Best Picture Oscar 2014

I've now seen all but Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club. It's a pretty good group of movies this year - all are deserving of their nomination except American Hustle ... which means it will probably win ... because it's whole goal is to win Oscars

1. The Wolf of Wall Street
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Gravity
4. Captain Phillips
5. Her
6. Philomena
7. American Hustle

Really, really, liked Dallas Buyers Club. I'm just not going to be able to sit through 12 years and I don't need to. There's a lot of people in this country that do need to see that film. I am not one of them.

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

I made the decision a long time ago not to watch 12 Years a Slave. Mainly because I don't think I would like it.

I made it halfway and began to become incredibly depressed. I'm just gonna have to pass. I've got enough realism in my life, thank you.

I think 12 Years a Slave is the least of the nine, but I think anybody who cares about movies should watch it, except you two.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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So how many in the Academy won't watch it? Will it still win?

I watched 12 Years A Slave twice. I thought it was a decent movie the first time I watched it but liked it more the second time. It definitely has some very powerful scenes, but I found too many faults with it to consider it worthy of a win.

Certainly liked it better than American Hustle, though.

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Of course.

Well, we agree about not loving this film.

I hope American Hustle wins just to spite Miss Vicky. It won't of course but that's my hope.

Gravity should win, because on a technical and atmospheric scale, it's a masterpiece.

But 12 Years a Slave will and give me another unchecked off oscar winner on the list.

The more I think about American Hustle, the more it annoys me. I actually liked it when I first saw it, and I think it's good, but it's just not original at all. And what annoys me is the fact that some people who haven't seen enough Scorsese or PTA claim it's stylish and unique.

12 Years A Slave is actually quite flawed. Django I felt was more convincing as a film about slavery, although it's an entirely different film. 12 Years A Slave's biggest flaw is that it doesn't feel like twelve years at all. Twelve months, tops.

For those that have followed oscars for years, have you ever genuinely been surprised on the telecast as to what film won best picture? I've only watched for about 5 years and have never been surprised.

I just wanted to note that I agree 100% about Gravity. I saw it twice and I felt like I was holding my breath throughout the entire film. The images, the music. Wow, I think it was amazing.

I would read user reviews on Yahoo and people would just trash it. Made me crazy!

i kinda agree with you, but you shouldn't use PTA when you're trying to as an example of uniqueness. he's arguably a bigger scorsese/altman ripoff than anything david o russell has ever done, and he's just proof that that you can make that work.

I used PTA more as an example of stylishness.

and this is why I used him as an example.

Agreed. I don't know why we should reduce it to a Public Service Announcement about slavery, where you "need" to watch it or not based on a self-assessment of racial sensitivity, or something. You don't need to be weak in Scottish history to love Braveheart.

It's a movie. It's a pretty well-made one. If someone doesn't wanna be bummed out be a movie, I can dig that. I'd say that's a better reason to watch or not watch it.

There is real truth to this. But... I was honestly surprised when Crash won.

This year, it is more of a race, but yet we already know it's probably Slave, Gravity, or Hustle. But, wow, wouldn't it be crazy if they said Nebraska! ???

No surprises tonight at the Independent Spirit Awards. Slave won and the actor frontrunners won.

Downright shocked when Shakespeare in Love and Crash were called out.

So it's possible. I guess I was somewhat shocked but not totally about Argo. But I'm hoping for a Shakespeare in Love or Crash moment tomorrow.

Agreed. I liked it too, but it did feel like it was trying too hard to be Boogie Nights.