Music Babble

Magnolia - I guess a few really loud glowing reviews would never have been enough to make this a BP nom, and I wonder if a different ending would have meant less polarization. Of course, I have no idea what a different ending for this film would actually *be*. Especially since we've all seen the one we got. I think it's a pretty good film (and PTA apparently thinks its his best) but Boogie Nights is better.

The Matrix - I enjoyed this film, but not the pop culture phenomenon around it. Cute that they've upgraded the Wachowski's names for this new list. I could go without ever seeing the film ever again due to its overexposure, but seeing it for the first time in theaters when it came out was pretty good. BTW the fourth Matrix movie from last year tanked utterly.

Eyes Wide Shut - Nope, no chance in hell.

Fight Club: This lost money at the box office when it came out, which people have totally forgotten because of the huge cult it built up on DVD (the early 2-disc DVD was widely considered a "how to make a great DVD release" back in the day.) Its message is obvious and of course Durden was never going to win, and the buildings collapsing at the end doesn't have a hell of a lot of emotional impact when you realize nobody's in them, but the movie is still wonderful fun to watch on a writing-directing-moviewatching level. I hugely recommending rewatching it--what did you hate?

The Straight Story - I never got the big deal about this one. It's touching when Farnsworth finds Harry Dean Stanton at the end, and it's neat that Lynch was able to direct a G rated Disney movie, but it honestly doesn't have that many great scenes in it.

BP noms from 1999:

American Beauty - S*** that isn't relevant in a post 9/11 world at all, who cares about suburban anomie any more? I feel like an old bastard talking about this movie.

The Cider House Rules - Harvey Weinstein trying to buy an Oscar was what this movie was. Nobody talks about it anymore, it didn't get glowing reviews when it came out and most of the publicity it got was because, as said, it was Weinstein trying to buy an Oscar, so that's why it was the main competition with AB.

The Sixth Sense - I still like this, and still like the ending, but M. Night has never really come close to it ever again and of course the ending was bad for him. I don't know that this film has gone down as a perennial thing that future generations fall in love with, either.

The Green Mile - I guess lots of people probably still like this, but lots of people then and now thought it was too damn long and too damn saccharine.

The Insider - Probably only Michael Mann enthusiasts still watching this and it had no chance to win.