by Bryan Mero
I've been a science fiction fan for all of my life and I have been watching to Oscars for a long time and one thing seems to be missing over the last 82 years of the Academy Awards...there is NOT ONE best picture in the scifi genre. Let's look back at some examples, starting with this year.
Avatar had the most nominations this year with 11 including Best Picture and won the awards sci fi aways wins, Best Visual Effects, Art Direction and Cinematography. 3 Oscars sounds good doesn't it? But not Best Director or Best Picture...nominations are nice but when will a sci fi film win? If not with the highest grossing picture is history...than what?
In the past there are have been several sci fi films with really good chances...let's look back:
1977 - STAR WARS - nominated for Best Picture along with a ton of other awards...it pulled in 7 Oscars...yes 7!! But did it win Best Picture? Nope, that goes to Annie Hall...you know, that film that didn't change its own genre forever and now looks like an outdated frumpy snoozer. Instead, STAR WARS changed the way sci fi movies were made and brought back excitment to the movie theater creating lines going around the block...no that movie, Star Wars, didn't win.
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey - now were talking! 2001:ASO was a breakthrough in sci fi and brought in philosophy, fx breakthrough and drama...you'd think it would be the perfect sci fi film to win Best Picture! You'd be wrong...2001:ASO received 3 nominations and won for Best Visual Effects but was NOT EVEN NOMINATED for Best Picture!
1982 - E.T. - Yes! Nominated for Best Picture! This was a block buster and the Academy took notice with 9 (count them), 9 nomiations...and it won 4...all for technical aspects...but not Best Picture, that went to GHANDI...ok, I'll give you GHANDI, an eye opening film, great acting. But this isn't what I get ticked about...its the other sci fi film that hardly got recognized that year...BLADE RUNNER! Blade Runner with only two nominations and no wins has to be one of the most influential sci fi films of all time (above or equal to Star Wars and 2001)...Harrison Ford's performance was incredible, the storyline unique and provoking, it influenced film makers for years to come. It was shutout and basically forgotten when it came to the nominations.
Other notable non-nominations:
1985 - Brazil
1977 - Close Encounters of a Third Kind (9 noms, 2 wins)
1980 - Empire Strikes Back (3 noms, 1 win)
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark (9 noms, 5 wins)
2008 - The Dark Knight
1956 - Forbidden Planet
1953 - War of the Worlds
1927 - Metropolis
You might say, "hey wait...didn't Lord of the Rings win Best Picture?" You'd be right, it did win Best Picture that is not sci fi. That is the fantasy genre, which hardly gets a chance for the top award...and when it did, it won. So there's got a be a chance for a sci fi film, right?
I'm just trying to be realistic. I don't expect a "Phantom Menace" to be nominated...I hope that new and innovative sci fi can be recognized, such as District 9, nice to be nomiated but you knew it had no chance...just like Avatar. There is a bias in the Academy that seems to convey that sci fi is not recognized as legitimate genre for Best Picture. Maybe we will see it in our lifetime...if a female director can win an Oscar...maybe sci fi has a chance for Best Picture.
b.
(what sci fi films did I leave out, I know I missed some others that are Best Picture worthy...let me know!)
| ReelBoards |
eileeny
03/08/10 |
Blade Runner...a classic "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time to die." One of the best lines in a movie EVER. |
eileeny
03/08/10 |
How about horror movies? I would have to look to see for sure, but have there been any horror movies that have won the big prize? |
eileeny
03/08/10 |
Star Man with Jeff Bridges was a pretty good movie... |
Piratequeen
03/08/10 |
Hollywood lacks Imagination As a fanatical Sci Fi fan, I have long observed the cruel discrimination visited upon any quality Sci Fi film. Bryan missed ALIEN and ALIEN II. The cast of Alien was true Hollywood royalty, and yet they barely received a yawn. The real problem with good science fiction is it's requirement for viewers with high intellect. Best Pictures are selected in the final vote primarily by actors. Very few actors are brains on steroids. There are wonderful exceptions but not enough of them to sway the vote. And this year I am not talking about AVATAR. I don't think it deserved best picture. But I knew from the beginning it never had a chance even if it did deserve it. The other dog in the race was DISTRICT 9. Unique in its scope and story. Probably still not best picture material. However I wish the ACADEMY WOULD ADD ONE NEW CATEGORY. I would love to see a special category for small indie films. District 9 and Precious would have been in that category if I were Queen. Many extremely important films have been allowed to disappear into the shadows of film history because they were too small to thrive. We who love film keep them alive the best we can, but it's not enough. But I digress, back to the voting actors. Actors are people who are good at being someone else. They are not always good at imagining someone who does not exist, say like a Klingon. They don't stand in line to get an opening seat for BLADERUNNER. Most will never have a role in a sci fi flick. Those who do will tell you it was a liberating experience, and some of the hardest work they have faced. The Hurt Locker, this year's "actors" favorite is probably a good choice. Only time will tell. I gaze at my shelf full of past Best Pictures, and am always amazed at some of worthless titles reside there. We like to think that the Academy is picking a future classic each year, But this is SO NOT TRUE. Some of the titles on my shelf are barely viewable today. The Best Pic is really a polaroid of the moment. Some by chance become classics. |
eileeny
03/08/10 |
I'm racking my brain, trying to think of "classic" sci-fi movies that made an impact at the time they were made. Do you remember "Soylent Green"? |
ReelFan
03/09/10 |
Alien(s) PQ - I agree on Alien...oversight and really a combination of Sci Fi and Horror, that's a double dose of NO NO for Oscar consideration. Aliens falls in the same category. Soylent Green was a good movie, so was Starman but were they game changers? Not really. The Exorcist has the best chance for Best Picture Horror Film...some may argue Silence of the Lambs is very close to horror film winning Best Picture. |
