Why was The Hurt Locker a successful movie?

So you're saying THL got a nod because it was political? I dunno.

Rendition, The Manchuriate Candidate, Body of Lies, hundreds of movies about the War in Iraq or just the general Middle-East turmoil have failed to garner much attention in the US. What made The Hurt Locker so special it even went so far as to win an oscar or two?eccentric_view

It won an oscar because it was better than the other movies.

And I wasn't aware that it did make much money. I was under the impression that it performed poorly at the box office. If it was a financial success, I'm willing to bet that it's only because of the oscars that it won.

I guess kissing the ass of America's military on a small budget just does it for some people. I found it to be complete crap. Especially after the ridiculous amount of hype it was given.

And I wasn't aware that it did make much money. I was under the impression that it performed poorly at the box office. If it was a financial success, I'm willing to bet that it's only because of the oscars that it won.

MrGeezer

It did worse at the Box Office than any other Best Picture winner. It wasn't really a financial success at all.

Because it was a great movie.

It was pretty good. It was sometimes dramatic.

I guess kissing the ass of America's military on a small budget just does it for some people. I found it to be complete crap. Especially after the ridiculous amount of hype it was given.

Dark_Knight6

[QUOTE="Dark_Knight6"]

I guess kissing the ass of America's military on a small budget just does it for some people. I found it to be complete crap. Especially after the ridiculous amount of hype it was given.

AtomicBaconBits

I never said it did well in sales. Fact of the matter is, all it did was kiss ass and $15 million is a pretty low budget. And I never mentioned a time frame for the hype. Over all, it received a disgusting amount of it.

I couldn't tell you... It wasn't anything beyond decent in my opinion. And a second watch is virtually impossible for me, the suspense is totally dead. raven_squad

The bore of a movie is already being forgotten now, even oscar couldn't safe it's pathetic box office performance.

I liked it a lot i just like the whole story and the way its setup its really exciting and makes you nervous the whole time.

Because it was directed by a woman, which is very rare in cinema.Rod90

Because it was directed by a woman, which is very rare in cinema.Rod90

[QUOTE="Rod90"]Because it was directed by a woman, which is very rare in cinema.frostybanana

I thought it was a great movie, except for the main character becoming pretty tiresome by the end. Other than that, though, I thought it was great, easily up there among war movies with the likes of Platoon.

[QUOTE="frostybanana"][QUOTE="Rod90"]Because it was directed by a woman, which is very rare in cinema.raven_squad

I found it kind of pedestrian, but it was the type of movie made for the Academy - take current political agenda, add a pinch of character progression, mix with a bit of a plot arc, and serve with director du jour.alwaysdrunk13

See, this is what I don't get, I hate war movies that get too far into agenda and I think I would've disliked this film had they gone that route. Part of what makes the film good IMO is that they're trying to A. deliver a decent thriller and B. trying to develop a feel for what it's like on the ground without all the heavy-handed commentary, and I feel they did both.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

And I wasn't aware that it did make much money. I was under the impression that it performed poorly at the box office. If it was a financial success, I'm willing to bet that it's only because of the oscars that it won.

JML897

It did worse at the Box Office than any other Best Picture winner. It wasn't really a financial success at all.

It took in roughly $40 million in the box office and was made with $15 million. It still turned profit.

[QUOTE="alwaysdrunk13"]I found it kind of pedestrian, but it was the type of movie made for the Academy - take current political agenda, add a pinch of character progression, mix with a bit of a plot arc, and serve with director du jour.theone86

See, this is what I don't get, I hate war movies that get too far into agenda and I think I would've disliked this film had they gone that route. Part of what makes the film good IMO is that they're trying to A. deliver a decent thriller and B. trying to develop a feel for what it's like on the ground without all the heavy-handed commentary, and I feel they did both.

[QUOTE="Rod90"]Because it was directed by a woman, which is very rare in cinema.frostybanana

People ask the same thing about avatar.

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me, it was because it was the only movie I have seen on the Iraq war that actually made me personally feel the danger and the tension that exists in the conflict.

Its well made from a technical point of view (except the shakey cam) but I don't think its as deep as it would like to think that it is. It makes its point about war as a drug very early on and settles for climaxes really. Some of those scenes at the end with the kid are absurd. Personally, I think Green Zone and Brothers are much better films. Green Zone in particular because it has a much wider overview of the Iraq war.

To your question: Given the politics of the Oscars, they'd prefer a more emotive experience, something that allows viewers to sympathise with the experiences of troops in a supposedly objective mode (Hurt Locker) rather than one that is more in tune with the reality (Green Zone and the fact that Iraq is an illegal war).

Because it was awesome.

Jeremy Renner put on a great performance in Hurt Locker. I will watch his next movie "The Town".

I thought it was horrible. It's not even close to being up their with the best war movies like Platoon, FMJ, Saving Private Ryan, etc. And anyone who says it's realistic is an idiot. It's not.

[QUOTE="AtomicBaconBits"][QUOTE="Dark_Knight6"]

I guess kissing the ass of America's military on a small budget just does it for some people. I found it to be complete crap. Especially after the ridiculous amount of hype it was given.

Dark_Knight6

I never said it did well in sales. Fact of the matter is, all it did was kiss ass and $15 million is a pretty low budget. And I never mentioned a time frame for the hype. Over all, it received a disgusting amount of it.

How the hell did it kiss ass? What movie were YOU watching?

It was a great movie, but last year there werent too many amazing films really. It sickens me that Avatar was a top contender for best picture. IMO Inglorious Besterds was the best film

the oscars award movies for the artistic side, not necessarily how entertaining they are to the general public.rowzzr

[QUOTE="rowzzr"]the oscars award movies for the artistic side, not necessarily how entertaining they are to the general public.foxhound_fox

Well for starters, I don't think that Jarhead was competing against The Hurt Locker for best picture. So I'm not even sure why you bring that up.

Rendition, The Manchuriate Candidate, Body of Lies, hundreds of movies about the War in Iraq or just the general Middle-East turmoil have failed to garner much attention in the US. What made The Hurt Locker so special it even went so far as to win an oscar or two?eccentric_view

It was a good movie, but it failed at the box office just like all the others. PS, the original Manchurian Candidate was awesome.

It was an ok movie but the sniper scene completely ruined it for me.

Rendition, The Manchuriate Candidate, Body of Lies, hundreds of movies about the War in Iraq or just the general Middle-East turmoil have failed to garner much attention in the US. What made The Hurt Locker so special it even went so far as to win an oscar or two?eccentric_view

while all the others were incredibly unrealistic, inauthentic, and terrible artistically, the Hurt Locker was actually a very good film from an artistic and storytelling perspective. Of course, it is was still incredibly unrealistic and inauthentic.

It was a great movie, but last year there werent too many amazing films really. It sickens me that Avatar was a top contender for best picture. IMO Inglorious Besterds was the best film

The_Gaming_Baby

agreed on all counts. Tarantino's best since PF

[QUOTE="eccentric_view"]Rendition, The Manchuriate Candidate, Body of Lies, hundreds of movies about the War in Iraq or just the general Middle-East turmoil have failed to garner much attention in the US. What made The Hurt Locker so special it even went so far as to win an oscar or two?Tangmashi

It was a good movie, but it failed at the box office just like all the others. PS, the original Manchurian Candidate was awesome.

As I said before it didn't fail at the box office. Yeah it didn't rake in 100 million plus but it still made roughly 40 million, which was 25 million more than it cost (it was a 15 million dollar film).