Blockbusters - Awards for Major Categories

[aiman04]

I see a good discussion in the Black Panther thread about blockbuster films getting recognition in major award categories e.g. Best Picture.

What do you think of it? Is it the right time, but why wasn't it the right time before?

Is it fair for the past blockbuster films which some can be argued as much better than the blockbuster nominees now i.e. Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc?

Is it a positive direction? Are they really worthy or are the organizers giving in to popularity status?

[kylor]

I still think it's a crime that The LEGO Movie never got an Oscar.

[fighthefutureofhd]

Just wait til the Lego my Eggo movie gets released. Its gonna sweep all the awards.

[Moviefan2k4]

I think its absolutely pathetic, that blockbusters have been virtually ignored in the major categories for so long. Most of the films who win Oscars now are melodramatic garbage that barely recoup their budgets, and that's one of many reasons why I don't watch the ceremony anymore. I think many of the Marvel performers deserve acting awards for their work, but some have retired now so they won't get that recognition. For example, Chris Evans definitely should've been at least nominated, for The Winter Soldier and Civil War, with Sebastian Stan for the latter too. Robert Downey deserved it for all the Iron Man movies, especially the third because its very tough to work with kids and not ham everything up. All of the main cast for Guardians of the Galaxy deserved acting nominations, and I think Tom Holland did too for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

[Cremildo]

My opinion is pretty simple: if a blockbuster is one of the year's best movies, it should be nominated. I can't fathom why it shouldn't - unless the person thinks popular films cannot be great.

There have been "blockbusters" nominees and winners since forever. How can one argue that Gone with the Wind was not a blockbuster, or The Sound of Music, or The Exorcist, or The Towering Inferno, or even The Godfather? They were all record-breakers at their time.

I think the shit hits the fan when a genre blockbuster - sci-fi, action, fantasy, horror etc. - becomes a contender. There seems to be an ingrained snobbery that convinces some people that those genres provide only lesser works of art, and that's the part of the discussion that gets on my nerves.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

I think the shit hits the fan when a genre blockbuster - sci-fi, action, fantasy, horror etc. - becomes a contender. There seems to be an ingrained snobbery that convinces some people that those genres provide only lesser works of art, and that's the part of the discussion that gets on my nerves.

Pretty much agreed here, though I personally avoid horror like the plague. But, yeah - there's a lot of snobs in Hollywood now, who spend their time at the Oscars telling average Joes and Janes how they should live, instead of sticking with the movies (which is supposed to be the whole point of the ceremony).

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

My opinion is pretty simple: if a blockbuster is one of the year's best movies, it should be nominated. I can't fathom why it shouldn't - unless the person thinks popular films cannot be great.

There have been "blockbusters" nominees and winners since forever. How can one argue that Gone with the Wind was not a blockbuster, or The Sound of Music, or The Exorcist, or The Towering Inferno, or even The Godfather? They were all record-breakers at their time.

I think the shit hits the fan when a genre blockbuster - sci-fi, action, fantasy, horror etc. - becomes a contender. There seems to be an ingrained snobbery that convinces some people that those genres provide only lesser works of art, and that's the part of the discussion that gets on my nerves.

Agreed.

And it's strange since just about every movie produced today is genre fiction by definition. These are genres that Hollywood itself defined over all these decades of studying target audiences to maximize profit. What sense does it make to shut out a whole class of films for doing what Hollywood wants and doing it well?

For all that goes, opening up the Oscars to blockbusters could motivate filmmakers, writers, actors, etc to put forth better effort.

[Doctor Jack]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

For example, Chris Evans definitely should've been at least nominated, for The Winter Soldier and Civil War, with Sebastian Stan for the latter too. Robert Downey deserved it for all the Iron Man movies, especially the third because its very tough to work with kids and not ham everything up. All of the main cast for Guardians of the Galaxy deserved acting nominations, and I think Tom Holland did too for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Im as big of a Marvel fanboy as anyone and none of these should have been nominated for acting awards. Not even close. We’re they good? They were actually great. Award worthy? Not at all.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

Im as big of a Marvel fanboy as anyone and none of these should have been nominated for acting awards. Not even close. We’re they good? They were actually great. Award worthy? Not at all.

If you believe they were great, then why not nominate them for an award? Last time I checked, that was supposed to be the point behind a nomination.

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

My opinion is pretty simple: if a blockbuster is one of the year's best movies, it should be nominated. I can't fathom why it shouldn't - unless the person thinks popular films cannot be great.

There have been "blockbusters" nominees and winners since forever. How can one argue that Gone with the Wind was not a blockbuster, or The Sound of Music, or The Exorcist, or The Towering Inferno, or even The Godfather? They were all record-breakers at their time.

I think the shit hits the fan when a genre blockbuster - sci-fi, action, fantasy, horror etc. - becomes a contender. There seems to be an ingrained snobbery that convinces some people that those genres provide only lesser works of art, and that's the part of the discussion that gets on my nerves.

Wasn't The Silence of the Lambs a genre contender? What about The Fugitive and Raiders of the Lost Ark? Mad Max: Fury Road got a Best Picture nod.

[Doctor Jack]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

If you believe they were great, then why not nominate them for an award? Last time I checked, that was supposed to be the point behind a nomination.

There is a big difference between great and award worthy.

[Bugg]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

There is a big difference between great and award worthy.

Depends one one's defintion of the term great. To me a great movie is 5 out of 5. Only a small handful of great films (if any) get made in a typical year.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

Wasn't The Silence of the Lambs a genre contender? What about The Fugitive and Raiders of the Lost Ark? Mad Max: Fury Road got a Best Picture nod.

Yes, a handful of films like that have been nominated. Fewer have won, and every time one becomes a contender (like Black Panther right now), this same discussion rears its head.

[mr.mister]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

Im as big of a Marvel fanboy as anyone and none of these should have been nominated for acting awards. Not even close. We’re they good? They were actually great. Award worthy? Not at all.

This.

[shinobipopcorn]

I do believe there is award prejudice in film methods. Movies like Wall-E, The Lion King, Spirited Away... These are some of the best films of their years but only got recognized compared to other animated films (and in TLK's case, music as there was no long animation award yet).

As for blockbuster films, I think quality vs quantity pays a factor. If a movie is very good but doesn't earn a lot of attention, I don't think low sales should disqualify it for an award. Naturally I think the reverse applies as well, so being a blockbuster shouldn't demand an award. I think the surprise screenplay nomination that Logan got was a good example of this. People expected Wonder Woman to get something because it made all this money and it got nothing.