namepeace said:

728huey said:

While I'm sure Joan Allen and Ellen Burstyn were probably more deserving of the Best Actress award that year, Julia Roberts won because she had a breakthrough performance which broke her out of the typecast sweetheart/damsel in distress roles she had previously played since Pretty Woman. I personally liked Julia Roberts in that movie and think it was her best role ever, but looking back I don't think it was the best acting performance by a woman that year. In fact, besides Joan Allen and Ellen Burstyn, Zhang Ziyi gave an outstanding performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which wasn't even nominated.

Zhang was great; CTHD, the best film of that year in hindsight.

Crouching was an amazing film, indeed.

The thing about Julia and that being a "breakthrough" role is that I never saw it as being so breakthrough at all. She still played a bubbly (even if a little "tough" around the edges lovable character). Had she played an evil conniving crack ho I would've laid down and hollared for her.

She still played a "sweetheart" IMO, just a tougher one one with cleavage and tacky fashion sense.

johnart said:

namepeace said:

Zhang was great; CTHD, the best film of that year in hindsight.

Crouching was an amazing film, indeed.

The thing about Julia and that being a "breakthrough" role is that I never saw it as being so breakthrough at all. She still played a bubbly (even if a little "tough" around the edges lovable character). Had she played an evil conniving crack ho I would've laid down and hollared for her.

She still played a "sweetheart" IMO, just a tougher one one with cleavage and tacky fashion sense.

Pretty much. She's been playing the same role for 20 years now. Even "Pretty Woman" was on some sweetheart thing. Only thing was the sweetheart was a prostitute.

Timmy84 said:

johnart said:

Crouching was an amazing film, indeed.

The thing about Julia and that being a "breakthrough" role is that I never saw it as being so breakthrough at all. She still played a bubbly (even if a little "tough" around the edges lovable character). Had she played an evil conniving crack ho I would've laid down and hollared for her.

She still played a "sweetheart" IMO, just a tougher one one with cleavage and tacky fashion sense.

Pretty much. She's been playing the same role for 20 years now. Even "Pretty Woman" was on some sweetheart thing. Only thing was the sweetheart was a prostitute.

And the thing is that I actually think she does have good acting chops. I don't know if it's that she's too much of a "brand" and her management steers her away from certain roles or if they are just not offered to her but I would love to see some grit from this woman.

Timmy84 said:

missfee said:

#1: Yes Denzel should had won for "Malcolm X", however, the academy had to make up for when they robbed Al Pacino for the Best Actor Oscar way back for "The Godfather, Part II".

#2: It's ridiculous that a man as talented as Johnny Depp is, still doesn't have an Oscar to this day.

#3: Don't really get how Will Smith was nominated for Ali...I think I was more impressed with Jamie Foxx's performance in the film

#4: Forget "Shawshank Redemption" and "Driving Miss Daisy"...Morgan Freeman should had gotten a best actor nod and won for "Lean on Me".

#5: The oscar they gave Halle Berry, I've always felt, was a "mercy" oscar in order to shut people up about the lack of awarding academy awards to deserving African Americans. The fuck up here is, they gave the oscar to Halle Berry for a role that she really wasn't that great in and then gave the oscar to Denzel for a role where he was great but "wasn't his greatest" in, on the same night where Sidney Poiter is honored by the academy. Wow what a coincidence.

This is precisely why I do not waste any of my time watching that bullshit show.

Yeah I was watching that show like " "

I still think Eddie got robbed for his role in "Dreamgirls". He was the attraction of the film, not Jennifer.

At the time of Berry's win I had no knowledge of the film. I was just happy she won simply because it was historic. Still am. Loved her speech. But in retrospect, Monster's Ball is something that has little value to me. It's not something that's culturally significant, it isn't brilliant or a must-see, never had the urge to watch it over and over again, and to be frank her performance was average. I would have seriously gave it to any of the other four before Halle.

Hudson was another overrated win. The singing sections were incredible but go back and look at the regular dialogue. Simply dreadful. Again, every other nominee was more deserving. Rinko Kikuchi, the Japenese actress from Babel, was absolutely breathtaking. Eddie and Alan Arkin (winner) were both great. I would have been fine with either one.

johnart said:

Timmy84 said:

Pretty much. She's been playing the same role for 20 years now. Even "Pretty Woman" was on some sweetheart thing. Only thing was the sweetheart was a prostitute.

And the thing is that I actually think she does have good acting chops. I don't know if it's that she's too much of a "brand" and her management steers her away from certain roles or if they are just not offered to her but I would love to see some grit from this woman.

Yeah it's as if they don't think she's valuable enough to handle a "gritty" role as you put it. She definitely has acting chops.

Truth be told, the movies nominated and won best picture have sucked.

Was Alien nominated for Best Picture in 1979??

1. “Forrest Gump” winning best picture
2. “Titanic” winning best picture
3. “Shakespeare In Love” winning best picture
4. “Chicago” winning best picture
5. “The English Patient” winning best picture

jillybean said:

1. “Forrest Gump” winning best picture
2. “Titanic” winning best picture
3. “Shakespeare In Love” winning best picture
4. “Chicago” winning best picture
5. “The English Patient” winning best picture

The only one I would disagree on would be Chicago. I was so happy to see a return to the movie musical and it be done so well (most of the ones that followed have fallen pretty flat or been just OK). And I hated Mulin Rouge with a PASSION. I know folk loved that movie but I remember the crazy camera pace ruining the whole thing for me. I couldn't really focus on anything. And a nomination for Kidman in that movie??? Come on.

Even though not my picks, I would only guess that Forrest and Titanic maybe won just on the fact that they did something never really seen in film (or at least not to that extent) before.

johnart said:

The only one I would disagree on would be Chicago. I was so happy to see a return to the movie musical and it be done so well (most of the ones that followed have fallen pretty flat or been just OK). And I hated Mulin Rouge with a PASSION. I know folk loved that movie but I remember the crazy camera pace ruining the whole thing for me. I couldn't really focus on anything. And a nomination for Kidman in that movie??? Come on.

I remeber Richard Roeper (of Ebert & Roeper fame) saying that Nicole Kidmen did deserve an Oscar nomination for Best Actress that year, but not for Moulin Rouge. He said her performance in The Others was actually better, but the Motion Picture Acdemy tends to look down at the horror/supsense thriller genre. Of course, they made up for it a year later when she won Best Actress for The Hours.

Also on my snub list, The Dark Knight not getting a best picture nomination. Yes, it was an incredible superhero/action movie, but it was also one of the best films of the year. I beleive the fact it got shut out of the Best Pricture nomination was one of the reasons the Motion Picture Acdemy expanded their Best Picture nomination list to ten movies instead of five.

Bette deserved it for The Rose

1979 Actress:
SALLY FIELD in "Norma Rae", Jill Clayburgh in "Starting Over", Jane Fonda in "The China Syndrome", Marsha Mason in "Chapter Two", Bette Midler in "The Rose"

johnart said:

Bette deserved it for The Rose

1979 Actress:
SALLY FIELD in "Norma Rae", Jill Clayburgh in "Starting Over", Jane Fonda in "The China Syndrome", Marsha Mason in "Chapter Two", Bette Midler in "The Rose"

OH MAN I AGREE! Bette got fucking robbed! "The Rose" was excellent.

johnart said:

Bette deserved it for The Rose

1979 Actress:
SALLY FIELD in "Norma Rae", Jill Clayburgh in "Starting Over", Jane Fonda in "The China Syndrome", Marsha Mason in "Chapter Two", Bette Midler in "The Rose"