Answers Wanted: Should and Will WALL-E or THE DARK KNIGHT Get Nominated for Best Picture?

December 5th, 2008

walle oscar

It’s rare when films like WALL-E and THE DARK KNIGHT come along and prove to be not only universally popular with audiences, but also heralded by critics as worthy of being deemed one of the best movies of the year. Disney and Warner Brothers have both taken the encouragement to heart and have launched an aggressive “For Your Consideration” campaign to get their respective films on that Best Picture Nominee ballot. Their campaigns raise two questions I’m curious to hear answered.

The first question is, as amazing films as they are, do you think THE DARK KNIGHT and/or WALL-E are worthy of Best Picture nominations? Bear in mind, I’m not questioning their quality, but instead whether their accomplishments don’t falter somewhat in the face of competition like THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, FROST/NIXON, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE WRESTLER, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, DOUBT, THE READER, and MILK?

The second question is, even if they are worthy, do you think they will actually get nominated? Let’s face it, the Academy is notorious about what kind of films they consider “Best Picture” material. Just refresh your memory for a second. The Academy members almost always pick high profile, heavy or thought provoking “issue” dramas, with the odd quirky/indie/populist hidden gem throw in for good measure. Big budget, Hollywood extravaganzas like THE DARK KNIGHT or WALL-E – no matter how good they are – would traditionally just not be “important” enough to merit Academy attention. Then again, I’m still dumbfounded how LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING managed to get nominated for Best Picture, let alone win the damn thing (with stiff competition like LOST IN TRANSLATION and MYSTIC RIVER no less).

So I leave it to you, the experts. Should WALL and/or THE DARK KNIGHT be considered for Best Picture? If yes, do you think they actually then will get nominated by the Academy? Weight in below!

This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 7:01 am and is filed under Batman, Oscar Watch, WALL-E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Answers Wanted: Should and Will WALL-E or THE DARK KNIGHT Get Nominated for Best Picture?”

Victoria Says:

December 5th, 2008 at 8:51 am

SOULD they? Yes! Will they? probably not. I feel like the academy isn’t quite ready to give that award (or take the chance by giving a nomination) to an animated movie. Also, I think that they will feel like a nomination for Heath Ledger will be enough recognition for Batman.

I look forward to being wrong though.

Todd W in NC Says:

December 5th, 2008 at 10:11 am

I agree. They should be — but probably won’t be. And, that’s a shame.

I was *slightly* disappointed in Wall-E, but only because my expectations for it were so super high, that I set myself up for a letdown. But not by much. It’s still an excellent film but did not surpass Finding Nemo in my book. Wall-E might be my 2nd or 3rd favorite Pixar film, but I’d have to see it a 2nd time to be sure.

And, it took me seeing The Dark Knight twice to be absolutely sure the hype was worth it — and it definitely is, in terms of particular performances (the obvious, Heath Ledger) and overall quality (with only certain pieces of music being a slight weak point).

I’d say both these films are just as deserving, and often more so, than many Best Picture nominees from recent years.

The Dark Knight is at least on par with There Will Be Blood (2007), The Queen (2006), and Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) and better than No Country for Old Men (2007), Michael Clayton (2007), Atonement (2007), The Departed (2006), Babel (2006), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and Lost in Translation (2003).

Wall-E is at least on par with Juno (2007) and far, far better than the insanely over-rated Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

Out of the last five years, the only other Best Picture nominated film I saw was LotR: Return of the King. That movie, The Dark Knight, and Wall-E were all movies I *wanted* to see. I know the Oscar voters want to go for quality, but quality and universal appeal are not always mutually exclusive, and a summer release date should not be a deal breaker.

And, if films like The English Patient (bad), American Beauty (good but over-rated and forgettable), Gladiator (way over-rated and not even close to Oscar-worthy), Million Dollar Baby (quality work but super depressing), The Departed (good, but not *that* good), and No Country For Old Men (a film that doesn’t have an ending but instead just *stops*), can *win* Best Picture, then The Dark Knight and Wall-E deserve to *at least* be nominated. The Dark Knight deserves it more than Wall-E, but Wall-E has Best Animated Film as the obvious consolation prize.

loquaciousmuse Says:

December 5th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

ABSOLUTELY I think they deserve a shot and I think Dark Knight will pull it out in the end. I wrote about it on my blog - copied and pasted my post below.

Was reading this week’s Entertainment Weekly, my favorite magazine as it were, and came upon some Best Picture predictions randomly in the middle of an article on Meryl Streep. At first I was thrilled to see The Dark Knight make the top 8, alongside Benjamin Button, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, & Australia. But then I read the actual write up…

THE DARK KNIGHT
How it gets in With the economic climate becoming more dire every day, recognizing a movie that made over half a billion dollars domestically (and earned quite strong reviews) might be very appealing for some.
How it gets left out It’s the Oscar equivalent of the Bradley effect: With ballots in hand, will voters really check off a popcorn movie?

Wait, EW, so you are telling me should Dark Knight be nominated, it’s because it MADE A LOT OF MONEY and that’s APPEALING TO SOME?! (Oh and maybe because it got strong reviews, but that doesn’t really matter as much - thanks for clearing that up, parenthesis!) And should it be snubbed it’s because what, the academy members’ consciences got the better of them? They just couldn’t bear to vote for a “popcorn movie”?!

I understand that for some people, the Dark Knight hype got the better of them..well…I sort of understand…in that way that I’ll pretend I understand if you want…but so far, it’s hands down the best picture I’ve seen so far this year. To insult my taste and the taste of millions of others just doesn’t seem right to me. The whole reason this movie made as much money as it did, beyond your average comic book movie’s total, and why it’s getting Best Picture talk in the first place is because it ISN’T just a popcorn movie. It reinvented and elevated the superhero genre to a whole new level and to demean that accomplishment and ignore its quality is condescending at best. Those who are at this moment considering nominating Dark Knight are doing so because it’s a great god damn movie and won’t change their minds last second, “Bradley Effect” style. Those academy members who won’t be nominating Dark Knight? They were never entertaining the thought in the first place.

I stand firmly by the belief that in the end Dark Knight will pull out a Best Pic nod. If it doesn’t, it’s due to that faction of the academy that will always point their noses down on superhero films, no matter how great they are. But look at this years contenders - Slumdog Millionaire is pretty good, Frost/Nixon, you know, gets the job done and from what I hear (and will be able to confirm soon) Milk is more of an accomplishment for telling the story it tells rather than an achievement in filmmaking and Benjamin Button leaves the audience oddly emotionally detatched in what should be a tearjerker. All four times I saw Dark Knight, I did laugh, I did cry, I marveled at the gorgeous IMAX sequences, I noticed new things, was affected by new things, I was always impressed with the performances and was consistently left itching for the continuation of this story. Some say the film is too didactic, but one element of the superhero genre that should always be maintained is the moral lesson, the grand themes of right and wrong and the epic battle of good versus evil. It’s why the genre was created and why it’s not going anywhere.

So, a popcorn movie that only stands a chance cause it made money? We’re in a fight, Dave Karger. Even though I just added you to my Google Reader.

This Week on the Addict Network™ » the REEL Addict Says:

December 6th, 2008 at 7:19 am

[…] the REEL Addict: We asked whether WALL-E and THE DARK KNIGHT will see much deserved Oscar nods, told you why TWILIGHT isn’t so […]

theREELaddict Says:

December 9th, 2008 at 11:12 am

You know, I find myself torn. I’ve long harbored a sort of dual personality when it comes to film. The guy who think they can ascend to genuine works of art, and the guy who can enjoy them for just plain good old-fashioned entertaining escapism.

The thing is, when it comes to Oscar time, I sometimes feel they should recognize those films that resemble art more than popular art. It sort of makes me realize though that that’s the crux of the Oscars: should they recognize films that are good and made well, or films that “mean something?”

It seems the Oscars themselves are confused about that issue as well, given they’ve awarded light (GLADIATOR, THE DEPARTED) and serious films (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) alike.

That to me is the difficulty. THE DARK KNIGHT and WALL-E are incredibly well made films, and undoubtedly two of the best made ones this year. But then I think back to THE WRESTLER, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, BOY A, THE BAND’S VISIT, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG or the VISITOR and remember how they hit me just a little a bit harder in the artistic and emotional parts.

Then again, WALL-E warms my heart so much, that I look like a grinning idiot throughout most of it.

skywalker007 Says:

December 28th, 2008 at 4:52 am

WALL-E is not getting all the hype it deserves

I hope WALL-E ends up on the Best Picture Nod. If it doesn’t, I will not watch the oscars. Unlike Ratatouille and the Incredibles, WALL-E had a wonderful allegorial story. If those movies did have allegory, then, because I didn’t find it, then the allegories are not as conspicious as in WALL-E.

If you complained that WALL-E was preachy, that shows how ignorant you are. Good movies are also here to give lessons out, not just to entertain. We can’t expect entertainment all the time. WALL-E shows reality. To not accept the movie’s message, is not accepting reality. To not accept reality means that you cannot accept reality.

WALL-E costed 180,000,000 to make, just as much as the Dark Knight. So many people worked so hard on it. Ben Burtt did amazing voice design, Stanton wrote his most daring script, the computer graphics were realistic (with the exception of the human characters), Newman did a beautiful themed score (WHY DID HE NOT GET A NOD FOR BEST MUSIC AT THE ANNIES?!), etc.,etc.

WALL-E is not one of the bloated romance films like the great, but overrated Titanic. Titanic did nothing but circled around Jack and Rose romance. There were many things going on beside WALL-E’s and EVE’s romance- There was a lethargic society, a polluted Earth, and machines discovering life. And WALL-E romance with EVE affected humanity. It not one of those romances that circles entirely around the couple, it a romance where they circled around the world.

WALL-E is certainly better than Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda only took 130 million to make. Kung Fu Panda is certainly funnier, but comedy is not enough to define a good movie. Kung Fu Panda had a excellent storyline, but it is what it is, it was only meant to make children laugh and enjoy it. Kung Fu Panda is not of the universal. Young children will love the cuteness of WALL-E, and teens and adults will love the allegorical story.

Dreamworks may be funnier, but Pixar succeeds in mixed comedy with out-of-this world storylines. Storylines matter more than comedy.

If you think comedy defines how good a movie is, you are one of those inconsiderate people who give no damn toward the hard effort.

What use is an Annie Award to WALL-E? WALL-E is no animated movie, it’s a romance made by animation. Saying that WALL-E is an animated movie is discriminating.

If WALL-E doesn’t show up on the Best Picture category, I will never watch the Oscars again. Mark my words.

I will also boycott the Oscars if the Dark Knight doesn’t show up in the Best Picture nomination. Like WALL-E it has an allegorial story.

So please, consider my words.

The TV Addict

Answers Wanted: Should and Will WALL-E or THE DARK KNIGHT Get Nominated for Best Picture?

6 Responses to “Answers Wanted: Should and Will WALL-E or THE DARK KNIGHT Get Nominated for Best Picture?”

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