Oscar Nomination Ceremony (NOMINEES HERE!)

Very easily, If I have no real desire to see 4 out of 5 films, that is a weak field. a strong field would be one where I feel I need to rush out and see all of the films. The only one of these I wanted to see was Benjamin Button.

I'm much more excited about our awards ceremony.

But just because YOU don't want to see them doesn't make them poor films, and therefore a weak field. It's the same regarding your opinion of foreign movies. Do you think, because you have no desire to see a single foreign language movie in the history of film that they are all weak? Because that would be absurd.

Ummm, Surfer, I think it is actually your opinion that is absurd. You are assuming that if I saw these films, I would think that they are good. That is a rarity. More often than not if I see a film that I didn't want to see, I'm going to dislike it. Take Crash for Example. I never had a desire to see it, did, and hated it. That's why I can say its a weak field. Because every once in a while, I'll be pleasantly surprised, but my initial reaction is usually right on.

I can only judge films based on how I feel about them. Just because a film can have technical brilliance or can be universally recognized as great, doesn't mean I will agree with them. I don't even like The Godfather movies.

The fact that I don't want to see the films is exactly what makes this a weak field, in my opinion. Last year I saw 4 out of the 5 films, and really enjoyed 3 of them. The only weak film I felt was Atonement, because I had no desire to see it. For me, that was a strong field. This one isn't.

RDJ was not a suprise. But I'm suprised by The Reader, Richard Jenkins for Best Actor, no Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road, and no Bruce Springstein or Miley Cyrus and Travolta for Best Song. But glad that Bolt got a Best Animated Feature nomination.

geezer9687 wrote:Ummm, Surfer, I think it is actually your opinion that is absurd. You are assuming that if I saw these films, I would think that they are good. That is a rarity. More often than not if I see a film that I didn't want to see, I'm going to dislike it. Take Crash for Example. I never had a desire to see it, did, and hated it. That's why I can say its a weak field. Because every once in a while, I'll be pleasantly surprised, but my initial reaction is usually right on.

I can only judge films based on how I feel about them. Just because a film can have technical brilliance or can be universally recognized as great, doesn't mean I will agree with them. I don't even like The Godfather movies.

The fact that I don't want to see the films is exactly what makes this a weak field, in my opinion. Last year I saw 4 out of the 5 films, and really enjoyed 3 of them. The only weak film I felt was Atonement, because I had no desire to see it. For me, that was a strong field. This one isn't.

Sorry, Geez. But that is just ridiculous. The awards are NOT the awards according to Geez. You have absolutely NO IDEA if any of those movies are any good. Just because they are not the film for you going by a trailer does not make them poor. I haven't seen many of those movies either because they haven't been released yet over here, but I can't say they are good or poor. I will only know following my viewing. In the same way no-one knows how good Watchmen will be in a couple of months. You are interested in it, you like the look of it, but it may be a complete and utter mess on screen. Until it has actually been seen, you cannot make a judgement on a movie like that.

The awards are NOT the awards according to Geez.

But these opinions most certainly are. If these were my awards, none of these films would be nominated except Ben Button and The Dark Knight would win best picture. I can only tell you how i feel about what they give me. If it were up to me, the best picture noms would look very different. I obviously dont vote on this, but that doesn't mean I can't have an opinion. All those films could be very good to a lot of people. But if they don't appeal to me, why can't I say that its a weak field. It is, afterall, my own opinion.

Because you can't rate a movie you haven't seen. The same way you can't say you don't like a food you haven't tried. If you had seen the movies and then continued to say they were poor, I could understand. But you cannot dislike a movie you haven't seen.

I'm not saying they are poor films. I am saying the films that the academy has chosen to nominate do not appeal to me. Thus, making it a weak field.

[Sigh] Very well. I see we are not getting anywhere so I'll leave it at that. I'm sure it would only be a strong field if Iron Man, TDK, Tropic Thunder Benjamin Button and In Bruges were in your list. But nevermind. I suppose if you don't WANT to experience certain movies, you can just stick to the same old formula.

Actually, it would be TDK, The Wrestler, Tropic Thunder, Benjamin Button and Cloverfield. The 5 films I sent to Shaan as my nominations.

Iron man and In Bruges just missed the cut, but they were recognized elsewhere. So if they were in the top 5, I wouldn't have had a problem with it.

Its kind of offensive that the films I like are construed as "mindless Hollywood blockbuster flicks" when a lot of films I consider to be "Boring, pretentious, wastes of time" are always considered to be the best films of the year. The fact that the terms "Oscar Bait films" and "Popcorn movies" even exist is ridiculous. It stereotypes all films into certain categories. Like if your film came out in the Summer and millions of people saw it and loved it, it can't possibly be considered for the best film of the year. It has to come out in December, usually has to have a limited release, and shouldn't appeal to the masses. Because I guess we are too stupid to "get it."

I'm really not surprised Gran Torino got nothing. I was thoroughly unimpressed; disappointed, if you will. I thought it was going to be in the 4 or 5-star range for me, but I ended up giving it a middling 3; not awful, but certainly nothing special.

I understand your point Geez, and it is a shame movies like TDK are cut from the list because of the type of movie it is. But much in the same way, I think it would be wrong to misconstrue movies which are released in Oscar season as boring and pretentious. They may not appeal to you, but they do not always fit in that category (in fact, I find they rarely do). I like a mix of the two, and I think offering yourself up to new experiences through types of movies you might usually avoid is a good thing.

And Surfer I agree with that, and I have been doing that more. Like I never would have seen Michael Clayton or There Will Be Blood last year normally, but they still had enough appeal that I could say, "well maybe I'll give them a shot." The only other film I feel like that about this year is Slumdog Millionaire.

And I get your point about not judging a film before you see it, but I usually am pretty good at knowing what I am going to like based on a trailer. That's why I am rarely disappointed by a film. That's why I give out a lot of high scores. Because I only see the films that really appeal to me. I'm not the type of person who wants to watch a movie every single day. I feel like watching a movie that I am more than likely not going to like is a waste of time and money.

The list of films that I actually want to see is so long that it will be a long time before I catch up on all the films that I'm on the fence about. There are enough films that do appeal to me that all those other films get pushed to the back.

geezer9687 wrote:I'm not the type of person who wants to watch a movie every single day. I feel like watching a movie that I am more than likely not going to like is a waste of time and money.

Ah, that is what I do. Last night was Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind. I can't really recall the last time I didn't watch a movie in a day.

The list of films that I actually want to see is so long that it will be a long time before I catch up on all the films that I'm on the fence about. There are enough films that do appeal to me that all those other films get pushed to the back.

I kind of mix everything in. I think unless if I try a movie, I'll never know if it is to be one of my favourite movies ever. I'll try pretty much anything. We generally watch a couple of old classics a week, a couple of foreign language movies, and any other movies which have been released recently. This gives me a much better idea of what a good movie is and what isn't. I get a much better spectrum, and therefore a lot of my ratings of movies are reflected by this. I'll get the fair few pieces of crap, but unless I've seen that crap, I'll never be able to appreciate the best out there.

Well surfer, when I'm your age and in your situation, I will probably end up doing the same thing. Ya know, when I like have a steady job and a place of my own. Right now, its just not in the cards.

Plus, my obsession with sports dominates my love of movies. I don't remember the last day I didn't catch an episode of Sportscenter.

geezer9687 wrote:Well surfer, when I'm your age and in your situation, I will probably end up doing the same thing. Ya know, when I like have a steady job and a place of my own. Right now, its just not in the cards.

Well, I look forward to that day. Then we can discuss the brilliance of Howard Hawks and Akira Kurosawa. [wink]

Plus, my obsession with sports dominates my love of movies. I don't remember the last day I didn't catch an episode of Sportscenter.

Outrageous!

get a room you two

Yes, please.

And Geez, they've already got an awards show for you. It's called the People's Choice Awards.

NSpan wrote:get a room you two

I had no choice, there was no-one else to talk with so I had to hang around with Geez.... honest. At least you're hear now to provide us with some quality entertainment.....

To buscemi: That's true. I just wish there was like a combination of the two.

And to Surfer: Glad to know that if we're the last two people on earth, you'll sink down to the level of actually communicating with me.

No problem, Geez. I see it as my duty to do so. Although all that stooping does give me a bad back.

silversurfer19 wrote:At least you're hear now to provide us with some quality entertainment.....

get ready to have fun!

(From l-r) Nico, Barca, Geez, NSpan, Mr.I, Donte, Shryke

That gang look like a lot of fun!

i bet they'd be HUGE in new zealand

Well, if they were to come over here they'd be close to doubling our population, so if only for being fans of themselves they'd be pretty big over here!