The Hurt Locker cleaned up on Oscar night, taking home six trophies, including Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow (the first woman to win the award) and Best Picture. The Academy has spoken ? but what do the critics have to say? Where does The Hurt Locker rank with the pundits among the Best Picture winners?
Very highly, it turns out. At 97 percent, The Hurt Locker is the 13th best-reviewed Best Picture of all time ? one slot below Gone With the Wind and one above Casablanca (we?re shocked -- shocked! -- at that fact as well). It?s also the best-reviewed war film ever to win -- The Hurt Locker tops Schindler?s List (number 15), Patton (number 16), The Best Years of Our Lives (number 19) and All Quiet on the Western Front (number 20). In other words, The Hurt Locker is in the company of some undisputed classics. But there?s plenty more to explore ? take a tour of Oscar history with RT?s Best of the Best Pictures countdown!
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It's a decent list, but where is Freddy got Fingered?
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I would have liked to seen american beauty and a beautiful mind higher on the list!
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The worst things about this years oscar were:
Hurt Locker wins best screenplay over Inglorious Bastards. What the hell? The whole movie is basically about one guy going from location to location day after day diffusing bombs. How can this win over Tarantino's sharp dialogues and strong storybuilding?
Bigelow wins best director over Cameron and Tarantino. I mean come on! Everybody knows that there is no one even close to Cameron's perfection on the set. Introducing the technology of the future of cinema while creating the most vital and unique planet ever seen on the big screen and keeping track of the smallest details in the meantime. Same goes for Tarantino. Making a movie which is done in 3 different language, each of them recreated absolutely perfect while bringing the best out of the actors. What had Hurt Locker that made Bigelow such an amazing director? Oh right, she's a woman...
Hurt Locker wins best picture over Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Up. 10 years from now, nobody will remember Hurt Locker. Avatar changed the world of cinema. Inglorious is in my opinion Quentin's 2nd masterpiece and changed war movies forever. Up was such a wonderful touching story. What had Hurt Locker that was so much better than these achievements.
And last but not least.
What's with the hate towards Avatar in the first place?
Wasn't it obvious why they put Cameron in the chair right behind Bigelow? First they put him behind her so that he would look like a small director behind their newly crowned princess and then they took extra care to have them in the same shot when she won the oscar for best director. How cheap is that?. Throw in 3 instances of ridicule against Avatar throughout the show (Baldwin & Martin, Stiller, Martin again at the end making some stupid statement that Avatar seems like a thing of the past now).
And why? Jealousy? Avatar changed cinema forever, Avatar SAVED FREAKING HOLLYWOOD which was heading to bankruptcy with its constant output of crappy unimaginitive movies. Where are the thanks? NOPE. They humiliate it. The Academy deserves no love from anyone who loves movies!
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"Hurt Locker wins best picture over Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Up. 10 years from now, nobody will remember Hurt Locker. Avatar changed the world of cinema. Inglorious is in my opinion Quentin's 2nd masterpiece and changed war movies forever. Up was such a wonderful touching story. What had Hurt Locker that was so much better than these achievements. "
What does The Hurt Locker have, maybe great scenes of intensity that would have made Hitchcock weep. Maybe three great performances, in particular Renner who really give us a view of the mind of someone who willing risks his life so blatantly and can only really function on the battlefield. Maybe it also has perfect staging in every scene, giving the viewer a full encompassing picture of exactly what is happening and where, a tremendous directorial achievement. What movies stand the test of time is really an unknown, but I bet The Hurt Locker holds up 20 years from now.
As for the other movies you mentioned, they're high quality films, but I wondar how they'll hold up. Particularly Avatar when it comes to DVD in non 3D form. Up isn't Pixar's best film, though I certainly enjoyed it a lot. Inglorious Basterds has a lot to admire, but isn't totally flawless. I guess one can argue these films had higher ambition than The Hurt Locker and that's why they should be concidered better, but did they really? They had significantly higher budgets, while Bigelow and the Hurt Locker crew had to scramble with lower budgeting to make an Iraq war film at a time when Iraq war films were bombing, both financially and critically, left and right. They took a tremendous risk, and succeeded with a near perfect film
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"Hurt Locker wins best picture over Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Up. 10 years from now, nobody will remember Hurt Locker. Avatar changed the world of cinema. Inglorious is in my opinion Quentin's 2nd masterpiece and changed war movies forever. Up was such a wonderful touching story. What had Hurt Locker that was so much better than these achievements. "
What does The Hurt Locker have, maybe great scenes of intensity that would have made Hitchcock weep. Maybe three great performances, in particular Renner who really give us a view of the mind of someone who willing risks his life so blatantly and can only really function on the battlefield. Maybe it also has perfect staging in every scene, giving the viewer a full encompassing picture of exactly what is happening and where, a tremendous directorial achievement. What movies stand the test of time is really an unknown, but I bet The Hurt Locker holds up 20 years from now.
As for the other movies you mentioned, they're high quality films, but I wondar how they'll hold up. Particularly Avatar when it comes to DVD in non 3D form. Up isn't Pixar's best film, though I certainly enjoyed it a lot. Inglorious Basterds has a lot to admire, but isn't totally flawless. I guess one can argue these films had higher ambition than The Hurt Locker and that's why they should be concidered better, but did they really? They had significantly higher budgets, while Bigelow and the Hurt Locker crew had to scramble with lower budgeting to make an Iraq war film at a time when Iraq war films were bombing, both financially and critically, left and right. They took a tremendous risk, and succeeded with a near perfect film
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Avatar was a massive technichal success, but the rest of the film was sub-par. Cameron has shown that he can make interesting, suspensful and intelligent action movies, but this wasn't one of them.
Aliens is a massively better film in every respect bar the 3D, IMHO!
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First the good, I will give you 'Godfather' as #1, and 'On the Waterfront' as #3, but placing 'Hurt Locker' ABOVE Casablanca, Schindler's List, Silence of the Lambs, and The Departed (among others) is beyond ludicrous....it doesn't even deserve to be mentioned on the same page....these other films are finely crafted masterpieces of their time and 'Hurt Locker' is an ok movie whose winning was at best, politically motivated. This movie is like the 'Emperor's New Clothes', some 'expert' says how great it is, and thousands others follow along....did we watch the same movie?.it was just OK!
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First the good, I will give you 'Godfather' as #1, and 'On the Waterfront' as #3, but placing 'Hurt Locker' ABOVE Casablanca, Schindler's List, Silence of the Lambs, and The Departed (among others) is beyond ludicrous....it doesn't even deserve to be mentioned on the same page....these other films are finely crafted masterpieces of their time and 'Hurt Locker' is an ok movie whose winning was at best, politically motivated. This movie is like the 'Emperor's New Clothes', some 'expert' says how great it is, and thousands others follow along....did we watch the same movie?.it was just OK!
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@ Dave - This is simply a list comparing the RT scores of all of the films that have ever won BP at the Academy Awards. It is in no way a list that ranks these films in terms of quality, cultural importance or significance, character and plot development or anything else for that matter. Just how well all of these films have been reviewed, thats all.
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The only thing Tarantino had managed to do was setting the tone for more movies of that sort to happen for years to come which is "fictatious" war films. I'm not dumping on Quentin, but everybody knows what happened when "Pulp Fiction" came out!!!
Of course more "Pulp Fiction" copycats soon followed as a result such as "Get Shorty" and "Snatch"!!!
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@MaxRenn
You are such an ignorant fool.
@Eric B.
You said: "Forrest Gump" over "Pulp Fiction" and "The Shawshank Redemption"
You have a valid argument there.
You said: "Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain"
You have another valid argument there but the other 3 films such as "Capote", "Good Night, & Good Luck", & "Munich" had just as much right to win that year. All four films where technically superior then "Crash".
You said: "Million Dollar Baby" over either "Ray" or "Sideways"
This one you are completely wrong. The only other film that really was worthy of challenging "Million Dollar Baby" was "The Avaitor". "Ray" was pretty much all about Jamie Foxx's performance which basically carried the film which made it a marvelous film & "Sideway" was one of the top films of the year BUT NOT the best film of the year by any means.
You said: "Shakespeare in Love" over "The Thin Red Line"
This one you are also completely inaccurate & just plain wrong. "Saving Private Ryan" was the film that should have out-and-out won. That isn't even up for discussion or debate. "The Thin Red Line" was an exceedingly admirable film but NOT in the same caliber of "Saving Private Ryan".
You said: "Gladiator" over "Traffic"
This one is really hard to say. It could be argued that "Gladiator" really shouldn't have gotten it but it could also be argued that it should have (one of those reason's isn't Box-Office status).
You said: "Titanic" over "Good Will Hunting"
You know it could be argued that "Titanic" shouldn't have won because there were some better films (but that's not saying "Titanic" wasn't an exceedingly admirable film) & yes, "Good Will Hunting" was a marvelous film as was "As Good As It Gets" BUT the film that deserved above anyone else was clearly "L.A. Confidential".
You said: "Unforgiven" over "A Few Good Men"
You are clearly wrong on this one but that's not to say "A Few Good Men" was a solidified film but "Unforgiven" was the clear winner.
You said: "like THIS YEAR where "Up In The Air" is nominated for best picture but "The Road" isn't..."
While the "The Road" was a satisfactory film "Up In The Air" was a marvelous film & is highly more superior on many levels. You have no argument there.
You said: "Memento" not even getting nominated even though it was the best movie I saw in a 3 year span!!!!"
You do make a valid point about "Memento" not getting nominated but the best film you saw in a 3 year span? While that maybe in your personal taste that most certainly isn't accurate let alone a fact.
You said: "not to mention the years that NO FILM DESERVES to be nominated as best film and these megalomaniacs should just cancel the show OR the years, and don't even get me started on "The Proposition" in recent film history."
There is a film every year that deserves Best Picture & cancelling the Academy Awards is absurd because of a few pee brains don't think so. As for "The Proposition"? It was released in 2005 which was a challenging year.
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@TheBerserker
Sweet Jesus dude! are you just plain ignorant or just a 98% moronic? Your choice. I don't even know where to begin. I will say you do make some valid arguments such as "Inglorious Bastards" not winning Best Original Screeplay because it could have very well deserved to win.
You said: "Inglorious is in my opinion Quentin's 2nd masterpiece and changed war movies forever."
While it is one of Tarantino's best films (no question about it), "Inglourious Basterds" DID NOT change war films forever NOT by any means. Talk about being overly outlandish with such a statement on your behalf.
You said: "Cameron introducing the technology of the future of cinema while creating the most vital and unique planet ever seen on the big screen and keeping track of the smallest details in the meantime."
He just introduced the Fusion camera which allowed him to see in real time & allow him to shoot 3D with just one camera not three cameras like the tradional way. The Motion Capture technology ISN'T new. Actually, the Mo-Cap technology that was used for "Avatar" which was the Aguru Dome system that was first used in "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button". While you are right Cameron did create a vital & unique world that DOESN'T make it a solidified film. You seem to be misunderstanding the art of film & filmmaking. "Avatar" faltered in several key elements of film one of those being the story & another one being the characteristic development. I could really get entailed but I'm going to make this clear. "Avatar" WASN'T the Best Picture of the Year by any means. It may have established a new piece of technology BUT 3D (which is a gimmick device) doesn't make a solidified film.
You said: "10 years from now, nobody will remember Hurt Locker."
That's false on so many levels as no film is truly ever forgotten. That's just your ignorance speaking just like it has for several others on these boards.
You said: "What's with the hate towards Avatar in the first place?"
This is a clear testament of someone like you speaking who doesn't have a understand & adeptness of the art of film because if you did you wouldn't ask such a naive question.
You said: "Wasn't it obvious why they put Cameron in the chair right behind Bigelow? First they put him behind her so that he would look like a small director behind their newly crowned princess and then they took extra care to have them in the same shot when she won the oscar for best director. How cheap is that?. Throw in 3 instances of ridicule against Avatar throughout the show (Baldwin & Martin, Stiller, Martin again at the end making some stupid statement that Avatar seems like a thing of the past now)."
Wow! you really are just unconscious of what you are saying if not just entirely foolish.
You said: "And why? Jealousy? Avatar changed cinema forever, Avatar SAVED FREAKING HOLLYWOOD which was heading to bankruptcy with its constant output of crappy unimaginitive movies. Where are the thanks? NOPE. They humiliate it. The Academy deserves no love from anyone who loves movies!"
Now this is just out-and-out laughable & sweet Jesus are you a total half-witted dunce or what. Hollywood was NEVER heading to bankruptcy you twit & no, "Avatar" hasn't changed Hollywood forever (there are several reason too that but that's another story). The only way "Avatar" would have a significant impact on Hollywood is if this 3D fad stays put which is highly questionable on many levels still & will be for the next decade or so. We are not talking about "Citizen Kane" here nor is "Avatar" not remotely close to such caliber.
I could keep going on & on what's wrong with you comments & yes, like I said you did make a few valid points somewhere in that misguided foolishness you call a post.
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correction: "but that's not to say "A Few Good Men" **wasn't** a solidified film."
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Anyone that honestly thinks the Hurt Locker was this good, is about as dumb as you can get. Seriously? This movie wasn't even on the same level as any of the movies mentioned in this article. The Bridge on the River Kwai is the greatest war movie of all time, bar none. I hate The Hurt Locker even more now that it's gotten all of this hype.
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Yeah, how is Casablanca not number 1? The Godfather is amazing, but when it comes to American films, only one is better than Casablanca, and that one was snubbed by the academy because of a very influential newspaper tycoon.(I'm speaking of Citizen Kane, in case you don't know the story.) And The Hurt Locker and Shakespeare in Love being ranked so high? Blasphemy! Neither of these films deserved to win! Lest we forget that Shakespeare in Love beat out a truly perfect film in Saving Private Ryan, which is unforgivable. And The Hurt Locker was not better than Inglorious Basterds, I'm sorry but it wasn't. The Hurt Locker won on solely because of politics, and I am not talking about the message of the film, because I felt the film was pretty ambiguous in it's message. I am talking about the politics of it being directed by a woman. I am all for a woman winning best director and picture, but only when they deserve it. This was Quentin Tarantino's year, and it looks like he is shaping up to follow in Scorsese's foot steps, and he will probably win a make up Oscar for a film that is not as great as some of his past work, just like Scorsese. Sorry for the rant, but I have one more thing to say. I am still mad at the Academy for giving the Oscar to No Country For Old Men over There Will Be Blood, which is the best movie since the Godfather, and in my opinion it's better than the Godfather. A masterpiece on every conceivable level. And yeah, The Proposition was snubbed as well.
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Yeah, how is Casablanca not number 1? The Godfather is amazing, but when it comes to American films, only one is better than Casablanca, and that one was snubbed by the academy because of a very influential newspaper tycoon.(I'm speaking of Citizen Kane, in case you don't know the story.) And The Hurt Locker and Shakespeare in Love being ranked so high? Blasphemy! Neither of these films deserved to win! Lest we forget that Shakespeare in Love beat out a truly perfect film in Saving Private Ryan, which is unforgivable. And The Hurt Locker was not better than Inglorious Basterds, I'm sorry but it wasn't. The Hurt Locker won on solely because of politics, and I am not talking about the message of the film, because I felt the film was pretty ambiguous in it's message. I am talking about the politics of it being directed by a woman. I am all for a woman winning best director and picture, but only when they deserve it. This was Quentin Tarantino's year, and it looks like he is shaping up to follow in Scorsese's foot steps, and he will probably win a make up Oscar for a film that is not as great as some of his past work, just like Scorsese. Sorry for the rant, but I have one more thing to say. I am still mad at the Academy for giving the Oscar to No Country For Old Men over There Will Be Blood, which is the best movie since the Godfather, and in my opinion it's better than the Godfather. A masterpiece on every conceivable level. And yeah, The Proposition was snubbed as well.
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The Hurt Locker is superb , it is too the Afghan war , what Full Metal Jacket & Apocalypse Now are to the war in Vietnam , & the Afghan war isn't even over yet !! the war genre has alot to look forward too
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The Hurt Locker is barely in the one hundred best war films of all time. Get a grip people! This is the #1 most OVER RATED movie in history.
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Every time I see that The Deer Hunter is only 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, I become more aggravated that such a film is not 100%.
And Forrest Gump had a 73% or something weird like that. What the hell is going on?
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I don't even think Hurt Locker is a top 3 war film of all time. What I believe is currently happening is the emotional connection we all have to the War in Iraq. We connect with this film on a personal level and it seems to have gotten everyone caught up in a good, not great film. I doubt that any of our incredible soldiers act like cowboys and break all the rules when they are out in the field. To me that single notion takes away any authenticity in the film.
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This has to be one of the idiotic lists I've ever seen!! Who is responsible for the selections herein? There are so many lame movies listed in the top 20 (including Hurt Locker) this list can't be taken seriously.
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This has to be one of the idiotic lists I've ever seen!! Who is responsible for the selections herein? There are so many lame movies listed in the top 20 (including Hurt Locker) this list can't be taken seriously.
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"the Hurt Locker" was the safest choice for the Academy ( and they have been increasingly prone to making this type of pat judgement..."Crash" over "Brokeback" being only the the most blatant example). "Avatar" was a wow as a piece of film craft...but clumsy and unsubtle as narrative.
My choice as prime example of filmaking for the year of 2009 was "up in the Air"...and the fact that it was shut out entirely is a crime. Years from now it will be held up as the perfect mirror of the recession fueled angst that we are still facing on a daily basis...
"Hurt Locker" will plummet down the best pic list...and "Avatar" will be looked back on as a 3D breakthough...with a one dimensional plot...
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