# Who do think will win Best picture?



## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Ever since I saw Liz Taylor admitting to Barbra Walters that She doesn't even watch the movies presented to the Voting Academy, it's all about the best swag. I know that the Oscars are a crock, but I can't help being fascintated by it. I think The peoples Choice is more accurate these days. So whadda ya think?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I'm calling Hurt Locker on this one. It's already swept the smaller award shows, and James Cameron already had his day in the sun a couple times, so now it's his ex's time to shine.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Mike Duffy and Nancy Greene isn't on there ...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Empathy for troops will always override disgust and rejection of the mission that brought them there. It's a safer vote. That puts Hurt Locker above Avatar.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

I have only seen three of the films listed. District 9, Avatar and Inglorious Basterds. The latter was the best of the three by far.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I was gonna say Taylor Swift but then realized that she can't make movies .... but then she can't sing either so I'll go with Taylor Swift ........


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

My favourite of the movies was District 9

The one I think deserves to win is Hurt Locker

The one that likely will win is Avatar



> Empathy for troops will always override disgust and rejection of the mission that brought them there. It's a safer vote. That puts Hurt Locker above Avatar.


I think it's a great movie as well though. If it wins I think its deserving. It's not a film I thought I would remotely enjoy, but I was very surprised. And I feel the film making and directing were pretty impressive.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

Haven't seen Avatar yet but Inglorious Bastards was awesome. I think that one should win. It was very well done. I can't even believe that Hurt Locker was nominated. I kind of enjoyed the movie but "Best Picture"? I don't think so. 

I'm still waiting for the line ups to die down before I see Avatar. I'm more of a Monday afternoon matinee guy - you know, when there's only 4 or 5 other people in the theater...an when I have Mondays off. Looking forward to seeing it though.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I haven't seen any of them but I hope Inglorious Basterds wins. I expect Avatar will win because, well, it's Hollywood.

And District 9??? I hate sequels.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I think The Hurt Locker will win, but I would like to see District 9 win.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

given the politics* and marketing of the Oscars among the voting members, I voted for Avatar's budget.


*not in the government sense of the word


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## Shiny_Beast (Apr 16, 2009)

Avatar will win, and I think it should, it was the movie event of the year. I'd have a hard time passing up the Hurt Locker though is it was me as a judge. 

really though, the "Movie of the year" was Grand Torino, just not "big" enough for the awards.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Sneaky said:


> I haven't seen any of them but I hope Inglorious Basterds wins. I expect Avatar will win because, well, it's Hollywood.
> 
> And District 9??? I hate sequels.


I dunno, I think Avatar may win lots of techincal awards as it should, but the storyline is SO weak, it's really not Best Picute material. I would venture a guess at Up in the Air. lots of people didn't really like that so that's my guess!


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## WarrenG (Feb 3, 2006)

Starbuck said:


> I dunno, I think Avatar may win lots of techincal awards as it should, but the storyline is SO weak, it's really not Best Picute material.


Harkening back to 1997 and the criticism of Titanic. Jim's the King of the World!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Follow the money. Avatar.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

speaking of Oscars campaigning, apparently there are rules. Oops Locker
'Hurt Locker' producer apologizes for his 'extremely inappropriate' e-mail | Gold Derby | Los Angeles Times


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

nkjanssen said:


> It was basically a remake of "Dances With Wolves".


Dances with Smurfs?

--- D


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

I used to think Avatar had a lock on this one, but there's just enough backlash for it to lose. There wasn't much backlash for Titanic - it wasn't a great movie, but there weren't many people who thought it was horrible. It was "likeable enough" for its awesome effects to carry the day.

Avatar, as impressive a feat as it is, just isn't as likeable. Many people thought it was silly and badly written. Actually, I wouldn't trust anyone's judgement if they disagreed with that sentence. There's enough money there that it will win a bunch of awards. Best director, likely. Best editing/effects/technical stuff, most certainly. But Best Picture, I'm now starting to believe the Academy will use the opportunity to acknowledge the backlash.

Hurt Locker, as the "opposite of Avatar" is a good choice for Best Picture, both politically and aesthetically. Personally, I thought it was great. It snuck up on me. I didn't think it was much more than an action movie, till the end, when the guy goes grocery shopping with his wife, and talks to his baby in the bedroom. Then the awesomeness of the movie hit me like a ton of bricks. It's a subtle and powerful movie. 

"As you get older... some of the things you love might not seem so special anymore. Like your Jack-in-a-Box. Maybe you'll realize it's just a piece of tin and a stuffed animal. And then you forget the few things you really love. And by the time you get to my age, maybe it's only one or two things. With me, I think it's one."

--- D


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

I love all of Bigalow's movies and think its about time she wins something. The Hurt Locker is a very good movie with an amazing ending. It should win, but I seem to remember lesser movies such as Gladiator and American Beauty winning, so anything is possible. After all, the 5000 or so voters are pretty out of it............


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

I vote for The Hurt Locker...but the fact that she's a woman..AND Cameron's former lover will simply kill her chance, the Academy will not vote for her again'st cameron.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

al3d said:


> I vote for The Hurt Locker...but the fact that she's a woman..AND Cameron's former lover will simply kill her chance, the Academy will not vote for her again'st cameron.


I hear you, but I think people are a little sick of Cameron's ego, + the fact that the story line in Avatar is extremely weak. Unobtanium? come on! Weak! Technical masterpeice only.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Starbuck said:


> I hear you, but I think people are a little sick of Cameron's ego, + the fact that the story line in Avatar is extremely weak. Unobtanium? come on! Weak! Technical masterpeice only.


I would love this to be true. I still have a feeling Avatar will win no matter what though.

While I found it a little thin on plot like you, a lot of people I know absolutely loved that movie. I heard so many quotes from people I know like "it made me enjoy going to the movies again". I know a ton of people who hadn't been to the movies in years who went to see it and loved it too. So I think it's a film that's good for the film industry on top of being pretty amazing visually. I just think they almost have to vote it lol.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> I would love this to be true. I still have a feeling Avatar will win no matter what though.
> 
> While I found it a little thin on plot like you, a lot of people I know absolutely loved that movie. I heard so many quotes from people I know like "it made me enjoy going to the movies again". I know a ton of people who hadn't been to the movies in years who went to see it and loved it too. So I think it's a film that's good for the film industry on top of being pretty amazing visually. I just think they almost have to vote it lol.


Oh..AVATAR will win for sure....the 4000 academy members can NOT vote for Hurt Locker basicaly...it would'nt be politicaly correct..just has when George Lucas made his SW movies...because he's not in the Director's guild..he could not be voted for best picture or Best Director. I got a loads of people i kknow in those 4000 or so people that vote...it's a Political process.....Want cameron to make more shitty movies that brings in the big $$$..better give me a statue...or he'll walk away.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

al3d said:


> Oh..AVATAR will win for sure....the 4000 academy members can NOT vote for Hurt Locker basicaly...it would'nt be politicaly correct..just has when George Lucas made his SW movies...because he's not in the Director's guild..he could not be voted for best picture or Best Director. I got a loads of people i kknow in those 4000 or so people that vote...it's a Political process.....Want cameron to make more shitty movies that brings in the big $$$..better give me a statue...or he'll walk away.


Ya the only way I don't see this happening is if they decide to some 'we're gonna prove everyone wrong' type if thing.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> Ya the only way I don't see this happening is if they decide to some 'we're gonna prove everyone wrong' type if thing.


COULD happen. THe old Guard of the Academy is slowly dying off basicaly..so things are changing a bit. the studio controle is dying off so less influance there. but for many..a woman directing a indy movie winning over a shitty movie that made 2 billions only cause it's targetting a large audience..and mainly teens and teens girls!....that is NOT possible.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I always thought Monty Python and the Holy Grail should have won something back in its day.


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

deleted lol


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

Watched The Hurt Locker last night, blew me away.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

Peter said:


> Watched The Hurt Locker last night, blew me away.


Blew you away. Haha. Funny.

"Tell me soldier, what's the best way to defuse one of these things?"

"Uh, the way that you don't die, sir."

--- D


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Anyone seen A Serious Man? I have walked by it a couple of times in the store. Almost rented it, but didn't. Curious if anyone here saw it.


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

I've never made a movie choice based on "The Oscars" or any other lame award show. In this spirit, I don't care who wins or not. Then again, I rarely like the music, TV, and films most people do anyway.


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2010)

nkjanssen said:


> Yep. Really enjoyed it, but would definitely not recommend it for everyone. If you're a big Cohen brothers fan, you'll like it. If you're not, I give it a 50/50 chance. I'd rank it with Hudsucker Proxy or Burn After Reading. Those are all films I really enjoyed, but they're no Fargo or Big Lebowski.


 Wow. I would have put Burn After Reading up there with Fargo and Big Lebowski for "accessible Coen Brothers movies" but my perspective is skewed from years of watching their films.  I'd also make No Country for Old Men a recommendation before Big Liebowski. I didn't think A Serious Man was high on their list of great cinematic achievements. Down around Barton Fink IMO. Maybe I need to watch it again, but it felt really disconnected to me. I'm still not sure how the intro plays into the main story and the rabbi at their synagogue.

Weren't we supposed to talk more about it after you watched it?

I finally watched The Hurt Locker. It was good. Definitely better than Jarhead. Well filmed and lots to talk about after it ended, a hallmark of a great movie IMHO. And I liked how it ended. I thought that was right. Tied it perfectly to the opening quote. That's going to be a classic war movie I think. The scene where the major or whatever comes up to meet him after disarming the car bomb....that was a total Apocalypse Now moment. Thought it was done well. 

Up in the Air was also pretty good. Or maybe I just liked looking at Vera Farmiga. I saw the turning point coming a mile a way though. It wasn't exactly subtle dialog that tipped that. I thought the other female in it was stiff, even though her part called for it, and every time she spoke the dialog was unbelievably disjoint. George Clooney was very good, but I got the feeling he wasn't acting. That it was him in real life. 

I still couldn't tell you who my pick for best film would be.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

nkjanssen said:


> Maybe accessable, but didn't really grab me like the other two.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Since you guys seem like Coen Brothers fans, have you seen "Blood Simple"? It's a lesser known one, their first film, but it was re-released around 2000. Perhaps my favourite film of theirs, next to Lebowski.

--- D


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2010)

Duster said:


> Since you guys seem like Coen Brothers fans, have you seen "Blood Simple"? It's a lesser known one, their first film, but it was re-released around 2000. Perhaps my favourite film of theirs, next to Lebowski.


Yes. But I didn't think it was a great film.  A good film, but not great. You can see the evolution of their downtrodden-dead-beat story type lines over the years really come to a wonderful head in No Country for Old Men. Blood Simple was a good first try at that, where the protagonist doesn't win, but lacked a lot of polish. It also got analyzed to death my film classes over the years...which probably helped kill it for me too.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

iaresee said:


> Yes. But I didn't think it was a great film.  A good film, but not great. You can see the evolution of their downtrodden-dead-beat story type lines over the years really come to a wonderful head in No Country for Old Men. Blood Simple was a good first try at that, where the protagonist doesn't win, but lacked a lot of polish. It also got analyzed to death my film classes over the years...which probably helped kill it for me too.


You might be giving the Coen Brothers a little too much credit. They didn't write No Country For Old Men. It's written by Cormac McCarthy, who might just be the greatest american novelist since William Faulkner or Ernest Hemingway. There's a reason that No Country is an awesome movie, and that's because McCarthy writes a ridiculously good novel. I'm sure the Coens were attracted to it because it fits generally within their world view, but it's not part of the evolution of their own story writing.

If you liked No Country, try The Road, or The Border Trilogy (All The Pretty Horses is the first of three books). There is a whole lot of epic drama and protagonists getting their spirits crushed by the world. Real good stuff.

--- D


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2010)

Duster said:


> You might be giving the Coen Brothers a little too much credit. They didn't write No Country For Old Men. It's written by Cormac McCarthy, who might just be the greatest american novelist since William Faulkner or Ernest Hemingway. There's a reason that No Country is an awesome movie, and that's because McCarthy writes a ridiculously good novel. I'm sure the Coens were attracted to it because it fits generally within their world view, but it's not part of the evolution of their own story writing.


Oh, I'm quite familiar with McCarthy and the book version of NCFOM. But a great book doesn't automatically become a great film (see: LoTR triology for example). If anything adapting McCarthy's almost absent-of-detailed-description style to a film is more of a challenge. But that's a guess; I don't write screenplays or make movies. 



> If you liked No Country, try The Road, or The Border Trilogy (All The Pretty Horses is the first of three books). There is a whole lot of epic drama and protagonists getting their spirits crushed by the world. Real good stuff.


Having read The Road I would not ever wish to see the movie. There are some stories too awful and tragic, they don't need a film version.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

iaresee said:


> Oh, I'm quite familiar with McCarthy and the book version of NCFOM. But a great book doesn't automatically become a great film (see: LoTR triology for example). If anything adapting McCarthy's almost absent-of-detailed-description style to a film is more of a challenge. But that's a guess; I don't write screenplays or make movies.
> 
> 
> Having read The Road I would not ever wish to see the movie. There are some stories too awful and tragic, they don't need a film version.


Agreed. Most of McCarthy's books are much more descriptive than The Road, so I think are easier to adapt. There's no doubt the Coens did a fantastic job with No Country. And I agree with your assessment of the film version of The Road. I loved the book, as much as a book like that could be loved, but have very little desire to see the movie. I understand from reviews that the movie captures the mood of the book very well. Even more reason I don't want to see it. I definitely wouldn't want to see it when I'm having a bad day, and I don't think I'd like to see it when I'm having a good day either. 

--- D


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

iaresee said:


> Having read The Road I would not ever wish to see the movie. There are some stories too awful and tragic, they don't need a film version.


I have to say I couldn't deal with that book. I know that was the intent, but I don't need to read about THAT kind of hopeless. I can't see a movie doing that justice.


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

Starbuck said:


> I have to say I couldn't deal with that book. I know that was the intent, but I don't need to read about THAT kind of hopeless. I can't see a movie doing that justice.


You'll be doing yourself a favor by not watching it,interesting to see how they survive going from town to town and forraging but just a depressing film to sit through.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2010)

Starbuck said:


> I have to say I couldn't deal with that book. I know that was the intent, but I don't need to read about THAT kind of hopeless. I can't see a movie doing that justice.


That's exactly why I can't watch the movie. The book haunts me. I hug my son everytime I think about it.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

Starbuck said:


> I have to say I couldn't deal with that book. I know that was the intent, but I don't need to read about THAT kind of hopeless. I can't see a movie doing that justice.


It was a tough read, but I found it well worth it. When there's nothing left to hope for, where would you find the strength and will to carry on? How could you find a way to hope for a better future for you or your child? What happens to a person when they can't hope any more and just give up? I think about the book from time to time, and it makes me remember times in my life when I felt hopeless. It reminds me that I've never really known true hopelessness, which is a strangely comforting thought. In a very weird way, I imagine that book could help to pull me through whatever dark days I might go through in my life. But I'm glad I read it at a time when my life wasn't particularly difficult. I think it's the kind of book that could really bring a person down if they read it at a bad time in their life....

--- D


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