The Oscars v. New York Film Critics: which picks modern classics?
Image via Wikipedia
When most people talk about the best movie of the year, they usually talk Oscars. But does winning an Oscar for Best Picture lift a movie to the level of classic? Clearly not.
Over the past 20 years, the New York Film Critics Circle Award has arguably picked many more modern classics than the Oscars. By modern classic, I mean a movie that still broadly resonates a few years after the spotlight has dimmed and, therefore, has a chance of being watched for generations. Sure, it’s a relative term, but in my opinion many of the choices are pretty clear after just a few years.
Let’s look at the past twenty 20 Oscar winners and pit them against the New York Film Critics Critics Awards, which picked The Hurt Locker for 2009. In my system, I give a tie if both awards went to classics that are equals, a win to the award that picked the clearer classic, a nil when neither picked a classic and I noted when they chose the same film. The four times that both awards went to the same movie seem to be the best predictor of all.
1989
Oscars: Driving Miss Daisy
NYFCC: My Left Foot
Winner: Tie (some years produce multiple classics)
1990
Oscars: Dances with Wolves
NYFCC: Goodfellas
Winner: NYFCC (fuhgeddaboudit)
1991
Both chose Silence of the Lambs
1992
Oscars: Unforgiven
NYFCC: The Player
Winner: The Oscars (the Player is too insider)
1993
Both chose Schindler’s List
1994
Oscars: Forrest Gump
NYFCC: Quiz Show
Winner: The Oscars (how many lines can you recite from Quiz Show?)
1995
Oscars: Braveheart
NYFCC: Leaving Las Vegas
Winner: NYFCC (freeeeedom! from Mel Gibson, please)
1996
Oscars: The English Patient
NYFCC: Fargo
Winner: NYFCC (Fargo is an icon)
1997
Oscars: Titanic
NYFCC: L.A. Confidential
Winner: NYFCC (a cautionary tale to the Oscars, I hope)
1998
Oscars: Shakespeare in Love
NYFCC: Saving Private Ryan
Winner: NYFCC (if only the Bard had stormed a beach)
1999
Oscars: American Beauty
NYFCC: Topsy-Turvy
Winner: Nil (and there stood Being John Malkovich, just waiting)
2000
Oscars: Gladiator
NYFCC: Traffic
Winner: Nil (although the Oscars should lose points for this one)
2001
Oscars: A Beautiful Mind
NYFCC: Mulholland Drive
Winner: NYFCC (if a decade of confounding viewers equals classic)
2002
Oscars: Chicago
NYFCC: Far From Heaven
Winner: NYFCC (although Cannes really deserves it, for the Pianist)
2003
Both chose The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
2004
Oscrs: Million Dollar Baby
NYFCC: Sideways
Winner: The Oscars (New York critics, you corkscrewed up)
2005
Oscars: Crash
NYFCC: Brokeback Mountain
Winner: NYFCC (plateaus, not platitudes, make classics)
2006
Oscars: The Departed
NYFCC: United 93
Winner: NYFCC (people will watch United 93 for generations)
2007
Both chose No Country for Old Men
2008
Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire
NYFCC: Milk
Winner: Tie (for now)
The Final Tally
Oscars: 3
NYFCC: 9
Tie: 2
Nil: 2
Agreed: 4
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
I think your assessment is right on . . . but I think both Fargo and English Patient are destined to be classics – I’d call that one a tie.
I read a similar article last year, and I think it was on True/Slant. It wasn’t about the NYFCC, but it did take a look back at picks from the last 30 years to see if the Academy’s picks held up over time or made sense in retrospect: they mostly didn’t.
Unfortunately True/Slant’s search is not very robust (read: clunky and nearly useless) or I’d post it here.
I’d be interested in seeing the link if you do come across it, jcalton. I did a rather un-robust search myself for the idea in general. I chose 20 years, because it seems like there’s still room for movement as to whether some movies will settle in as a classic or not. I would agree with the general sense about the Academy’s pick: many, many don’t. But it seemed interesting that a lot of NYFCC come close.
In response to another comment. See in context »You seriously think Leaving Las Vegas was a better film than Braveheart – and your rationale for this is that Braveheart was…made by Mel Gibson…?
Overall, Michael, I think you’re right. But Braveheart was still a much better film than Leaving Las Vegas. Then again – it all boils down to taste in the end…
It is all taste, you are right E.D. Forget Mel Gibson, I thought Braveheart was rife with cliche. But I was trying to not let my own opinion cloud it too much. I was trying to ask, “What’s the state of this movie today?” And it seems that movie hasn’t had much of a life the past ten years, especially given Gibson’s, ahem, troubles.
It’s impossible to avoid your own opinion, though. I fully admit it.
In response to another comment. See in context »