Which "Class of '99" major American filmmaker has most flagrantly sold out to awards-baiting?

it's a reverse Heaven Can Wait at an Out of Africa-level of ponderousness.

Like, it's a long succession of scenes that give the impression of signifigance, but when you think about them a bit, they don't really mean anything.

remind you of anything else?

in any case Im not trying to make any great claims for it, I just think it's better than Forrest Gump et al.

As the question is presented, the answer is clearly David O. Russell. But I don't really mind his Oscarbaiting movies. The one who has had the most disappointing career to me is Alexander Payne, who has followed up the fantastic Election with a long series of mostly mediocre movies.

I prefer Forrest Gump, because it at least makes no effort to conceal its silliness. Benjamin Button puts an imaginary amount of weight on each of its moving parts and by the time it's over (I've seen it three times) I am quite resentful of everything about it.

Worst in descending order:

Silver Linings Playbook
The Curious Case...
About Schmidt
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Panic Room
Where the Wild Things Are
The Life Aquatic
American Hustle
There Will Be Blood

Benjamin Button puts an imaginary amount of weight on each of its moving parts and by the time it's over (I've seen it three times) I am quite resentful of everything about it.

i.e. Forrest Gump

Whatever, y'all. I like Forrest Gump and nobody's gonna change my mind.

Benjamin Button at the very least had 4 or 5 good minutes with Tilda Swinton.

https://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/tumblr_m6ts36vjse1rtxbzgo1_250.gif

Fincher a weird choice for "class of 1999" as he'd already made his best movie, The Game, two years earlier

ban "awards bait" forever since you ppl either don't know what it is, or that when done right it's a good thing.

hey eephus! Fincher himself recently pointed out that The Game is shit.

ban "awards bait" forever since you ppl either don't know what it is, or that when done right it's a good thing.

― this horrible, rotten slog to rigor mortis (Dr Morbius)

did you forget your bifocals this morning?

I think you know the difference between desperation and craft.

At the time, few thought The Game was that great.

As I alluded upthread, Black Swan was both awards bait and pretty damned great.

hey eephus! Fincher himself recently pointed out that The Game is shit.

― this horrible, rotten slog to rigor mortis (Dr Morbius), Monday, October 13, 2014 10:11 AM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

who the hell cares what he thinks?

I need to rewatch Black Swan, is what I'm getting from this thread

also, Magnolia is Anderson's worst film

I loved Black Swan, but I don't think it was baiting for awards? Body horror, lesbian romance, complete focus on women and "women's issues", that doesn't sound like the stuff the big awards favour?

It's "awards bait" only in the sense that What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? was.

considering many of you ppl see everything that gets nominated for the Golden Doorstops, you have a mysterious contempt for them.

considering how you read everything we write, you have a mysterious contempt for us

Elegant thrillers like Black Swan, Silence Of The Lambs, perhaps Gone Girl, are more awards-friendly (in slow years for awards bait) than awards-bait

Isn't that what you're supposed to do, Mr.Critic?

Xpost

awards-bait imo implies movies whose primary reason for existing is to hand an award to it, so while a genre thriller can have middlebrow trappings, its goal outside of getting a trophy is right there its name. thriller.

Alfred, fuck no, i make it a point to always miss some fucking shit that's "important"

also if only i had never been a fucking critic, what a waste of 7 years that was (i never tire of saying it)

Whatever, y'all. I like Forrest Gump and nobody's gonna change my mind.

― Johnny Fever

I feel exactly this way about Life Acquatic.

The Davids are the only two who have significantly compromised their orginal MOs, really. Anderson (PT) is getting weirder, if anything. Dunno if the strange beast that is TWBB would've got as much Oscar attention if it hadn't had Day Lewis in it.

not really sure how fincher compromised his original MO. Directed shiny videos both heavily indebted to classic works and zeitgeisty, makes shiny movies both heavily indebted to classic works and zeitgeisty.

granted i haven't seen alien 3

fyi voting russell for going back to harvey weinstein after he said he wouldn't

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

well that was a fun read

i liked the part about magnolia being worse than hitler

obv orussell

about as close to objective truth as possible here

Martin Scorsese wins class of '69.

Eric and Alfred, why do you hate There Will Be Blood?

I don't hate it but it's a stiff, underwritten movie with one gargoyle at its center whom we're stuck with for two and a half hours.

I had to wait too long for there to be blood.

There Will Be Blood… Any Minute Now… Just Hang On… Coming Soon… Wait For The Blood… You Won't Be Disappointed, Promise…

Instead of blood, we got this damn milkshake.

oh, Eric

They might as well have called it There Will Be Credits.

at least it was Paul Dano's blood

Based on that post, you really ought to clear a spot on your calendar to see Prisoners if you haven't already, Morbs.

i'll wait a couple years for a Killing Paul Dano clipfest on YT

i hate paul dano

didn't like PTA's two big breakthroughs much, but he's been on the upswing with the last 3 features.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Please sell out, Wes Anderson, a.s.a.p.

Wes got a Globe.

Wes got his Golden Globe tonight (alongside Linklater, who I'd put in the same cohort).

Oh sure, I was just struck that googling something in quotes usually only gets you exactly that phrase - even Google has forgotten what it's called.

ok DL whatever

I think it is great at capturing the entitled western tourist view of India, which tbf is probably a more realistic depiction of India than what you see in most Bollywood films

though that could be the entitled western tourist view of Indian cinema

Bollywood doesn't do realism really, I don't think any of its most ardent fans would argue otherwise

Don't think Limited captured much of anything, iirc. I like Wes Anderson, but all of his movies exhibit a similarly entitled Western tourist view, of sorts.

That said, I thought his last three had a more nuanced and complex view of relationships/perspectives. Between adults and children, children and the world, privilege and denial, entitlement and earned rewards, platonic and emotional love, etc..

What is the opposite of entitlement?

Darjeeling was kind of his last daddy-issue-centered film, which he needed to stop doing. Still mining that a bit (both the kid in Moonrise and the bellhop in Budapest, with Willis and Fiennes respectively) but it's better integrated into the whole film.

def daddy issues in Mr. Fox!

http://i.imgur.com/E42m0.jpg

yes, but dome more cleverly, not HERE ARE MY DADDY ISSUES

take that pic to the Teal & Orange thread.