The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Director Nominees
Again I’ll stress that I’m talking about all-time.
I’ll also stress that half this list could easily have been swapped out for other nominees that aren’t on here. Mostly I’m just talking about really weak nominees that you just look at now and go, “Really?” Most people haven’t even heard of half of these movies. Or you just look at the films and the performances and go, “Wow, that hasn’t held up at all,” or, “That was really a popularity nomination.” Or some of them — some of them nobody can figure out. There’s one on this list that you look at and go, “Where the fuck did that come from?”
So that’s mostly what this is. People always talk about what the weakest winners were, but no one ever really talks about the weak nominees. Because there’s some weak ass shit populating a lot of these Oscar categories. We tend to forget about them, because in a given Oscar year there are at least 30 (this year there are 34) new nominees in the six major categories, but there’s a lot of shit out there that nobody mentions.
So, today, I’m gonna talk about what I think (some of) the weakest Best Director nominees are.
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The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Again I’ll stress that I’m talking about all-time.
I’ll also stress that half this list could easily have been swapped out for other nominees that aren’t on here. Mostly I’m just talking about really weak nominees that you just look at now and go, “Really?” Most people haven’t even heard of half of these movies. Or you just look at the films and the performances and go, “Wow, that hasn’t held up at all,” or, “That was really a popularity nomination.” Or some of them — some of them nobody can figure out. There’s one on this list that you look at and go, “Where the fuck did that come from?”
So that’s mostly what this is. People always talk about what the weakest winners were, but no one ever really talks about the weak nominees. Because there’s some weak ass shit populating a lot of these Oscar categories. We tend to forget about them, because in a given Oscar year there are at least 30 (this year there are 34) new nominees in the six major categories, but there’s a lot of shit out there that nobody mentions.
So, today, I’m gonna talk about what I think (some of) the weakest Best Supporting Actress nominees are. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Again I’ll stress that I’m talking about all-time.
I’ll also stress that half this list could easily have been swapped out for other nominees that aren’t on here. Mostly I’m just talking about really weak nominees that you just look at now and go, “Really?” Most people haven’t even heard of half of these movies. Or you just look at the films and the performances and go, “Wow, that hasn’t held up at all,” or, “That was really a popularity nomination.” Or some of them — some of them nobody can figure out. There’s one on this list that you look at and go, “Where the fuck did that come from?”
So that’s mostly what this is. People always talk about what the weakest winners were, but no one ever really talks about the weak nominees. Because there’s some weak ass shit populating a lot of these Oscar categories. We tend to forget about them, because in a given Oscar year there are at least 30 (this year there are 34) new nominees in the six major categories, but there’s a lot of shit out there that nobody mentions.
So, today, I’m gonna talk about what I think (some of) the weakest Best Supporting Actor nominees are. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Actress Nominees
Again I’ll stress that I’m talking about all-time.
I’ll also stress that half this list could easily have been swapped out for other nominees that aren’t on here. Mostly I’m just talking about really weak nominees that you just look at now and go, “Really?” Most people haven’t even heard of half of these movies. Or you just look at the films and the performances and go, “Wow, that hasn’t held up at all,” or, “That was really a popularity nomination.” Or some of them — some of them nobody can figure out. There’s one on this list that you look at and go, “Where the fuck did that come from?”
So that’s mostly what this is. People always talk about what the weakest winners were, but no one ever really talks about the weak nominees. Because there’s some weak ass shit populating a lot of these Oscar categories. We tend to forget about them, because in a given Oscar year there are at least 30 (this year there are 34) new nominees in the six major categories, but there’s a lot of shit out there that nobody mentions.
So, today, I’m gonna talk about what I think (some of) the weakest Best Actress nominees are. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Actor Nominees
Again I’ll stress that I’m talking about all-time.
I’ll also stress that half this list could easily have been swapped out for other nominees that aren’t on here. Mostly I’m just talking about really weak nominees that you just look at now and go, “Really?” Most people haven’t even heard of half of these movies. Or you just look at the films and the performances and go, “Wow, that hasn’t held up at all,” or, “That was really a popularity nomination.” Or some of them — some of them nobody can figure out. There’s one on this list that you look at and go, “Where the fuck did that come from?”
So that’s mostly what this is. People always talk about what the weakest winners were, but no one ever really talks about the weak nominees. Because there’s some weak ass shit populating a lot of these Oscar categories. We tend to forget about them, because in a given Oscar year there are at least 30 (this year there are 34) new nominees in the six major categories, but there’s a lot of shit out there that nobody mentions.
So, today, I’m gonna talk about what I think (some of) the weakest Best Actor nominees are. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: The Weakest Best Picture Nominees
It’s been a while since I checked in with an Oscar Quest article.
Pretty much everything at this point that I do regarding Oscar nominees that’s not for the year at hand is gonna be labeled an Oscar Quest article.
I thought a few months ago, as I was thinking about what the potential Best Picture nominees were gonna be for this year and what I’d consider to be a weak choice or a strong choice — and then I thought, “Well what actually are the weak Best Picture nominees of all time?” I never actually sat down and figured out what I thought were weak nominees. It’s difficult figuring out what constitutes a weak nominee. A lot of it is subjective. But I think I was pretty good about parsing what I consider to be a weak nominee and what’s actually held up as a weak nominee.
I’m not gonna go by how many nominations they got or what other awards they won, because that’s not what constitutes a weak nominee. I’m gonna go by how they’ve held up over the years, how many people actually still watch these movies, and how many people actually think they were worth a nomination for Best Picture. I’m sure a few will be contentious (not that I care, so don’t bother telling me your disagreements), but I think, for the most part — a lot of these are ones that clearly don’t hold up as well as other nominees.
So here are my choices for the weakest Best Picture nominees of all time: (more…)
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (2006-2011)
Yeah…
2006: ”I NEED TO WAKE UP,” FROM AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (2001-2005)
And — the 2000s. Here’s where you really see why everyone asks what happened to this category.
2001: ”IF I DIDN’T HAVE YOU” from Monsters, Inc.
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1996-2000)
Not as strong as the first half of the 90s, but… it’ll do, pig.
1996: ”YOU MUST LOVE ME,” FROM EVITA
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1991-1995)
There are no words for this one. Just listen:
1991: ”BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,” FROM BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1981-1985)
They don’t get any better than this first song:
1981: ”ARTHUR’S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO),” FROM ARTHUR
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1971-1975)
This is where this category gets really interesting, because more people will have exponentially stronger opinions from here on out. So here’s 1971-1975
1971: ”THEME FROM SHAFT,” FROM SHAFT
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1966-1970)
Oh man, there’s some great stuff 1966-1970.
1966: ”BORN FREE,” FROM BORN FREE
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1961-1965)
Today is 1961-1965, and it’s gonna be great:
1961: ”MOON RIVER,” FROM BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1956-1960)
Today we round out the 50s. There’s some great stuff on here.
1956: ”WHATEVER WILL BE, WILL BE (QUÉ SERÁ, SERÁ), FROM THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1951-1955)
Today we hit the 50s, which is the golden age of the studio Technicolor musical and the golden age of the theme song. Let’s count how many times Sinatra and Dean Martin show up over the next decade.
1951: ”IN THE COOL, COOL, COOL OF THE EVENING,” FROM HERE COMES THE GROOM
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1946-1950)
1946-1950 today. Let’s get started:
1946: “ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND SANTA FE,” FROM THE HARVEY GIRLS
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1941-1945)
This is a lot of fun for me. I’m not even going to waste time with an introduction. Today we do Best Original Song from 1941-1945.
1941: ”THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS,” FROM LADY BE GOOD
Best Original Song: A Categorical History (1934-1940)
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. Once I got done with all the Oscar Quest categories, I said to myself, “What other categories can I write up that would be fun?” And most of them wouldn’t be terribly interesting. Who really wants to hear me talk in depth about Best Sound? This one seemed like an obvious one because — we can all do it so easily.
All you really need to do to put forth an opinion on the Best Original Song category is listen to all the songs. Pretty simple. The hard part’s just finding them. Which I did. Though I’m linking to so many Youtube videos I can only do a couple of years at a time. Five, in fact. Otherwise it gets crazy and the pages take forever to load.
So that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll go through every year of Best Original Song, I’ll link to as many songs as I can find, and I’ll tell what I like and what I’d have voted for. And we’ll get to go over the rich history that is original songs in movies. (more…)
B+ Movie Blog Update
I went for an official title. Normally I’m just like, “Blog Update,” or whatever. This one’s official.
Yesterday was the final day of the Oscar Quest. That’s a huge deal for this blog. Because the Quest was the reason all this exists. Just a quick recap, for those who came in late (rest of the class, please stare at them as they sit down, and make them feel even more uncomfortable) –
After I graduated college in 2010, I started The Oscar Quest. And not long after, I said, “What’s the point of watching all these movies if I can’t document that I did this?” (I’m a writer. There’s ego involved.) I also wanted a place to put my opinions out there, since a lot of people I know are always asking me for recommendations (and also just in case people would stumble upon it and, through me find goof shit to watch. I hate when people have terrible taste in movies, especially since there are so many good ones out there). So that’s how the blog came about. The Quest lasted from about May 27th or something of 2010 until about July 31st of 2011. (It’s not officially finished yet, there are still seven movies left, but it’s all written up, so I’m counting it.) And the blog’s been going from 1/1/11.
I never really had a plan for this. The general idea was to write up the Quest, the actual Oscar season (which I’ve done twice now and have so much fun doing) and some other stuff I thought would be fun. That led to one of my favorite things I do on the blog, which are the Top Tens of the Decade lists (which have become their own separate Quest, and can be found here), among many other things, like the Pic of the Day, the Box Office Report, and all those other odds and ends and lists I make. This blog is actually responsible for getting me to see so many movies. More than I probably would have watched during the past two years without it. (I should really explain just how many at some point. You’d be shocked.)
But now it’s over. The Quest, not the blog. The blog ain’t going anywhere. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: Best Picture – 1927-1928
Ah, the first Oscars. There’s a lot to say here. Let’s see how quickly we can get it in. The Oscars began when Louis B. Mayer (head of MGM, and the second M in the title) thought to have an organization that would honor those people in the industry and also help improve the industry’s image (since at that point, there were a lot of labor disputes. There weren’t really any of the guilds as we know them today. They were still working to be formed. Plus film had a negative connotation to it. The industry had this reputation for putting smut on screen and was just attacked all around). Basically — it was a way to promote the good of the industry, rather than what the perceived opinion of it was. And it just stuck. But it’s important to note that the Oscars were originally more about AMPAS than the ceremony.
This first ceremony happened in May of 1929, and wasn’t even about the ceremony. They announced the winners three months earlier, and it was basically a reception for people to pick up the awards. Kind of like they do now with the Kennedy Center and AFI Awards. It’s about honoring the winners. They kept up the tradition for the first decade, handing out the names of the winners to the newspapers at 11 pm the night of the awards all the way until 1941, which is when they started with the whole envelope and the “and the winner is…” thing. Also of note, the reason the first five ceremonies have two years attached to them is because, until 1934, there was no set ceremony. Starting in 1934 was when they pushed the ceremony to the end of February/March like we know it to be. The 1927-1928 awards were given out in 1929, and they basically spend the nest few years playing catch up. The next two Oscar ceremonies happened in 1930, and then they caught up by 1932-1933, which allowed them to have the 1935 ceremony purely for the films of 1934. (Which also continues to piss me off that people constantly misquote what year it is. For instance, they call them the 2012 Oscars, meanwhile they’re for the films of 2011, just because the ceremony happened in 2012. It’s very infuriating.)
Let’s put the break here, since I have a lot more to say. (more…)
The Oscar Quest: Best Picture – 1928-1929
1928-1929 (which, for quick reference, use the year on the right side of the double years to know which year it’s really for) is the first really interesting year for the Oscars. The first one was just, “Let’s get this thing set up.” But now — now it’s a thing. Now there are now traditions to uphold and ideals to strive toward. That is — the first year was giving out awards. Now there are precedents. So you have the beginning of what will essentially be a trend that continues to this day, which is, do they vote with what’s best, or what fits in best with the Oscars? (Usually, it’s the latter.) 1928-1929 are the first years where films could be made with the goal of winning an Oscar. Which changes things.
The other reason this year is an interesting year is quite major, historically — sound. The industry as a whole was transitioning to sound. Several films have used the transition to sound as part of their narrative, the biggest probably being Singin’ in the Rain, with the whole “Talk into the plant!” thing. And then The Aviator hinted at it, with Hughes, after the premiere, saying he has to reshoot Hell’s Angels for sound. And then The Artist, of course, covering that period from a talent standpoint. This intro is basically going to be a history of the transition to sound, because I do like to educate as well as inform.
But what makes this period most interesting is that the transition to sound wasn’t this quick switchover . They had a lot of stuff to figure out, technologically. The entire industry was set up for silent films. And now, all of a sudden, they had to, on the fly, start making films with sound. Because that’s what the audiences wanted. And it was basically an experiment for like, four years, them figuring out how to successfully shoot films with sound. (This was even before learning how to tell a story with sound.) (more…)
The Oscar Quest: Best Picture – 1929-1930
These were the 3rd Academy Awards, and this was really the point where Hollywood figured it out. The first awards were just laying groundwork, and the second was sort of a period of chaos, since after the first awards, Hollywood had to shift from one style of filmmaking (silent) to another (sound). Here was really the first year where Hollywood started getting sound down pat. It shows. The films, of course, were not perfected yet, but they’re definitely a marked improvement from the films of 1928-1929. You see more complex sound design, and more dialogue. The films of the year before this were more silence than dialogue. Here, they were able to tell stories.
The great thing about this year is that this was really the first year where there was a quintessential “Best Picture.” (Grand Hotel was the first “Academy” decision.) All Quiet on the Western Front is the total package. It’s a big, epic picture. Classy, based on a novel. And it also happens to be one of the greatest achievements ever put to film. The reason for that is — when you see what films of this era looked like (and watch the other nominees to see what I’m talking about), what Lewis Milestone (who won Best Director for the film, talked about here) was able to accomplish with sound design and staging and camera movement — I said it in that Best Director article, but this film is one that, were it made at any point in the first eleven years of the Academy Awards, it would still be better than just about every other film nominated. It’s incredible. And this was an important film for the Academy because it did also establish the classical “Oscar” film (which we really wouldn’t see again until maybe Grand Hotel and then for sure with The Great Ziegfeld). There wouldn’t be another slam dunk winner until Gone With the Wind.
The other winners this year were George Arliss as Best Actor for Disraeli (talked about here), which makes sense (it’s the kind of role that would win Best Actor), and Best Actress was Norma Shearer for The Divorcée (talked about here), which also makes sense, given that she was an actress who would basically become the first lady of Hollywood and was a huge star in the 30s. So, in all, it’s a very solid year, and really the first that you can point to as being representative of the classical Oscar decisions.
BEST PICTURE – 1929-1930
And the nominees were…
All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal)
The Big House (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Disraeli (Warner Bros.)
The Divorcée (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
The Love Parade (Paramount) (more…)
