Star Wars not nominated for best picture of the year.

[Entaris]

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3734024?utm_source=fb-channel-superheroes&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=no-best-picture-nomination-for-star-wars-the-force-awakens-is-the-academy-out-of-touch

A bit of interesting wording here. Thoughts?

 

[SNCommand]

I agree with the academy awards, The Force Awakens is not close to being among the best pictures of the year, and if we were to start handing awards based on audience enjoyment then Michael Bay would be rolling in oscar statuettes

 

[Entaris]

I agree with the academy awards, The Force Awakens is not close to being among the best pictures of the year, and if we were to start handing awards based on audience enjoyment then Michael Bay would be rolling in oscar statuettes

That does beg the question then if audience enjoyment is not a factor, is enjoyment of the film a factor at all?

 

[wizzy555]

High-grossing movies are rewarded by.... money. The point of awards are to reward whatever passes for artistic merit at the time. Even if some oscar bait movies are quickly becoming parodies of themselves.

 

[tippy2k2]

The Force Awakens was a good movie. I could even argue it was a very good movie.

But it's not a great movie and doesn't really deserve a Best Picture nod, let alone a win.

I talk about it in my review (which you should totally go read because I need people to pay attention to me or I wither away [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.932256-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens]) but the movie felt safe. It didn't take any chances or do anything new or exciting with the franchise. It was a shinier version of Episode IV with a Mary S...oh no you don't internet! We don't need to get into that rehash again...let's say boring protagonist (I have softened up on the MS debate with her since writing my review, though that still doesn't make her an interesting character to me).

Like I said, it was a good film that deserves praise for being a very good popcorn blockbuster. It just doesn't deserve Best Picture. That doesn't make it a bad movie, there are just other films that are better.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I liked Star Wars as much as anyone, but it's not really something I'd consider a "Best Picture" candidate.

EDIT: That said, the Academy is definitively out of touch, and has been for decades now.

 

[Casual Shinji]

That movie gets a passing grade at best.

What did it even do to make it stand out artistically among the rest of the blockbuster fare? It was very not shit and made a fuckton of money - A 'Best Picture' nomination needs to have bit more to it then that. Fury Road I can understand, since you can see the blood and sweat that went into making that movie on screen. And even then it's just the Academy throwing the geeks a bone, since it obviously has no chance of winning.

But The Force Awakens... no. It has as much reason to be nominated for 'Best Picture' as Jurassic World, or Age of Ultron.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Good movie, but nowhere near The Best.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Boy, you would have to be the blindest of fanboys to suggest that Force Awakens would deserve a best picture nomination. I get that this movie is a milestone event in some people's lives, but there is nothing about it that makes it a better overall film than a dozen others this year, or any year.

Yes, the Oscars are jacked up and too far up their own asses sometimes, but I would be shocked and appalled if it had received a nomination.

 

[Robert B. Marks]

I'm in agreement with just about everybody else - it's a great movie, but it's not Best Picture caliber.

Ideally, Best Picture caliber is a movie that is not just great, but transcendent - something that leaves you going "we're not seeing better this year." And Force Awakens didn't manage to do that.

That said, there's far more to the world of movies than the Oscars, and I'd rather that a movie be great than Oscar-bait, if I had to choose.

 

[Fappy]

It was my favorite movie of the year, but I wouldn't call it the "best picture" by any means.

 

[Loonyyy]

I agree with the academy awards, The Force Awakens is not close to being among the best pictures of the year, and if we were to start handing awards based on audience enjoyment then Michael Bay would be rolling in oscar statuettes

That does beg the question then if audience enjoyment is not a factor, is enjoyment of the film a factor at all?

I think it is, but there's the question of what the awards are awarding. Because TFA was very safe, and basically remade the original as a modern (good) summer blockbuster. It didn't take risks, or do anything novel. It was really well done, and that's what won me over, but it wasn't new.

You should be entertained by a film (That might not mean enjoying it, some films are meant to make you miserable or horrified), but usually awards are meant to encourage excellence and innovation.

Then again, holding up the standards of the Oscars seems a bit of a stretch. They're not exactly consistent, and they've snubbed worthy films in the past.

 

[RJ 17]

I agree with the academy awards, The Force Awakens is not close to being among the best pictures of the year, and if we were to start handing awards based on audience enjoyment then Michael Bay would be rolling in oscar statuettes

And yet Mad Max: Fury Road is worthy of a Best Picture nomination based on more than audience enjoyment?

Edit: to be clear, I'll agree that SW probably didn't deserve the nomination (let alone winning the category)...but the fact that Mad Max got a nomination while Star Wars didn't is what makes me call bullshit.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I don't find it interesting, because Star Wars Episode VII was the safest bet imaginable. I'm glad it wasn't nominated, because it barely stands up as a story and too many plot holes are reserved to be solved in the sequels. It's not a good standalone movie, unlike Episode IV was.

There's a reason people think IV is a classic, and it's because of how well it is put together and how satisfying it is on every level. VII just apes that, and frankly, I don't think it deserves even a nomination.

Fury Road though is a genuine surprise. With it and Miller in the running for Best Director, we could have a genuine surprise on our hands. It's not likely, but for a big budget B movie whose entire motif is non-stop action, it winning would be amazing, especially considering the veteranacy of Miller in moviemaking would finally get some credit where it's due.

 

[happyninja42]

I agree with the academy awards, The Force Awakens is not close to being among the best pictures of the year, and if we were to start handing awards based on audience enjoyment then Michael Bay would be rolling in oscar statuettes

Yeah pretty much my thoughts. It was a fun movie, it was a decently made movie, it wasn't anywhere close to award worthy movie. And really, who cares? It's not like getting one of those awards is somehow going to validate the movie. It made insane cash, and the audiences (most of them) thought it was a good/fun movie. What else needs to be said?

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

I don't think it deserves a Best Picture award, or even a nomination really. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie. I just don't think it was exceptional in every way. It did excel in some areas, but if I may I'll just quote what I posted in the Featured Articles thread:

I wouldn't exactly say The Force Awakens was snubbed. Landing 5 categories really isn't bad. And I believe it was in those categories that TFA really shone. The cinematography was very reminiscent of the original trilogy (e.g. landscape shots, giving Resistance pilots the focus in dogfights), which certainly worked in its favor, and the visual effects were spectacular (the physical effects in particular). And, of course, the musical score which brought with it so many memories of sitting on the living room floor watching the original trilogy on VHS.

 

[Cycloptomese]

I don't find it interesting, because Star Wars Episode VII was the safest bet imaginable. I'm glad it wasn't nominated, because it barely stands up as a story and too many plot holes are reserved to be solved in the sequels. It's not a good standalone movie, unlike Episode IV was.

There's a reason people think IV is a classic, and it's because of how well it is put together and how satisfying it is on every level. VII just apes that, and frankly, I don't think it deserves even a nomination.

Fury Road though is a genuine surprise. With it and Miller in the running for Best Director, we could have a genuine surprise on our hands. It's not likely, but for a big budget B movie whose entire motif is non-stop action, it winning would be amazing, especially considering the veteranacy of Miller in moviemaking would finally get some credit where it's due.

Yeah, I don't think it's likely that Fury Road will take home the award, but it would be incredible to see it happen. That said, I'd love to see George Miller get best director. The guy doesn't compromise and pretty much always makes the movie that he envisions. That's probably why it took so damn long for Fury Road to get made

 

[FFHAuthor]

I can't say I'm surprised. The original Star Wars got a nomination, but didn't win. Force Awakens was a good movie but not up to that level so it's not a big shock to see them forego the nod, Disney will just have to content itself with how many Billion dollars in revenue? I'm extremely glad to see that The Martian got nominated for best picture though. That film really does deserve it on it's own merits, and I hope it cleans house, it was laughable that it and Matt Damon won for best Comedy/Musical in the Golden Globes.

 

[Asita]

Yeah, Force Awakens was fun, but...well it wasn't Best Picture material, especially considering how derivative it was of A New Hope.

And yet Mad Max: Fury Road is worthy of a Best Picture nomination based on more than audience enjoyment?

Edit: to be clear, I'll agree that SW probably didn't deserve the nomination (let alone winning the category)...but the fact that Mad Max got a nomination while Star Wars didn't is what makes me call bullshit.

That one's confusing me greatly, but given that I didn't see the movie, I can't actually judge it's worthiness.