2 big melodramatic boxing movies in 2 years?

Does the success of Million Dollar Baby (and even if it doesn't win the two big prizes, it definately is a favorite to win it) mean that Cinderella Man's boxing flick seem to gain a been there/done that stigma?

On top of that, the Academy definately owes Ron Howard/Russell Crowe/Renee Z no favors this year...

Thoughts?

All I can say is I hope so. I've seen enough of Russell Crowe to last a lifetime. I like Ron Howard and Renee, but they got theirs not too long ago. Time for some fresh blood.

M$B won't walk away with the big prize IMO.

If Cinderella Man is good (which there's little doubt it won't be based on the talent behind and in front of the camera), I don't see the problem.

It's a period biopic, much different than M$B.

If Cinderella Man is good enough then Million Dollar Baby's award success shouldn't harm its chances of grabbing a nom next year. But if Million Dollar Baby takes home the gold this year, then I'd say Cinderella's chances of winning are pretty much zilch.

Unless, of course, Cinderella Man turns out to be a timeless masterpiece.

But then, if Rocky hadn't already won Best Pic in 1976, would Raging Bull have had more of a chance four short years later?

So many questions...

So very tired.

I think all the current controversy surrounding the troubled production of Eucalyptus with Crowe will hurt more than M$B. Justified or not, Crowe is getting a lot of accusations thrown his way. He already has a bad enough reputation.

Looks like he'll be directing Eucalyptus now.

In some way, I sort of hope MDB doesn't walk away with the big one so I can see the stunned shocked look on Ebert's face after it happens and what his response is to it.. Not to be mean or anything, but I was watching Ebert and Roeper this morning on WB and Ebert went on and on and on about this movie that looked to be boring his partner as he rambled on about it.. Hell, who really knows?? Nothing is ever a lock as they oput it in the world of the Oscars and upsets have happened in the past folks, so it's not out of the realm of possibility of this occurring.. Too much overconfidence can hurt something and besides, Scorcese isn't going to have many shots left at this you know?? I'd still love to see "RAY" win it out of nowhere and see the reaction if it did win BEST PICTURE or even SIDEWAYS or AVIATOR PUll it off.. My biggest thing with MDB isn't really recognizing that it's a very good film, but the fact that it has been so overpraised to goddamn hell to the point that if and when I do see this movie(and I will at some point) I can't help but to think my Expectations are going to be through the roof to where it will never live up to that.. I already know the ending and already think from what little I've seen of MDB, It looks like ROCKY all over again, just with a Woman..

^^^BKB it is NOTHING lik rocky

Uh, nothing like ROCKY Huh?? Let's see here: A crusty old trainer like Mickey(Eastwood)takes a down and out individual like Swank(Stallone) and trains her to fight all the way to big title bout, like ROCKY only with a twist ending at the end.. Yeah right.. It doesn't mimic ROCKY at all..

Dude you have not even seen the fucking movie so I think I know a bit more than you on this one son....

Just give it a damn chance, I have never seen such ignorance...always ragging on a movie you have not even seen

So in other words, I'm right.. It's exactly like ROCKY broken down the same way with a gut wrenching ending.. Prove me otherwise.. It's a boxing movie with a crusty trainer deciding to train a down and out on her luck woman to be a fighter and train her to fight for the big one.. Sounds like ROCKY to me with a woman..

I cannot prove it to you if you dont give it a chance you ignoramous...Boxing isnt even really what the story is about

What the hell does me giving it a chance have to do with you proving that it's not a movie on the same page as ROCKY??? You've seen it, I haven't except for snippets here and there and considering all they show everytime I see it is Eastwood training her on the punching bag, Like Mickey did with ROCKY and her in the ring fighting like ROCKY and a gut wrenching ending not seen in any of the ROCKY films.. Hell, I'll bet Stallone is kicking himself for not thinking up this storyline for his proposed ROCKY VI movie like Eastwood did for this???

From what I undersand, Cinderalla will be somewhat like Seabiscuit, which I mean will use the boxing angle to create a slice of life story about the era and the boxer's effect on the public. So just saying, it's not only about boxing, just like Seabiscuit wasn't just a horse movie.

It all depends on how good it is. The trailer looks "meh" to me but the talent involved is huge so it has a chance.

But from what I understand, Cinderlla is coming out in the late summer not fall/winter so they probably are hoping mainly for box office success with a chance of awards, and not strictly an oscar-bait movie like Million was.

Isn't this from Universal, the same studio that got best picture nomiantions for Seabiscuit and Ray? If they could do that for those two movies, then a nomination is possible for this too. As much as everyone seems to hate Crowe, they like Ron Howard.

Very true, but Cinderella Man isn't Universal's only Oscar aiming material in 2005. They also have:

Vengence - the still officially untitled Steven Spielberg Munich Olympics film. Which seems like Universal's best bet.

Jarhead - The Sam Mendes Gulf War pic

Rumor Has It - Which is this film about Jennifer Aniston discovering that Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate may be based on her family. It's a Rob Reiner film. Also has Costner, Ruffalo, MacLaine. It's very much the Something's Gotta Give or Spanglish of 2005.

Theoretically the studio could get one or two of these nominated (Rumor probably only a globe) but getting more than one is not something that happens extremely often, and something that hasn't happened to Universal at all or at least in the recent past (too lazy to look up stats)

That is NOT what happens in Rocky. Mickey doesn't train Rocky until after he gets a title shot. He didn't think much of Rocky, but saw it as his meal ticket, and he had nothing to do with Rocky getting a title bout. Rocky was only given a title fight because Apollo's real challenger got hurt before their fight, and Rocky was just a setup fight that was all for show. Totally different than what happens in Million Dollar Baby, but if you had seen Million Dollar Baby, I wouldn't have to tell you that.

You know .. i haven't seen M$B but I dont know why I'm developing this backlash against it. I have no reason to but the more I hear about it, as good as it might be or not, it just keeps coming off as a movie that might have been trying too hard and made FOR the oscars. I dont know .. like i said, i haven't seen it.

thats why i want sideways to win actually. it doesn't seem like it was made with any intentions or anything.

By th is logic, I can boil down every movie to basically the same story...how you tell a story says alot.

Rocky is a shite movie, yes, I said it, Rocky sucks, whereas M$B is very good.

Oh c'mon Loyal, we all know you just want Cinderella Man to do well so Giamatii can get a Supporting Actor nomination. But seriously, the trailer left me cold, looks like the most pedestrian and bland movie that could be made, absolutely nothing to change it from the rest of the vanilla.

Explain this to me??? How many movies out there mimic ROCKY??? How many movies out there involve a Boxer Ripper??? As for ROCKY being a shit movie?? You should be shot for that and it's extremely Rare to hear someone dissing the original ROCKY.. Now the Rocky Sequels?? Yeah, there worth dissing, but come on, The original ROCKY was hands down one of the best films ever made and you'd have to be blind not to notice this..

The more I hear about how overly great MDB is, the less I REALLY want to see it like you.. I just think there's no way a movie, no matter what movie it is, can be THIS good and I'm afraid if I did see it, my Expectations would be so through the roof, not just from hearing the critics go on and on about it, but Maverikk and others around here to, that would kill my Expectations and no way would they ever be met with this much overpraise for it.. No way.. That's why I sort of hope there is an Upset to put folks in their place over this and silence them.. I hope "RAY" is the Underdog to do it to, but I would be equally Ecstatic if it were SIDEWAYS or even The AVIATOR winning.. I'm just kind of tired of hearing about MDB and the way folks go on and on over it..

I actually loved the cinderella man trailer