Pretty good year. Inglourious Basterds is great. Was positively surprised by Precious when I saw it, it's quite aesthetically accomplished and Mo'Nique deserved every award for her final scene alone, but damn, is it hard to watch (based on the novel stone cold bummer). Lone Scherfig is as always pretty good, though An Education is not her best. Up has that great first sequence and The Hurt Locker that great final one in the supermarket. It loses points for pushing Bigelow in the wrong direction, though.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:05 (five years ago) link
Pixar films are the most evil, regressive things I've seen in the current century.
Voted Basterds. Serious Man is undoubtedly the more perfectly formed movie, but I like the messiness and all-over-the-placeness of the Tarantino - I think it's a sign of him actually thinking about things - language, cinema, genre (so it's like a 1970s issue of Screen!) And he almost pulls it off imho, he almost re-invents the war film - something he didn't manage to do at all w/ the western, afterwards.
― Ward Fowler, Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:07 (five years ago) link
Up in the Air is very bad. The only thing that makes it remotely watchable is that Clooney and Farmiga have excellent movie star chemistry in this. Everything else about it is exceedingly stupid and pretentious.
― A is for (Aimless), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
I've unfortunately never caught A Serious Man, so might go with Up despite agreeing with voodoo chili. Morbs is otm about IB, which is also an absurdly bad movie in multiple ways.
I remember liking District 9 a lot but I've never felt moved to revisit it. I'd forgotten it went up against Avatar lol
― rob, Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:12 (five years ago) link
the auteur's "thinking" on display in IB is Trumpian
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:20 (five years ago) link
Wow, didn't realize/remember that the expanded BP category came back nearly a decade ago. A Serious Man will walk with this, and deservedly so.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:21 (five years ago) link
lots of saying, not a lot of explaining
― nba jungboy (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:46 (five years ago) link
I'm haunted by Sarsgaard ever so delicately asking Carrie Mulligan "Can I see them?" in AE.
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:46 (five years ago) link
I have way, way less time for the moronic parts of IB, i.e. anything Christoph Waltz is smirking and twinkling.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:48 (five years ago) link
man what a lousy actor, which is why he deserved two Academy Awards
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:49 (five years ago) link
Liked at the time, will rewatch one day: Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Up
Liked at the time, but no desire to see again: District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker
Can't believe I sat through once: Avatar, The Blind Side, Up in the Air
Terrible, but not unwatchable: Precious
― Engles in the Outfield (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:54 (five years ago) link
serious man definitely
district 9 was great but subsequent career took a dovetail of richard kelly proportions - tho his online material recently has been pretty cool
― ritual showdown (Ross), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:55 (five years ago) link
Supporting actor race that year didn’t leave Oscar voters any other viable choice, ultimately.
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 21:59 (five years ago) link
Voted immediately for A Serious Man, but think I rate Up In The Air much more than everyone else so far, not nearly enough to consider voting for it though.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:04 (five years ago) link
xp i like waltz's performance, but yes that is a ridiculously brutal slate.
― nba jungboy (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:05 (five years ago) link
inglorious is not as evil as Hostel tho, probably the most offensive movie ive seen in years
― ritual showdown (Ross), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:06 (five years ago) link
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; Lawrence Bender (The Weinstein Company)A SERIOUS MAN; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (Focus Features)
these are the only two contenders imo and while A Serious Man is peak Coens idk IB just does so much (also I know others won't vote for it so...)
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:07 (five years ago) link
An Education is nice enough, lightweight fluff, don't understand it being nominated for BP at all.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:09 (five years ago) link
It was a Sony Pictures Classics thing about vintage Britishers, that's why.
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:11 (five years ago) link
Yes. Annoying that there are four or five kinds of films that always end up getting nominated these years with apparently no regard to originality, quality or importance, probably been over this enough though I guess.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 22:21 (five years ago) link
Waltz's hamming v much reminds me of Martin Short in a sketch (only not funny... well, he reminds me completely of Short after 1990)
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 23:46 (five years ago) link
OOH DAT'S AH BEEN-GO -- incinerate him, please.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 25 September 2018 23:48 (five years ago) link
lmao
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 26 September 2018 00:43 (five years ago) link
I've somehow never seen a Pixar film all the way through (seen most of WALL-E, I think).
I would've voted for Synecdoche, New York if it was nominated that year, but from the ones that were, I've rewatched A Serious Man multiple times so I'll go with that.
― Rod Steel (musicfanatic), Wednesday, 26 September 2018 00:43 (five years ago) link
YUP
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 26 September 2018 00:45 (five years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:01 (five years ago) link
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, September 25, 2018 7:48 PM
― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:05 (five years ago) link
now that I've seen more films with Waltz I have serious doubts about his acting ability, but I thought Basterds was thrilling
wasn't Synechdoche the year before? would definitely have voted for that
― Dan S, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:09 (five years ago) link
Synecdoche was '08, yes.
I guess I just happen to enjoy Waltz's particular brand of ham. He even manages to bring life to that one nü-007 he was in.
― Timothée Charalambides (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:23 (five years ago) link
i like Waltz well enough and he was one of three decent things about Spectre (Bautista and...ok two things.) He was perfect for a Bond film.
― omar little, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:26 (five years ago) link
i agree w/Alfred's top 3, probably in that order.
― omar little, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:27 (five years ago) link
xp didn't see it, thought his shtick worked in Inglorious Basterds
― Dan S, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:30 (five years ago) link
have to watch A Serious Man again. the first time it seemed unfinished to me
― Dan S, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 00:32 (five years ago) link
(maybe it's just that I could have watched it for twice as long and was disappointed when it ended)
― Dan S, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 01:30 (five years ago) link
avatar jk lol
― flopson, Wednesday, 17 October 2018 03:39 (five years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Thursday, 18 October 2018 00:01 (five years ago) link
don't think A Serious Man was better than Inglorious Basterds
― Dan S, Thursday, 18 October 2018 00:06 (five years ago) link
i thought waltz was terrible in spectre but i mostly blame the script
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 18 October 2018 00:12 (five years ago) link
up is probably my favorite pixar film, never thought there was a huge gap in quality between the opening sequence and the rest of the film
wall-e is a pretty evil film admittedly
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 18 October 2018 00:13 (five years ago) link
I guess I would rate Inside Out, Up, Ratatouille, and especially Coco as my favorite Pixar films
― Dan S, Thursday, 18 October 2018 00:21 (five years ago) link
and the one with the billion dollar sequels gets 0 votes
― adam the (abanana), Thursday, 18 October 2018 01:56 (five years ago) link
those Alvin & the Chipmunks movies are better than Inglourious Basterds
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 18 October 2018 01:57 (five years ago) link
xp fully SIX movies got 0 votes, which must be a record for these polls
― I Never Promised You A Hose Harden (Eric H.), Thursday, 18 October 2018 02:02 (five years ago) link
billion dollar sequels?
alvin and the chipmunks?
not sure what you all are talking about
― Dan S, Thursday, 18 October 2018 02:09 (five years ago) link
jackie brown the best tarantino movie is him somehow circumnavigating most of his dumbass tendencies. basterds is him employing all of them at once but somehow getting the balance right, it’s a powerful movie that is also... fun?
after which he totally lost it imo, at least for the moment
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 18 October 2018 10:24 (five years ago) link
somehow circumnavigating most of his dumbass tendencies
this is all thanks to elmore leonard imo
― himalayan mountain hole (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 18 October 2018 10:30 (five years ago) link