Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

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Okri
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by Okri »

Tee's assertion fits me pretty much perfectly - I find two that are either very strong or very weak, only to be foiled by one of the neighbours.

Adapted Screenplay probably has to be the early 90's trio: Silence of the Lambs, Howards' End and Schindler's List are pretty unimpeachable choices. Or maybe The Godfather II, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and All the President's Men.
The Original BJ
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by The Original BJ »

Mister Tee wrote:Well, our musical preferences don't line up quite as well as our general film taste.
Maybe not exactly, but we may be in more agreement than you think once I qualify some things...

1. I don't in any way dislike "Thanks for the Memory" (or "The Last Time I Saw Paris" for that matter). And in fact, most of those early Tin Pan Alley winners are pretty well in line with the kind of music I like. I'd just say that when paired with a couple of the all-time most culturally significant film songs ever, those both seem a bit more minor to me, and that was enough to look elsewhere for another option of three.

2. Here's where we disagree big time, and I'm fully cognizant of the fact that the Disney musicals were the soundtrack to my childhood, so there's nostalgic value there that I can't fully erase that someone who watched the films as an adult wouldn't have. Because I flat love "A Whole New World." (I'm also perfectly fond of "Colors of the Wind," but there, the combo of strong competition and unnecessary award overload for Menken makes we wish the Oscar had gone elsewhere.)

3. Your worst was the other group I seriously considered, and I had all the same feelings you did, both in terms of feeling like the Dirty Dancing song wasn't quite down there with the others in its run, and that "Last Dance" (which isn't really my kind of music, but has some life) sort of redeemed the gloomy pairing of "Evergreen" and "You Light Up My Life." On another day, I could have gone with your grouping easily.
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by Mister Tee »

The Original BJ wrote:To venture below the line, I thought the best Original Song stretch would be a no-brainer... until a double-check had me realize that "White Christmas" was separated from "Over the Rainbow" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" by one year, with "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (which clearly doesn't rate nearly as highly). Nor does the winner on the other end of the Wizard of Oz/Pinocchio pair -- "Thanks for the Memory."

So I think for the overall best three in a row, I'd have to land with 1991-1993: "Beauty and the Beast," "A Whole New World," and "Streets of Philadelphia."

As for the worst, there's some competition, but my musical preferences would probably lead me to the 1985-1987 stretch: "Say You, Say Me," "Take My Breath Away," and "I've Had the Time of My Life."
Well, our musical preferences don't line up quite as well as our general film taste.

1) I really like Thanks for the Memory. Maybe you had to have lived through a childhood of Bob Hope being intro-ed with it. But I think it's a wonderful, haunting tune, and I love how it's used in the movie: one of the best "this love affair is over" moments in 30s films.

2) I FOR SURE like it more than A Whole New World, whose Oscar made me adamant that Alan Menken should never win again. (Though it was only Colors of the Wind that made me throw things at the screen.) Bland on bland.

3) As for your worst: I'm with you on the first two, but Time of My Life is pleasant enough I couldn't group it with the others. I'd offer a similar run from the 70s: Last Dance wasn't the worst song in the world, but Evergreen and You Light Up My Life were all-time "Turn off the radio NOW!" tunes for me. (The 70s were lucky to have The Way We Were and I'm Easy; without them, you could have a five/six-long string of bad choices.)
The Original BJ
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by The Original BJ »

To venture below the line, I thought the best Original Song stretch would be a no-brainer... until a double-check had me realize that "White Christmas" was separated from "Over the Rainbow" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" by one year, with "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (which clearly doesn't rate nearly as highly). Nor does the winner on the other end of the Wizard of Oz/Pinocchio pair -- "Thanks for the Memory."

So I think for the overall best three in a row, I'd have to land with 1991-1993: "Beauty and the Beast," "A Whole New World," and "Streets of Philadelphia."

As for the worst, there's some competition, but my musical preferences would probably lead me to the 1985-1987 stretch: "Say You, Say Me," "Take My Breath Away," and "I've Had the Time of My Life."
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by Mister Tee »

Since nobody's tackled best actress, I'd say it's hard to top the Glenda Jackson/Jane Fonda/Liza Minnelli run from '70-'72. I could even extend it to include Maggie Smith in '69 -- which is the longest string I can find in any major category where i genuinely admire the choices.

I don't know that I can find a similar string for worst, though I view '86-'88 -- Matlin/Cher/Foster -- as a pretty undistinguished group.

I think BJ's directing slate would work equally well for best picture, and challenge the '60-'62 run. (I like West Side Story less than any of the films in this group.)

I assume a lot of people are finding stretches of two, either good or bad, that are foiled by what surrounds them -- Gump and Braveheart, for example, are insufferable, but Schindler and The English Patient are pristine; From Here to Eternity/On the Waterfront was a stellar back-to-back, but Greatest Show on Earth and Marty spoil the feast. In that regard, the best actress nadir was surely Pickford/Shearer back-to-back, but I can't insult Marie Dressler, hamola though she was, by linking her to them.
Last edited by Mister Tee on Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Original BJ
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by The Original BJ »

Under Director, I think my worst stretch would be (no contest) 1930/31 to 1932/33: Norman Taurog for Skippy, Frank Borzage for Bad Girl, and Frank Lloyd for Cavalcade.

There are actually some decent trios of directors throughout Oscar history, but I think for my best I’ll go with the 1991 to 1993 stretch: Jonathan Demme for The Silence of the Lambs, Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven, and Steven Spielberg for Schindler’s List.
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by Uri »

FilmFan720 wrote:Looking at the Best Picture category, the streak from 1960-62 has to be one of the best selections of films the Academy has honored. Three all-time classics -- The Apartment, West Side Story, and Lawrence of Arabia -- all completely different in tone and style, and all among the greatest examples of their classic Hollywood genres.
I've been toying with this game by myself for quite a while, and no matter what, I've always came back to this particular trio as my best too. Your choice for the worst, as you said is more "most bland", I guess. I would swap The Artist with Slumdog Millionaire, if I had to go this root. But I'll suggest Cimarron, Grand Hotel (really, Crawford - ironically - excluded, it's a camp fest) and Cavalcade.
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by dws1982 »

For Best Actor, you could just pick any three consecutive years after 91 through the end of the decade, and that would make a more-than-acceptable choice for the worst trio ever. For what it's worth, I'd probably make my trio not include Jack Nicholson (it's not great work, but it's enjoyable enough), so maybe I'd go with Hanks-Cage-Rush.

A problem I run into in a lot of categories is that there may be two performances in a row that I really like, followed by one I'm not wild about. But I have two groups I'm willing to put up: the 70-72 trio of Scott-Hackman-Brando, and the 89-91 trio of Day-Lewis-Irons-Hopkins. I might go with Scott-Hackman-Brando as my ultimate choice, because all three of those are truly iconic performances, movies that are all still pretty widely-known 45+ years later, and probably the one your average movie fan thinks of whenever those actors are mentioned.
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Re: Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by FilmFan720 »

Looking at the Best Picture category, the streak from 1960-62 has to be one of the best selections of films the Academy has honored. Three all-time classics -- The Apartment, West Side Story, and Lawrence of Arabia -- all completely different in tone and style, and all among the greatest examples of their classic Hollywood genres.

As for worst, I was surprised looking at the list as to how hard a three-film streak was because about every three years they throw in one worthy (or mostly worthy winner) just to redeem things. I would have to go with the post-expansion trifecta of The Hurt Locker, The King's Speech, and The Artist -- all perfectly fine films, but none of them films I have any interest in revisiting and all of them defeating far superior, legitimate works of art. Perhaps it is recency bias, but there seemed like we had a real opportunity with the Best Picture expansion to broaden the definition of Best Picture, and these were all bland choices (although a far worse choice for Best Picture was yet to come -- Birdman).

This is a fun game. I'm excited to see what people say, particularly in some of the below-the-line categories.
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Uri
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Oscars' Hat Tricks party game

Post by Uri »

Some light entertainment to pass the time while we’re waiting for next year awards season to begin. Life is just a vast void right now, isn’t it?

Name the best – and worst – three consecutive winners in any given category.

I’ll start with supporting actress. For my worst I don’t stray far and go with the last three – Vikander (a wide eyed and vacant turn), Davis (an over important and joyless one) and Janney (a caricature).

The best are the 1983-5 winners: Linda Hunt, Peggy Ashcroft and Anjelica Huston – as varied and as distinctively different as three human beings, actors and performances can be, still each sublime in its own way. Yet there's a common thread linking all three – they all have something to do with the Orient. Hunt played an oriental man, Ashcroft’s character had a Life changing experience there and of course, Huston’s Maerose did it with Charlie, right there on the oriental, with all the lights on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4Q92grgSY
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