The "awards season" is upon us for better or worse, and soon we'll have the Academy Awards and all that means for better or worse. I actually look forward to watching them and, alas, this year I'll have to miss them like I did last year. But anyway...
Only three movies have won all five of the "Big Five" Academy Awards:
It Happened One Night: (1934)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: (1975)
The Silence of the Lambs: (1991)
The "Big Five" awards are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (either Best Original Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay).
For my part, I think the argument holds up. Or, perhaps a better way to think about it is, regardless of winning awards, there's some great ideas for filmmakers to ponder, and one more example of why it's good to rewatch great films multiple times and see how they work.
What are your thoughts?
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Great video for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, etc. to watch and study, Tucker Teague!
I think a Horror movie has to be more than a Horror movie to be nominated for an Oscar and win. The movie needs a deep story and complex characters with a theme and topics that resonate with people, like a Horror movie mixed with a Drama movie.
You said, "One more example of why it's good to rewatch great films multiple times and see how they work." I like to look for new things when I rewatch a movie, like things I can use in my own scripts or what's going on in the background.
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Awards season always sparks some great discussions, and I love looking back at the films that have won the "Big Five." It’s fascinating that only three films have pulled it off, especially considering how many classics have come close. Regardless of awards, I completely agree that revisiting great films is essential for filmmakers—there’s always something new to learn from the storytelling, performances, and direction that made them stand out.
Each of these films is so different in genre and tone, yet they all mastered character, tension, and narrative in a way that resonated across the board. Makes me wonder—are there any recent films of the last few years that you think had the potential to sweep all five categories but didn’t?
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Ashley Renee Smith - when you look at the last 20 years of Best Picture winners so few have the balance required for Best Actor and Best Actress together, much less the other awards. MOONLIGHT and GREEN BOOK don't have a best actress canditates and NOMADLAND didn't have an actor candidate, just as three examples. 2004's CRASH could have pulled it off, perhaps. Clearly the closest to actually pulling it off was EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE which won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress with Ke Huy Quan winning Best Supporting Actor. All are great films but having that balance across the board and the roles worthy of the top acting awards is clearly very tough to pull off. Think I'll rewatch IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT this weekend.
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Smart and relevant comments, Tucker and the rest of you, about a genre that generally does not get awards recognition. // As a jokey aside: you know those robo-calls you get where there's no one on the line...nothing... I've begun calling those "The Silence of the Spams". [I know...groan.] // Enjoy Awards Season!
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Pamela Jaye Smith "The Silence of the Spams" Haha