Biggest Oscar mistakes

K

kim...

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Johnny Depp for best actor for Sweeney Todd. I knew he wouldn't have won it, but who in their right mind would have thought that Depp would have such a sensational voice?
 
As Oscar is getting close, we could have a thread on all the mistakes made during the years. Wrong winners, people who should have won, but weren't even nominated etc...

I wanna stat with some I can remember right now...

1. Bette Davis, All About Eve (1950)

Of course, very tough competition, both from co-star Anne Baxter, and Gloria Swansson, so Judy Holliday ended up with it. Davis was sensational in the movie...

2. Jean Hagen, Singing In The Rain (1952)

She was close to perfect as Lina Lamont. Why she didn't get the Oscar? I have no idea...

3. Marlene Dietrich, Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

IMO, one of the strongest performances ever by a woman on the screen. She was sensational in this movie.

There must be many more, but I'm kinda tired now :)
 
yup - that was my one. i don't remember even thinking Hanks was that great in it.

and i know it's cheesy, but i did think it was a bit of a slap in the face for Leo when he didn't get nominated for titanic - just because it was a long film, and one that did hold a lot of people's attention throughout, so it seemed odd to acknowledge everyone else, apart from the male lead.

and why in hell did it take so long for Scorsese to win one?

Iain
 
OOOh! Bit of a controversial one here:

*Prepares myself for onslaught!*

Babe losing out to Braveheart.....(NO, SERIOUSLY!!)

Now, I liked Braveheart, it was a good film... but for me Babe was, and is a classic!

When I saw the film I was absolutely awestruck by its beautiful telling of a childrens story, fabulous cinematography and I was bowled over b y the obvious advances in CGI technology that the film displayed.

To me this film is the PERFECT kiddies movie!!

And it wouldve been a brave move for the Oscars to give the Best Picture to an Aminated/Fantasy film, rather than the usual weighty winner. (Illness/serious subject...)

But no, a "Light" themed film hasnt a chance in hell... still for a kiddies movie to be nominated for Best Picture is a real achivement I guess!!
 
Paul Newman winning in 1986 when he should have got it in the 60's for Cool Hand Luke or even in 1982 for The Verdict

John Wayne for True Grit. Fun film and performance but if he had to get it, then it should have been for The Searchers

Jimmy Cagney only getting ONE Oscar!.....NOTHING for White Heat, Angels With Dirty Faces, The Roaring Twenties....:rolleyes:
 
I found the following that other people felt were mistakes at the Oscars


Jim Carrey not even being nominated for The Truman Show
Back in the day, The Golden Globes were seen as a foreteller for the Oscars, at least as far as the nominations were concerned. And if you won a Golden Globe, it was pretty much a guarantee that you would get an Oscar nomination. Well, there were no guarantees in 1999 when Jim Carrey won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in The Truman Show, and then was snubbed by Oscar, not even getting nominated for marvelously playing the unsuspecting Truman Burbank

Memento loses screenplay award to Gosford Park
In terms of uniqueness and originality, the only movie since Being John Malkovich to achieve such greatness would have to be Christopher Nolan’s magnificent Memento. It’s backward zig-zag structure is incredibly daring, but effective and just wonderful. When Oscar came around in 2002, I had learned a few things from past Oscar’s, and I figured that the only nomination Memento would garner would be for its screenplay. I was actually wrong, since it was nominated for Best Editing as well, but you get the idea. I figured that since most of the big dogs for the year (In the Bedroom, Fellowship of the Ring, A Beautiful Mind) had their screenplays nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, and Memento was nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, I figured it was a sure thing to win. My jaw hit the floor when Gosford Park won. This, my frienRAB, is the biggest Oscar mistake, not just because Memento didn’t win, but also because Gosford Park was such an unbelievably crap-tacular movie! There’s a decent little twist at the end, but it’s primarily a bore-fest. The first hour is completely useless and it’s just plain, sloppy storytelling. There is no way in Hades that Gosford Park had a better screenplay than Memento. There’s just no way at all! Period!

Back in 2001 A Beautiful Mind beat The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for best movie.

Alfred Hitchcock was nominated 6 times for best director but never ever won a oscar.
 
Have to agree with those who have mentioned Goodfellas, L A Confidential and Memento to have won best film. I cannot believe Martin Scorsese didn't win best director for Goodfellas and also reckon Ray Liotta at least deserved a best actor nomination for his portrayal of Henry Hill. He probably gave the performance of his career and got hardly any reward.
 
Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire) losing out to Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) in 1951. Even Montgomery Clift (A Place In The Sun) would have been a more worthy winner.

All IMO of course.:)
 
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon losing out on an Oscar to Gladiator. When even though Gladiator is good, CTHD is far superior in every way. I believe it is the only foreign language movie to ever be nominated at the Academy AwarRAB for Best Picture.
 
Reese Witherspoon winning best actress for Walk The Line, when the year before she was playing a ditzy blonde who launched a hunt for her gay dogs real parents, after that movie I haven't been able to take her seriously.
 
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