news The Dark Knight Rises fails to impress Oscars judges

[tiagosilva29]

I've watched pornographic footage more Oscar-worthy than most Hollywood flicks.

[threetonesun]

I don't agree with that fully. Lots of action films that have went on to span trilogy's or even more are very memorable. Who doesn't remember the original Die Hard movies? Or the original Rambo series? Indiana Jones? And if you expand it to scifi movies well, damn, that just makes the list longer IMO.

Perhaps I should clarify, a movie can be interesting, and memorable, but not make any real point besides entertaining the audience. I love Indiana Jones (well, not the fourth one), but there's no substance to those movies... it's a guy with a whip, doing cool things.

I haven't seen Batman yet, but I did see Moonrise Kingdom last week, and there were some lines in that film that I'm still thinking about, not because they were catchy or a action hero's tagline, but because they were incredibly well written and brilliantly delivered.

[Circaflex]

Never cared what "critics" thought so it doesnt bother me

[mattmatik]

Oh well.

While I enjoyed "Hurt Locker", that was the most over-hyped and award-laden film in recent memory for me. After that I just quit paying attention to the Oscars (or any awards show, for that matter). TDKR was not a Best Picture film and that is ok - awards don't have to justify your like for a movie.

(I did think Tom Hardy was excellent as Bane but I'm sure he'll get flak for the mask and his voice alteration)

[soniqstylz]

I don't agree with that fully. Lots of action films that have went on to span trilogy's or even more are very memorable. Who doesn't remember the original Die Hard movies? Or the original Rambo series? Indiana Jones? And if you expand it to scifi movies well, damn, that just makes the list longer IMO.

My point stands, the acting could be the best ever and they'd still turn a blind eye to it because it's just an action movie or a scifi flick or a comic book hero film or w/e. And Ledger got the Oscar as more of a tribute and over his death than anything else, it was the Academy being politically correct and bending to popular demand and the press (because everyone was calling for it back then). This isn't even the first time they've bent to pressure as well, go a bit farther back and all the bad press they were getting because there hadn't been a African American best actor/actress winner/nominee in so long, so what did they do? Not only nominate two but also have them win.

Now i'm not going to get into it over race or stuff like that, my point is that they'll bend to pressure and what the press/fans want which hardly makes this seem like a objective voting group or w/e. To me they've become a joke.

Really? You're saying Rambo movies were Oscar-worthy?

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

I'm afraid I have to agree, it doesn't hold a candle to TDK.

I really think Bane was way underused, Matthew Modine's character seemed pointless and Catwoman isn't really used very well apart from being an invitation of sorts to Bane and his thugs.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

I don't agree with that fully. Lots of action films that have went on to span trilogy's or even more are very memorable. Who doesn't remember the original Die Hard movies? Or the original Rambo series? Indiana Jones? And if you expand it to scifi movies well, damn, that just makes the list longer IMO.

My point stands, the acting could be the best ever and they'd still turn a blind eye to it because it's just an action movie or a scifi flick or a comic book hero film or w/e. And Ledger got the Oscar as more of a tribute and over his death than anything else, it was the Academy being politically correct and bending to popular demand and the press (because everyone was calling for it back then). This isn't even the first time they've bent to pressure as well, go a bit farther back and all the bad press they were getting because there hadn't been a African American best actor/actress winner/nominee in so long, so what did they do? Not only nominate two but also have them win.

but your point doesnt stand. MOST action or sci-fi movies are bad. some can be entertaining, but theyre still bad. Batman, while made well, is still a cheesy comic book movie. Xmen, Captain America, Thor - theyre all made well, but still cheesy!

and youre backing Die Hard, rambo and indiana jones? theyre all terrible! sure, theyre entertaining, but from an Oscar, or artistic, perspective, theyre awful.

[George P Global Moderator]

but your point doesnt stand. MOST action or sci-fi movies are bad. some can be entertaining, but theyre still bad. Batman, while made well, is still a cheesy comic book movie. Xmen, Captain America, Thor - theyre all made well, but still cheesy!

and youre backing Die Hard, rambo and indiana jones? theyre all terrible! sure, theyre entertaining, but from an Oscar, or artistic, perspective, theyre awful.

Yet the original Indiana Jones movie was nominated for best picture, though it didn't win. So if it's terrible as you say why was it nominated back then? And what has changed from back then to now? And there are a number of cheesy and terrible dramas that also get nominated so that excuse doesn't fly.

Regardless my point wasn't so much how good or not the movie is exact, it's that there's a bias towards them because of they're category and nothing more. An action or sci-fi movie could have one of the best stories, and some of the best acting of all time and it'll get tossed in the back simply because it's a action or scifi movie. I'm not arguing that batman or other comic book movies are worthy of best picture, I'm just saying that even if they were they'd still not get the nod.

[Dashel]

Or another way, dramas aren't superior films because they serious and artsy. Comedy is another genre that is left out too. Everyone knows the kind of girls Oscar likes, but that has no bearing on the attractiveness of all other women, or more important, their longevity. (Is anyone here really going to tell me that Chariots of Fire is a hands down better class of film than Raiders of the Lost Ark? I watched one two weeks ago, haven't watched the other in decades. People really looking for 'meaning' will be reading books anyway)

[Lamp0]

I'm not arguing that batman or other comic book movies are worthy of best picture, I'm just saying that even if they were they'd still not get the nod.

How do you know? There hasn't been a "comic book" movie deserved of best picture.

[George P Global Moderator]

How do you know? There hasn't been a "comic book" movie deserved of best picture.

I was keeping it more broad than just comic book movies, which fall into the action/scifi or fantasy category of which, as I've pointed out, have been getting the short stick when it comes to nominations for quite some time. That's not always the case though, as I've said something like Raiders of the Lost Ark got a nomination for best picture iirc, so are you telling me that had outstanding acting or something so great that it got the nod compared to other movies like it sense? Let's put it this way, had that exact movie came out in the past 10 years they wouldn't have bothered with it, let alone give it a nomination for best picture. The academy has narrowed it's views when it comes to whats "worthy" while the toss everything else in the back seat.

[Lamp0]

I see what you mean, and I wouldn't disagree that there is a snobbyness to the Oscars. But in broad terms "action movies" are, rarely, remarkable peices of film.

[Growled Member]

I felt that The Avengers was a well done action movie. Probably the best hero action movie made to date.

[Hurmoth]

I felt that The Avengers was a well done action movie. Probably the best hero action movie made to date.

Can you define hero action movie? In my mind, Casino Royal fits under that umbrella and it is WAY better. But I also am not a big fan of fantasy, and movies like Superman, Thor, The Avengers, etc. aren't grounded enough in reality for me. Batman pushes that limit at times, especially Rises, it was so out of the realm of reality compared to the first two, but at least he isn't supernatural though.

[Arceles]

Batman The Dark Knight Rises was very great, far better than some other "nominated" movies in the past and that's a fact.