Comments (37)

• Never? What about the year LOTR swept?

  Comment by Andrew — January 31, 2009 @ 6:03 pm  Reply to this post

• Huge oversight. Here’s to the oscar voters taking a step or two away from the prepackaged, marketed safe choices and voting for true art.

  Comment by Leroi — January 31, 2009 @ 6:20 pm  Reply to this post

• Not only was Batman unworthy of a nod, but it was one of the dullest, stiffest, most pretetious movies of last year.

  Comment by Chandler — January 31, 2009 @ 6:55 pm  Reply to this post

• these people need to find more important things to care about.

  Comment by jb — January 31, 2009 @ 7:48 pm  Reply to this post

• Maybe the Directors Guild will give their honor to Nolan and send a big, slobbery F-U to the Oscars for the fraud they perpetrated on the American moviegoing public. SDM will win Best Picture, but they didn’t beat The Dark Knight to do it. Therefore, this:

  *

  An asterisk.

  Comment by Paul — January 31, 2009 @ 8:21 pm  Reply to this post

• I think the Dark Knight should have been nominated for best picture. At least Chris Nolan deserves a Best Director nod. But it is stupid to boycott the Oscars just because they don’t agree. If you want to boycott something, boycott the Weinstein Company. That snake Harvey Weinstein probably had to bribe half of the academy to get his nazi-porno “The Reader” nominated.

  I don’t agree with the Academy’s decision to snum Dark Knight in the two biggest categories. But that is no reason to boycott, plus don’t forget that it still has 8 other nominations under its belt. That is way more than any other blockbuster can even ever hope for.

  However, if Heath Ledger doesn’t win, then we will have some major problems.

  Comment by NackAttack — January 31, 2009 @ 8:29 pm  Reply to this post

• Oh, you crazy nerds.

  Although, they should be commended for their ill-informed “Fox is trying to keep us from seeing an awesome movie” WATCHMEN hissy fit into this self-righteous foot-stomping.

  Comment by Humanistic Realist — January 31, 2009 @ 8:37 pm  Reply to this post

• Nikki,

  We can only wish those guys were under the age of 25. More like pushing 35 for geekdom. I went to Comic Con and a majority of those attending were actually older than 25.

  Comment by Chris — January 31, 2009 @ 9:09 pm  Reply to this post

• Would a nod have been good for public relations and ratings? ABSOLUTELY. Was “The Dark Knight” a good film? Well, yeah, maybe an 8, 9 out of 10. But the Best Picture category should be reserved for films that are, arguably, 11’s out of 10’s. The cream of the crop. (And that’s crap nowdays, as films are poorly nominated, nominated as favors, or done so out of general not caring.)

  Quite frankly, “The Dark Knight” arguably is the second best-grossing motion picture of current cinema history (not adjusting for inflation, of course.) Why do “geeks” need an Oscar nod for validation? The entire world saw it, three times over.

  The Oscars, in a pure form, should be about nominating good movies, regardless of popularity. If they didn’t, then, the fantastic “Frost/Nixon” would have never gotten a nod.

  For awards that more align what the public spends money on, “geeks,” please see the People’s Choice Awards.

  Comment by Charles Jurries — January 31, 2009 @ 9:25 pm  Reply to this post

• DK is overrated and overlong, but Heath Ledger…overdue. He’ll win the statue, and even though it’s a bit sappy, he deserves it. DK has pushed the comic film into the realm of real artistry, and its snub will make voters more aware of them as real cinema long into the future. But really, what best picture would you replace with DK? Slumdog? No. Milk? Hell no. Button? No, because it had a straight narrative and felt half as long despite being the same length. Frost/Nixon? Come on. The Reader? Nope, because it was a story that will hopefully push humanity toward reconciliation.

  Comment by Greg — January 31, 2009 @ 10:11 pm  Reply to this post

• jb, shouldn’t you find more important posts to comment on? Or maybe you can give us a list of jb-approved important issues we are allowed to care about, so our lives can be fulfilled and meaningful and free of troublesome fun, lightheartedness, or entertainment.

  Comment by Dave — January 31, 2009 @ 10:49 pm  Reply to this post

• At last Trekkies have someone to look down on.

  Comment by Buddy Bing — January 31, 2009 @ 10:49 pm  Reply to this post

• Please tell me, what exactly is it about this film that constitutes an Oscar nomination? Other than Heath Ledger’s performance (which was better than average but not necessarily “out of the park”) which aspects of this film rate more excellent than most?

  The story was common and full of plot holes, and the acting was for the most part uninspired.

  Was it a terrible movie? No. But just because it was a better “comic book” movie than most, doesn’t mean it was a better “movie” than most. (and I would put Iron Man in a much better position as a “movie”, for better writing and acting…I’ll take Downey Jr. and Bridges over Bale and Eckhart, in this movie anyway)

  So, if it’s possible, without the vitriol and anger…those who feel “The Dark Knight” deserves to win for “Best Picture of the Year”, please put forth your argument.

  -RTA

  Comment by RTA — January 31, 2009 @ 11:11 pm  Reply to this post

• The Oscar crowd obviously are takin’ a little heat over their crappy choices. Benjamin Button was a TOTAL bore. Milk was a bad made-for-TV movie, Slumdog Millionaire was a fine choice, The Reader was marginal at best, and Frost/Nixon was also good movie that no one saw. The Dark Knight certainly deserves to be up for Best Movie and Christopher Nolan should be up for Best Director.

  Slumdog Millionaire will win, hands down, but TDK deserves the recognition. Nearly a billion dollar BO says a lot, so I guess you can chalk up this Academy Awards snit on jealousy.

  Comment by RDO38 — January 31, 2009 @ 11:32 pm  Reply to this post

• The posts about the quality of The Dark Knight and that the academy should vote for “True art” over “popularity” need to get their heads out of their asses. It’s not about whether The Reader is better than The Dark Knight (btw, it’s not), it’s about the academy awards going the way of the Grammy’s and being completely culturally irrelevant. Here we have a movie that’s one of the top rated films of the year AND being the second biggest grossing films of all time and yet the academy nominates the usual self-indulgent shallow “art.” Nikki gets one thing wrong in this article: the geeks DO watch the Oscar’s…there’s a reason they televise some of the technical awards. Plus there’s usually some good summer movie ads.

  Comment by Presidentpez — January 31, 2009 @ 11:42 pm  Reply to this post

• This is the same reasoning that got titanic nominated. “if it’s a hit, then it has to be on the oscars telecast.” if that’s what you’re looking for, bring back the Blockbuster awards and have a good time. Let’s give john grisham a Pulitzer too. And if you want to give oscars to dead people, how about Humphrey bogart? He’d appreciate it as much as Heath.

  Comment by Anonymous — February 1, 2009 @ 12:07 am  Reply to this post

• You have to love the idiot posters who express their opinions as though they are fact. Dark Knight isn’t overlong or overrated, *you think* Dark Knight is overlong and overrated. Stop stating your opinions as fact. Just because you believe something does not make it so; it just makes it your opinion. Everything is subjective. Accept that fact your opinions mean shit to everyone except yourself and move on with your life. You’re not that important — deal with it.

  Comment by Mark — February 1, 2009 @ 6:23 am  Reply to this post

• There’s nothing like confirming one’s own irrelevance by boycotting something and achieving NO … IMPACT … WHATSOEVER.

  If geeky fanboys had any real influence or dollar power, Grindhouse, Snakes on a Plane, etc. would be movies consisting of multiples of $100 million in gross. Instead, those movies confirm that the fringe is simply that – the outlier that NO ONE can take seriously.

  Their next soon-to-be-confirmed failure? “Watchmen.” DC Comics was quick to announce that it was printing one million of the rarely read “tome.” Notice it hasn’t mentioned how many its sold. Without question, “Watchmen” is the bestselling graphic novel, but that’s like saying the Ford Pinto is the bestselling used car that explodes on impact. Even when “Watchmen” sales are good, they’re meaningless.

  Although “The Dark Knight” is firmly within the mainstream, operating and/or visiting a web site “dedicated to comic book heroes, Star Trek sequels, and everything else sci-fi, action-oriented, and gory” is not.

  Comment by Harold — February 1, 2009 @ 6:46 am  Reply to this post

• If you think the Academy has to nominate high grossing films to stay culturally relevant, then I guess we may be looking forward to a Mall Cop best pic nod next year.
  .

  Comment by One Time Sitcom Writer — February 1, 2009 @ 10:50 am  Reply to this post

• To “One Time Sitcom Writer”:

  That is a silly comparison and you know it. The argument for The Dark Knight makes sense, but you are trying to marginalize the viewpoint in favor of The Dark Knight by putting the movie in the same league with Mall Cop.

  You know The Dark Knight is NOT Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Frankly, it makes your post look stupid and petty.

  Comment by Reality Check — February 1, 2009 @ 11:08 am  Reply to this post

• a message to TDK fanboys:

  shut the hell up and get a life.

  Comment by UGLY DEAF MUSLIM PUNK GURL! — February 1, 2009 @ 11:38 am  Reply to this post

• Oh you’re right, the audience for popular entertainment, cinema and “guy” films isn’t the Oscar’s crowd, the Oscars are for gay men and also women who care who wore what. Not for people who care about cinema. Iron Man and Dark Knight are punished by pretentious foo-foo’s who think it’s cool to be out of touch with the people who paid them.

  Comment by Dave — February 1, 2009 @ 11:50 am  Reply to this post

• TDK could EASILY replace Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader in Best Picture and Director. Just because a movie makes $$$ doesn’t and shouldn’t disqualify it from Oscar consideration. Yeah, 8 nominations, but all but Ledger’s are in the gilded ghetto of the technical categories. Not good enough this year.

  And Titanic deserved every one of its Oscars, including the one that Winslet was jobbed out of because the voters wanted the only American in the field that year, Helen Hunt, to win.

  Comment by Paul — February 1, 2009 @ 11:55 am  Reply to this post

• For the last time:

  There is no “best” movie. This is all about commerce and film’s inherent appeal to our artistic nature.

  Movies are one of the few mediums which has popular, commercial and artistic appeal.

  The “Academy” just splits these elements:

  POPULARITY: People’s Choice/MTV/Kids Choice
  COMMERCIAL: Boxffice, ’nuff said.
  ARTISTIC: Oscars, Globes SAG and the like.

  In the end, it is all used to make money by pushing you to buy something because it’s popular or it’s “The Best.”

  So these conversation are all bullshit. “Paul Blart” is probably the best movie to a lot of people who only care about laughing and enjoying a film.

  “The Reader” and “Milk” are for people who believe that art is more important than commerce.

  The reason “The Dark Knight” is so controversial is that it has all three elements in abundance. Unfortunately, unlike “Titanic” and “LOTR” it’s artistic pedigree is founded in a medium which gets no artistic respect from older Academy voters who think comic books are fluff.

  This will change when they all die.

  Comment by NoCountryForBlackMan — February 1, 2009 @ 12:10 pm  Reply to this post

• To Mark:

  I don’t feel the need to qualify my posts since everyone’s opinion is by nature subjective. I stand by my truth re: DK, which by the way I enjoyed. But to illustrate a point, I walked out of Titanic years ago and was the only one in my group who saw it for the overlong, overrated sentimental drivel-fest it was. I bit my tongue. It won the Oscar. And now, years later, those friends agree with me. I value my opinions, and for me they are fact as your opinions are to you. Frankly, you seem very defense, or perhaps felt the need to lash out. Why not jump in the discussion instead of attacking semantics?

  Comment by Greg — February 1, 2009 @ 12:18 pm  Reply to this post

• Who cares about Batman??!! Wall·E was the one that was REALLY robbed. Best Animated Feature is a ghetto category and we all know it. Slumdog and Benjamin Button can suck it, too.

  Comment by Tuptim — February 1, 2009 @ 2:16 pm  Reply to this post

• It’s ridiculous that Chris Nolan and The Dark knight were not nominated. It is a conspiracy opon Biblical purportions. Not to mention Penelope Cruz who couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag, gets nominated over the GREAT and i do mean great acting job that Maggie Gylenhal gave in “Dark Knight” all of Hollywood should be ashmed of themselves for this travesty of bisexuality getting awarded over great acting, and Penn over the great acting ability of Heath Ledger lead actor not a supporting one where was Morgan Freeman awesome job, I guess he’d take to much attention away from obama and what about Aaron Ekhart riveting performance as TWO Characters as Two face and crime fighting DA. This is just sick what they are doing shoving anything gay down our throats and what go bananna about button because it adultry and oh yes the creme de la crop the catholic attack job doubt my butt, can’t wait for thier naked nuns with guns and stripper poles in schools it’s brainwashing 101 and great talent like morgan freeman get shut our Aaron Ekhart, MAGGIE GYLENHAL and CHRIS NOLAN, boycott there should be an investigation into this FRAUD yeah vickie christina barcelona should get a oscar nomination my butt. Thats like saying Daryle Hannah and Peter Gallagher should of got nod for their old flick summer lovers. It seems Batman the Dark Knight was shut out because they want everyone to remember the great Heath Ledger who should be recieving the best actor nomination because he contributed a lot to baracks cause.THey want you to remember him as a gay cowboy. Magie Gylenhal not being nominated and not even being mentioned is a crime penelope cruz my bat signal!!!!!

  Comment by Ben — February 1, 2009 @ 2:24 pm  Reply to this post

• The Oscars are just a Hollywood BJ. Frankly, they’ve become a joke. With The Dark Knight being left out in the cold, this is the year that they’ve been exposed as the farce that it has become. May the Academy choke on its own self-important BS.

  Comment by Trooth Hurtz — February 1, 2009 @ 5:28 pm  Reply to this post

• Regarding Mark’s mean comment to Greg: I, and I’m certain many others, just assume when people post comments they are stating their opinion. Since when are there facts on internet posts?

  And to Reality Check: One Time Sitcom Writer is not stupid and petty, but making a joke based on the previous argument. And it was venom-free! Which always impresses me in an internet post.

  The Dark Knight (to be clear: in my opinion) was not a good movie. Well, the first 2/3rds were good until the unnecessary ferry sequence on. No wait! Until the hospital-Two-Face-Scene-that-should-have-ended-the-movie. And I like a little bit more character development from my villains than that they are crazy for some unknown reason.

  Comment by a person — February 1, 2009 @ 7:58 pm  Reply to this post

• Ben: Could you repost that screed in English? And here’s a little hint — don’t complain about people shoving gay down your throat, because that’s funny in all the wrong ways.

  Meanwhile, I do hope the geek sites go sit in their bitter-filled diapers, and the The Dark Knight score big off its (well-deserved) seven craft nominations. Some people really have to cut off their noses to spite the face of someone who just doesn’t care. And the haters might want to work up some spit, because I’ll also say this: Ledger’s nomination wasn’t a necrophiliac farce, but I still think Michael Shannon deserves the win.

  Comment by Craig Ranapia — February 2, 2009 @ 2:19 am  Reply to this post

• So the geeks are “boycotting” something they wouldn’t have watched anyway.

  Ask one of these losers and he’ll tell you he’s boycotting vagina and a job as well.

  Comment by Lou Cifer — February 2, 2009 @ 5:20 am  Reply to this post

• I have a question for Ms. Finke — who are these ‘geek sites’ that are promising to boycott the Academy Awards? Can you site some specific people who have promised not to blog about the Oscars because of The Dark Knight?

  I’m curious because, while I have seen outrage about The Dark Knight’s lack of nomination, I haven’t really seen anyone calling for a boycott…

  Comment by Neil Miller — February 2, 2009 @ 10:43 am  Reply to this post

• To RTA: Let’s see: What makes “The Dark Knight” the best film of 2008 (IMO)?

  Great acting, amazing cinematography, interwoven narratives that kept me slackjawed through the entire movie (and I don’t want to hear it about the 3rd act: I thought it was great!), a killer score…

  “The Dark Knight” is an entertaining movie, but not a FUN movie. This is a film that combined the requisite stunts, explosions and action sequences with a thoughtful treatise on what a “war on terror” really means in our society, and how far are we as “good” (read: Batman) people willing to go to fight that war. For Batman and the majority of major characters in the film, the line between good and evil gets blurred, even erased — just like it does in real life.

  “The Dark Knight” is the thinking person’s comic book movie. Separate from the $1B in worldwide box office, an Oscar nomination would have REWARDED Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. for taking the road less travelled, which last I checked is how true art comes about.

  BTW, we TDK fans are not all geeks, nerds, sci-fi lovers, Trekkies…or GUYS for that matter!

  P.S. to Neil: There is a “Boycott the Oscars because of the TDK snub” page on Facebook. And many posters on the Dark Campaign site have written they will not watch next month (myself included).

  Comment by filmfemme — February 2, 2009 @ 1:53 pm  Reply to this post

• To Dave – I wasn’t directing my comment towards posters on this site (that would be a tad hypocritical), I was directing them towards the adults who choose to devote their emotion and time to boycotting the Oscars because their favorite movie was snubbed. Personally that just strikes me as sad.

  PS – you need to find more important things to care about.

  PPS – THAT WAS A JOKE. Relax.

  Comment by JB — February 2, 2009 @ 2:58 pm  Reply to this post

• HELL YEAH!!!! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW PISSED I STILL AM. FOR THOSE ARTSY-FARTSY WHO THINK THAT THE ACADEMY MADE A WISE CHOICE, HERE’S ONE TO YA……..

  F@#$ YOU!!!!

  BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS. BOYCOTT THE OSCARS.

  Comment by Narc13 — February 2, 2009 @ 6:25 pm  Reply to this post

• Unfortunately a ‘boycott’ by the geeks will sabotage Hugh Jackman’s cred in the industry, especially if the Oscar ratings hit rock bottom. Not a very good preamble for Jackman’s upcoming “Wolverine” spin-off.

  The other sabotage will be for Heath Ledger’s hoped for Oscar as ‘The Joker’ in “TDK”.

  Academy members are still voting for this year’s awards, with ballots sent out January 28.

  The word is now that Academy members will boycott “TDK” with Ledger’s Oscar now in question.

  Way to go ‘geeks’…

  Comment by Lotta Dempsey — February 3, 2009 @ 8:19 am  Reply to this post

• Hey Lotta, if Heath Ledger loses the Oscar, forget the TV viewing audience. They will lose their audience inside the Kodak Theater. The stunned silence in that theater when his name isn’t read will be deafening!

  I would hope that Oscar voters aren’t stupid enough to vote for another performance because some TDK fans aren’t watching; the vast majority of viewers will be watching the show for Supporting Actor.

  If that happens the Oscars will lose what little credibility they have left. A random HS’s student council election will have more credibility…not to mention that reportedly Ledger’s family will attend the Oscars to accept on his behalf. That would be a PR disaster for AMPAS.

  And most importantly, Heath Ledger deserves to win!

  Comment by filmfemme — February 3, 2009 @ 11:37 am  Reply to this post