hell because it's a 2 and a half hour movie that is about a romance. Its funny to see people bitch about it or discredit it then complain TDK deserved every award in history. TDK was a great film, but really, not being nominated isn't going to make Nolan or Bale or WB cry a river. They are all still filthy rich. And at least "Heathus" was nominated (and will win).
Johnny Williams by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:57:25 PM
both Catch Me if You Can and Terminal are good in my opinion, as well as HP3, Indy 4 score isnt as good as the others, but c'mon those are high standards
Of course Benjamin Button isn't like Forrest Gump by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 04:59:06 PM
Forrest Gump. Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and won a ping-pong competition. That ain't retarded.
AND THE WINNER IS, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE... by Orionsangels	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:04:49 PM
Just announced it already. God dang it the Oscar's are boring and predictable!
Benjamin Button haters---explain yourself by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:11:49 PM
when you talk shit you have to back it up
HB2 shouldve been nominated for fx by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:12:49 PM

WTF!!! No, My Bloody Valentine 3D ?!?!?! by The Dum Guy	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:18:30 PM
I had an iota of hope for TDK getting a nom for best pic, but I sorta figured this would happen...
I was bored watching Benjamin Button. by TooWhippy	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:19:02 PM
Cate Blanchett was miscast... terrible.
the reason DK got snubbed for a best pic nom... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:19:42 PM
... is the same reason that i have no interest in seeing slumdog millionaire - the academy members had DK pushed in their faces and were told that they have to nominate it, theyd be nuts not to - like ive had slumdog pushed in my face every time i read a paper or watch tv or go online being told i have to see this, its the best movie ever - i will never see it - i have no interest whatsoever in seeing it - a movie whos central plot device is a tv show that i cant stand - no thanks - my sentiments are mirrored by academy members that have an aversion to batman or superhero movies - just a theory - as great as DK is, its still just a batman movie to a whole lot of people
the curious case of a writer shoe horning... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:21:40 PM
... a new story into an old screenplay - forrest gump
Academy loves Fantasy, hates Comic movies? by Rindain	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:22:24 PM
I just don't understand how the Academy could nominate all 3 Lord of the Rings movies, but snub The Dark Knight. Before the LOTR noms, people thought fantasy films could never be taken seriously by the Academy. So why not honor a film (TDK) that did for comic book movies what LOTR did for fantasy?
WALL-E - "Down to Earth" by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:23:27 PM
SOOOOO SOOOO deserves to win. Thank god that Wrestler/Streets of Philadelphia/Dead Man Walking Song didn't get a nom.
TooWhippy by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:24:10 PM
IM SORRY if the film was too serious for you...how was blanchett miscast...she's perfect as is Brad Pitt. who would you had?
The Baader Meinhof Complex by TheNorthlander	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:24:11 PM
Great, great film. Hope it wins. The Class was good, but not worthy of oscar nomination.
TooWhippy by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:24:19 PM
IM SORRY if the film was too serious for you...how was blanchett miscast...she's perfect as is Brad Pitt. who would you had?
PROOF BUTTON IS GUMP2!!!! by Thanos0145	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:24:29 PM
Enjoy!!! http://www.funnyordie.com/vide os/1d76506803/the-curious-case -of-forrest-gump-from-fgump44
Six Demon Bag - i have no interest in seeing it by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:24:54 PM
so i cant say that i hate it - i can safely say from what ive seen and read of it, it would bore me - just the trailers alone bore me
Wall-E by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:26:07 PM
Is going to walk away with the most Oscars.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:27:07 PM
sorry...you probably complain too that Frank Darabont jsut makes Stephen King Prison flicks..what Eric Roth was adapted faithfully..the stories of two mens' lives...get over yourself
TDK needed to end with a Bollywood musical number. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:27:13 PM
THAT's the ticket this year to Oscar glory. roll eyes
JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:28:15 PM
i'm done with you
Mr. Profit is right and Brad Pitt for best actor? by tbransonlives	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:28:35 PM
You are 100% right about the people calling it "Forest Gump 2." It was nothing like Gump at all, I'd call it the anti-Gump. How did Pitt get nominated? He wasn't awful, it's just the character wasn't interesting only his situation. No way he wins anyway, Penn has it on lock.
I think another reason TDK didn't get nominated by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:30:56 PM
is because it's technically the sixth film and a sequel to a reboot that didn't get nominated either.
the wrestler got snubbed for a best pic nom... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:32:02 PM
... because its about pro wrestling - if any movie deserved a best pic nom its the wrestler - if it was the same movie but about a washed up boxer, or football player it wouldve been nominated
IndyCollector by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:32:59 PM
i agree - and its a batman movie
Six Demon Bag... you are done with me? by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:34:05 PM
when did we ever start?
Rindain by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:34:24 PM
How does the Academy love fantasy? When Lord of the Rings was nominated everyone was saying how fantasy films DON'T get nominated. The Academy loved Lord of the Rings, not fantasy in general. And if anyone couldn't see that FOTR and TT were token nominations so ROTK could get the Best Picture award in order to reward the entire trilogy for being a successful adaptation of something believed to be unfilmable is a retard.
the wrestler - all the pathos, romance and tragedy... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:36:45 PM
... of benjamin button - but in a tighter shorter package - and minus the syrup
I think the only way a comic book movie will be nominated by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:39:11 PM
for Best Picture is if it isn't a mainstream super-hero movie. It would have to be an adaptation of something abstract like Watchmen (and don't tell me Watchmen is well-known. Go ask a non comic reader what Watchmen is. At best they'll say, "Oh it's a movie coming out soon.") or American Splendor.
IndyCollector... by Rindain	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:41:30 PM
The Academy might not "love" fantasy as I said in my title, but on the other hand, they did honor a fantasy trilogy. Before Fellowship's nom, everyone considered fantasy to be anathema to the academy. Arguably, TDK is the current pinnacle of comic book films the same way that the LOTR trilogy represented a pinnacle in fantasy filmmaking. So why honor the LOTR trilogy, but not TDK, which "legitimized" comic book movies in the same way that LOTR did for fantasy?
Six Demon Bag by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:41:47 PM
i love frank darabonts stephen king prison flicks - get over your own self - can you think of any movie that you havent seen but have no interest in seeing? - fill in the blank - i like fincher - i like pitt - i even liked the short story the movie was based on - but if im not interested in seeing this version of that story - maybe ill rent it
Ever occur to you that TDK was a middling movie? by BurnHollywood	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:45:00 PM
Heather Ledger's incredible performance aside, natch...and if he doesn't win, I'll happily commiserate. It seems that the Academy was just as unimpressed with the cornball ferry resolution as yours truly. Good.
IndyCollector is right, but... by waggy	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:45:44 PM
not far enough. Even something like Watchmen or Sandman would be too comic booky for the Academy. You would need something like Ghost World or History of Violence, where 90% of people have no idea it's based on a comic.
Rindain - Why does TDK get the acclaim for legitimizing comic bo by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:46:55 PM
I think Superman: The Movie gets that honor. Or at least Spider-Man if you have to go with something more recent. TDK is a great BATMAN movie. It's was proven that comic book films can be good AND successful a long time ago.
IndyCollector - if DK didnt get it, watchmen wont by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:50:17 PM
watchmen is darker and rated r - its the anti superhero movie - it should be considered (even having not seen it, im assuming its great) but it will be overlooked - also, superhero movies are a staple now - people are sick of them no matter how great some are (DK, HB2, IRONMAN)
Typical boring Oscar bait films. by Dingbatty	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:50:32 PM
That, and the always incestous Animated Feature Film threeway between Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks.
Why should the Academy care about TV ratings? by Flim Springfield	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:50:36 PM

JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:51:17 PM

JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:51:18 PM

Good point about The Wrestler by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:51:26 PM
That affected me more than any other movie this year. By the end, I felt like I truly knew that character. Unlike Benjamin Button. By the end of that, all I knew about him was that he aged in reverse. And that he had some sort of weird hummingbird fixation.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:52:23 PM
you know not what you speak of. did you not see the wrestler too? you Do know this is a movie site, right?
BurnHollywood... the ferry solution is corny by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:54:52 PM
maybe almost as corny as a movie about a kid that wins a game show in order to find a girl he has a crush on - or a love story about an old baby that grows up to be a sad brad pitt who goes on adventures all the while pining for the girl he let slip away
And the Oscar goes to....Irelevancy! by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:56:14 PM
No Eastwood? No Dark Knight?! FUCK SEAN PENN and the fucking Milk, which will never be seen by me. Assholes. Rourke was good, the movies was meh; shitty camera work and mostly pointless scenes...Rourke was gold though...but Eastwood should have been thrown a bone..If Paul Newman could win for a shit movie like "Color of Money" why not give to Clint? I hate the Oscars!
The deli scene in The Wrestler by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:59:16 PM
That one scene tells you more about Mickey Rourke's character than two and a half hours of Benjamin Button tells you about Brad Pitt's.
Six Demon Bag by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 05:59:45 PM
huh? - yes - i saw the wrestler - i liked it a lot - but wow what a bummer - it felt very real - answering your question, yes - i know this is a movie sight - thats why im discussing movies and giving my opinion - which really seems to bug the shit out of you - you asked why so many hate BB - i answered that i dont hate it, but havent seen it and im not eager to - you then had a hissy and said you were "done with me" - go grow a pair - wait... ar you a chick?
Garbageman33... ecxactly - and it was all improv by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:00:31 PM

Enjoyed TDK, but it was riddled with by Dingbatty	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:00:47 PM
plot holes, and, hearkening back to the crap 90's Bat films, the protagonist Batman was shafted in screen time and character development. And, that suit -- horrible. Can't wait for this trilogy to finish, so we can ditch the realistic-esque milieu. Batman needs balance between the serious and the fantastic.
and...... by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:01:52 PM
I don't see why the Dark Knight wasn't nominated, "Star Wars" and "Raiders", cut from the same mass-appeal cloth and instant classics like TDK, were both nominated in their years of release...it's snobbery of the worst kind, if you can't recognize a good film, no matter what genre it's in, you have no business voting and definitely no business making movies.
And what is up with the song category? by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:01:53 PM
I don't know if it's good or bad but the Oscar songs of recently years are basically songs no one hears outside of the film. Where are the Eye of the Tigers or The Power of Loves or the Disney songs redone by musicians for radio play or the Ghostbusters, etc.
Six Demon Bag - Benjamin Button by DarthCorleone	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:02:09 PM
O.k. I'll tell you why I don't like Button. Bear in mind that I have no problems with the film technically; it's the narrative that I dislike. 1) The central conceit - our protagonist's aging backward - has virtually nothing to do with the story. Yes, his father abandons him because he looks different, but lots of children are abandoned for whatever reason. After that, what happens in Benjamin's life that is inherently linked in any way to his condition and its limiting nature? His emotional, mental, and psychological aging are all right on schedule. Yeah, he's raised in a nursing home, but no one gives him a second look. He leaves home at the age any normal person leaves home. He might get a second look and a little skepticism, but he gets a job (and even goes to war!) like any young man would. He even ends up back in the nursing home; how is that destination any different than how a normal person's life would go? Give me at least one interesting scene in which Benjamin is forced to try to fit in with those who look like him but it doesn't work because of his real age. (See more on this in point #2.) Hell, there's nothing even that unusual about having a tryst with the older Tilda Swinton's character at that age. Basically, I'm left with the message that aging backward doesn't make any difference; you're still the same on the inside. What uncanny insight! 2) The film completely lost me at the third act mark. Benjamin's decision to leave Daisy and his daughter is unsympathetic and bewildering. Daisy wouldn't be "raising" him; he has an adult mind. And as she says, we all end up in diapers. Benjamin had at least another 20 good years he could have spent with his daughter without drawing serious scrutiny. Even when appearances become tricky, make up a story and tell your daughter her dad is special and that she needs to be discreet. No character has ostracized Benjamin to that point; why does he suddenly feel like he can't lead a normal life with his condition? He's been pining for this woman his entire life, and they are deeply in love. She wants to try, but - purely because the screenplay is written as it is - he must leave. MAYBE they could have convinced me this was a credible decision, if there had been a single scene in the film supporting it! Hell, have him become a true selfish jerk and suddenly embrace the shallow opportunities his young body affords him. Give me something to work with. 3) I just didn't enjoy the frame story. It took me all of two minutes to guess that she was their daughter, and then I wait two hours to discover it, as if it's some sort of major revelation. Additionally, this is a minor quibble, but I found it slightly distancing to have Daisy be the central figure in the frame story, when she really doesn't have much to do with Benjamin's story prior to their finally getting together aside from playing the role of always-out-of-reach love interest. I guess that about covers it. Just one guy's opinion.
Yelnick McWaWa - he won 2 oscars for directing by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:02:49 PM

DarthCorleone - now im definitely skipping it by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:04:02 PM

Also, Six Demon Bag... by DarthCorleone	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:04:42 PM
...great username. At least we can agree on that.
Yelnick by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:05:52 PM
Star Wars and Raiders were movies that hadn't been done before. Sure there were both homages to serials but done in a way that was still original. What is original about TDK? The Joker? He's been portrayed before. Definitely better in TDK but not the first time.
Yelnick McWaWa - it is snobbery - its "the academy" by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:06:11 PM

I know! by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:06:42 PM
Eastwood needs one for his acting, the guy's retiring, throw him a freakin bone and some respect! Besides, who the fuck is Richard Jenkins? And fuck everything associated with "Revolutionary Road!" Could Winslet be the worst female character---ever? damn babykiller.
So, TDK didn't get nominated. by otm shank	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:08:12 PM
When "Dances With Wolves" beats out "Goodfellas", and "Forrest Gump" beats out "Pulp Fiction" who gives two flying turds what the academy thinks.
ROTK won because of the political climate at the time by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:08:14 PM
plus it was a great movie
OTM Shank by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:10:39 PM
To add to that, what about Rocky beating All the President's Men and Taxi Driver? I love Rocky but that's a tough call there.
I got nothing. by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:14:31 PM
Sure they were original, but why would that matter? Remakes have won Best Picture Oscars in the past so I must call BS on that. "The Dark Knight" is no different from the LOTR trilogy and if those miserable little turd hobbits can win, give it to the Batman! At least he likes girls. :) I trust no one who doesn't like "The Dark Knight."
The central conceit in Benjamin Button by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:15:13 PM
Would've worked much better if there was something, anything, else to it. Take Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for example. That was a story about the end of a relationship. It showed you how they fell in love. And why the relationship ultimately failed. The brainwashing thing was only one aspect of a very rich story. Benjamin Button could've worked the same way. A love story in which the main character aging backwards almost becomes an afterthought. But the love story couldn't stand on its own. Not even close. In fact, I'd ask Six Demon Bag why Benjamin and Daisy were together in the first place. And no, "fate" is not a good enough answer.
What remakes have won Best Picture Oscars? by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:15:53 PM
I'm drawing a blank.
GO WERNER HERZOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Sithlord_999	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:16:46 PM
Ich bin der Zorn Gottes!!!!!!!!
JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:17:35 PM
the reason why im done with you ( and any others) is that you shat on a film (and its writer) without having seen it. granted you can read reviews all you want and make snap judgments about lesser films that are potentially wastes of time (any generic horror film out right now or those fill-in-the-blank movies) but don't rush to judge this film...Presently, BB is without hype and pretention. I rarely see films numerous times in the theater, yet this one keeps drawing me back (3x) and I keep getting more and more enjoyment out of it. Just don't rush, i hate that shit..i asked every TB hater to explain themselves and the best was Gump 2..they oviously haven't seen Button
No reason to watch...except by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:18:53 PM
It looks like now the only reason to watch will be for Sean Penn to make the usual ass of himself in a speech about making love to his favorite Dictator and how evil America, the country that provided him with all his wealth and position to speak out, is and how great Obama will be....Zzzzzzz. On second thought, I hope there is Twilight Zone marathon on instead.
YELNICK MCWAWA by PenguinSlide	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:19:00 PM
Thanks for the spoiler, Dickweed. Seriously. Who gets off on ruining movies for other people? There is a special level of hell for those who spoil films because they think it's cool or something. They share that level with the drivers who don't understand merge lanes. Seriously McWaNa... have some BLEEP'n courtesy. You're among other movie lovers. And if you're not a movie lovers then why are you here?
If you're gonna say by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:22:38 PM

Garbageman33 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:23:39 PM
Daisy and Ben loved each other from the first time they met, at least in Bens eyes. BTW, you can take Eternal and view it as the start OR end of a relationship...it elliptical, which makes it cool...Kaufman is a genius
by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:26:06 PM
Remakes that won were- Ben-Hur, The Departed, not as many as I thought, but still remake status is irelevant. Network should have won in 76. Taxi Driver, too dark, but damn brilliant also. Christ! Give it to them both!
Costume???? by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:26:19 PM
Hugh Jackman shirtless??? Is that was flies for a Best Costume these days? He doesn't even do steroids. Sly and Arnold must be pissed.
"Nooo, my Batman VI wasn't nominated!" by JackPumpkinhead	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:27:24 PM
It's hilarious that some are actually surprised by that.
TDK was robbed by barnaby jones	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:30:57 PM
Its embarassing how wrong they get it year in year out.
I haven't watched the Oscars in the past several years by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:31:16 PM
I follow Harry's "blog" but that's about it. I just like knowing who wins and you can find that out on the Internet. I don't care about who's wearing what, stupid song and dance numbers, long and boring speeches from people I've never heard of thanking people I've never heard of, unfunny bits and repartee, political commentary that has nothing to do with the awards (Jim Carrey's "Viva El Salvador!" was the best spoof that though)
Sorry. by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:31:56 PM
Had no intention of ruining anything, but really I'm saving you two hours so don't worry about it. The movie is Lifetime of the Week crybaby shit. This is what the Nominations would look like if Ben Lyons was in charge...
Sithlord_999 by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:32:19 PM
Hell yeah what ever that means. I love Herzog. Man on Wire was over rated critical masturbation.
DarthC by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:32:56 PM
thank you for an intelligent response...i assume you've seen it. The framing device is an afterthought, just another way to cannect to the audience..for all you people complaining that Ben had no personality. You could connect with someone. With Caroline being his daughter, it could've gone either way in my opinion. The WHOLE point of the film is the aging process---otherwise it would've been told straightup! Ben is constantly being treated as something other than his age..and judged as well. When he's "old", they treat him as such, not knowing the truth. When he's in NY or taking Daisy to dinner, people are seeing that she is with not someone of her own age, but a 50 yr old. As his mother says, "We are all goin the same way, you're just taking a differnet path" Lastly, him leaving his family so he wouldn't be a burden was handled properly. Ben knowing how the world has treated him thus far, knew that it was for the best. It wouldn't be prudent anf fair for a 80 yr old taking care of and sleeping with a teenager going through senility. Goos thorough argument though...nice name too
You're right JackPumpkinhead by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:33:12 PM
The magic number is three. Godfather III was nominated and Return of the King was nominated. However, Batman Forever missed it.
My take is this... by Bartleby T. Scrivener	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:37:18 PM
Although it would have been nice to have seen Dark Knight nominated, it wasn't. That won't take away the fact that the film is great. It's not like the film's legacy is going to be lost because it never won Best Picture. Just do what I plan to do on Academy Night: Turn off the lights, pop in the Dark Knight Blu-Ray (or DVD), and experience it one more time.
Six Demon Bag by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:37:36 PM
i dont need to see death race, bride wars, sex and the city, saw 7, my bloody valentine, or 4 christmases to know whether ill like them or not - i know what i need to know going in - ill admit, BB looks great - great production values, fx, costumes and set design - im just into what its about - ill tell you what, send me 12 bucks and ill go see it then write an objective unbiased review and email it to you - otherwise, climb off my sack already
Is Rocky the Best Picture winner with the most sequels? by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:38:27 PM
I'm guessing so. Not many Best Picture WINNERS have sequels. The Godfather is the only other winner I can think of with sequels. Return of the King doesn't count because it didn't have a sequel. Plenty of NOMINEES have sequels though.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:41:45 PM
Yes any intelligent person knows bride wars is shite..but can you honestly compare the 2? We're talking creme of the crop here! I wouldn't presume to talk shit about Slumdog Millionaire (yet) without seeing it..There's a big fucking difference. Form your own opinion and not just regurgitate soundbites like "GUMP 2". that's petty.
DarthC by celebritydave	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:42:29 PM
im with you.. and the guy that just called it "lackluster". oh yeah, Daisy was a cunt of a thing.. treated him like shit in NY. im glad he left her.
JackPumpkinhead - really? - why? by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:43:28 PM
ROTK won best picture - it was the 3rd installment of a trilogy (heavily dependent on the first 2) - a 3 hour fantasy epic - wall to wall digital fx - over the top acting - were you surprised it won? - i sure was - but i also felt it deserved it - as i do TDK - aaron ekhart shouldve gotten a nom too
Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal by Garbageman33	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:43:52 PM
That's another best picture winner with a sequel (or two, if you count that Ratner abortion "Red Dragon").
typo above - im just "not" into what its a bout by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:45:14 PM
that flub changed my whole arguement
Benjamin Buttons isn't like Forest Gump? WATCH THIS! by Orionsangels	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:45:54 PM
http://tinyurl.com/9alfm3
Thanks Garbageman by IndyCollector	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:46:53 PM
Hmm. Red Dragon is a prequel, as is Hannibal Rising, but without the success of Lambs those two films wouldn't have been made so they probably have to count.
One more by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:47:48 PM
Duh, Silence of the Lambs!
Six Demon Bag by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:49:13 PM
the point is - there are defenders of movies such as bride wars etc - their opinion and taste is as valid as mine or yours - im just not into the subject matter - even if its executed brilliantly (as with BB)
I rarely watch the Oscars anyway by DDMAN26	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:49:15 PM
And I don't see that changing this year either.
and screw slumdog millionaire too by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:54:00 PM
ive been to india - its no rainbow pastel colored urban fantasy land (at least not where i was) - the magic lens of danny boyle - india, one of the few countries where throwing acid in a womans face (for suspected cheating) is tolerated - on my trip i had to wade through a knee high river of shit to get from point a to point b - fuck it - and fuck "who wants to be a millionaire"
by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:56:24 PM
Eddie was robbed, but he deserves it for making shit movies and refusing to be funny anymore. 6 yes I was surprised ROTK won which is why I'm just as surprised TDK wasn't nominated...makes no sense.
JimmyJoe RedSky is correct! by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 06:58:09 PM
Good God, India..what a shithole. They are a third world country for a reason- they choose to be.
Penn is going home empty-handed by caruso_stalker217	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:01:04 PM
You never go full gay.
KurtLockwood - rumored? by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:03:03 PM
she/he fell to her/his death "climbing into a window" - hmmm - lets just say its a good thing for eddie he/she died - eddie is doing well and making family aimed comedies - tranny hookers dot fit in that picture
india has skyscrapers and nuclear power... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:06:35 PM
but cant still solve their "shit river" problem
Garbageman33 by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:06:47 PM
Silence of the Lambs was a Sequel. Manhunter is the original Red Dragon. Brain Cox turn down the role Hopkins got because he didn't want to get type casted, he very shortly realized his mistake.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:08:59 PM
Have you seen Slumdog? The main character actually wades through a knee high river of shit to get from point a to point b? I don't see how its much different then your experience.
Slumdog's India was no fantasy land. by Flim Springfield	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:13:11 PM
It's obvious who didn't see the movie.
Eddie Murphy was robbed all right... by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:16:12 PM
of a respectable career later in his life. The only thing is that he seems to have willing given that away more than having been robbed of it: Vampire in Brooklyn Holy Man Metro Showtime PLUTO NASH Norbit Daddy Day Crap 1 and 2 Haunted Mansion way to whore yourself out, Eddie. No wonder people didn't give a shit about Meet Dave.
Eddie by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:18:18 PM
Didn't even give a shit about Meet Dave. He didn't even show up to the opening.
Just looking at that listof movies above makes me ill by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:18:40 PM
and, no, the fact that he did a shticky voice in three Shrek movies obviously doesn't make up for that list of pig shit up there.
no Dark Knighty, no watchy by BMacSmith	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:19:03 PM
my interest in the Oscars just dropped to 0.
Series7 by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:20:07 PM
Bwahahahaha! At least he's ware he's whoring himself out, even if it does impact his reputation.
How the man by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:23:37 PM
Behind The Adventures of Pluto Nash was ever given the chance to to make Meet Dave will be one of the biggest mysteries. Its almost like they let Renny Harlin make Cutthroat Island 2.
i wont be watching this year by karatekid17	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:23:49 PM
Just when the Academy had to chance to increase viewership they go and fuck it up again. The Dark Knight should have been recognized for Best Picture just for its Box Office alone ...And if they were ignoring that fact and going the artistic route, then The Wrestler should have been nominated along with Bruce Springsteen. Fuck off Academy...
Dark Knight as Best Picture was a pipedream, guys by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:24:52 PM
Frankly, I'm surprised Ledger even got the Supporting Actor nom. Not because he wasn't fantastic in the role, just because it's the kind of movie that typically gets snubbed for all the major acting categories. I was amazed they ever recognized Depp as jack Sparrow. Be happy Ledger has a shot at an Oscar. It was the best chance DK had for an Oscar nom among the major awards and they got it.
the oscars should be like the hall of fame. by BMacSmith	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:25:07 PM
no voting on movies until they've been out five years. most of the winners are forgotten or ridiculed in favor of better movies that lost. Crash comes to mind.
Series7 by caruso_stalker217	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:25:11 PM
Brian Cox is too good for that Lector shit anyway.
Jesus Christ, Series7! What what you're saying! by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:27:23 PM
In a town that is willing to make continuouslt crappy Eddie Murphy movies, a feature length Tom & Jerry movie, Brendan Frasier goes to the Center of the Earth in 3-D, and a fucking MONOPOLY MOVIE, we need not be giving them any more piss poor ideas!
if they can say Gladiator and Titanic were best pictures,... by BMacSmith	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:27:59 PM
TDK could have gotten nominated. its not really a pipe dream to get a big budget movie in there.
BMacSmith - heard that argument before and kinda like it by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:30:43 PM
Way too much kneejerk reaction to films that don't hold up only a few years later, or on repeated viewings. But, then, the Oscars are really a reflection of the time in which they are awarded and 5-6 years later, sentiments may have changed alot since the time when the movie opened. I guess it depends on the criteria you judge the film/actors/wririntg/music/etc by. By the "here and now" context, or the context in which they will hold beyond when the movie first comes out and is "novel".
Yeah by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:31:03 PM
But at least those ideas will make money. Eddie Murphy and sci-fi comedy does not make money.
Pirates 2 by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:33:19 PM
Wasn't nominated for best picture and it made TDK money.
Let the Right One In = best picture of 2008 by vaudeville villain	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:34:51 PM
screw the oscars... and sweden for its erroneous submission of whatever-the-fuck in its place.
BMacSmith by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:36:26 PM
some people cant get over the fact that its about Batman..if you replace every character with someone wearing carsets and victorian apparel, it would've been a shoo-in. it's like a modern day Othello. As someone posted before, you cant win them all...the fact it wasnt nominated will not diminish the fact tht it is a great film. At least we wont have to double dip DVD or Blu Ray with a new spec feature hyping the Oscar noms
Dear God, I WISH Ben Button was like Forrest Gump.. by Negator76	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:37:23 PM
...If it was more like Forrest Gump, it might have been cheesy, contrived, ham-handed but eventful and entertaining. Instead of cheesy, ham-handed, contrived, incoherent and brutally dull. It gets my vote for worst movie of the decade. I don't think 'Dark Knight' was the best movie of the year by any means. But it deserves the nomination over Fincher's smelly mess. Fuck, 'The Incredible Hulk' was better than 'Button'. At least when I came out of 'Hulk' I felt like I wasted an afternoon on a goofy indulgence, instead of robbed of years of my life.
No, but Titanic and Gladiator we not the same kinf of film by Puddleglum	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:37:37 PM
They came out with a reputation and full intent of being Oscar bait. Just more action oriented (more so for Gladiator). They also weren't based on a comic book, which is going to hold back a Batman film in the eyes of much of the Academy. It's not about it being a "big budget" film as much as it is the public perception of what these filsm are expected to be when released. I don't disagree that DK is a great example of film exceeding that kind of expectation. It's exactly the kind of film in the comic book/superhero sub-genre of action films that should have gotten a Best Pic nom and start breaking that perception that films like DK don't get best Pic noms. But, such is life....
Slumdog the favorite for best pic, but Milk has a chance. by Kid Idioteque	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:42:50 PM
I loved both, but aside from bitching about what WASN'T nominated, I sort of hope Milk wins. The politics were overbearing, but it's a great film. Other than Diego Luna's really creepy, unlikable character (possibly just because the performance was that bad) and one of the kids from High School Musical (if I'm not mistaken), I really enjoyed it. Although Slumdog is undeniably great. I can definitely see Boyle for best director and Milk for best picture. As much as it hurts that the Wresler didn't get nominated for best pic, and as lame as Ben Button was, the biggest crime in the last few years was the complete fucking snub of Zodiac. That was a travesty.
i wonder if bale's 'growl' is to blame for the snub? by vaudeville villain	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:44:40 PM
maybe the voters found it too over the top?
JackPumpkinhead by MattmanReturns	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:46:21 PM
Yeah I'm pretty surprised that the best film I saw last year (and judging by box office, critical reaction, and word of mouth, most of America agrees with me) wasn't nominated. I don't think you're actually shocked by this reaction though, I think you're just being an elitist jackass hoping for a "GASP! I can't believe you called it Batman VI!!!". Nothing you say is going to undermine the film. Ask ten people on the street what the best film they saw in 2008 was and I think you know what 9 out of 10 are gonna say. I'm sure that pisses you off because you apparently didn't like the film, but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of the world did.
Negator76 by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:46:24 PM
you're the reason Michael Bay still makes movies...jackass. Don't go see Frost/Nixon, you might learn something..
I can't believe The Wrestler didn't get a nod for BP by Cruel_Kingdom	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:46:27 PM
That was my favorite film this year, far and away. What a beautiful, touching, realistic, well-acted little film.
favorite does not mean best by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:48:10 PM

Best doesn't always mean BEST by Six Demon Bag	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:48:37 PM

You know the Wrestler by Series7	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:48:54 PM
Not getting movie or director hopefully means Darrin will keep trying to make crazy films.
I agree that 'Zodiac' was a great film... by Negator76	Jan 22nd, 2009 07:56:04 PM
But Ben Button made me want to dropkick a baby. BENJAMIN BUTTON IS BAD FOR AMERICA
Six Demon Bag... by DarthCorleone	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:07:07 PM
I'd hardly call the frame story an "afterthought." It begins and ends the film, it has the great Julia Ormond in a major role, it makes a point of playing on our emotions related to Hurricane Katrina, and there's no way that father-daughter revelation is not intended to have emotional resonance. Yes, what you are saying about how others treat him is what the movie should have shown us, but it absolutely did not show us that - at least not in any adverse manner that would have scarred Benjamin. If I'm supposed to take it at face value that very subtle age discrimination drives him to leave his wife and daughter, that's just not enough for me. For that matter, the guy was rich. He, Daisy, and the daughter could have lived life in privacy on their terms with relatively few problems. Make Daisy the adult executor of their estate when Benjamin becomes too "young" to be an adult and leave anyone that might question them to mind his or her own business. Doesn't the idea of Benjamin trying to fit in at high school as a wise old man sound intriguing? What if some social worker stuck the "seven-year-old" Benjamin in elementary school, and he was forced to interact with the other kids? The twilight of his life - when an old man who appears young might interact with those new to the world - is when it should have gotten the most interesting, and they glaze over it completely. How lonely would it be to never truly feel like you can fit in with your peers simply because you appear different? And yet, we never have any concept of this loneliness. Benjamin makes friends, has numerous lovers, and has romantic travels. Or show us the positive side. Show us what it would be like to truly take advantage of having the wisdom of knowing better and the body to take advantage of that knowledge. (That's along the lines of the age-old plight that you never have the time and money to travel until you're too old to fully enjoy it. There's a bit of this with his trip to India, but why would I care at that point when he just left his wife and child for no good reason?) Those are just a few examples of what I mean by their ignoring the central conceit. Perhaps those examples belong in a different film, but if they belong in a different film, why am I watching a movie about a character who ages backward? The only character who has any consistent truthful window into Benjamin is Daisy, and she always treats him like the age that he is. She's his touchstone, and he throws her away. I simply don't dig it.
Six Demon Bag-- by Negator76	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:09:07 PM
Your Michael Bay comment just reveals how prejudiced you are against people whose taste in films diverges from yours. I've probably seen more Tarkovsky, Kubrick, Kobayashi, Malick, Ashby, Frankenheimer, Fellini and Renoir films than you've seen trailers. And I still say 'Incredible Hulk' is a far finer film than 'Benjamin Button'. It's stupid, marginally competent junk food, but at least it does what it says on the tin. Unlike 'Button', which is a sleeping pill wrapped in a melted snickers bar that's pretending to be foie gras. I would have rather been stuck in airport security for three hours than sat through that dull, pretentious slog. I used to love Cate Blanchett. Now I want to beat her to death with a sock full of pennies ($10 worth of pennies, the price of the movie ticket.. poetic, huh?) THAT MOVIE SUCKED
I'm Dying To See LET THE RIGHT ONE IN by LaserPants	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:12:37 PM
Sadly, I just missed it at the local art-house before it slipped away. :-( Prbly comin' to dvd soonish?
MORI'S new site spamming AICN users by loserguy3000	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:12:42 PM
Harry...I just want to know if you're allowing Drew "Moriarty" McWeeney permission to pilfer your personal accounts and use private information to pimp his new site. Can I get an answer off that? Apparently, I'm not alone in receiving unsolicited spam from HitFlix, directly from Mori himself, at an email address I have associated ONLY with this account. Considering Mori has access, knows how to game the system, etc., either he's using the private AICN information or he's stealing it. Which is it? I'd hate to keep supporting a site that was so obviously flippant about spamming users, private information, or personal contacts between users/websites. On the other hand, HitFlix is such an inebriated swillfest I'd have to be associated with that garbage, too. So what is it, Harry? Are you allowing spam from HitFlix by allowing Mori access to private information, or is he stealing it?
DarthCorleone... by Negator76	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:13:00 PM
...speaks the truth. I am absolutely baffled as to how many professional critics gave that turd a pass. Embarrassing.
THE DARK KNIGHT Should Have At Least Been Nominated by LaserPants	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:15:05 PM
Maybe not win, but it should have gotten a nomination at least. If friggin' swill like Titanic can fucking win Best Picture? You gotta be kidding me. Shit, by that yardstick, TDK should not only have been nominated, but swept the whole awards. On the brightside, tho, I suppose Ledger is a lock for Best Supporting Actor.
Grow A Pair Academy! by CellarDweller	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:23:43 PM
Truly a bunch of pussies not nominating The Dark Knight for Best Pic or Director. They played it safe and predictable. 13 nominations for Benjamin's Belly Button? Yawn. Cowards! This was a chance to step up to the plate and recognize a genre film that broke the mold. A "comic book" movie that blew all the others that have come before it away, set a new standard for those kinds of movies and stands on it's on as one kick-ass, crime drama equal to or better than a movie such as Heat. You royally fucked up Oscar ("the grouch.") I'm sure they're patting themselves on the back for nominating Heath. While he more than deserves it for what IS truly the best performance in that category, they probably just did it as a "pity" nomination and didn't want to deal with people booing during the ceremony b/c he wasn't nominated. I have no interest in watching the Awards this year after today's disheartening news.
loserguy3000...re: Hitfix... by DarthCorleone	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:24:48 PM
That's a good question. I assumed I received that email only because I had emailed Drew personally a couple times (without response, incidentally), but I guess it was AICN data that provided the list. Regardless, I didn't really mind it.
by Yelnick McWaWa	Jan 22nd, 2009 08:47:08 PM
And no one will ever be able to tell me "Titanic" is a better film than The Dark Knight! The porno title of 2009 is, "The Curious Case of Benjarmen's Butthole."
Total F***ing Destruction!!! No Dark Knight?! I call on by Dogmatic	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:09:05 PM
all geeks to march upon the Hollywood Shrine Auditorium and burn that shit to the ground come Oscar night! This is just ridiculous. I mean...the Oscars are even due to nominate a huge populace pic...they do every 3 years. Braveheart in 95 Titanic in 98 Gladiator in 2000 Return of the King in 03...dropped the ball with a huge populace pic in 06 and 07....they were due! Dark Knight isn't good enough?! What the crap?!?! Burn that shit down!
They DID grow a pair and ignored the popular choice. by Flim Springfield	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:09:47 PM
Popularity does not equal artistic merit. Also- Heat didn't get nominated either, so it's probably not the best comparison.
No it doesn't mean the best... by Orionsangels	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:15:15 PM
It just means the movie is now part of special club and will have notoriety for all time.
Oscars = Marketing Gimmick by YackBacker	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:24:57 PM
Guys, relax. The Oscars are a lie unto themselves. There is no real criteria at work here- it's about ego and popularity. I yawn at the Oscars. I have more fun watching porno. A lot more fun, in fact.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! by GeorgieBoy	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:34:25 PM
No Dark Knight for Best Picture! Finally, justice! WALL-E was the best movie of the year. At least it'll be able to claim it got the Best Animated. TDK gets bupkis!!
I'm still baffeled by Slumdog Millionaire by blindambition238	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:44:34 PM
I liked it just fine, but wasn't very impressed with it... It seemed like a well made version of older films. Also I'm really disappointed and surprised by the best pic snubs for Wrestler and Wall-E.
laser pants, l.t.r.o.i is headed to dvd march 10th.. by jig98	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:48:30 PM
haven't seen it yet, but heard it was the best vampire movie ever. which is just unexplainable.
Film Springfield, in 2008, popularity DID equal artistic merit. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:48:50 PM
And the Academy chose to ignore it (TDK). The two are not mutually exclusive. In this case, they co-existed in the same movie.
Chris Nolan movies are empty experiences... by Chishu_Ryu	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:49:48 PM
...dressed up in pretty cinematic "gimmicks." If you take away the "gimmick" of MEMENTO being a movie that unfolds backwards like an ignorant American reading a Japanese manga, the movie has nothing really going for it. If you take away the "gimmick" of DARK KNIGHT being a realistic gritty BATMAN movie, that film really has nothing going for it either. What, are we supposed to be intrigued by the human drama that unfolds between Rachel, Bruce, and Harvey? First, you have to ask, what human drama? DARK KNIGHT was all about The Joker being The Joker. That was the gimmick, and that does not deserve it a Best Picture nom. Sorry.
Mickey's gotta win!!! by budolite	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:55:36 PM
He knocked it out the park with his performance! If there is a god, gods or just Elvis watching over us, please, grant Mickey his just reward so we can all drink happily ever after!
Oh the comedy! by yiannis	Jan 22nd, 2009 09:57:27 PM
Granted there are a few sane people on this talkback that actually know how the world works, but I'm honestly nearly splitting my sides laughing at the people bitching about the noms and saying "This movie or that movie was much better" C'mon, fellas! When has quality EVER - EVER - been a criteria for Oscar voting? Any user on this website could probably name one film for every year they've been alive that got a nomination it didn't deserve and probably half as many films that won when they didn't deserve it. Chances are, at least 70% of people would come up with pretty much the same lists. Every year, you get the same predictable slew of "award friendly" movies released (at least in the US) between about September and December, as if the rest of the year doesn't matter. These films will always follow the same subject matter. Take your pick from true story/touchingly inspirational/classical literature/melodramatic tragedy. The winner is usually the one that combines all four. As for some people hailing Ricky Gervais as some kind of prophet for his "Holocaust movie" quip in Extras? He's not. He was just telling it like it is, like it was, like it's always been and like it always will be. The fact he said it to Kate Winslet was not a coincidence either. Let's face it, you couldn't find a single person in Hollywood more deserving of being labelled "awards whore" (unless their surname was Weinstein). Who else would he pick to say that to? The fact she agreed to appear in it speaks volumes about the fact that she knows EXACTLY what she's doing and doesn't care who else knows. The fact that she then actually went and MADE a fucking Holocaust movie goes to show just how cynical, shallow and empty the bitch really is!. The Oscars are the movie equivalent of a beauty pageant. The qualities that make a winner in either are pre-determined by the judges and the actual winner is simply the entrant who best matches those pre-determined qualities. If you offer something even slightly different, it doesn't matter how good a film/beautiful a girl you are, YOU WILL LOSE!! There are only three types of people that will EVER care about the Oscars: The people who've already won one and are greedy for more The people who haven't won one and who are so spiritually empty and soulless that their lives are meaningless without one The wonderfully naive people out there who STILL believe, despite over 60 years of evidence to the contrary, that the Oscars somehow represent an objective, meaningful appraisal of the quality of cinema in any given year Fuck the Oscars!
Good reviews don't necessarily equal artistic merit either. by Flim Springfield	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:00:39 PM
Iron Man was a great movie with great reviews as well. Do I think it should be nominated Best Picture? Heck no. It was a popcorn movie made to sell toys (not that there's anything wrong with that.) The problem is people mistake The Dark Knight's "darkness" for depth. It was a popcorn movie, too.
Wished Jenny Lewis' Bolt Song Had Received A Nom... by mjgtexas	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:12:17 PM
If only to view the finest red head not named Chrisitna Hendricks shake her nice pale ass in circa 1979 Roller Derby hot shorts.
WATCHMEN = Oscar's best picture 2010! by Orionsangels	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:17:18 PM

A theory taking hold on why The Reader hit the jackpot today. by Pennsy	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:18:53 PM
It was nominated IN SPITE of the douchebag prick who produced it. There were reports that Weinstein went at it hammer and tong with Sydney Pollack, to the point where they were arguing on the latter's death bed. There was such tremendous heat between Weinstein and the Pollack family that they banned him from speaking to any of them. From what I was told, three reasons why the Reader scored so much today: 1) For the film itself 2) To honor Pollack and Minghella's memories 3) A sympathy vote for Scott Rudin (?), Daldry and the rest of the cast and crew. Take that for what it's worth. It doesn't justify TDK's ouster, but mebbe this explains things moreso than before.
Maybe jugfuls of Winslet nudity helped as well. by Flim Springfield	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:25:15 PM

BUT WILL DARREN ARONOFSKY'S MIDDLE FINGER MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANC by BringingSexyBack	Jan 22nd, 2009 10:52:13 PM
This time because Springsteen was shunned?
Where they got it wrong!!! by Jobafet	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:01:54 PM
The three biggest mistakes the Academy made this year are the Dark Knight not being nominated for best picture and best director, and Sally Hawkins not being nominated for Happy Go Lucky. I don’t understand how these nominations could be over looked. It is just a travesty. In the case of the Dark Knight I’m not even saying it should win those awards but it damn sure should have been recognized, but Sally Hawkins easily gave the best performance by a lead actress this year and should have not only been nominated but she should be receiving the award. Now I didn’t hate The Reader but it should not have replaced the Dark Knight for those nominations. I feel the same way about Angelina Jolie in Changeling she was good not great and she has Sally Hawkins nomination just because she’s Angelina Jolie. Another nomination that is just missing altogether is Bruce Springsteen for “The Wrestler”. I don’t understand how they only gave three nominations in this category this year but Springsteen should have been nominated.
"Im Not Wearin Hockey Pads"! by GravyAkira	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:03:55 PM
Hey, Saving Private Ryan didnt win either. The Dark Knight got screwed big-time, but its legacy will live on without an Oscar for best picture. I am the biggest David Fincher fan in the world, and Benjamin Button was a great film. But I know what the best picture of the year was. "Harvey Harvey Harvey Dent". Give Heath his due Academy!
Another year by methosb	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:14:12 PM
My favourite movie never gets nommed: The Wrestler this year, Jesse James last year, The Fountain the year before that, The Constant Gardener that year before that. It is just perpetual snubbidge for me so I never really give a shit who ends up winning. So, meh. I think all of those had the best soundtrack of the year and weren't even nommed either.
Chishu_Ryu: Nolan's Whole Career Has Been One Big Prestige!!! by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:19:29 PM
I have seen 3 of his films, 2 Batman films, The Prestige, and part of a 4th, that being his first film, and they have all left me cold. This guy has built a career off of building a real life Prestige, by pulling the wool over our eyes, or at leats some, all designed to fool everyone into think that he is a director and writer, and he is neither. The guy is really a camera tech, and that is it.
Flim Springfield... they grew a tiny pair by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:33:23 PM
and nominated the obvious choices - the studios' "prestige" movies - the "oscar best picture nomination" movies - lame - besides TDK, "Synecdoche, New York" and "The Wrestler" shoulda been nominated for best picture
and why no fx nom for "Cloverfield"? by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:34:21 PM
i hated the movie - but its fx were great
Series7... excellent by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:37:41 PM
but then the focus shifts to him winning a game show in order to get the attention of a very hot young girl - im bored just typing this
Flim Springfield by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:41:09 PM
the marketing behind the movie does not paint it as grim at all - but very bright and colorful full of zeitgeist editing and feel good moments of movie triumph - im falling asleep
i just watched TDK for the 2nd time on blu ray... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:43:34 PM
it shoulda been nominated - popular entertainment at its best
You Take TDK Out of TDK & It Gets Nominated by Stacy Without An E	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:51:04 PM
I had an amazing cinematic experience with TDK that as a film fan I will never truly forget. You take the Batman elements out of the film, but leave the soul of the film intact and you've got yourself an Academy Best Picture nominee. The fact that the Academy is so short-sighted will be referenced in the ratings. "Knight Rider" on a bad night will beat this.
JimmyJoe RedSky: And For A Second Time, You've Been... by Media Messiah	Jan 22nd, 2009 11:53:19 PM
...robbed of 2 hours plus of your life.
Langella deserved that nomination 22 years ago.... by mediamole	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:00:04 AM
For his role as Skeletor in 'Masters Of The Universe'
Clarification regarding TDK by CellarDweller	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:04:49 AM
Hell yeah TDK blows away Superman: The Movie, Spider-Man and especially Darkman; all movies I like by the way. However, they are very much just fun, popcorn, summer blockbusters. Typical, comic book movies without a lot of depth beneath their cool effects, spandex costumes, etc. TDK had cool action scenes, gadgets, etc. but it also dealt with weighty issues in an intelligent fashion that didn't talk down to it's audience or dumb down it's script to a third grade reading level. I wasn't suggesting that the film Heat should have been nominated for an Oscar back when it first came out. I only mentioned it b/c it clearly was an influence on the opening bank heist scene in TDK and is a crime drama as is the TDK (more than it is simply a "superhero" or "comic book" movie like The Incredible Hulk or Iron Man; not that there's anything wrong with those pics, but they don't really deserve Oscar nominations.) TDK got robbed plain and simple. It has flawless casting and performances, a complex/compelling screenplay that deals with issues not unlike those we're facing in our world today (i.e. wire-tapping, torture, terrorism, etc.) stunning cinematography, editing, music, costumes, the list goes on. All of it being "conducted" by the relatively young and brilliant Christopher Nolan who should have received a Best Director nomination. TDK was a popular movie with audiences and critics, but genre films such as "comic book" movies thus far have proven unpopular with the Academy with rare exceptions (Return of the King, Pan's Labyrinth.) "Popular"/safe choices for the Academy are period pieces, movies about the disabled, underdogs, movies that, for lack of a better phrase, "tug at the heart-strings/" Milk, Doubt, Benjamin Button, etc. are all obvious/safe choices. THAT is why I said, "grow a pair." Think outside the box Academy. This was an opportunity to nominate a comic book movie that is SO MUCH more. It will be a long time before another one comes along that will come close and have a shot at a potential Oscar. That's what sucks. And no, Watchmen, won't come close to the TDK. It might be visually stunning and faithful to the look of the book, but it is going to be the Cliff Notes version of that amazing, graphic novel. Do you think that Iron Man 2 will have a shot at being nominated for a Best Picture or Best Director Oscar? Hardly.
"To All My Friends!!!!!" by IamZardoz	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:05:36 AM
Here's to Mickey; I hope you win brother, it was a great flick.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Series7	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:06:47 AM
I don't think you've seen Slumdog.
BENJAMIN BUTTHOLE = NIPPLES ON BATSUIT by J-Dizzle	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:15:20 AM
That movie was boredom, followed by more boredom, followed by zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Take TDK out of TDK and you have a lame crime drama... by Chishu_Ryu	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:22:21 AM
...with a villain who keeps explaining to everybody in the movie why he does what he does...
Series7: re: GO WERNER HERZOG!!!!!!!!! by Sithlord_999	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:24:46 AM
Just paraphrasing Klaus Kinski in Herzog's Classic AGUIRRE: WRATH OF GOD. "I am the Wrath of God". Glad to see Herzog fans on these Talkbacks. Cheers!
The Oscars are a joke. by Charlie_Allnut	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:44:26 AM
an over rated popularity contest, self aggrandizing, joke. If you look even back in the 30's many films considered brilliant were overlooked for lower quality films.
To my fellow AICN peeps... by MR. MURDOCH	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:51:18 AM
CellarDweller: TDK better than Superman: The Movie? BWAH HA HA HA I laugh like the Joker. Maybe you'll still be watching it as many times as Superman 20 years from now? I won't be. MediaMessiah: TDK WAS cold, just like ALL of Nolan's movies. VERN: YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, MY FRIEND. And whoever coined the phrase "Oscar strap-on" gets a gold fucking medal from me, I think that should be the new AICN Talkback "Gordon has beer a cheats on his wife"!! (which is how I felt after seeing TDK, by the way...)
The Dark Knight.. by Harold-Sherbort	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:52:04 AM
was a good movie. Is it oscar material? Probably not. Was Heath Ledgers performance worthy of recognition? Yes. He deserves the win.
IN BRUGES by MR. MURDOCH	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:55:55 AM
...was more original and entertaining than almost anything on this "Oscar" list. And Kristen Scott-Thomas, Springsteen, DiCaprio, and probably Aronofsky were indeed ROBBED. Haven't considered these awards "important" -- or even watchable -- for years, consider them even less now...
I second the fx Oscar for CLOVERFIELD. by Motoko Kusanagi	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:17:53 AM
Love or loathe the movie, its fx were awesome.
The last few years.... by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:23:17 AM
I've given up on the Oscars. It used to be fun to watch. I'd get in front of the tv, get some popcorn, and watch some of my favorite actors, actresses, and directors and such talk about movies that I've seen the last year. Most of the time I'd see most of the nominees. It was fun. My friends and I would always try to pick the winners or pick the ones we want to see win and pick the ones we think will win. Then each year there would be more obscure titles that it was becoming less and less intrigueing to watch. The last several years we would have to go out of our way to go see an "oscar" movie. The theater I work at doesn't carry a lot of those movies nowadays since they've mostly become indi's. I get to watch the movies we have for free but we haven't got in Revolutionary Road yet so a friend and I went out to a different theater and paid to see it. First time I've paid in forever. This was Wednesday, before the noms came out. I came out of that theater thinking it was definitely in my top 5 of 08 and probably my favorite from what I've been able to see. I was actually excited to watch the Oscars cause I finally found a movie that actually deserved to be called Best Picture. I've seen all the other nominees save for Slumdog and Reader so I figured Rev Road would be a semi front runner. I was totally floored it wasn't nominated. I was glad to see Micheal Shannon though, he was very good. However, it still was shocking to see something that I thought of so highly not be nominated. My friends and I have pretty good "oscar tastes" so when we see stuff we can generally tell if it's good enough to be nominted and/or win. After seeing the noms I lost a lot of respect that I grew up having for the Academy Awards. It's a sad fact but one that I can't really overlook. And I'm pretty sure I'll have the same feeling tomorrow night when I watch The Wrestler.
Series7 by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:25:23 AM
no i havent seen it - i stated that many posts ago - your point being?... before you answer, are there any movies in release right now that you have no interest in seeing?
Get off my lawn! by deadboy1313	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:26:59 AM
Clint Eastwood. Gran Torino. Best Actor. Best Picture. Best Director. Period. No Contest.
"Valkyrie" is a very good movie, i just saw it... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:29:18 AM
but its wall to wall nazis
"Milk" was a shoe in... the academy loves gay drama by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:30:39 AM

especially gay bio pic drama by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:31:15 AM

milk by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:32:57 AM
it was a decent biopic but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of the story. The performances were good though. If anyone can pull off the Ledger upset I think it's Brolin.
Nolan has had a flawless run so far by the_scream	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:33:33 AM
Following: twisty film noir. Great fun. Memento: highly original murder mystery. Insomnia: decent thriller with some fantastic scenery. Batman Begins: best superhero origin story ever that reinvigorated the comicbook franchises. The Prestige: dark, compelling, science-fiction. The Dark Knight: best comicbook film ever.
gran torino by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:34:06 AM
overrated. some funny parts, some good stuff but overall not as good as MDB, which I didn't like all that much, and Mystic River, freaking awesome.
gran torino by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:34:14 AM
overrated. some funny parts, some good stuff but overall not as good as MDB, which I didn't like all that much, and Mystic River, freaking awesome.
Just trying out the < p > thing... by My friends call me Killjoy	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:35:56 AM
WallE was robbed! Say what you want about the strength of 2008's movies, but I think WallE stands tall as one of the year's five best films. Not being nominated for Best Picture is dismissive of animation. Academy to Pixar: "Sorry, no seats left here. Why don't you go sit at the kid's table?"
Fincher has had an almost flawless run by the_scream	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:36:21 AM
I don't blame him for Alien 3. That was crap in spite of his efforts. But until Benjamin Button, Fincher was on par with Nolan. Now he's a sell-out. Directing this Oscar bait turd with hardly any flair or originality. I hope it wins just so we have a constant reminder of how low the Academy can sink. It will be like "remember when Benjamin Button won? That's the Oscars are meaningless".
Yep by My friends call me Killjoy	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:36:52 AM
it works.
why didnt HB2 and cloverfield get fx noms?... by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:37:38 AM
and speed racer? - it had fx nomination all over it - i love TDK, but the most impressive fx in it were 2face's face and all the practical stunts and pyro - HB2 and speed racer were indeed sights to behold - and cloverfield's fx were very realistic and scary - wtf?
im looking forward to fincher directing "the goon" by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:40:30 AM
great comics - i hope its animated and rated r - like a fucked up violent pixar movie
you know what "aint cool", a talkback on the oscars by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:42:09 AM

time to look at some porn by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:42:49 AM

And why is The Reader nominated???? by the_scream	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:54:18 AM
The film received lukewarm reviews and was widely panned for being Oscar bait. Yet it is one of the year's best pictures? WHAT A FUCKING JOKE.
the_scream by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 02:01:48 AM
yeah, I was thinking the EXACT same thing. Kinda made me laugh when I saw the noms.
Comic book fans ALWAYS want their hobby vindicated. by Bob Cryptonight	Jan 23rd, 2009 02:45:30 AM
But the bottom line is that Batman is a character created for children. It doesn't matter that now, in modern day, kids enjoy more violent action and more complicated plots. Superhero comics are for kids. WATCHMEN works because it is addressing that very idea by taking the material as seriously as possible. But in the end the characters still wear funny outfits for no logical reason. And for all it's glory, THE DARK KNIGHT--with Batman removed and some vigilante cop in the lead--is a fairly bland crime drama. It all boils down to the scene in the interrogation room with the Joker...it's dark and gloomy...and then suddenly the lights come on and Bale is there in that stupid mask that rides WAY TOO LOW on his nose, trying to be dramatic with a voice that has been overly filtered electronically...and the film just falls apart into: silly. Bottom line: THE DARK KNIGHT rises to its own level, like water. But there's nothing wrong with water. I drink it all the time.
Anyway, the Oscars are contrived just like AMERICAN IDOL. by Bob Cryptonight	Jan 23rd, 2009 02:50:13 AM
Try not to care about it all. It's fairly easy.
Dark Night by zooch	Jan 23rd, 2009 03:20:40 AM

Oscar Night = Dark Night by zooch	Jan 23rd, 2009 03:23:40 AM
As in our television screens going dark that night. The backlash has begun! Join the boycott of the Academy Awards!
the_scream by caruso_stalker217	Jan 23rd, 2009 03:25:28 AM
Man, why'd you have to go and badmouth ALIEN³. I swear, some people just can't accept that it's good. The poor delusional bastards. I think BENJAMIN BUTTON got a lot of love because the Academy realized that they totally gave ZODIAC the shaft. I haven't seen BUTTON yet, though, so I don't know how Oscarbaitory it is.
the_scream by Lost Jarv	Jan 23rd, 2009 03:45:56 AM
Insomnia was not original- it's a vastly inferior remake. And Alien 3 is good.
FUCK THE ACADEMY AWARDS!!!!!!!!!! by Lashlarue	Jan 23rd, 2009 03:59:37 AM

Hollywood is completely FUCKED..those noms are proof by quantize	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:03:01 AM
Wrestler not even in the running for best pick? Streep overacting horribly gets a best actress nom? what the fuck...
Not whiney or negative....spot on by quantize	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:04:26 AM
word!
Revolutionary Road SHAT on Doubt and The Reader by quantize	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:07:14 AM
some tards of course will just think of it as 'miserable' but like the Wrestler..its confronting and unforgettable...of course unless you are a mental midget..aint not shortage of those around here
Revolutionary Road by movieman742	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:12:38 AM
I totally agree with you quantize. People still amaze me at their stupidity. I mean you can take parts of Revolutionary Road and they are still better than Doubt and The Reader as a whole. The best performance Leo has ever gave, Winslet was amazing because Leo actually made her go through it not like she was sleepwalking.....the reader.... Seriously, how the FUCK did she get nominated for that and not RR is beyond me. I mean if you're gonna nominate her at least nominate her for her better performance of the 2.
Streep Nominated For The Wrong Film by thelordofhell	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:38:59 AM
She should have got a nod for Mamma Mia.
For the record: Springsteen WAS eligible by WWBD	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:50:11 AM
The academy released a list of 49 songs that were eligible for nomination. "The Wrestler" was on that list. The Academy just fucked up. Honestly, this is as big a shock as if Slumdog hadn't gotten a BP nod. Bruce's song was the RUNAWAY FAVORITE to WIN, to say nothing of a nomination.
The Joker wipes his ass with an Oscar. by Its a LION	Jan 23rd, 2009 04:56:00 AM

'People mistake The Dark Knight's "darkness" for depth.' by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 05:28:00 AM
Yes. The same could be said of THE READER.
My Plan Is Working Pefectly! by codereduk	Jan 23rd, 2009 05:29:47 AM
It was I who engineered TDK not to be nominated by the Academy, knowing that all the lame movie geeks would go ape-shit and thus never leave their mommies basement, thereby causing massive computer failure around the globe! And soon, I WILL RULE THE WORLD! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! !!!!!
Departures by Potatino	Jan 23rd, 2009 05:30:26 AM
I think this should win the best foreign picture award because it is easily the heaviest film I have seen in a long time. Its one of those films that stick with you long after you leave. Easily one of my favourite films of the year. I defy anyone to see it without have to hold back a manly tear. Can't recomend it highly enough.
Why so stupid? by Gozu	Jan 23rd, 2009 06:00:09 AM
"Dark Knight" is a film that comes around once every twenty years or so. Not nominating for best picture makes the whole affair a joke. However, there are a couple other movies that should be in this list. "In Bruges," "The Wrestler," and "Gran Torino" come immediately to mind. "Benjamin Button" was an overrated piece of shit (it's like "Forest Gump" except NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS) and none of the other films except"Slumdog" really brought anything new to the table. Oh, and of course "Let the Right One In" in the foreign language category. The Academy has a good run for the past two or three years picking reasonable films for Best Picture and other categories, but they fucked up this time.
Agreed Gozu by quantize	Jan 23rd, 2009 06:14:45 AM
In Bruges in particular was well above some of these other nominated films. I hated Batman Begins but really enjoyed TDK, for all the fuckwads here feeling so pleased at the dismay for the lack of noms it has...like Pan's, it would have been a great thing to have a fantasy film of quality be recognized alongside other drama.
I don't get the need to be pissed. by funwithwords	Jan 23rd, 2009 06:51:45 AM
I was not a Dark Knight fan, but aside from that, who gives a shit what's nominated for an Oscar? I mean, you guys can't piss and moan about the Oscars always sucking and being ultimately meaningless but at the same time be pissed when your movie isn't nominated. Your being pissed betrays the clear fact that you DO care. But why? Do you give a shit about the Grammy's? That's all any of this is, you know. Rich people creating awards to justify their entirely self-indulgent existance. As cliche as it is to say, these ceremonies are about nothing more than celebrity and fashion. I mean, really, we need a whole season devoted to further glorify what is essentially an absurdity: that these people spend and receive millions upon millions of dollars to be fools on a stage? It's a circle jerk. And you guys are actually disappointed that Chris Nolan doesn't get nominated? Why? I mean, I'm sure he's disappointed; he is, after all, part of the circle desperately hoping to be jerked. But why are you guys mad? Because you won't get to watch it being televised? Give me a break! The reality is what so many of you seem to say but not believe, these awards are meaningless, and they would be just as meaningless if TDK won every last one of them.
Was wondering how long it would take one of the moderators to me by MrSentinel	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:00:00 AM
Message to the O-bots: No room for Socialism in the United States of America.
-ntion Obama by MrSentinel	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:00:50 AM

2008: Year of the Nazi. by Stalkeye	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:01:54 AM
When in doubt, bring the Krauts out: 1.The Reader 2.Valkyre 3.Defianc e 4.Miracle of St. Anna 5.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. And 6 if you count Dead Snow that wacky Nazi Zombie comedy.Oh and then there's Call of Duty 4 with Nazi Zombies.Damn, Those Germans just can't catch a break. "Git in de choppa!!"
OF TIME AND THE CITY by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:14:24 AM
A nom for that would have been nice.
This is why I love Cuaron & Del Toro by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:20:17 AM
They are two of the most exciting directors around. And I love the fact that Cuaron went from Y TU MAMA TEMBIEN to do HARRY POTTER; and that Del Toro went from PAN'S LABYRINTH to HELLBOY 2. I.e. both went from the kinds of films that win awards, to the kinds of films that will NEVER win awards - but have JUST as much heart, and artistry and intelligence as their arty predecessors.
funwithwords - true; also Herzog speech! by Coma Baby	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:33:26 AM
It's true, the academy is a bunch of rich out-of-touch older film industry types who really aren't any more qualified than you or me to determine a great film. No one should get bent out of shape because these old folks didn't like your favorite film. I kind of enjoy oscar season really more for the discussion it sparks - the nominations for me are more of a jumping off point to think about what films I liked best and here you've got a list that most people pay attention to that we can compare our own choices with. I think most people here will agree that the films the academy chose were nice enough, mostly well made technically, but pretty uninspired (esp. best pic). I'm actually interested in the Documentary category more. That might be where the real best films are this year (except Let the Right One In) The three I saw were all really good and perhaps equally deserving, but I really hope Herzog wins and gets to make an awesome speech! Encounters at the End of the World was beautiful and fascinating.
Not even Best Score for TDK?? by purplepurple	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:38:43 AM
Fuck you Oscars.
RETURN OF THE KING won a few years ago! by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:38:57 AM
What do you want from the Academy? For them to suck your cocks? If you like genre films and feel 'looked down upon' by stuck up critics - well that's their problem, not yours. Someone who looks down on 'genre' won't get to see THE SEARCHERS (Western), THE BAND WAGON (Musical), THE GODFATHER (gangster), 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (sci-fi), A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (fantasy) and - yes - THE DARK KNIGHT (comic book). Let's not forget, too, that Bergman made a horror film, Tarkovsky a sci-fi film, and Ozy silent comedies. SO YOU WEAR YOUR LOVE OF GENRE PROUDLY, and if anyone looks down on the films you love, it's their loss.
That's Ozu not Ozy. by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:40:21 AM
Yeah!
Ozzy made silent comedies? by codereduk	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:43:03 AM
He really is on a Crazy Train
Nolan Wuz Robbed by Alex Childress	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:51:50 AM
Nolan Wuz Robbed
one word for Buttons: Dull by soloaj	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:54:36 AM
Sorry - movie is just "Forrest Gump: Return of the Gump" but without the humor and 30 extra minutes of scenery establishing shots. As Cobert said last night with Buttons Academy Award Nominations = "see, America does believe in Torture." I did love me the beginning and ending of the movie = nice bookends. The F ScottFitzgerald story was only 5 pages that this is based on - maybe they should have stuck closer to that.
TDK Was Both A Box Office AND Critical Success by LaserPants	Jan 23rd, 2009 07:59:44 AM
So how it could possibly not be nominated makes no sense whatsoever. They even did a spot on NPR this morning about it -- how its not being nominated shows the academy is completely disconnected from reality. I could say how the film might not win, but it should have AT LEAST been nominated for Best Pic. And as I said before, if laughably awful swill like TITANIC can win Best Pic? TDK should have swept the entire awards.
LaserPants by funwithwords	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:12:17 AM
I heard the same bit on Morning Edition or whatever it was, and they didn't claim the Academy was disconnected with reality, but instead with the general viewing public. There is a difference. And while I don't want to get into a debate to the relative merits of TDK, I would say that being successful among critics and audiences does not make something the best of all. I tend to think a lot of the critics response to TDK was at least somewhat affected by their A: Desire for it to be good (rooted in Ledger) and B: Their ultimately low expectations for the film. When the bar is set so low, it's pretty simple to clear it soley on the grounds of a single good performance and creative ambition. Again, not to get into a discussion of whether this or that about the film was great or not, on most aspects we wouldn't agree. But to suggest that objective merit is proved by the subjective response of the masses, is simply not true. If people are bored by 2001, which most people are, does that make the movie suck?
What's this The Dark Knight everyone's on about? by Franklin T Marmoset	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:16:50 AM
If you all think it should win an Oscar, it must be pretty good. As good as Crash? Forrest Gump? Chicago? Surely not as good as Driving Miss Daisy?
No good roles for women? Harry shame on you! by filmcoyote	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:34:39 AM
There were two superbly written, multi-layered and subtly acted women's lead roles this year - Winslet in Revolutionary Road, which is a far better and subtler performance than her Reader one and marks the first time EVER that a Golden Globe winner in the Best Actress Drama category has not received an Oscar nomination! And also Kristin Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long, which is an education in masterful acting. Both performances are better than any of the five nominated. Add in no Dark Knight in picture, no Springsteen in song, no Dark Knight or Rev Road in score, no Sheen in supporting actor, no Bashir in animation and these Oscars equal a joke. But shame on you Harry for saying there were no good roles for women and not pointing out the Academy's stunning two omissions!
Button is Joe Black 2 by Gezoes	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:37:27 AM
An overrated snoozefest once again. Oh, and Forrest Gump 2 fits as well. Most nominees are from the last four months. There were some more months in 2008, oh wise lords of the Academy...
WhinyNegativeBitch: Face It, Nolan Is A Hack!!! by Media Messiah	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:41:19 AM
You want me to name superior super hero films to Batman Begins and TDK. Well, pretty much any super hero film is better than those two dull and heartless, meanless films, but let me give you 2 far superior films. The Rocketeer, and The Hulk 2 hour series pilot. The latter was a tv show and was much better than anything Nolan has even touched.
Button doesn't deserve the love by RedHHades	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:53:49 AM
It is dull, long, unemotional. Pitt had the role of a lifetime and did nothing with it. Slumdog should sweep the main awards, at least has a heart.
JimmyJoe RedSky by Series7	Jan 23rd, 2009 08:58:15 AM
Ok I missed the post were you said you hadn't seen Slumdog. But I have read your post were you've gone on and on about how you really know nothing about the movie and all your accusations about it are way off and wrong. If your gonna try to bash a movie, at least try to be right.
Loving the idiots that think Slumdog is a bollywood film! by filmcoyote	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:02:59 AM
It is a British film, made by a British director with a British crew and a British lead - Dev Patel. It is set in India, that doesn't make it a Bollywood film you morons! Star Wars was set in a galaxy far far away, does that mean aliens filmed it? Idiots!
Bob Cryptonight: Yeah I kept wondering by knowthyself	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:08:49 AM
What that guy in the bat suit was doing in my remake of Heat. Its like every time the cops were doing their thing he showed up and I was like "wtf is that guy doing there?" But the terrorist in the clown make up was cool.
Underworld 3-D by Series7	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:12:48 AM
I guess they are hoping its a hit, somehow the last two kind of were. Even though I think they are both terrible terrible movies (But I loved Die Hard 4.0: Live Free of Die Hard, even when you can tell they dubbed over conversations to get that highly coveted PG-13 rating for an Action film). So maybe next week they can expand Outlander and tack on, from the creator of Underworld 3-D even though there are like 9 names attached to the screenplay. Also is Michael Sheen the main star of this movie? Is that him in the trailers with his shirt off and everything?
Oops by Series7	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:14:11 AM
Wrong thread.
STALKEYE by lovecraftian	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:21:21 AM
THAT WAS HIELARIOUS!
Whoops.. killed my own joke without a quick edit. by lovecraftian	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:23:03 AM

Harry things TDK should win Best Costume. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:37:21 AM
Are you fucking kidding me? Yeah that Joker outfit was real hard to put together. Half the douchebags here could have put that shit together. Half the douchebags here probably dress like that anyway.
BB is Forest Gump ripoff by Rupee88	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:44:55 AM
I know it's the same writer but it's still derivative and lame. It deserves best cinimatography but that's it.
Best Editing = Most Edits in a Movie by Mr Gorilla	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:44:59 AM
According, it seems, to current opinion.
Media Messiah are you saying that TDK by Yoda's Ball Sack	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:56:47 AM
should have had Nazi's has the villians just has the Rocketeer did? Would that have made it a better film?
The Spirit has Nazis. No fucking nominations?!! by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 09:58:10 AM
WHAT?!!
Did Sam Jackson get a RAZZIE nod? by Reckoner	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:23:00 AM
for the Spirit? What about the lead actor? He was pants.
Hey Harry Love to Hear Your Take on Synecdoche New York by Stabby	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:23:27 AM
I thought it was pure genius and obviously the most underrated and overlooked film in 2008. I understand it was self-indulgent and surrealistic (most people don't appreciate surrealism) but I thought it was one of the most poignant films by an artist analyzing his craft and deconstructing art and life itself. On par with Fellini's 8 1/2. Brilliant.
funwithwords by LaserPants	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:27:43 AM
Many viewers (the dumb ones, anyway) may find 2001 boring, BUT, the critical response was overwhelming -- with good reason, its a brilliant work of art; hence its nomination and win (I think it one best pic, didn't it?). TDK, though not at the same level of genius that 2001 is, is also one of those rare popular entertainments that manages to not only appeal to the knuckle-draggers, but also the chin-scratchers, because it to is a brilliant work of art; and a rare one too -- the blockbuster that manages to be intelligent and intellectually satisfying. Not the same kind of art that 2001 is, but art nonetheless. Audiences loved it and critics love it. Again, look at TITANIC -- critical acclaim was comparatively low, basically about average, but it did outstanding business at the BO. So how in the hell did the utterly mediocre TITANIC win Best Pic whilst TDK doesn't even get a nomination. I mean, look, I could understand how TDK might not win, but it should've at least been nominated for best pic. Either mass audiences and the vast majority of critics are wrong, or the academy is. I side with the former two...
Oh And JUNO? by LaserPants	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:30:40 AM
How the hell did that piece of shit get nominated for anything other than the cut-out bin at Wal-Mart? It was a TERRIBLE movie. If that could be nominated, how the hell was TDK snubbed?
all the dark knight hate... by thekylegassproject	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:32:20 AM
is so fucking typical of board-posting cinephile fanboys. the film made too much money to be considered great. if everybody loves it, then you fucking whiners will hate it no matter what. TDK is a brilliant flick. and just because the masses of mouth-breathers loved it too does not change the fact that it is a pitch-perfect crime epic with an art house tone and brilliant performances. face it, haters. every so often, a film will come out that is deservedly adored by critics, laymen, and every demographic in between. the dark knight is that film. so get the fuck over it. nobody gives a fuck that you are a "rebel" who thought the dark knight was shit.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD? by LaserPants	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:33:11 AM
How the hell did that not win Best Pic? No Country is good, but TWBB is AMAZING.
Fairness does not exist in this dojo by Cobra--Kai	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:47:15 AM
It's interesting to look at how critics rated the nominated films using metacritic. THE DARK KNIGHT gets a meta rating of 82, versus BENJAMIN BUTTON 69, THE READER 59, FROST/NIXON 80, MILK 84, and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 86. By that reckoning the Critics have been ignored by the Academy, with both BB and THE READER recieving far lower scores than many other flicks of 2008 (including of course TDK).
by Cobra--Kai	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:50:47 AM
Incidentally the highest rated, most critically acclaimed film of 2008, was.... WALL-E with an aggregate score of 93.
I SAW NO COUNTRY WELL AFTER THE OSCARS ON DVD by BringingSexyBack	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:57:02 AM
And Jesus Christ ... that movie was nothing compared to TWBB. What was so GREAT about it? Good, I understand. But great? I'm getting a deja vu feeling about Slumdog too. It's probably gonna be a huge letdown when actually watching it.
Lack of Testosterone + Old Age = This List by PornKing	Jan 23rd, 2009 10:57:14 AM
The usual bunch of fruity arthouse pictures that no one watches are up for the nomination, while amazing films like The Dark Knight are overlooked.
BSB I Agree 100% On TWBB (& Fear The Same On SLUMDOG) by LaserPants	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:04:09 AM
Its one of my all time favorite films, a work of sheer genius. NO COUNTRY was good, sure, but it pales in comparison to the genius of TWBB. I haven't seen SLUMDOG yet, but I fear the same thing -- that its going to be a huge let-down. Plus, I CAN'T STAND "feel good" romantic shit. I like my romance tragic, obsessive, and doomed.
Slumdog is a letdown! by Orionsangels	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:15:09 AM
It's a simplistic sappy story. Poor kid from the slums wins big on, who wants to be a millionaire. That's about it.
Revoluionary Road.. by emeraldboy	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:15:54 AM
and tdk. I have not seen Revolutionary Road. It may be brilliant and leo maybe brilliant as well as kate. but its the story. disintergrating marriage in 1950s america. Its is an utterly drepressing film. in these times people want escapist type films. but the academy is very conservative. Dark knight maybe the biggest and most successful film of modern times. it is an escapist films. it is a crime film. the villain in it is a knife weilding socio-psychopath. The thinking behind its exclusion shows up the academys convservatism. There is a thing called the obama factor in all this. I am not saying that his people were on the phone to the academy or anything. its more to do with the mood of the country. people want feelgood. they want hope. By the way the dark knight is a very very very good film. it looks great and ledgers performance is great.its one of the most realistic looking comic book films that I have seen in a long time. I think as of now the best picture of the year is a toss up between Ben Button(literay judges alway hated F.Scott fitzgerald) and slumdog millionaire. which is the feelgood film of the year and the decade. Batman despite being a technically brilliant with a great performance from heath ledger. Was a brutal(tough and harsh not brutal as in bad) and in many ways a cold piece of filmmaking.
Yoda's Ball Sack: A Story Would Have Made TDK Better by Media Messiah	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:20:10 AM
TDK is a movie in search of a purpose to justify its mere existance. There was no story in that film, just a lot of explosions and loose talk about doing the right thing, and not compromising in that goal. And it was all B.S.!!! The Rocketeer made me fall in love with the characters. I wanted to be the young stunt pilot/the Rocketeer, the hero. I wanted to fall in love with the girl, I wanted to defeat the villains and save the girl and the world. A good movie inspires you, and makes you yearn to be something more. It fills you with a sense of fun, joy, sadness, love, romance, bravery, danger, thrills, and a feeling that anything good and great, is possible. TDK and Batman Begins, just sat there...flat, on screen...and Bale, that voice...and that costume, looked like, and felt like, a bad clumsy joke, where as, the guy in the costume in Batman: Dead End (search You Tube), looked like Batman could really exist in the real world and could be cast in a gritty drama that you would be willing to suspend your disbelief for as a member of the audience. Save for the guy who played the Joker, and rather horribly, at that, Batman: Dead End, offered an inspired template that the new Batman films should have followed. You can see the fight choreography cleanly, and clearly. There is no bulky awkward costume like with the spade of Warner Batman films, and his bat-a-rangs...sort of brass knuckle like blades...look handsomely real...and as if they are functional weapons. There is tension, a sense of fun, and excitement there in that fan film...especially when Batman is faced down with impossible odds...seen in the twist, and surprise, ending. The Nolan Batman films are missing fun, intrigue, joy, and heart--in fact, they are just dead...emotionally and devoid of any real measurable excitement that makes you want to cheer? But enough of bad Batman films, and one to a great film. It is a super hero film, although it isn't about a super hero, but rather a young man who unlocks the hero that is hidden inside of him. It is a Christian Slater film, called Untamed Heart. He doesn't wear a cape...no, he is just an awkward guy who hides a secret, and who lives an unfortunate life. No one sees what is truly special about him, save for one special girl who bothers to look a little deeper than most. She peers into the heart of this sad and lonely soul and finds a priceless diamond in the ruff. It is truly a beautiful and welcomed lost gem of a movie, one that makes Chris Nolan look like the heartless, dull, and uninspired rank amateur, that he is.
Speed Racer got robbed by ballyhoo	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:25:53 AM
Fuck that.
Amended: Yoda's Ball Sack: A Story Would Have Made TDK Better by Media Messiah	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:26:44 AM
TDK is a movie in search of a purpose to justify its mere existance. There was no story in that film, just a lot of explosions and loose talk about doing the right thing, and not compromising in that goal. And it was all B.S.!!! The Rocketeer made me fall in love with the characters. I wanted to be the young stunt pilot/the Rocketeer, the hero. I wanted to fall in love with the girl, I wanted to defeat the villains and save the girl and the world. A good movie inspires you, and makes you yearn to be something more. It fills you with a sense of fun, joy, sadness, love, romance, bravery, danger, thrills, and a feeling that anything good and great, is possible. TDK and Batman Begins, just sat there...flat, on screen...and Bale, that voice...and that costume, looked like, and felt like, a bad clumsy joke, where as, the guy in the costume in Batman: Dead End (search You Tube), looked like Batman could really exist in the real world and could be cast in a gritty drama that you would be willing to suspend your disbelief for as a member of the audience. Save for the guy who played the Joker, and rather horribly, at that, Batman: Dead End, offered an inspired template that the new Batman films should have followed. You can see the fight choreography cleanly, and clearly. There is no bulky awkward costume like with the spade of Warner Batman films, and his bat-a-rangs...sort of brass knuckle like blades...look handsomely real...and as if they are functional weapons. There is tension, a sense of fun, and excitement there in that fan film...especially when Batman is faced down with impossible odds...seen in the twist, and surprise, ending. The Nolan Batman films are missing fun, intrigue, joy, and heart--in fact, they are just dead...emotionally and devoid of any real measurable excitement that would make you want to cheer? But enough of bad Batman films, and on to a great film. It is a super hero film, although it isn't about a super hero, but rather a young man who unlocks the hero that is hidden inside of him. It is a Christian Slater film, called Untamed Heart. He doesn't wear a cape...no, he is just an awkward guy who hides a secret, and who lives an unfortunate life. No one sees what is truly special about him, save for one special girl who bothers to look a little deeper than most. She peers into the heart of this sad and lonely soul and finds a priceless diamond in the ruff. It is truly a beautiful and welcomed lost gem of a movie, one that makes Chris Nolan look like the heartless, dull, and uninspired rank amateur, that he is.
Herzog with a mic... by gotilk	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:33:27 AM
Indeed. Would be a great Oscar moment and it'd be hilarious to read people whining about it for weeks afterward.
I think there is split developing... by emeraldboy	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:33:53 AM
There is nothing wrong with a well made feel good film. I dont like the films of micheal winner. But he and bronson tapped into a vein when he starred in death wish films. not nominated for single award. But these films have thier fans whom I have no doubt were deeply upset when it was not nominated for anything. Batman is after all a vigilante with more money than anyone stakes fear into the heart of his enemies. People like batman cause he kicks the crap out of people. The split is between those who want feelgood films and those who dont.
Speed Racer by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:37:14 AM
I agree. Now that is a true fucking tragedy. Not one nomination for Effects, Sound, or Art Direction? Fuck that. I can see the Benjamin Button nomination for effects. But The Dark Knight?!! Fuck that nonsense.
Media Messiah by Six Demon Bag	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:40:32 AM
not supposed to really like any of the characters..Bruce Wayne is a spoiled rich kid who is kinda an asshole...the only real characters to sympathize with is Gordon and Dent because they were trying to be honorable and good
anybody who says that Button is Gump 2 is IGNORANT by Six Demon Bag	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:43:45 AM
yes, both films happen to tell a story of a mans life from start to end, if you're gonna go that far you might as well call it Gone With the Wind or better yet, English Patient 2 (which would be more accurate), but still that lazy analogy is way off. Who gives a shit that they have the same writer???
Seriously doubt Fincher was clamoring for oscar... by Six Demon Bag	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:44:38 AM
yeah then he's gonna go back to making HIS films...what the fuck ever
I Liked batman begins... by emeraldboy	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:45:12 AM
and while i thought TDK was very very good. I agree with you media messiah and by DerLanghaarige up to a certain point.
I can't believe TDK by menstrual_blitz	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:47:07 AM
was nominated for Best Cinematography?!?? Are you kidding me? As for Benjamin Button, watch it again (that is if you bothered watching it a first time rather than just deciding that it sucks). It's still very much a Fincher film. It takes the conventional hollywood epic romance and hits all the expected beats, but watch it again...it's pretty fucked up! And Fincher gets you to accept the weirdness by virtue of the genre he's working in. Not unlike how Se7en subverts the serial killer movie and Zodiac does the same with the police procedural. As usual with Fincher, it looks amazing and rewards thought and attention. However, does it not seem redundant (and pointless) to nominate it for both best makeup and best visual effects? Same for TDK...makeup? Really? The digital manipulation of faces does not best makeup make.
If there was one thing that I didnt like about by emeraldboy	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:50:24 AM
TDk was the whole rachel dawes angle of the movie. and that utterly stupid subplot about her, wayne and Harvey dent. Why did they bother bringing her back if they then killed her off.
TDK not nominated: THANK GOD by Hooded Justice	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:51:33 AM
I was terrified that this shoddy, misconceived nonsense would be nominated. The academy have more sense than they're given credit for. They've called TDK for the mess that it is. Pity they chose to nominated Ledger's showy, predictable line reading (I won't call it a performance). Hopefully he won't win but I fear that the sympathy vote will carry him over. If he were still alive, he wouldn't be on that list.
Reckoner by DatoMan413	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:51:36 AM
i look at these talkbacks sometimes just for something to make me laugh. the sam jackson "he was pants" helped out. thank for that. and by the way, he was pants in that. but the movie was such a comic book it didn't hurt it much. but you know sam doesn't care, he's just cashing checks. and by the way, yes TDK is a brilliant flick, and no, the mainstream isn't going to get it like most of us do. to most of the highbrows that are academy voters, it's just a comic book movie, nothing more. heath ledger was amazing and oscar worthy because the actor disappeared, and all that was up on that screen was joker. that to me makes a role worthy of accolade.
DerLanghaarige by Six Demon Bag	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:51:39 AM
thats just cause he was a Da and yes he did have a holier than thou attitude in a corrupt town which was why he was targeted by joker..
wow...someone brought up batman : dead end by Bouncy X	Jan 23rd, 2009 11:52:40 AM
that thing made adam west's series seem hardcore.
Hooded Justice by menstrual_blitz	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:04:14 PM
Though I wouldn't go so harsh on Heath....Agreed.
Fuck yourself glovedone.... by Lost Jarv	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:08:05 PM
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?
DerLanghaarig -- Simple Batman Answer by HornOrSilk	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:08:57 PM
The whole idea is that the Joker showed the weakness with the Batman wasn't the Batman, but his associates. As long as Batman looked like Mr. Perfect and an associate with the police, then take on the police and the public, and use it to stop the Batman as a form of blackmail. But if Batman himself is on the run from the police, they would think twice -- he is so wild he kills the authorities, too. So they aren't targets.
Fuck you TDK haters. by HoboCode	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:09:54 PM
You mouthbreathing, knuckledragging, whiny, pedantic, self-loathing fucks.
Hollywood Death Fetish by menstrual_blitz	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:12:41 PM
crappy, some-would-say-offensive Holocaust films, hyperbolic praise of dead actors...give it a rest! Heath's performance has been called a picture of a young actor staring down the void, or some such silliness. Dead is better! So says Hollywood...
Batman Dead End by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:17:22 PM
Worse than Batman and Robin.
that CG helicopter in TDK sucked balls. by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:19:21 PM

twat. by Lost Jarv	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:20:51 PM
That's why you got banned last time. I don;t think TDK deserved best film, but that was a fucking good performance. And the changeling is atrocious.
There was a CG helicopter? by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:21:56 PM
Watch LOST and you'll see what a bad CG helicopter looks like... especially when it crashes in the ocean. Ugh.
....... by Harold-Sherbort	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:26:04 PM
I need a fix 'cause I'm goin down...
MattmanReturns by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:33:40 PM
Oh come on......you're gonna compare the effects from a tv show to a 200 million dollar movie? I know you love TDK, but get real-- the helicopter spinning around before it crashed look like garbage. The motion was cartoony.
glovedone by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:33:46 PM
A lot of actors have died without getting nominated posthumously for awards (isn't Heath only the third or something?). It was a pretty amazing performance, whatever you think of the actor.
Danny, Helicopter by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:36:42 PM
Okay unfair comparison. The copter didn't really catch my attention as bad CG, honestly. I do love the movie, but that doesn't mean I won't criticize certain things. Like the stupid "Things are worse than EVER!" scene. That extra should be shot.
After last year... by emeraldboy	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:37:13 PM
I dont care about the oscars anymore. That was the most predictable awards show ever.
Bernie Mac was great in Transformers by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:38:43 PM
I almost said that with a straight face...
Best CG of the year was in Incredible Hulk by MattmanReturns	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:42:29 PM
The scene where Liv and the Hulk are sitting in the cave with the rain and lightning.
Six Demon Bag by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:43:37 PM
BB is written by the same screen writer of gump - not proof, i know - but some critics and more than a few people that have seen it have made the observation that it "feels" a lot like gump - my brother saw the trailer for the first time recently and said "it kinda reminds me of forrest gump" - ? - gump-ish?
Series7... was i bashing slumdog? by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:48:41 PM
all i said was i had no interest in seeing it and why - i dont care for the subject matter story and execution - all these things i can garner from reviews and trailers - my colorful language might have been distracting - bashing a movie you havent seen is not being short sighted - im sure you can think of more than one you havent seen that you have negative words for
Doesn't strike me as pretentiousness. by König Lear	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:52:14 PM
The top People's Choice Award went to The Dark Knight. There. You made it win. The Academy's not obliged to mirror your opinions--they're not a democratically-elected representative government, for God's sake. Maybe The Reader was added to the Pic noms to block not only TDK, but Doubt, Wall-E, and one or two other deserving films. (I'm surprised that Synecdoche, NY didn't get anything, obtuse as it was.) Or maybe they just thought it was a better movie. Who cares? It's their show. It's one thing to enjoy a movie and want it to receive its due, but something else entirely to take it as a personal affront because something that has virtually nothing to do with you didn't go the way you'd hoped.
DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 12:57:45 PM
i let cartoony crashes slide when watching a superhero movie - even ones with real world trappings, like TDK - the truck flipping and cycle wall-spin were cartoony too - but none of this ruined the movie - it all helped - its a batman movie after all - the point is for all the stuff to feel real - not be real - iron man felt pretty real, but was all cartoony - and imo
I can't support Gran Torino for BP by Felix_Happer	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:01:47 PM

con't by Felix_Happer	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:03:01 PM
because the supporting cast was so damn bad.
gran torino was good - very funny - lmao by JimmyJoe RedSky	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:05:24 PM
but it felt familiar and derivative - good though - im not surprised it wasnt nominated - there were more a few great movies that were not
JimmyJoe RedSky by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:06:38 PM
I see what you're saying but that effect looked really really shitty. The motion was all wrong and the thing had no texture at all. Most of the CG was very good. I'm reading about a ton of shit I had no idea they even did. A lot of digital Batman stunt replacement that is pretty fucking seamless.
Button by Yeah I Wrote That	Jan 23rd, 2009 01:06:4

Talkbacks

2009 Academy Award Nominations Are In!!!