Academy Awards adding a "Best Popular Film" category. Good or bad idea? Academy walks it back, won't be presented this year

[filmlover]

23 minutes ago, Hades said:

Pretty much confirming that FOX Searchlight is DOA at Disney...They don't need Searchlight if they can just buy Oscars for their over budget films.....And don't give me that Iger said this crap......Iger says a lot of things.

Make a non-Disney related post to see if you won't die if you do.

[Hades]

12 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Make a non-Disney related post to see if you won't die if you do.

I live in the Underworld...

[filmlover]

1 minute ago, Hades said:

I live in the Underworld...

[AniNate]

Is there anyone who actually thinks this is a good idea and can provide intelligent reasoning for it?

[titanic2187]

it's about the battle between art elite class and general public, bringing consensus between two is almost impossible given that art elite would never regard pop-blockbuster as true imminent art while general public will never understand how artist perceive an visual art.

 

The mismatch gap of perception between elite and common class, to AMPAS, can only neutralized by giving out this best popular film award, while the idea is bad, but it did prove that the struggle of academy of trying to reach the consensus between two class 

[Rebeccas]

Another issue is the film/entertainment media tends to create an atmosphere where populist Best Picture winners are often derided (ROTK being the one exception). Gladiator, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Titanic, etc are often viewed as "bad" Oscar decisions over their more indie/serious competition. 

[filmlover]

19 minutes ago, Rebeccas said:

Another issue is the film/entertainment media tends to create an atmosphere where populist Best Picture winners are often derided (ROTK being the one exception). Gladiator, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Titanic, etc are often viewed as "bad" Oscar decisions over their more indie/serious competition. 

Except Hollywood isn't making the kind of films mentioned here anymore. They're too busy either cranking out the latest installment in a franchise and/or shared universe with no "end" in sight (even after the so-called "final" Avengers movie next year, we'll still be getting more movies from the MCU) or are trying to find the next franchise/shared universe.

Edited August 11, 2018 by filmlover

[Valonqar]

25 minutes ago, Rebeccas said:

Another issue is the film/entertainment media tends to create an atmosphere where populist Best Picture winners are often derided (ROTK being the one exception). Gladiator, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Titanic, etc are often viewed as "bad" Oscar decisions over their more indie/serious competition. 

Especially since those movies stood the test of time while whatever was supposed to win in entertainment media opinion isn't as relevant today as are these winners.  They are classics, they didn't disappear or lose their appeal. I'm sure that some small movie buff/arthouse/whatever circles still cherish "shoulda been winners" and continue to shit on still highly popular populist wins, but none of those movies they support has become the Shawshank Redemption of failed winners so that's that. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Valonqar

[IronJimbo]

BAD IDEA

[Rebeccas]

8 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Except Hollywood isn't making the kind of films mentioned here anymore. They're too busy either cranking out the latest installment in a franchise and/or shared universe with no "end" in sight (even after the so-called "final" Avengers movie next year, we'll still be getting more movies from the MCU) or are trying to find the next franchise/shared universe.

Hacksaw Ridge would've been a very 90s Best Picture winner but there's no way in today's social media age that wouldn't have be murdered the moment it became frontrunner. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Rebeccas

[Valonqar]

why is social media so important to the studios? and AMPAS? They don't affect the boxoffice. They don't represent GA. Pandering to them is one of reasons why Oscar telecast is slipping in ratings. And yet...

Edited August 11, 2018 by Valonqar

[TalismanRing]

47 minutes ago, Rebeccas said:

Another issue is the film/entertainment media tends to create an atmosphere where populist Best Picture winners are often derided (ROTK being the one exception). Gladiator, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, Titanic, etc are often viewed as "bad" Oscar decisions over their more indie/serious competition. 

Eh, I never much rated Gladiator, Braveheart (Rob Roy was so much better - the same year) or Titanic even before they won.  I love Gump but Pulp Fiction was the better film.

 

It's also not as if smaller films like Crash, The Artist or Hurt Locker aren't derided after winning as well.   

 

A film winning puts a target on it's back, even before winning the front runner usually has one.

[Barnack]

Agree with Talisman, Bad Oscar decisions talk is almost a constant after The Departed/No country pretty much all winners had that in some ways (with Crash being an extreme case just before).

Edited August 11, 2018 by Barnack

[Shawn Robbins]

I'm still forming a full opinion on this, and probably will be until we see what kinds of noms and winners come out of it, but I'd prefer to see it named Best Blockbuster or some sort and just exclude films that earned less than X amount at the domestic or global box office.

 

But then, it gets tricky because it's a largely American voter base, so titles that are popular overseas but not domestically might be under-represented. Or it'll end up being a box office-based award, which I'm not a fan of.

 

Tough situation, but I like the proactive effort to at least recognize more mainstream-friendly films -- so long as as it doesn't affect the Best Picture race.

[MovieMan89]

Watch the category literally be the top 5 DOM grossers are the 5 nominees. With a name like "best popular film", that's the sort of thing this is shaping up to be. Disney also pretty much locks up the win in the category every year in that case, which would line up if they really are the ones behind this. 

[Shawn Robbins]

3 minutes ago, MovieMan89 said:

Watch the category literally be the top 5 DOM grossers are the 5 nominees. With a name like "best popular film", that's the sort of thing this is shaping up to be. Disney also pretty much locks up the win in the category every year in that case, which would line up if they really are the ones behind this. 

Next year, they could have most of the nominees in that case.

 

Captain Marvel

Avengers 4

Lion King

Spider-Man: FFH

Episode 9

 

And those are just the safe to safe-ish bets... 

[WittyUsername]

Just now, Shawn said:

Next year, they could have most of the top nominees in that case.

 

Captain Marvel

Avengers 4

Lion King

Spider-Man: FFH

Episode 9

 

And those are just the safe to safe-ish bets... 

Spider-Man FFH isn’t technically a Disney movie. It doesn’t change the fact that Disney will most likely be the only studio to actually win anything in this category, though. 

[CoolioD1]

if mission impossible wins tom cruise could finally get his oscar as a producer. won't happen this year because black panther but hey maybe the competition won't be so stiff when 7 comes around... if this category still exists.

[4815162342]

Just now, CoolioD1 said:

if mission impossible wins tom cruise could finally get his oscar as a producer. won't happen this year because black panther but hey maybe the competition won't be so stiff when 7 comes around... if this category still exists.

 

Mission Impossible 7: The One Where Cruise Sticks It to Marvel By Discovering an Actual Quantum Realm During a Stunt with a Particle Accelerator

[CoolioD1]

1 minute ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Mission Impossible 7: The One Where Cruise Sticks It to Marvel By Discovering an Actual Quantum Realm During a Stunt with a Particle Accelerator

And also builds an actual functional iron man suit IN A CAVE WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS.