What do you think would have won if NCFOM came out in 2008?

After Slumdog's sweep, I'm really not sure. I think Deakins would have finally won a Cinematography Oscar, though, and the Sound award would be clinched. Javier Bardem would have been Ledger's only good competition. NCFOM had a bit less of a sweep though, but that was due to much stronger competition. I'm stilll sure it would have won at least one of Picture/Director/Adapted Screenplay.

Or, for fun, what if There Will Be Blood came out in 2008?

well Slumdog wouldn't have swept now, would it?

No Country/Blood beats Slumdog.

I don't think There Will Be Blood would beat slumdog. But I am optimistic enough to believe that NCFOM would beat the living shit out of those annoying indians (not that I hate all indians, I like the ones that dance better)

Anyone who really thinks Blood would have won over Slumdog is really really really full of wishful thinking or delusion.

However against NCFOM...I dunno. I suppose it'd have been a BP/BD split.

In that case I see Boyle getting BD, and NCFOM getting BP. NCFOM was really talked up for it's acting as well, whereas Slumdog was all about the director/script.

Blood: MC - 23 100s
No Country: MC - 20 100s
Slumdog: MC - 10 100s

I'll be sure to pass your clinical diagnosis around Lect.

Slumdog's relative lack of 100s is rather strange. But I lean with Lecter. I think there'd have been much less of a Slumdog cleanup, though. Maybe PTA winning Director or Art Direction.

It's not strange at all when you really look at it.

Slumdog sweep the precusors because of a lack of competition, not because of its quality. Toss another film in (either No Country or Blood) and now Slumdog falls to the wayside. It's box office suffers, it doesn't get 10 nominations, and history is completely rewritten.

Of course we will never know for sure. But when you look at the massive gap between Slumdog and the other two films on MC, there's obviously something off.

Shakespare in Love - 13 100s
Saving Private Ryan - 19 100s


Crash - 5 100s
Brokeback Mountain - 17 100s
Capote - 16 100s


A Beautiful Mind - 3 100s
In the Bedroom - 12 100s
Fellowship of the Ring - 17 100s

There Will Be Blood is not a BEST PICTURE winning film. It's not. The Academy isn't this far yet.

TWBB would have been a BP winner in the NCFOM 2008 scenario. Juno would have been competition, but nah...

Thanks for looking that up but it really doesn't change Slumdog's 10 100s. The argument seems to be that Slumdog would beat those two films (or Blood in particular) and that doesn't hold any water outside of wishful thinking.

Slumdog appeared as #1 on 10 2008 lists
Blood, 20.

Yeah, but the Academy marches to its own beat. I still think No Country For Old Men would have won Best Picture, though. Probably Adapted Screenplay, Sound and Editing as well.

Says who? All types of films have won this decade (musical, crappy racial, indian, popcorn, fantasy). There's no room for a critically loved drama?

Against Slumdog, for sure.

Actually, not Cinematography. Deakins would have won for Jesse James in this parallel universe.

TWBB against Slumdog, though. That's a weird one to deduce. DDL would have still won. Cinematography? Maybe. Art Direction? Fisk is due, but isn't as flashy as Ben Button. I do think it would have won something in Director/Adapted Screenplay, though more likely in the latter. Maybe a Sound nomination, and perhaps they'd have been more lax on Score eligibility (they allowed TDK)?

Slumdog had a ton of steam behind it because it didn't polarize. I'm sorry loyal, but I honestly think your hatred of Slumdog, and love o TWBB is blinding you to the truth. In a fantasy world, yes both TWBB and NCFOM would fuck this stupid indian movie up, but that probably wouldn't happen. NCFOM was brutal, and incredibly dark, and haunting, something that the critics may love, but did polarize some people. SM was well put-together, critically loved, and a happy story. It would be a really tough fit, and I have to believe NCFOM would win it out, but not by much. And since NCFOM crushed TWBB, I don't see how that would beat SM.

Both had a lot of people who LOVED them, but NCFOM had two more overdue directors and more commercial accessibility/cash in general. TWBB would have done better in 2008, though.

Here's a question, would Sean Penn have had a chance in Milk, against Daniel Day Lewis in TWBB? I know Loyal would insist it wouldn't but I'm not sure.

No, that I'm sure of. Day-Lewis' performance was just too towering.

Yeah but who was there to challenge him? Johnny Depp? George Clooney? I mean come on, this year you had two universally hailed performances that were very neck and neck, there just wasn't competition last year. I agree DDL would probably have pulled it off anyway, but I think Penn would have given him some decent competition at least.

I don't think anyone this decade would have won against hi for that one. Maaaayyyybe, Philip Seymour Hoffman would have had a chance. But unlikely, really.

Really? Don't get me wrong, i would give him the award against, well...any performance I have ever seen, but would the academy? did everyone else marvel at him as much as we did, or was he just so far ahead because there was no one to challenge him?