2014 Oscars Thread

Just a few reviews I found on Brokeback Mountain:
"The first quarter of Brokeback Mountain plays like a silent movie version of Waiting of Godot, but starring two Marlboro Men instead of Vladimir and Estragon . . ."
"Beautifully photographed and well acted, but also slow moving and episodic"
"I never became emotionally involved in their story"
"I didn't feel an "emotional" connection with this film that pretty much relies on such an emotional feeling to work. "
"An unconventional love story that doesn't match its hype."
"Not a weepy gay love story."
"a monotonous and often inadvertently campy romance that rivals The Hours as the most overrated movie of the decade"

I could add more. What I will say about Brokeback Mountain is that the cinematography was phenomenal. So there's the one positive.

 

If that's the case, I don't know how you found the Gravity script to be a good one. It was a technically brilliant movie with a mediocre (at best) script.

 

I realize you didn't see it, but I tweeted during the Oscars that Gravity would clean up on the technical awards, predicted a best director win, but said it would not win best picture. In this thread, I was simply pointing out that the script was not "pretty bad." Was it great? Not really. But bad? Not at all.

 

I don't think so, but I will grant you that it has been quite some time since I've seen 'Boiler Room.'
I really enjoyed 'Wolf of Wall Street.' It was too long, and cutting it would have turned it from a good movie to a great one.
I hope 'Boiler Room' comes on DirecTV soon. I'm going to watch it again.

 

Completely agree about Wolf of Wall Street being too long. It could've been cut from three hours to two and not lost a single thing.

 

Watch Margin Call about Wall Street its a great movie. Amazing cast, Kevin Spacy, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci. Should have been a Mamet movie, but still rather smart

 

"Social relevance" does not mean an Academy Award Best Picture win. Best example I can think of is Shakespeare in Love's win. It was up against Elizabeth, The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan and Life is Beautiful. It was a fun, entertaining, clever movie, but best picture?

BTW, Brokeback Mountain was up against Capote, Good Luck and Good Night, Munich and Crash for best picture. Crash won. Ang Lee did win Best Director, though.

 

Crash won because it was classic Hollywood naval gazing. The Academy's bent toward social relevance is exceeded only by its narcissism.

 

Crash won because it was an exceptional film.
Capote was pretty boring.
Let's be honest.

 

I was arguing more for Brokeback Mountain, actually.

 

I just rewatched 'Boiler Room' for the first time since it came out.
It is definitely not as good as 'Wolf of Wall Street,' not in the same league.

'Wolf of Wall Street' was too long, much too long.
But it was still very good; it's excess kept it from being great.

 

Obviously, Scorcese is an all-timer and has probably earned the right to have final cut over his films, but he's had quite a few movies that would have been so much better if they tightened up the second half.