How did "Magnolia" not get a Best Picture nod

[kassius]

Not just this but "Being John Malcovich" too.  My goodness!  Out of the entire pack from the 2000 Oscars... American Beauty was the ONLY one, from the list, good enough to win it.

Looking back at those who got nominated...

The Green Mile would have seemed more like a desperation move by the Academy to award Frank Darabont with an Oscar after rightfully screwing him out of one with The Shawshank Redemption.  This is not to say that The Green Mile wasn't a well done picture but "American Beauty" was much more orginal then it was.

The Sixth Sense's had a surprise ending, maybe too odd for Hollywood.  It was probably the same thing that kept Paul Thomas Anderson and his frogs out of the competition.  The Cider House was a film that tired to hard to suck in all the classic elements of your everyday drama.  And The Insider, like The Hurricane, took too many liberties with fact over fiction.  

I have always been one whose believed that being creative, with anything artistic, is a HUGE element to a project and so rewarding, an Oscar to a "true story" sort of takes away from that magic. This is ONE of the few reasons why I nail films like "Apollo 13" and "Brave heart".  The story's been written.  Where is the originality?  

I really think "Magnolia" and "Being John Malcovich" (for that matter) really deserved more credit.  Maybe they are odd... but why does that ALWAYS have to be a bad thing.

[MacGuffin]

I have always been one whose believed that being creative, with anything artistic, is a HUGE element to a project and so rewarding, an Oscar to a "true story" sort of takes away from that magic. This is ONE of the few reasons why I nail films like "Apollo 13" and "Brave heart".  The story's been written.  Where is the originality?  

There's originality in the way it's told by the script and the way it's presented in visuals.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I have always been one whose believed that being creative, with anything artistic, is a HUGE element to a project and so rewarding

You may be confusing creativity with puritanical originality. Adaptations have huge potential for originality (though I'm also annoyed by the gimmick of "true stories"), and I guarantee Magnolia was influenced to a similar degree... that doesn't make it a less great or even a less original film.

Context can be originality.

[kotte]

I have always been one whose believed that being creative, with anything artistic, is a HUGE element to a project and so rewarding

You may be confusing creativity with puritanical originality. Adaptations have huge potential for originality (though I'm also annoyed by the gimmick of "true stories"), and I guarantee Magnolia was influenced to a similar degree... that doesn't make it a less great or even a less original film.

Context can be originality.

Amen...

[modage]

the bulk of oscar voters are old people or indifferent hollywood folk like dennis leary who said he just votes for whoever he's friends with and keeps all the screeners.  its not made up of film geeks like us, thats why.

[MacGuffin]

the bulk of oscar voters are old people or indifferent hollywood folk like dennis leary who said he just votes for whoever he's friends with and keeps all the screeners.  its not made up of film geeks like us, thats why.

How did Dennis Leary become an Oscar voter? What two members sponsored his membership?

[modage]

i have no idea, but i remember last year watching him on leno (i believe) talking about how he loves having all his friends over to watch screeners of movies still in theatres and he doesnt care about voting.  he votes for if anyone is his friend.

[cine]

What's wrong with Leary being a voter?

[MacGuffin]

What's wrong with Leary being a voter?

Did you read mod-age's posts?

[cine]

Yeah, but I don't know. It's probably because I like Leary, but I don't think it's too big of a deal for him to vote for his friends. I mean a least he's watching a lot of those screeners, right? Chances are, he's watching the stuff the art-house people want the voters to watch anyway.

[MacGuffin]

Yeah, but I don't know. It's probably because I like Leary, but I don't think it's too big of a deal for him to vote for his friends. I mean a least he's watching a lot of those screeners, right? Chances are, he's watching the stuff the art-house people want the voters to watch anyway.

But then a lot of people gripe about deserving films NOT getting nominated. Well, this is why. It's one thing for him to watch the art-house films, but if he's not friends with those involved, then it really doesn't matter.

[cine]

True, but maybe he IS friends with those involved.

Ah, but who the hell knows. Sometimes I'm really optimistic. Whatever.

[analogzombie]

f*** the Oscars anyway man, it's politics and popularity that only serve to add to the cash collected at box offices. the oscars are good for one thing only, if a smaller film gets nominated then it tends to get a re-release and more people see it, and thereby advancing the career of a possibly talented director/writer whatever. same thing for lesser known actors/actresses

and if the dvd screener ban had stuck as it first was then smaller films would get more of a shafting so who gives a rat's ass

i just watch for the clothes and the odd celebrity fall-down

so if dennis leary wants to vote for his buddies i don't give a damm, it's just another example of why the oscars are bogus

[Pubrick]

zombie's on point.

there's nothing surprising about leary's voting methods.

[cine]

i just watch for the clothes and the odd celebrity fall-down