Probably many of them, among the countless films that didn't win, which ones do you think is the best ones that didn't win or nominated for an Oscar?

The Shawshank Redemption should have won that year but didn't.

The Truman Show was underrated as well.

The Shawshank Redemption.  Robbery of the highest order.

  I agree with The Shawshank Redemption...

  There's a nice backstory about about the connection between film's unusual title and it's being passed over for an Oscar on the DVD...

  What other films was T.S.R. up-against that year..?  The Lion King, or something..?

  I agree with The Shawshank Redemption...

  There's a nice backstory about about the connection between film's unusual title and it's being passed over for an Oscar on the DVD...

  What other films was T.S.R. up-against that year..?  The Lion King, or something..?



Forrest Gump
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral

It should've won.  Forrest Gump was good but it wasn't Oscar-worthy.  It probably won because it made like $400 million and Shawshank barely scratched the top 12 at the box office.

Forrest Gump
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral


  Okay, that explains alot...

  A few wildly popular contenders in that list...

I had hoped Pleasantville would have gotten some big nominations at the 1999 Oscars, but as usual, the boring "put you to sleep" films took all the nods  >:(

Forrest Gump
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral


Forrest Gump did win an Oscar, in fact it won 6 in total:
Picture,
Leading Actor (Tom Hanks),
Director (Robert Zemeckis),
Adapted Screenplay (Eric Roth),
Film Editing,
Visual Effects
Free Soul, A (1930/31) - 1/3: Leading Actor (Lionel Barrymore)

the witch mountain movies. TOTALLY passed over at oscar time. that sheesh is all politics man! it's all who you know.

I will never understand people's fascination with Shawshank Redemption. 

I do think that another Tim Robbins film, Bob Roberts, had performances that were overlooked.  ugh- did you see him in War of the Worlds? My award for WORST acting job in a long time. 

I will never understand people's fascination with Shawshank Redemption. 

I do think that another Tim Robbins film, Bob Roberts, had performances that were overlooked.  ugh- did you see him in War of the Worlds? My award for WORST acting job in a long time. 
i liked war of the worlds. then again, i like just about anything in which stuff blows up real good.

I will never understand people's fascination with Shawshank Redemption. 


Because it's a great movie.

Because it's a great movie.


Stephen Colbert even tried to lure Lieberman with that movie DVD.

Because it's a great movie.
But, what makes it a great movie?

I will never understand people's fascination with Shawshank Redemption. 


It's a really good movie.  The first time I saw it I wasn't a fan of it, but the more times I watched it, the more I really started to love it.

But, what makes it a great movie?


It is inspirational.  It has excellent acting.  It developed characters nicely.  It had a great plot and great subplots and an awesome twist.  And the ending was left open-ended so that you're happy but at the same time you don't know what will happen next.

Shawshank > Gump.

It is inspirational.  It has excellent acting.  It developed characters nicely.  It had a great plot and great subplots and an awesome twist.  And the ending was left open-ended so that you're happy but at the same time you don't know what will happen next.

Shawshank > Gump.
Thanks, I may even get round to watching it.

Shawshank > George Lucas in Love ;)

Shawshank > George Lucas in Love ;)
Any film > George Lucas in Love ?

Especially Shawshank.  You should just buy it.

Especially Shawshank.  You should just buy it.
When seen in a sale I will.

It's a really good movie.  The first time I saw it I wasn't a fan of it, but the more times I watched it, the more I really started to love it.


I heard it's good.

stinkystank redumption was pretty good, i thought. better than gump, fer shurr.

what about stand by me, in speaking of stephen king dramatic adaptations? that's a great movie. did it win anything?

stinkystank redumption was pretty good, i thought. better than gump, fer shurr.

what about stand by me, in speaking of stephen king dramatic adaptations? that's a great movie. did it win anything?


No.

It's a really good movie.  The first time I saw it I wasn't a fan of it, but the more times I watched it, the more I really started to love it.


It was nominated for 7 awards but lost them all.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN was ROBBED when it lost out to Crash for Best Picture.

Even the Academy thought that Brokeback Mountain was gay.

Even the Academy thought that Brokeback Mountain was gay.


I'm telling you, if you see beyond the Gay thing.. that story speaks volumes.. I seriously could relate to the pain that ALL of the characters were feeling. The emptiness the wives were feeling, the denial the men were in, the repression of the desire that they felt for each other, all because of conventional norms and what's considered right.  The story is not unlike the one told by Robert Waller in "Bridges Of Madison County". This also made you feel that wide spectrum of emotions.  Torn between doing what's expected and what your heart craves. 
See my point?  You could relate this story to any aspect of anyone's life.

I'm telling you, if you see beyond the Gay thing.. that story speaks volumes.. I seriously could relate to the pain that ALL of the characters were feeling. The emptiness the wives were feeling, the denial the men were in, the repression of the desire that they felt for each other, all because of conventional norms and what's considered right.  The story is not unlike the one told by Robert Waller in "Bridges Of Madison County". This also made you feel that wide spectrum of emotions.  Torn between doing what's expected and what your heart craves. 
See my point?  You could relate this story to any aspect of anyone's life.


Oh, I meant that as a joke :)  I didn't see either Brokeback or Crash.  I did, however, see Walk the Line, and it was Ray with white people like Jon Stewart said.

Oh, I meant that as a joke :)  I didn't see either Brokeback or Crash.  I did, however, see Walk the Line, and it was Ray with white people like Jon Stewart said.

I liked Walk The Line because I'm a big Johnny Cash fan, but you're right.. it was "Ray" with White People. And I didn't think Reese or Joaquin deserved oscar nominations, much less wins.  (and I love both of them as actors.) Reese just played Perky like she always does.. and Joaquin played troubled, like he always does.  They both play these roles well, but worthy of Oscars? I think not.

Crash was good, but in my opinion, not Best Picture worthy.

The Academy Awards are like high school popularity contests anyway, but every now and then the Academy liked to be all "intellectual" and "artsy" and shizzle and vote for the bigtime underdog...or they give "make-up" Oscars to people who should've won last time, like they did with the LOTR movies and Peter Jackson :D

How else do you explain Marisa Tomei's Oscar?  Marisa is awesome though, she was great in My Cousin Vinny :)

Alfred Hitchcock should've won at some point.

stinkystank redumption was pretty good, i thought. better than gump, fer shurr.

what about stand by me, in speaking of stephen king dramatic adaptations? that's a great movie. did it win anything?


I could see that. It was excellent.

Can I start a Shawshank Thread? It is one of those films that people love to talk about. Some love it, some hate it (like me).
At first I thought that Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were going to be two of the best actors of my lifetime but now I find their choices to be so poor; and mediocre performances come from them (not all the time..I mean Million Dollar Baby was amazing). I hope they both get great roles in the future cuz they really have it in them.

Can I start a Shawshank Thread? It is one of those films that people love to talk about. Some love it, some hate it (like me).
At first I thought that Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were going to be two of the best actors of my lifetime but now I find their choices to be so poor; and mediocre performances come from them (not all the time..I mean Million Dollar Baby was amazing). I hope they both get great roles in the future cuz they really have it in them.


Morgan Freeman keeps movies from reaching their uber-crap potential when he's in them (see: Along Came a Spider).  Shawshank was not one of those movies ;)

I may have to repossess your soul.

Alfred Hitchcock should've won at some point.
True, he never won a personal Oscar.

There are a lot of movies that should have won the gold statue, but did not:

Citizen Kane
2001: A Space Odyssey (it lost to Oliver!)
L.A. Confidential (it ran against Titanic)
Taxi Driver
Dr. Strangelove
Empire Of The Sun

And I will not even go into the directors and actors that have been snubed by The Academy.  For many years, Steven Spielburg was one of them.  And I do not even want to go into the fiasco that resulted in holding back the oscars for the Lord Of The Rings series.

Sean Penn should have won for Dead Man Walking. Also for I Am Sam. But definitely for Dead Man Walking. I thought his performance outranked Nicholas Cage's in Leaving Las Vegas by a long shot. But.. for some reason, they snubbed him back then.

Batman Begins. ;)

Fantastic cinematography, direction, score and production design. Great cast of actors too. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson and of course Christian Bale. Bale is one of the most exciting and underrated actors of his generation. His performances can be very electric without being over the top or too forced, and he has incredible range. Hes played snakey villains(Shaft), yuppies(Laurel Canyon), street hoods(Harsh Times), prisoners of war(Rescue Dawn), benevolent superheros(Batman Begins), axe-wielding psychopaths(American Psycho), John Rolfe(The New World), and even Bob Dylan(I'm Not There). Plus noone dedicates themselves to the roles they play quite like him. To play the lead role in The Machinist, he lost over one third of his body weight, making him unbelievably skinny(vacuum cleaner pipe neck, rib cage showing, etc) and then he put back on about 80 pounds and turned himself into a muscular guy again in only 3-4 months to play Batman.

Batman Begins. ;)


Comedy and Action films never get the attention from The Academy that they deserve.  About the only time they win any awards, it is in the Techincal categories.

As wildly popular and original as the Star Wars movies were, it only recieved 3 nominations that were not in a technical field: best director (George Lucas), Best Picture, and best supporting actor (Sir Alec Guinness).  And it won none of them.  That year, "Annie Hall" and Woody Allen won Director and Picture, and Jason Robards won supporting actor for "Julia".

And "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" was equally snubbed the same year (1988).  Very few people cared about "Annie Hall" after a year or two, and "Julia" is almost totally forgotten.  But those were both conventional drama movies, so they got the nominations and awards.  But the truely innovative movies still live on, and inspire more movies.

Comedy and Action films never get the attention from The Academy that they deserve.  About the only time they win any awards, it is in the Techincal categories.

As wildly popular and original as the Star Wars movies were, it only recieved 3 nominations that were not in a technical field: best director (George Lucas), Best Picture, and best supporting actor (Sir Alec Guinness).  And it won none of them.  That year, "Annie Hall" and Woody Allen won Director and Picture, and Jason Robards won supporting actor for "Julia".

And "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" was equally snubbed the same year (1988).  Very few people cared about "Annie Hall" after a year or two, and "Julia" is almost totally forgotten.  But those were both conventional drama movies, so they got the nominations and awards.  But the truely innovative movies still live on, and inspire more movies.


No doubt. The fact it took until Return of the King for them to give LOTR/Peter Jackson an Oscar for Best Picture is sure proof of it.

Oh, and funny thing about comedy- ask anyone who knows their rear end from their elbow about films/acting, comedy can be one of the most difficult genres to act in. Good comedic acting skills are often indicative of good overall acting skills. Look at how many comedians have turned into respected actors: Bill Murray, Will Smith(he started off on a sitcom), Robin Williams, Jamie Foxx etc.

I'm not up on the Oscars scene these days, but I have a few suggestions (if they qualify):

-I, Robot (I like Isaac Asimov's work with the "Robot" & "Foundation" series

-Se7en (Gritty thriller, plays like a horror film, excellent cast, and believable plot...)

-Frauds (Earlier roles for Hugo Weaving & Phil Collins; on e of the biggest head-trips I've ever seen)

-Psycho (Hitchcock, I know, but I am also a big Anthony Perkins fan)

....More to come later.

Look at how many comedians have turned into respected actors: Bill Murray, Will Smith(he started off on a sitcom), Robin Williams, Jamie Foxx etc.


And don't forget multiple-Oscar winner Tom Hanks.  Who started in a stupid sitcom about 2 men who were crossdressers.

Citizen Kane
2001: A Space Odyssey
L.A. Confidential (it ran against Titanic)
Taxi Driver
Dr. Strangelove
Empire Of The Sun


Those are some of my favoitres as well.  HOw about The Year Of Living Dangerously? 

-Psycho (Hitchcock, I know, but I am also a big Anthony Perkins fan)


Sir Alfred is probably the best example of "Oscar Snubbed".  He never won a single Oscar during his entire career.

In 1941, he lost as the director Rebecca to John Ford for The Grapes Of Wrath.
In 1942, Suspician lost to How Green Was My Valley.  (this was his only Best Picture nomination)
In 1944, he lost as the director of Lifeboat to Leo McCarey for Going My Way.
In 1945, he lost as the director of Spellbound to Billy Wilder for The Lost Weekend.
In 1955, he lost as the director of The Rear Window to Elia Kazan for On The Waterfront.
In 1961, he lost as the director of Psycho to Billy Wilder for The Apartment.

In 1968, he recieved an Honorary Oscar.  But nobody really counts those, since they are non-competitive.

Batman Begins. ;)


Katie Holmes = doooooom.

And don't forget multiple-Oscar winner Tom Hanks.  Who started in a stupid sitcom about 2 men who were crossdressers.


That "stupid sitcom" was called "Bosom Buddies", with Peter Scolari, Holland Taylor, Wendie Jo Sperber & a very nice actress of my acquaintance, Donna Dixon.

I knew Donna through her father, Earl.

BTW, thanks for not including that half-wit, Jim Carrey.
When he was "James Carrey", he was OK. But when "Ace Ventura" hit, that was it!

another slight .. was  Rachel Weiss winning for Best Supporting Actress, in the Constant Gardener. Her role was a leading role, yet they put her in the Supporting category so they could give Reese a best Actress nomination.. I say it was fixed. Rachel Weiss not only deserved her oscar, but she deserved BEST ACTRESS for her role.

I realize I dogged on Jim Carrey, but I will give him credit for one film-

"Man On the Moon".

I used to watch "Taxi", solely for the purpose of Andy Kaufman's character "Latka".
I also saw the famous matches between him & Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Kaufman was a comic genius, and he is quite missed.

^ agreed!

I realize I dogged on Jim Carrey, but I will give him credit for one film-

"Man On the Moon".


I only liked him in 2 roles:  Man On The Moon and The Truman Show.

In Moon, he was playing Andy Kaufman, and did a great job in portraying his "off the wall" sense of humor.  I was also a long time Andy Kaufman fan, having first seen him on the Dick Van Dyke variety show as an Elvis Impersonator.

In The Truman Show, he was playing somebody who really had no idea what "real life" was like, since his entire life was spoon fed and deranged.  I can't stand any of his other roles though.

And ironically, Man On The Moon did not recieve a single Oscar nomination.  The Truman Show got 3 nominations (Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay), but did not win anything.

he was good in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind.

2001: A Space Odyssey
apparently 2001 was up for best costumes for the gorilla/chimp/whatever they weres at the beginning, but it lost out to the planet of the apes because everybody thought the apes in 2001 were real. LOL!

apparently 2001 was up for best costumes for the gorilla/chimp/whatever they weres at the beginning, but it lost out to the planet of the apes because everybody thought the apes in 2001 were real. LOL!


that's great. genius.

apparently 2001 was up for best costumes for the gorilla/chimp/whatever they weres at the beginning, but it lost out to the planet of the apes because everybody thought the apes in 2001 were real. LOL!
Tribal Apes?

apparently 2001 was up for best costumes for the gorilla/chimp/whatever they weres at the beginning, but it lost out to the planet of the apes because everybody thought the apes in 2001 were real. LOL!


ROFL

Jim Carrey has a lot of potential IMO, he hasn't had his "breakthrough performance" yet. I think we got a glimpse at what he can do in The Majestic, Man On The Moon, The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(all great performances), but he's still yet to really establish himself as a serious actor. I've always liked the guy, even in his more silly comedic roles like Ace Ventura.

I realize I dogged on Jim Carrey, but I will give him credit for one film-

"Man On the Moon".

I used to watch "Taxi", solely for the purpose of Andy Kaufman's character "Latka".
I also saw the famous matches between him & Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Kaufman was a comic genius, and he is quite missed.


I think Taxi as a whole was brilliant. It was a particular breed of sitcom, I'll call it the "M*A*S*H type". Thats because M*A*S*H was the first one kind of like it. Non-family based(like most sitcoms are again today and prior to that in the 50s and 60s), lots of characters coming in and out of a particular setting, a kind of "revolving door" comedy act thats really character-based. M*A*S*H, Cheers, Taxi, WKRP etc. all kinda fall into that category and they're my favorite sitcoms.

Jim Carrey has a lot of potential IMO, he hasn't had his "breakthrough performance" yet. I think we got a glimpse at what he can do in The Majestic, Man On The Moon, The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(all great performances), but he's still yet to really establish himself as a serious actor. I've always liked the guy, even in his more silly comedic roles like Ace Ventura.


I think the majority of his problem is the same one that Adam Sandler has:  they continue to pick "stupid" roles.

I like Adam Sandler a lot.  His roles in movies where he is mostly serious (like those with Drew Barrymore) are a great combination of comedy and drama.  But for some reason, he keeps taking these roles where he plays a complete moron.

That is seriously holding him back as a "serious actor", because a lot of people simply do not want to watch movies about morons.  I spend 8 hours a day around morons already, why would I want to spend money to spend 2 hours watching them during my time off?  :P

With very few exceptions, I do not find Adam Sandler all that funny.

The exceptions are:

The Waterboy- Great use of his comedic skills. With Jerry Reed, Henry Winkler, and Fairuza Balk...maaaan!

The Cosby Show- Many people don't realize this, but that's where he really got started.

Jim Carrey has a lot of potential IMO, he hasn't had his "breakthrough performance" yet. I think we got a glimpse at what he can do in The Majestic, Man On The Moon, The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(all great performances), but he's still yet to really establish himself as a serious actor. I've always liked the guy, even in his more silly comedic roles like Ace Ventura.


Kinda like Tom Hanks on a delay.

Should be the time to give O'Toole an " Honorary Oscar ".

Should be the time to give O'Toole an " Honorary Oscar ".
Yes!

A lot of people think Goodfellas was robbed of the best picture Oscar in the year it lost to Dances With Wolves. The magazine Entertainment Weekly ranked it as the biggest Oscar robbery of the 90s.

nope, Dead Man Walking was the biggest robbery.  It should have been nominated for Best Picture.  As well, Sean Penn should have won Best Actor.