Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

UPDATED: 01/29/20

My ballot:
1. Parasite

(big jump)

2. The Irishman (need second viewing to determine order between)
3. Little Women

(big jump)

4. Joker (need second viewing to determine order between)
5. Marriage Story
6. Jojo Rabbit


7. 1917
8. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
9. Ford v Ferrari

Okri wrote:What are 1917, The Irishman, Once Upon a Time.. in Hollywood and Parasite about?

On the surface, the world at war; gangsters; aging actors and mayhem.

Of course, they all have more depth than their surface theme would suggest - 1917 focuses on the misery of soldiers in a futile war; The Irishman's last hour focuses on aging and death; Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood rewrites a terrible incident to which it gives a happier ending and Parasite beneath its entertaining surface is about a struggling family's fight for survival in a cruel world.

They are each, in their own way great films, but epics tend to win out in Oscar races. Those wins are often not justified but sometimes are. Wings, Cimarron, The Greatest Show on Earth, Ben-Hur, Patton and Titanic are example of epics that won out over better films. All Quiet on the Western Front, Gone with the Wind, From Here to Eternity, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Schindler's List are examples of epics that justifiably won and they were all war related. I think 1917 could and should be added to that list.

What are 1917, The Irishman, Once Upon a Time.. in Hollywood and Parasite about?

1. 1917
2. Parasite
3. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
4. The Irishman
5. Marriage Story
6. Little Women
7. Jojo Rabbit
8. Joker
9. Ford v Ferrari


I like all these films to some extent, and I'll be happy if any of my top four wins, but 1917 is the kind of "big theme" epic film that has routinely won in the past. All the other films, good as they are, are about "little" things in comparison.

Like Titanic, it's a film that few had any expectation of greatness before it was seen. Although some would argue that it lacks character development, I would say that it's actually better that way. The central characters are blank faces that you can paint any picture you want on.

What is remarkable about the film's success is that films about World War I have been generally unpopular since 1932 when Lubitsch's Broken Lullaby flopped so badly that he vowed never to make another serious film, and didn't. Grand Illusion, Sergeant York and Lawrence of Arabia were rare exceptions to the rule, but nothing about the war since Gallipoli in in 1981 has stirred much interest at the box office.

1. Parasite
2. Joker
3. The Irishman
4. Marriage Story
5. Little Women
6. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
7. Ford vs. Ferrari



8. Jojo Rabbit

Unseen: 1917

For those interested how would you complete the best picture ballot:

Mine

1. Parasite
2. The Irishman
3. Marriage Story
4. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
5. Joker
6. Little Women
7. 1917
8. Ford vs. Ferrari
9. Jojo Rabbit