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The “Oscar movie” is dying

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Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#21

Post by boomboomsubban »

actionfromafar wrote: post #17
nonameiguess wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Oscars often don't agree with critics, either. I don't think anyone had Ordinary People, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Green Book, even CODA at #1 on their year-end best of list. Best Picture is usually going to favor something that is at least serious enough that the voters don't feel like children for loving it, i.e. they're never going to award a tentpole or franchise entry, sci-fi,…

Excuse me? Most if not all of these could easily end up on peoples year-end best of list. Some people don't even remember any other than Titanic from the 90s.

>The Oscars often don't agree with critics, either. I don't think anyone...

They're talking about critics.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#22

Post by Fricken »

nonameiguess wrote: post #16
mc32 wrote: post #2

I wouldn't overdramatize it. The movie business didn't start with Oscar awards and it does not need them to continue. The Oscars are essentially a self-congratulatory award which often were at odds with the public. The critics and audience don't always agree. And now with less capture by the studios and cinema resulting in people having more choices of what to watch, people are choosing the more basic and entertainin…

The Oscars often don't agree with critics, either. I don't think anyone had Ordinary People, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Green Book, even CODA at #1 on their year-end best of list. Best Picture is usually going to favor something that is at least serious enough that the voters don't feel like children for loving it, i.e. they're never going to award a tentpole or franchise entry, sci-fi,…

"The Favorite" won best picture, director and original screenplay in 2019, and it's the first film in a long time a worthy film took the accolades. "The Favorite" is a black comedy and totally not the type of film you describe. I was astonished it did so well.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#24

Post by autoexec »

nsxwolf wrote: post #13
jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

The ability to pause, rewind and get up to go to the bathroom changes the experience for the worse. You just don't have to get serious about watching a movie anymore. You don't have to prepare to settle down, be quiet, and focus.

> The ability to pause, rewind and get up to go to the bathroom changes the experience for the worse. You just don't have to get serious about watching a movie anymore. You don't have to prepare to settle down, be quiet, and focus.

I disagree. Nothing is stopping anyone from staying at home and acting like they're in a theater. If that's what you really value you can choose to just ignore any important dialog that you didn't catch the first time instead of rewinding to hear it again. You can be distracted by the fact that you have to pee without pausing the film to run to the bathroom. You can divert your attention while you try to be as silent as possible while eating or opening snacks so as not to annoy anyone else in your virtual theater.

I think that it's far easier to focus on a movie when I'm at home and don't have anyone else talking or kicking seats or getting up and walking between me and the screen. While I have the option to obsessively check my phone while the movie is playing at home somehow I see fewer screens blaze up like beacons when I watch movies with the family than when I'm at the theater.

I can also fully control the lighting and temperature, and all while not spending a fortune on crappy food and drinks.

The one time I actually prefer to see things in a theater are live performances or special events where part of the fun is being in a crowd. I have some good memories of special showings and long awaited releases where the whole audience was buzzing with excitement while lined up outside and cheering and clapping while the film was rolling. None of that is getting serious about and focusing on the movie though, it's more about being a part of a shared experience and that's something genuinely harder to replicate at home.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#26

Post by jfengel »

mc32 wrote: post #2

I wouldn't overdramatize it. The movie business didn't start with Oscar awards and it does not need them to continue. The Oscars are essentially a self-congratulatory award which often were at odds with the public. The critics and audience don't always agree. And now with less capture by the studios and cinema resulting in people having more choices of what to watch, people are choosing the more basic and entertainin…

As an actor myself, I find that the Oscar bait is often the "Academy Award for the Most Acting". It has become a cliche that you seek an Oscar by playing a highly damaged character with obvious quirks.

More subtle performances are usually passed over, even though I consider them more challenging. They're often nominated, but rarely win.

Which is fine, since those kinds of films are usually not going to attract big audiences. The Academy Awards are a big industry advertisement, and they get the most bang for their buck by promoting a film that could catch the attention of an audience but hasn't yet.

I find that audiences are often puzzled by the Oscar winners. They go see them, and don't see what the fuss is about. But that does at least fund the next round of movies that are different from the summer blockbusters (which make plenty of money and need no help).

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#27

Post by prometheus76 »

actionfromafar wrote: post #17
nonameiguess wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Oscars often don't agree with critics, either. I don't think anyone had Ordinary People, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Green Book, even CODA at #1 on their year-end best of list. Best Picture is usually going to favor something that is at least serious enough that the voters don't feel like children for loving it, i.e. they're never going to award a tentpole or franchise entry, sci-fi,…

Excuse me? Most if not all of these could easily end up on peoples year-end best of list. Some people don't even remember any other than Titanic from the 90s.

When Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan, I quit the Oscars and never looked back. How many people still watch Saving Private Ryan vs. Shakespeare in Love?

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#28

Post by havblue »

I would think film criticism is dying as well. Was there a true successor to Ebert? When I think of film criticism now I think of YouTube reviews and not writers who eloquently describe what makes a good movie good.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#29

Post by kgwgk »

Fricken wrote: post #22
nonameiguess wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Oscars often don't agree with critics, either. I don't think anyone had Ordinary People, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Green Book, even CODA at #1 on their year-end best of list. Best Picture is usually going to favor something that is at least serious enough that the voters don't feel like children for loving it, i.e. they're never going to award a tentpole or franchise entry, sci-fi,…

"The Favorite" won best picture, director and original screenplay in 2019, and it's the first film in a long time a worthy film took the accolades. "The Favorite" is a black comedy and totally not the type of film you describe. I was astonished it did so well.

If you’re talking about the Oscars and “The Favourite“ it won (a different) one.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#30

Post by nandreev »

jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

For me, it depends on the movie. I'm glad I saw Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen - it grabbed, and didn't let go until the credits. And the audio is a big component of that (at home, I just have regular headphones).

But for 90% of dramas, comedies, etc.? The 4K TV in the living room will do just fine.

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