Let's Talk Movies #36 - 2020 - Yep it is a new decade

[PeterG]

Okay, so THIS year's Razzies. Glenn Close for worst supporting actress? Wikipedia does state that Close was Oscar nominated for the same role (Hillbilly Elegy). Ron Howard for worst director for the same movie. I didn't even know Howard was the director of Hillbilly Elegy...

But again, a lot of movies I've never heard of:

Absolute Proof
365 Days
Barbie & Kendra
Hubie Halloween
The Wrong Missy
The Last Thing He Wanted
Brahms: The Boy II
The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
The Tax Collector
Iron Mask
Hard Kill
Corona Zombies

Have any of you ever seen just the TITLE of any of the above movies, let alone heard anything at all about the movie itself?

And it sucks that the Borat movie had almost the most wins, solely because Rudy Guliani appears in the movie as himself.

 

[VGThuy]

They probably were the worst movies. Glad to see Close didn’t win. I was feeling bad that her 8th Oscar nomination was getting marred by not just the Razzies but also by others. The movie was not well-received and the author of the original book is just make things worse with his political tweets.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

They probably were the worst movies. Glad to see Close didn’t win. I was feeling bad that her 8th Oscar nomination was getting marred by not just the Razzies but also by others. The movie was not well-received and the author of the original book is just make things worse with his political tweets.

She may receive another (ETA) Academy Award nomination next year for a film soon to be released called "Four Good Days" with Mila Kunis.

 

[manhn]

How are the After movies not mentioned this year? Horrific.

 

[Japanfan]

Recently watched the documentary 'Honeyland' on TV - it won multiple awards and recognition at Sundance. Presumably why it is now airing on TV.

My goodness, what a haunting documentary. The story of a woman who tends bees/collects honey in the traditional way, living with her elderly mother in a stone hut in Macedonia. She sells her honey in a market at the nearest city, and she and her mother live off the proceeds, but live in poverty.

I still can't get some of the images from the film out of my mind, and I saw it over a week ago.

 

[Jay42]

Okay, so THIS year's Razzies. Glenn Close for worst supporting actress? Wikipedia does state that Close was Oscar nominated for the same role (Hillbilly Elegy). Ron Howard for worst director for the same movie. I didn't even know Howard was the director of Hillbilly Elegy...

But again, a lot of movies I've never heard of:

Absolute Proof
365 Days
Barbie & Kendra
Hubie Halloween
The Wrong Missy
The Last Thing He Wanted
Brahms: The Boy II
The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
The Tax Collector
Iron Mask
Hard Kill
********* Zombies

Have any of you ever seen just the TITLE of any of the above movies, let alone heard anything at all about the movie itself?

And it sucks that the Borat movie had almost the most wins, solely because Rudy Guliani appears in the movie as himself.

365 Days went viral on social media because a lot of people were filming their reactions to one scene in particular. Apparently it’s quite sexually graphic.

In reference to your previous post’s mention of Hilary Duff. She’s mostly been working in TV. Do I only know that because her current show has Laura Benanti in it? Perhaps.

 

[allezfred]

WaPo has an article in which a couple of critics recount the Oscar Best Picture nominees each year since 1977 and say which film really should have won each year (in their opinion). I don’t agree with all their choices but it’s kind of a fun read.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/02/06/oscars-what-should-have-won-best-picture/

"Babe" should absolutely have won Best Picture over "Bravefart" in 1995, but endorsing "Titanic" is a terrible look. The screenplay is absolutely atrocious.

 

[mjb52]

I'm only to Raiders of the Lost Ark and I'm like It was a fun movie but

eta: ok now I'm to Back to the Future!!!

Moonstruck? Big? I like fun films too but this whole article feels like a prank.

oh... they've rescued it by choosing Pulp Fiction over Forrest Gump. All is forgiven.

 

[Spikefan]

Okay, so THIS year's Razzies. Glenn Close for worst supporting actress? Wikipedia does state that Close was Oscar nominated for the same role (Hillbilly Elegy). Ron Howard for worst director for the same movie. I didn't even know Howard was the director of Hillbilly Elegy...

But again, a lot of movies I've never heard of:

Absolute Proof
365 Days
Barbie & Kendra
Hubie Halloween
The Wrong Missy
The Last Thing He Wanted
Brahms: The Boy II
The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
The Tax Collector
Iron Mask
Hard Kill
********* Zombies

Have any of you ever seen just the TITLE of any of the above movies, let alone heard anything at all about the movie itself?

And it sucks that the Borat movie had almost the most wins, solely because Rudy Guliani appears in the movie as himself.

I saw The Wrong Missy, a very raunchy rom con. That night we wanted something where we didn’t have to think with beautiful scenery (Hawaii). I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it but I doubt it was the worst. I have not heard of the rest.

 

[watchthis!!]

Body At Brighton Rock is a small budget horror thriller film which I feel is short on both horror and thrill. It’s more of a movie to pick apart with friends when nobody can agree on what to watch. So why not hate-watch this one? The movie is about a state park worker who volunteers for duties that day which are above her skill level. But these duties will enable her to have contact with her cute co-worker. Trouble ensues…or does it? What is real and what is a daydream - or her imagination - or a nightmare? The director won’t tell you, even by the end of the movie. And the director even keeps what really happened to herself throughout the DVD commentary. So if you like to watch movies where you don’t know what happened…and never will…watch this one!

 

[PeterG]

The Hunt is that movie got banned (temporarily) from theatres after two mass shootings occurred in the U.S. the month before it was to be released. Plus Donny Trump chimed in (along with the right-wing media) criticizing the movie as having a perceived bias. Which is strange on one hand as the movie is a satire, full of funny and biting dialogue and on the other hand, I can't remember a movie that skewers both sides of an issue so boisterously. The Hunt basically uses a horror-comedy-action-thriller movie to shine a light on the horrible division in America today and roasts the preposterousness (is that a word?) of this situation.

The movie stars two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, Oscar-nominated Amy Madigan, three-time Emmy nominated Betty Gilpin, SAG award winner Justin Harley, Writer's Guild of America nominee Ike Barinholtz, alone with Emmy Roberts and country singer Sturgill Simpson. And it was written by three-time Emmy winner Damon Lindelof (Star Trek Into Darkness, Prometheus and the TV show Lost) and Emmy winner Nick Cuse (Watchmen, The Leftovers).

Okay, so I listed all these credits to encourage interest in this great movie. I would not have been unhappy if it had received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Gilipin) and Best Supporting Actress (Swank). Maybe cinematography and special effects as well. The movie is thoroughly entertaining, very funny and full of twists and turns until the very end of the movie. Definitely one you must see if what I have written has appealed to you.

Trailer for The Hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nMJ5fcUQ8s

 

[olympic]

1976 - Both are wrong -> Taxi Driver was gut-wrenching, powerful and for me the best, but I would have put Network or All the President's Men over Rocky (even if Rocky was a very good film)

1979 - OK. I can get behind Apocalypse Now as better than Kramer v. Kramer. It is a spiritual journey with the Vietnam War as the background

1980 - I can also get behind Raging Bull, but there was something about Ordinary People and its portrayal of family dysfunction and lack of love from a mother that hits hard.

1981 - Chariots of Fire was so inspiring and just beautiful. I prefer that to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Didn't really get Reds which was the critics' darling and On Golden Pond was very nice and sentimental, but that's it.

1982 - Even as a teen, I thought Tootsie was better. An intelligent, sophisticated comedy is harder to make work than a drama and a historical piece

1985 - Neither: I would have to go with The Color Purple. It touched me. I wasn't even that crazy about Prizzi's Honor either, which seemed to be the pick of the sniff sniff crowd.

1986 - I personally liked Platoon but can see that it lacked certain complexities of other Vietnam films. I really wasn't a fan of many of the picks that year.

1987 - Let's go with Broadcast News, although I liked Moonstruck and was thrilled for Cher. The Last Emperor was another sprawling period piece that was perfect Oscar bait but there were better films that year.

1988 - I personally preferred Dangerous Liaisons but I am fine it didn't win. I found the American accents were actually jarring for 18th Century France. Rain Man is OK for the win. I thought Big was too Disney.

1989 - Neither. Let's go with Born on the 4th of July (one of the very, very few times I can appreciate Tom Cruise)

1990 - Goodfellas. Agreed!

1991 - Silence of the Lambs - Agree with all. This was the often-imitated police-procedural / horror film that would define where writers would go with the psychopathic killer

1992 - Not a great year generally, but much prefer The Crying Game and a Trans character in 1992 was ground-breaking. I thought the plot of the IRA terrorist activities interwoven w/ Jaye Davidson, Stephen Rea, and Miranda Richardson's characters was incredible filmmaking and I am just turned off by most westerns (except Westworld)

1993 - No. Just Schindler's List

1994 - Agreed - Pulp Fiction. Forrest Gump WAS dumb! Title of a Time Magazine article in 1995

1995 - Wow. Definitely not Braveheart. I really loathe Mel Gibson. Was Il Postino any good? Not a fan of any of the other choices.

1996 - Another bleh year. I guess I would go with Fargo because the Coen Bros. brought something different to cinema at the time but not a big fan of Minnesota-based dark humor. The English Patient was more yawn than exciting.

1997 - L.A. Confidential because it was more complex and better acted than Titanic, but Titanic was too big to fail. LOL

1998 - Neither: Saving Private Ryan and Life is Beautiful. Both were expertly written and the portrayals emotional. Elizabeth was very good, and all were better than Shakespeare in Love - UGH. Can I also complain about Paltrow winning the Oscar?

1999 - Nope. American Beauty was the best by far. Great script and Annette Benning NAILED neurotic suburban working mom perfectly.

2000 - Traffic. I thought the film editing and the storyline was pretty revolutionary at the time. Gladiator was fun but wasn't really complex enough for a best picture award

2001 - In the Bedroom? I was happy for the return of Sissy Spacek but didn't think much of the film. I am OK with A Beautiful Mind

2002 - Chicago, but The Pianist should have been close in the voting (I think it was)

2003 - IDK. I accept that Lord of the Rings was a very good film but not my thing. I didn't like many of the choices this year but Mystic River probably is my personal fave ... by a nose.

2005 - Yep. Brokeback Mountain wuz robbed. This is Nancy v. Oksana territory! Crash was an above-average film. Brokeback Mountain broke the mold for gay story-telling but I guess the Academy was too timid.

2006 - Agreed. The Departed is one of the best police procedurals ever made.

2007 - I am fine with No Country for Old Men but my personal fave was Atonement. Strong movie about spending your lifetime seeking forgiveness.

2008 - I guess this was another weak year and I am fine with Slumdog Millionaire but my personal fave was Milk. Twilight? Really?? UGH!

2010 - I am OK with The King's Speech but wouldn't have minded seeing The Fighter take the Best Picture statue.

2012 - I really liked Argo and happy with the win, but I do feel that Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty were both more expertly crafted films. The Iranian hostage crisis brought back memories of yellow ribbons in elementary school. Affleck did a good job of capturing 1980.

2013 - NO QUESTION. Twelve Years a Slave. This was an antidote to Gone With the Wind and that takes a mighty powerful film to effect that type of change.

2014 - I don't remember much about Birdman but I can remember the Theory of Everything. I suppose the Academy made the right choice.

2015 - I'm OK with Spotlight winning. Another year of films nominated that didn't really do much to capture me.

2016 - I hate La La Land and I don't think Moonlight was the best film. Hidden Figures, Hacksaw Ridge and Lion were all just such heroic films for me

2017 - Definitely agree w/ WaPo. Dunkirk. Just amazing cinematography and storytelling about heroism with very few words. The Shape of Water is another of those UGH wins for me. I liked Get Out, Phantom Thread, and I thought The Post would be harder-hitting than it actually was ... I felt instead of watching the story, I was watching a Trump as a prez cautionary tale but the times may have colored my view of the film. Let's see if it ages well.

2018 - First, I really didn't like The Favorite at all. Didn't like Olivia Colman as best actress either. I probably would've chosen BlacKkKlansman. Green Book was solid but BlacKkKlansman really was in the moment.

2020 -NO NO NO NO to Nomadland. Anything would be better. My fave was Trial of the Chicago 7. It was just a well done courtroom drama

 

[Buzz]

Marvel’s celebrates the movies trailer with footage of The Eternals included.

Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies

The world may change and evolve, but the one thing that will never change: we’re all part of one big family.► Watch Marvel on Disney+: https://bit.ly/2XyBSIW...

www.youtube.com

 

[VGThuy]

1976 - Both are wrong -> Taxi Driver was gut-wrenching, powerful and for me the best, but I would have put Network or All the President's Men over Rocky (even if Rocky was a very good film)

1979 - OK. I can get behind Apocalypse Now as better than Kramer v. Kramer. It is a spiritual journey with the Vietnam War as the background

1980 - I can also get behind Raging Bull, but there was something about Ordinary People and its portrayal of family dysfunction and lack of love from a mother that hits hard.

1981 - Chariots of Fire was so inspiring and just beautiful. I prefer that to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Didn't really get Reds which was the critics' darling and On Golden Pond was very nice and sentimental, but that's it.

1982 - Even as a teen, I thought Tootsie was better. An intelligent, sophisticated comedy is harder to make work than a drama and a historical piece

1985 - Neither: I would have to go with The Color Purple. It touched me. I wasn't even that crazy about Prizzi's Honor either, which seemed to be the pick of the sniff sniff crowd.

1986 - I personally liked Platoon but can see that it lacked certain complexities of other Vietnam films. I really wasn't a fan of many of the picks that year.

1987 - Let's go with Broadcast News, although I liked Moonstruck and was thrilled for Cher. The Last Emperor was another sprawling period piece that was perfect Oscar bait but there were better films that year.

1988 - I personally preferred Dangerous Liaisons but I am fine it didn't win. I found the American accents were actually jarring for 18th Century France. Rain Man is OK for the win. I thought Big was too Disney.

1989 - Neither. Let's go with Born on the 4th of July (one of the very, very few times I can appreciate Tom Cruise)

1990 - Goodfellas. Agreed!

1991 - Silence of the Lambs - Agree with all. This was the often-imitated police-procedural / horror film that would define where writers would go with the psychopathic killer

1992 - Not a great year generally, but much prefer The Crying Game and a Trans character in 1992 was ground-breaking. I thought the plot of the IRA terrorist activities interwoven w/ Jaye Davidson, Stephen Rea, and Miranda Richardson's characters was incredible filmmaking and I am just turned off by most westerns (except Westworld)

1993 - No. Just Schindler's List

1994 - Agreed - Pulp Fiction. Forrest Gump WAS dumb! Title of a Time Magazine article in 1995

1995 - Wow. Definitely not Braveheart. I really loathe Mel Gibson. Was Il Postino any good? Not a fan of any of the other choices.

1996 - Another bleh year. I guess I would go with Fargo because the Coen Bros. brought something different to cinema at the time but not a big fan of Minnesota-based dark humor. The English Patient was more yawn than exciting.

1997 - L.A. Confidential because it was more complex and better acted than Titanic, but Titanic was too big to fail. LOL

1998 - Neither: Saving Private Ryan and Life is Beautiful. Both were expertly written and the portrayals emotional. Elizabeth was very good, and all were better than Shakespeare in Love - UGH. Can I also complain about Paltrow winning the Oscar?

1999 - Nope. American Beauty was the best by far. Great script and Annette Benning NAILED neurotic suburban working mom perfectly.

2000 - Traffic. I thought the film editing and the storyline was pretty revolutionary at the time. Gladiator was fun but wasn't really complex enough for a best picture award

2001 - In the Bedroom? I was happy for the return of Sissy Spacek but didn't think much of the film. I am OK with A Beautiful Mind

2002 - Chicago, but The Pianist should have been close in the voting (I think it was)

2003 - IDK. I accept that Lord of the Rings was a very good film but not my thing. I didn't like many of the choices this year but Mystic River probably is my personal fave ... by a nose.

2005 - Yep. Brokeback Mountain wuz robbed. This is Nancy v. Oksana territory! Crash was an above-average film. Brokeback Mountain broke the mold for gay story-telling but I guess the Academy was too timid.

2006 - Agreed. The Departed is one of the best police procedurals ever made.

2007 - I am fine with No Country for Old Men but my personal fave was Atonement. Strong movie about spending your lifetime seeking forgiveness.

2008 - I guess this was another weak year and I am fine with Slumdog Millionaire but my personal fave was Milk. Twilight? Really?? UGH!

2010 - I am OK with The King's Speech but wouldn't have minded seeing The Fighter take the Best Picture statue.

2012 - I really liked Argo and happy with the win, but I do feel that Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty were both more expertly crafted films. The Iranian hostage crisis brought back memories of yellow ribbons in elementary school. Affleck did a good job of capturing 1980.

2013 - NO QUESTION. Twelve Years a Slave. This was an antidote to Gone With the Wind and that takes a mighty powerful film to effect that type of change.

2014 - I don't remember much about Birdman but I can remember the Theory of Everything. I suppose the Academy made the right choice.

2015 - I'm OK with Spotlight winning. Another year of films nominated that didn't really do much to capture me.

2016 - I hate La La Land and I don't think Moonlight was the best film. Hidden Figures, Hacksaw Ridge and Lion were all just such heroic films for me

2017 - Definitely agree w/ WaPo. Dunkirk. Just amazing cinematography and storytelling about heroism with very few words. The Shape of Water is another of those UGH wins for me. I liked Get Out, Phantom Thread, and I thought The Post would be harder-hitting than it actually was ... I felt instead of watching the story, I was watching a Trump as a prez cautionary tale but the times may have colored my view of the film. Let's see if it ages well.

2018 - First, I really didn't like The Favorite at all. Didn't like Olivia Colman as best actress either. I probably would've chosen BlacKkKlansman. Green Book was solid but BlacKkKlansman really was in the moment.

2020 -NO NO NO NO to Nomadland. Anything would be better. My fave was Trial of the Chicago 7. It was just a well done courtroom drama

I take it you decided to watch Nomadland, haha.

Anyway, since we’re all sharing:

1976 - one of the strongest line-ups ever. I’d go with Network but no denying Rocky captured the attention of the general public and scenes from it have been imitated and parodied in pop culture for forever. Taxi Driver was amazing though. Honorable mentions to Face to Face and Carrie.

1977 - I’m good with Annie Hall winning even though I think Allen would explore the themes here much better in subsequent films. However, if I were to go beyond the nominees, then Cassavetes’s Opening Night would take it all and Robert Altman’s 3 Women would get honorable mentions.

1978 - Among the nominees, An Unmarried Woman. Among others, Interiors and Autumn Sonata.

1979 - I can see Apocalypse Now winning, but my vote would go to All That Jazz.

1980 - I wasn’t as affected by Ordinary People as I wanted to be but it gave me some great versions of Pachelbel’s Canon in D to download. My vote would go to Raging Bull. I loved Coal Miner’s Daughter before the second half where it became a formulaic biopic. Shout out to Melvin and Howard (probably my personal favorite) and Gloria, and 9-to-5. Now I have the best song category in my head and am thinking about Fame as well.

1981 - Definitely Reds followed by Atlantic City. I don’t get Chariots of Fire at all. If the movie was only that opening segment then I’d get it, but there’s like two hours more following that just isn’t a very compelling watch for me.

1982 - I don’t know. Most of these movies are meh to me. I have to say I find Tootsie a bit problematic these days and even back then I didn’t find it very funny. I think Soapdish is funnier. I guess I’d go with E.T. because why not?

1983 - I’m good with the winner, Terms of Endearment.

1984 - I’m good with Amadeus but would probably give my vote to the documentary feature winner The Times of Harvey Milk.

1985 - Among the nominees, Prizzi’s Honor. Beyond, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Ran.

1986 - Hannah and Her Sisters. Honorable mention to Sid and Nancy.

1987 - don’t really care.

1988 - Working Girl with Dangerous Liasons second among the nominees. My personal best film is Another Woman. Of the non-nominated: The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

1989 - Do the Right Thing! And Sex, Lies, and Video Tape.

1990 - Goodfellas

1991 - Agree with Silence of the Lamb’s win. I enjoy the hell out of Thelma and Louise as well and Beauty and the Beast is so classic. Shout out to: Barton Fink, Naked Lunch, Paris is Burning, Madonna: Truth or Dare.

1992 - I’m good with the Unforgiven win though I wouldn’t have minded Howard’s End or The Crying Game winning. My Cousin Vinny is the best lawyer movie ever. It just is. Honorable mention to Passion Fish, Husbands and Wives and Raise the Red Lantern.

1993 - My pick is The Piano. I also love Three Colors: Blue, The Age of Innocence, The Remains of the Day, Naked, Farewell My Concubine, The Wedding Banquet, and The Story of Qiu Ju. Honorable mention to Mrs. Doubtfire for personal reasons and making me feel better at my parents eroding marriage and me being a small child trying to figure out what was going on. I will say it is super impressive Spielberg had Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park in the same year. All the modern action movies and later installments of Jurassic Park make me appreciate the original so much more as art. Oh and Addams Family Values.

1994 - Out of the nominees, Pulp Fiction by some way. Outside of that, Hoop Dreams is one of the best movies of all time but I’d give it to Chungking Express. Shout out to Vanya on 42nd St., Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Bullets Over Broadway, Little Women, Eat Drink Man Woman, and Three Colors: White and Red.

1995: Sense and Sensibility. Although if I’m going to be real, Clueless was the more inspired and clever Austen adaptation. Like Babe as well. Dead Man Walking would be a worthy winner. Safe, Georgia, and Crumb are my personal faves along with the aforementioned films as well. Nixon is next tier. Bridges of Madison County is the last lead Meryl Streep performance that I can say I truly love.

1996: Out of the nominees Fargo by a long shot. Including non-nominees, I consider 1996 to be the year of Fargo, Secrets and Lies, and Breaking the Waves followed by Portrait of a Lady. I consider those four to be some of the best movies ever. I Shot Andy Warhol was also interesting. I remember One Fine Day being on HBO A LOT at the time and enjoying that as a kid.

1997 - My brain says L.A. Confidential. The PTA fan in me says Boogie Nights. The Ang Lee fan in me says The Ice Storm. The cinephile in me says Happy Together. But the movie that really haunted me was Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter.

1998 - I wouldn’t pick any of the actual nominees but if I had to I’d pick Shakespeare in Love. At least it has wit and nice gowns. I find Saving Private Ryan basic outside the opening and full of tropes and stereotypes. The Thin Red Line is pretty and an experience but I wouldn’t sit through it again. Life is Beautiful...yuck. Elizabeth is one of the trashiest films ever and not in a good way. My actual Best Film was Rushmore followed The Big Lebowski. Affliction deserved more accolades. I would round out the category with Central Station, High Art and Out of Sight. I know that’s 6 nominees but whatever.

1999 - like 1998, I wouldn’t have chosen any of those nominees. My pick is Being John Malkovich. That would be joined with All About My Mother, Election, Topsy-Turvy, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and The Straight Story. Again that’s six nominees but whatever.

Not that anyone is waiting with baited breath, but I’ll do the next twenty years tomorrow. I’m tired.

 

[Vash01]

Watched on dvd the movie 'Southside with you'. It is a movie about the first date of Barack and Michelle Obama. The actor who played Barack really gave Obama vibes. Real life Barack is more handsome but the actor Parker was able to reproduce his voice and mannerisms quite well. The actress who played Michelle was believable too.

My problem with this movie is that they didn't have enough material to make a full length movie. It is 1 hour, 25 minutes long. Yet it felt long and drawn out. They could have easily covered a few years of this couple. Instead they tried to stretch their first date as much as possible.

TBH it was a bad idea to make this movie.

5/10

 

[Cachoo]

Marvel teaser for slate of new movies for the next few years:

Marvel Studios - Official MCU Phase 4 Trailer (Eternals, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, & More)

Watch the featurette for a peek at the upcoming films in Phase 4 of the MCU including a look at Marvel's Black Widow, The Eternals, Black Panther Wakanda For...

youtu.be

 

[VGThuy]

I take it you decided to watch Nomadland, haha.

Anyway, since we’re all sharing:

1976 - one of the strongest line-ups ever. I’d go with Network but no denying Rocky captured the attention of the general public and scenes from it have been imitated and parodied in pop culture for forever. Taxi Driver was amazing though. Honorable mentions to Face to Face and Carrie.

1977 - I’m good with Annie Hall winning even though I think Allen would explore the themes here much better in subsequent films. However, if I were to go beyond the nominees, then Cassavetes’s Opening Night would take it all and Robert Altman’s 3 Women would get honorable mentions.

1978 - Among the nominees, An Unmarried Woman. Among others, Interiors and Autumn Sonata.

1979 - I can see Apocalypse Now winning, but my vote would go to All That Jazz.

1980 - I wasn’t as affected by Ordinary People as I wanted to be but it gave me some great versions of Pachelbel’s Canon in D to download. My vote would go to Raging Bull. I loved Coal Miner’s Daughter before the second half where it became a formulaic biopic. Shout out to Melvin and Howard (probably my personal favorite) and Gloria, and 9-to-5. Now I have the best song category in my head and am thinking about Fame as well.

1981 - Definitely Reds followed by Atlantic City. I don’t get Chariots of Fire at all. If the movie was only that opening segment then I’d get it, but there’s like two hours more following that just isn’t a very compelling watch for me.

1982 - I don’t know. Most of these movies are meh to me. I have to say I find Tootsie a bit problematic these days and even back then I didn’t find it very funny. I think Soapdish is funnier. I guess I’d go with E.T. because why not?

1983 - I’m good with the winner, Terms of Endearment.

1984 - I’m good with Amadeus but would probably give my vote to the documentary feature winner The Times of Harvey Milk.

1985 - Among the nominees, Prizzi’s Honor. Beyond, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Ran.

1986 - Hannah and Her Sisters. Honorable mention to Sid and Nancy.

1987 - don’t really care.

1988 - Working Girl with Dangerous Liasons second among the nominees. My personal best film is Another Woman. Of the non-nominated: The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

1989 - Do the Right Thing! And Sex, Lies, and Video Tape.

1990 - Goodfellas

1991 - Agree with Silence of the Lamb’s win. I enjoy the hell out of Thelma and Louise as well and Beauty and the Beast is so classic. Shout out to: Barton Fink, Naked Lunch, Paris is Burning, Madonna: Truth or Dare.

1992 - I’m good with the Unforgiven win though I wouldn’t have minded Howard’s End or The Crying Game winning. My Cousin Vinny is the best lawyer movie ever. It just is. Honorable mention to Passion Fish, Husbands and Wives and Raise the Red Lantern.

1993 - My pick is The Piano. I also love Three Colors: Blue, The Age of Innocence, The Remains of the Day, Naked, Farewell My Concubine, The Wedding Banquet, and The Story of Qiu Ju. Honorable mention to Mrs. Doubtfire for personal reasons and making me feel better at my parents eroding marriage and me being a small child trying to figure out what was going on. I will say it is super impressive Spielberg had Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park in the same year. All the modern action movies and later installments of Jurassic Park make me appreciate the original so much more as art. Oh and Addams Family Values.

1994 - Out of the nominees, Pulp Fiction by some way. Outside of that, Hoop Dreams is one of the best movies of all time but I’d give it to Chungking Express. Shout out to Vanya on 42nd St., Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Bullets Over Broadway, Little Women, Eat Drink Man Woman, and Three Colors: White and Red.

1995: Sense and Sensibility. Although if I’m going to be real, Clueless was the more inspired and clever Austen adaptation. Like Babe as well. Dead Man Walking would be a worthy winner. Safe, Georgia, and Crumb are my personal faves along with the aforementioned films as well. Nixon is next tier. Bridges of Madison County is the last lead Meryl Streep performance that I can say I truly love.

1996: Out of the nominees Fargo by a long shot. Including non-nominees, I consider 1996 to be the year of Fargo, Secrets and Lies, and Breaking the Waves followed by Portrait of a Lady. I consider those four to be some of the best movies ever. I Shot Andy Warhol was also interesting. I remember One Fine Day being on HBO A LOT at the time and enjoying that as a kid.

1997 - My brain says L.A. Confidential. The PTA fan in me says Boogie Nights. The Ang Lee fan in me says The Ice Storm. The cinephile in me says Happy Together. But the movie that really haunted me was Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter.

1998 - I wouldn’t pick any of the actual nominees but if I had to I’d pick Shakespeare in Love. At least it has wit and nice gowns. I find Saving Private Ryan basic outside the opening and full of tropes and stereotypes. The Thin Red Line is pretty and an experience but I wouldn’t sit through it again. Life is Beautiful...yuck. Elizabeth is one of the trashiest films ever and not in a good way. My actual Best Film was Rushmore followed The Big Lebowski. Affliction deserved more accolades. I would round out the category with Central Station, High Art and Out of Sight. I know that’s 6 nominees but whatever.

1999 - like 1998, I wouldn’t have chosen any of those nominees. My pick is Being John Malkovich. That would be joined with All About My Mother, Election, Topsy-Turvy, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and The Straight Story. Again that’s six nominees but whatever.

Not that anyone is waiting with baited breath, but I’ll do the next twenty years tomorrow. I’m tired.

For 1999, I forgot Toy Story 2. Let's face it, it probably aged the best out of all the films.

2000 - Of the nominees: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the only choice. Yi Yi is the actual best movie of the year though as it's my favorite film of all-time. Almost Famous and You Can Count on Me should have been nominated above Chocolat and Gladiator. Traffic actually hasn't aged well with me with time. Erin Brockovich is enjoyable though there's a fat-shaming line in it and I no longer buy her aggressive attitude towards the other attorneys who partnered with Albert Finney to help them win the case. Shout out to Best in Show.

2001 - In the Mood for Love is the best film of the year but wasn't nominated for anything deserved Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Costume, Cinematography, and would have deserved Score but the main theme is from another source but I knew this movie had no way in hell of getting any nominations as the reputation of this film grew years after it came out. In the Bedroom would be my choice among the nominees with Gosford Park second (the pre-Downton Abbey but better due to Robert Altman). Mulholland Drive or The Royal Tenenbaums deserved Moulin Rouge's nomination. I used to love Ghost World until I read the original graphic novel and realized they ruined the material by making the main characters too "cool" and mean. Start of my Harry Potter obsession, and also notable for the start of the Lord of the Rings film franchise.

Honorable Mention: Millennium Mambo is one of my fave films ever but Hou Hsiao-Hsien movies aren't for everyone.

2002 - Of the nominees, Chicago. Love the staged version and I actually find Renee Zellwegger winning as Roxie. I found Catherine Zeta-Jones overrated and Richard Gere to be personality-less. Queen Latifah re-envisioned her role and now Broadway hires black female belters as Matron Mama Morton. My personal nominees would have been: About a Boy, Adaptation, Far From Heaven, Spirited Away, and Y Tu Mama Tambien. With About Schmidt, Chicago, Gangs of New York, Lovely and Amazing, Personal Velocity, Secretary, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (my personal fave LOTR film and the only one I'd consider giving a Best Pic win to but the first one is nomination worthy as well) and The Piano Teacher following.

2003 - Lost in Translation. Then American Splendor. Then City of God. Then Finding Nemo. Then Elephant. Shout out to Pieces of April, The Station Agent, A Mighty Wind, The Fog of War, 21 Grams (the only Inarritu film I like), and School of Rock.

2004 - Million Dollar Baby is a deserving winner. Before Sunset deserves Best Film as well (I forgot to put Before Sunrise whoops) but my vote goes to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I tried, but I don't think I'm able to like Sideways. Vera Drake and The Incredibles are worthy films as well.

2005 - If not Three Times, then Brokeback Mountain. Shout out to Capote; 2046; Howl's Moving Castle, Good Night, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The New World, A History of Violence, and Good Luck; Junebug; and Me You and Everyone We Know.

2006 - Volver. Oh that was nominated? I guess The Queen as it shows both sides of monarchist and Republicanism ideology and the power of the over-emotional mob to pressure someone to do something. That's pretty relevant these days. Though I don't think Helen Mirren made a good Queen actually. The Oscar belonged to Cruz or Dench for the thrilling Notes on a Scandal. I actually never saw Letters from Iwo Jima. Also, Alan Arkin is a great actor with a respectable career full of good performances but for Little Miss Sunshine, he won an Oscar for doing nothing. It was more of an anti-Eddie Murphy thing.

2007 - Both No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood are worthy winners and that has been debated TO DEATH. The latter usually has more supporters but I think it tends to attract film enthusiasts (nerds) who like to fight on the Internet more so than the former. Away from Her is a film I still think about today. Persepolis is great but the graphic novel is much much better. Once was a great musical for the film medium. Regarding another musical, the less I think about the horrific Sweeney Todd adaptation and how they murdered the score, the better. Ratatouille was kind of the end of my love affair with Pixar. It was much better than Cars but I felt something missing from it. Still love the Juno soundtrack.

2008 - Happy-Go-Lucky! Oh wait, that was nominated...not even for Best Actress (and she should have swept!).... Wall-E (my Pixar love is back!)...oh, not nominated? Ok how about Frozen River? Oh, that wasn't nominated either. Rachel Getting Married...me loving the film but not Anne Hathaway's performance...oh shoot, I'm 0-4 here. Wendy and Lucy? No? Waltz with Bashir? Vicky Cristina Barcelona? Oh, neither was that. JK I don't think VCB should have received a nomination, I just wanted to give a Penelope Cruz shout out. Synecdoche, New York? Ok fine, I'll pick any of the nominees EXCEPT for The Reader. What an awful film.

2009 - Bright Star. Of the nominees: Inglorious Basterds or A Serious Man (my fave Coen Bros. film). The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air are my next choices. I loved the first half of District 9 before it had a plot and it became a chase film. I lied before. Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia was the last Meryl lead performance I loved but I wonder how much of that was Julia Child. Up had the best first ten minutes - the rest of it was only ok.

2010 - The Social Network has proved to be the most relevant film out of these. I also love Black Swan and Toy Story 3. Animal Kingdom, Winter's Bone (honestly the only Oscar nomination I'd give Jennifer Lawrence), and The Kids are All Right are a tier below. Loved the way the Coen Bros. adapted True Grit. Shout out to Nicole Kidman for my fave Kidman performance in Rabbit Hole. Lesley Manville deserved all the supporting actress awards for Another Year.

2011 - Melancholia, Poetry, or A Separation. Out of the nominees, the only ones I actually thought were more than "good" were Hugo and The Descendants. So one of them. Tree of Life was an experience...and The Artist was nice at the time.

2012 - Amour - incredibly heartbreaking. I actually love almost the nominees (I only "like" Argo, I don't really like Les Miserables, and I LOATHE LOATHE LOATHE Silver Linings Playbook (yuck yuck yuck!)). Zero Dark Thirty is superior to The Hurt Locker in every way and suffered from a smear campaign. Lincoln is my favorite Spielberg. He's at his most sophisticated and mature here. Life of Pi - Ang Lee showed how to make 3D technology art and immersive unlike most other 3D experiences...and the story was compelling. Beasts of the Southern Wild captured the world through the eyes of child surviving in a Gulf island impeccably and has one of the best film scores this decade. Django wasn't as good as Inglorious but it was still top tier. The Master should have been nominated.

HONORABLE MENTION: Frances Ha came out that year, and it's my favorite film of that decade.

2013 - Her (and the only Scarlet Johansson performance that I think is good). Shout out to Inside Llewyn Davis, Before Midnight, Nebraska, and Short Term 12 (Brie Larson gives a superior performance here than she did in Room).

2014 - Boyhood followed by The Grand Budapest Hotel. Inherent Vice was incredible: I felt like I was high watching it. I enjoyed Nightcrawler as well. Xavier Dolan's Mommy and the main cast of three deserved to be nominated with Antoine Olivier Pilon winning all the Supporting (or Lead...it's borderline) prizes. Whiplash was exciting. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya deserved all the animation prizes as it is sheer art.

2015 - Mistress America, Clouds of Sils Maria, and The Assassin. Ok, with regard to Oscar....Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, and 45 Years followed by Carol.

2016 - Moonlight or Manchester by the Sea. 20th Century Women deserved more attention. Shout out to Isabelle Huppert for the double whammy of Elle and Things to Come, Adam Driver for Paterson, and Rebecca Hall for Christine. Certain Women deserved SOME attention. Best trailer: The Handmaiden.

2017 - Lady Bird all the way. Special mentions to Phantom Thread, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project, The Big Sick, and BPM (Beats Per Minute). People didn't like me saying this in the Tonya thread, but I, Tonya did some things well, but overall I hated it. Special props to Frances McDormand for somehow making me like her despite me absolutely despising Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

2018 - My pick would be Madeline's Madeline for giving me an incredible visceral experience that I needed because I was getting so bored of film by this time. My second choice would be The Rider, in some ways, it's superior to Chloe Zhao's follow-up, Nomadland. My third choice would be Burning is an all-around top tier film that is a bit more accessible (but not totally). Paddington 2 is my third choice. Other great pics for Best Film would have been: Minding the Gap, an incredible documentary; Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, the best superhero movie ever IMO; If Beale Street Could Talk, poetic; First Reformed, which deserved some real awards attention; Shoplifters, an excellent film, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? for capturing real life for many people out there right now before the whole criminal enterprise Lee Israel entered into. I love Private Life for introducing me to Kayli Carter, who was such a bright presence in that film.

Ok, out of the actual Best Pic nominees...I guess I would choose BlacKkKlansman followed by Roma and then The Favourite. I won't talk about the movie that I truly hated among the Best Pic nominees (outside of Green Book) as I felt it was truly a messy and low-quality film.

2019 - I have to say I was going through a tough personal time and didn't watch many films that year. I will say I loved loved loved Parasite and I was in total awe of what Greta Gerwig was able to do with Little Women.

2020 - I watched a few but I need to watch more. However, I can safely say Nomadland is the only film I felt was worthy of a Best Pic win and will grow in relevance as our economy and industry keeps moving towards automation and AI. That said I also enjoyed Minari, Promising Young Woman, and The Sound of Metal but I had issues with all three. Maybe not SoM so much but it didn't hit the way Nomadland did. The more I think about Promising Young Woman, the more flawed I think it is. I wish First Cow and Never Rarely Sometimes Always got awards attention. The Father is good watch with an excellent performance at the center of great performances. I thought The Trial of the Chicago 7 needed a real director. It was hokey. Honestly, my favorite watch was probably The 40-Year-Old-Version with Radha Black and Shiva Baby.

 

[manhn]

The only 2020 movies I have seen are Netflix movies. My favourites this decade are Straight Up, Monsoon, The Half Of It, and Tigertail.

 

[MacMadame]

The only 2020 movies I have seen are Netflix movies. My favourites this decade are Straight Up, Monsoon, The Half Of It, and Tigertail.

Me too but in spite of that, I had seen more of the movies that were up for Oscars than in a normal year.

 

[olympic]

1998 - I wouldn’t pick any of the actual nominees but if I had to I’d pick Shakespeare in Love. At least it has wit and nice gowns. I find Saving Private Ryan basic outside the opening and full of tropes and stereotypes. The Thin Red Line is pretty and an experience but I wouldn’t sit through it again. Life is Beautiful...yuck. Elizabeth is one of the trashiest films ever and not in a good way. My actual Best Film was Rushmore followed The Big Lebowski. Affliction deserved more accolades. I would round out the category with Central Station, High Art and Out of Sight. I know that’s 6 nominees but whatever.

I thought that the beyond the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, the writing and acting were tight and on point, the action scene at the end bookended the beginning. I also thought the script was fairly original.

I would say the same for Life is Beautiful. She sacrificed her freedom to be with her husband and he sacrificed his life to protect his son's well being, and again I thought the whole idea was fairly original. Movies displaying courage and sacrifice grab me by the throat

 

[PeterG]

Does anyone use Tubi (free streaming service) to watch movies or TV shows? I would like to hear your thoughts about it.

Wikipedia page for Tubi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubi

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Does anyone use Tubi (free streaming service) to watch movies or TV shows? I would like to hear your thoughts about it.

Wikipedia page for Tubi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubi

I have used it on occasion. There are a lot of low quality movies but you can find some good stuff on there too. I think that this channel is based more on what is streaming from tv stations and what they allow Tubi to stream. So you will probably get the commercial edited versions if I am remembering my free streaming channels correctly.

ETA: I have found that this is a good station for some old classic tv stuff too. For example, the original Battlestar Galactica was there the last time I was browsing. Other shows: Fantasy Island, The Monkees, The Flying Nun, etc.

 

[allezfred]

I thought that the beyond the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, the writing and acting were tight and on point, the action scene at the end bookended the beginning. I also thought the script was fairly original.

Saving Private Ryan was forever ruined for me when I saw the gay porn parody title:

Spoiler

Shaving Ryan’s Privates

 

[olympic]

I just rewatched Far from Heaven (2002). Really beautiful and nuanced, I read the director went for the textures that were common in the 1950s and it gives the film a lot more of a 1950s feeling. It won the prestigious NYC Critics Award for best film. I also preferred Julianne Moore to Nicole Kidman in The Hours

 

[PeterG]

I have used it on occasion. There are a lot of low quality movies but you can find some good stuff on there too. I think that this channel is based more on what is streaming from tv stations and what they allow Tubi to stream. So you will probably get the commercial edited versions if I am remembering my free streaming channels correctly.

ETA: I have found that this is a good station for some old classic tv stuff too. For example, the original Battlestar Galactica was there the last time I was browsing. Other shows: Fantasy Island, The Monkees, The Flying Nun, etc.

What is Tubi like as far as advertising goes? Is it like the movies where there ads before the previews and then the ads are done? Or is like network TV where there are a set of commercials every 15 minutes or so?

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

What is Tubi like as far as advertising goes? Is it like the movies where there ads before the previews and then the ads are done? Or is like network TV where there are a set of commercials every 15 minutes or so?

It's like network tv

 

[mjb52]

Far From Heaven has been on my to-watch list for ages, I'm going to bump it up! I want to watch a "milestone" film as my next movie so I think I'm going to do The Seven Samurai.

 

[olympic]

Far From Heaven has been on my to-watch list for ages, I'm going to bump it up! I want to watch a "milestone" film as my next movie so I think I'm going to do The Seven Samurai.

Oh Wow. Nearly twenty years? What are you waiting for?? Seriously, it's a film I can watch multiple times.

 

[mjb52]

I know, it's quite silly. I have to be in the exact right mood for something though or it doesn't take.

 

[Japanfan]

Far From Heaven has been on my to-watch list for ages, I'm going to bump it up! I want to watch a "milestone" film as my next movie so I think I'm going to do The Seven Samurai.he Cimino film? I hope you enjoy it - I couldn't get through it.

With Juliana Moore, right? One of my all-time favorites.