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What Do You Think About the Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:58:54 -0800

Slumdog Millionaire won for Best Picture! Everybody get up and do the "Jai Ho" dance! The movie beat out The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and The Reader. What do you think of this win?

Vote on all of my Oscar Winners Polls here!

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What Do You Think About the Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:58:21 -0800

Big night for the Coen family - No Country for Old Men won for Best Picture! The movie beat out Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, and There Will Be Blood. What do you think of this win?

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Which Best Picture Nominee Do You Want to Win the Oscar?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0800

The 2008 Oscars are so close we can almost reach out and touch 'em! I've been speculating all week about what each of the Best Picture nominees has going for and against it in the race.

Now for your personal opinion: Which of this year's nominees would you like to see take home the little gold man this weekend?

Best Picture Breakdown: Juno

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:30:03 -0800

Just a few more days before the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night! I've been breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture this week, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. Having examined There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton and Atonement, today's nominee is Juno.

This charming, disarming "little" movie climbed all the way up to take a place among big Best Picture nominees like No Country for Old Men and Atonement. Who's "little" now, punk, huh? Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) directs a talented cast in this tale of one quirky teenage girl's pregnancy and the young couple poised to adopt her baby. Screenwriter Diablo Cody's sharp dialogue and well-crafted story combined with great direction, quality performances and a fun soundtrack make for a highly endearing film. To see how I think this movie might fare in the Best Picture race, read more.

Why It Might Win

Well, frankly, it's freaking adorable. Despite the growing number of Juno haters out there providing an intense backlash, there are plenty of us Juno backers who say this film is incredibly enjoyable. It's sweet, it's funny, it reminds us of a more innocent time. And we like that. Of all the movies in this category, Juno is the only feel-good one. Unlike the creepy, dark feeling left in your stomach after No Country for Old Men or the heaving sobs induced by Atonement, Juno might elicit a happy tear or two, but then you can just go out for cheeseburgers and get on with life. It's nice.
Similarly, it's possible the Academy won't want to reward a darker movie because, as the Best Picture winner is sometimes considered a representation of our life and times, it may be too bleak a message to give the award to, say, There Will Be Blood. It would be joyful and satisfying to hand the award to something as affirming as Juno.
Juno's win might be a matter of simple math. As New York Magazine writer David Edelstein points out, it could happen that "No Country and There Will Be Blood split the nihilist-horror vote and little old edgy feel-good smash hit Juno sneaks in."

Why It Might Not Win

It's a known fact that comedies rarely win out over dramas at the Oscars. This will probably be one of those "it's nice just to be nominated" situations.
As I mentioned above, there has been an incredible backlash to Juno's popularity. The Academy might be having second thoughts about this one.
Juno could garner awards in other categories - most likely a win for Diablo Cody - thus fulfilling the Academy's urge to honor the film.
It might actually still be too little. Universal themes of motherhood and teenage angst aside, Juno may be slightly too homespun and humble to take home the grandest prize of the night.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Which Best Picture is Best? Play Our New Game!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:30:00 -0800

Titanic and A Beautiful Mind both have Oscars for Best Picture to their credit - but imagine if they'd been made in the same year and had to face off against each other for the award. Which movie would have won? What about Crash vs. American Beauty? The Silence of the Lambs vs. Unforgiven?

As this year's Oscars draw near, we've loaded up all the Best Picture winners of the past 25 years and made them go head-to-head. Which movies do you think reign supreme? Start playing and see if you agree with what other folks are choosing.
Just click here to get started!

What Do You Think About the Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 21:18:42 -0800

In a move completely in keeping with most of the award wins tonight, The Departed won for Best Picture. What do you think of this win?

Oscar Roundup: Best Picture Breakdowns

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:45:16 -0800

This week I've been breaking down the good and bad qualities of each 2007 Best Picture nominee. Just in case you need a refresher, here is a recap of all five Best Picture breakdowns; hopefully they will help you make an educated guess on the Oscar ballot!

Letters From Iwo Jima
The Academy are suckers for these historical dramas - and for director Clint Eastwood - yet there are no other big names involved and not many people actually saw it.
Chances of winning: Moderate

The Queen
Having already won tons of critics' awards, the film may or may not be just a vehicle for Helen Mirren.
Chances of winning: Slim to Moderate

Three more, so read more

Little Miss Sunshine
Well-crafted and uplifting, the movie did wonderfully with both critics and viewers, if not in box office sales. However, it actually might be too uplifting for the Academy's often somber tastes.
Chances of winning: Slim

The Departed
All-star cast, esteemed director, good screenplay, and critical acclaim make for an impressive package, but it being a violent almost-action film (quite different from a bloody war film, mind you) reduces the movie's chances for the top award.
Chances of winning: Good

Babel
Some critics adore this film while others loathe it; it could go either way, but the Academy does like to reward these big theme dramas.
Chances of winning: Good

Letters and Departed photos courtesy of Warner Bros.
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Oscar Polls: Pick the Winners!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:37:16 -0800

For the past week leading up to this Sunday's Oscars, I've been posting polls asking what actors and movies you think are most deserving of the major awards.

Of course, you can submit an Oscar ballot with your predictions, but who we think will win isn't necessarily the same as who we want to win. If you haven't already, cast your vote and tell me your preferred winners in these categories:

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Oscar Poll: What Movie Should Win Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 08:58:34 -0800

Well, after a week of Oscar-related polls, we've finally arrived at the big one. So tell me, what movie do you think deserves the best picture prize?

Movie Night: Oscar Best Picture Winners Through Time

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:21:28 -0800

This year's Oscar race for Best Picture is a close one; you can examine each movie's odds for winning with the Best Picture Breakdowns I've been featuring this week. For this week's Movie Night, I thought I'd take a look back at some very different Best Picture winners through the ages. So take the guesswork out of picking which movies to watch this week; all three of these are solid winners.

It Happened One Night
This classic comedy has a most delightful, old-timey premise. Stubborn socialite Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) marries her sweetheart, only to learn her controlling father is having the marriage annulled. Tired of living under his thumb, she runs away to New York. Along the way she meets the dashing reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who secretly detects a great story in the socialite's scandal. The two journey together: He offers her protection, while she provides him with plenty of material. Of course, they first can't stand each other, and then can't stand to be apart - predictable, but also surprising in parts. Interestingly, Gable's performance in this film earned him his only Oscar win ever. He and the rest of the cast, along with the entertaining plot and excellent direction made for Best Picture gold at the 6th annual awards ceremony in 1935.

To see the other two, read more

The Sting

This movie took the top prize (and a smattering of other awards) at the 1974 Oscars, but the highly entertaining caper is set in 1930s Chicago. The film follows a pair of con men (Robert Redford and Paul Newman, looking hot as ever in fedoras) as they hatch a complex scheme to scam a local bigwig using a phony racetrack setup. With a plot as jaunty as the Scott Joplin-dominated soundtrack, The Sting is full of surprise twists and turns that have provided inspiration for countless other caper movies. As far as Best Picture winners go, it's a pretty small-scale movie, but if you watch it, you'll understand how it was easily the best-made movie that year.

Silence of the Lambs
It is highly unusual for the Academy to pick a horror film as Best Picture, but the clever and thrilling way this story unravels - combined with stellar performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins - made this movie too good to resist at the 1992 awards show. Foster plays young FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who is trying to locate a missing woman assumed to be in the clutches of a crazed killer. Clarice turns to another psychotic killer for help: the cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins). She needs to get close enough to Lecter for him to trust her without falling under his manipulative spell. The gradual story development builds suspense until the climactic ending, at which point most viewers are curled up in a tight ball. The end result is a film so satisfying that several sequels - and recently, an unfortunate prequel - have followed.

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