This is a great film. I think it should have been nominated for best picture. It was well directed, acted, written.
The only thing that bugs me and I found wrong with the movie was that they said the word 'ese' way too much. Almost after ever sentence. Cut those down by 90% and the movie would have been perfect.
I dont think it should have one best picture, tho. Unforgiven is legend.
I <3 Emily Blunt
It was a good movie no doubt but Best Picture? I don't think so. The movie lives on in more of a cult following these days. Latinos watch it for the historical aspects
"You're so cool im gonna call you culo"
It was a good movie no doubt but Best Picture? I don't think so. The movie lives on in more of a cult following these days. Latinos watch it for the historical aspects
He said it should have been nominated, not that it should have won, and I agree.
Let's look at some of the 1992 nominations, and compare them to American Me's talent.
Best Picture
Unforgiven (winner...obviously deserves nom)
A Few Good Men (well deserved)
Howard's End (American Me couldn't have filled this slot?)
Scent of a Woman (well deserved)
The Crying Game (well deserved)
Best Actor (probably no room for Olmos in this category, I'll admit. What a lineup of heavyweights)
Pacino, Scent (winner)
Downey Jr., Chaplin
Clint, Unforgiven
Rea, Crying Game
Denzel Washington, Malcom X (my personal winner, but we know that's a tall order with the Academy back in these days)
Best Supporting Actor
Hackman, Unforgiven (winner, Nicholson snubbed)
Jaye Davidson, Crying game (you can't place William Forsythe, as J.D. in American Me, here?)
Jack, A Few Good Men (robbed)
Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross (obviously his name got him this nomination, plus he's already nominated for Scent. You could put William Forsythe here)
David Paymer, Mr. Saturday Night (Are you kidding? You could easily put Forsythe here. This is where American Me is starting to get screwed)
Best Original Screenplay (talk about a snub. Floyd Mutrux has been in Hollywood a long time and is not unheard of. There's some scripts on here that American Me blows out of the water)
Crying Game, Neil Jordan (Winner. Fair enough)
Husbands and Wives, Woody Allen (not his greatest film, his name gets him this one)
Lorenzo's Oil, George Miller and Nick Enright (Mutrux clearly overlooked)
Passion Fish, John Sayles (are you kidding me? Mutrux clearly overlooked)
Unforgiven, David Peoples (shoe in, obviously can't argue with it)
Best Score (no point in listing, none are memorable. American Me's score stands up with any of them. American Me's score is one of the strong points of the film. It's hair raising, especially in the ending montage)
Best Director...full of heavyweights, but I don't see why Olmos can't get James Ivory's spot (Howard's End)
Best Actress....(Some solid, memorable talent, but still think Eveline Fernandez, as Julie, gets snubbed. Michelle Pfeifer, Love Field? Come on. Look at the scenes Fernandez has to carry. Series of scenes where she falls for a life long prisoner, then ends up being basically date raped by him. Another powerful scene with her and Olmos at Lil Puppet's wedding. She should have been nominated.)
Either the Academy did a lousy job surveying the body of work in 1992, or they snubbed American Me intentionally because of the ugly incidents surrounding the film. And, you can't blame them. People were flat out killed just for working on the film. Nonetheless, American Me was certainly overlooked as at least a nomination in a few categories.
I watched it recently, and it really holds up. There's a lot of debate as to who gets credit for the story, as the screenplay dates back to the early '70s, and many accounts have Olmos taking his own liberties with the story. Whatever the case, the film definitely took elements from the Godfather to make it memorable, using the sub plots of family and relationships. I remember Robert Evans explaining the longevity of the Godfather in "The Kid Stays in the Picture". The Godfather's success today was part of Paramount's plan. It wasn't an accident. The scenes were written and filmed in ways to make it relate to any generation and any era. The makers of American Me borrowed many of the same concepts. Although, obviously American Me hasn't seen the commercial success, the movie is just flat out excellent. Well written. Unbelievably acted. Well directed.
"Ese" is just part of the neo-realism. That was a common word used by Chicanos all across the southwest U.S. at that time, and still is in many parts of Los Angeles today.
"Ese" is just part of the neo-realism. That was a common word used by Chicanos all across the southwest U.S. at that time, and still is in many parts of Los Angeles today.
Olmos surrounded himself with real life players while making this movie. It wasn't guess work. These guys said "ese" a lot. It's a popular term in LA's cholo culture, especially was in the early '90s, and it was even more so in the time the film takes place. Modern LA Chicano rap is one of the only venues where you still hear this term.
shareWord? Oh well in that case I retract my previous statements and I no longer think they said the word too much. Lol
Dude, I dont care if its accurate, it was an ear sore and over done at times. They could of stood to cut out a few here and there.
Ese was being used in real life just as much as it was in the film...they started saying "holmes" later on. Just because you don't like it being used alot doesn't mean it's not accurate. There was too much thst wasn't accurate as it was
shareGranted, it had some gritty, realistic appearing scenes but I was not impressed with Edward James Omos' performance. It just appeared as a continuation of the character of Lt. Castillo of tv's Miami Vice which ended 2 years prior to this. He essentially portrayed two radically opposite characters, a police lieutenant and a crime lord in almost the exact same manner. That, imo, indicates a laziness and a lack of range and creativity as an actor. What's the expression for that nowadays ? He "phoned it in."
shareNah, this movie was a hot mess. Poor pacing, awkward music, cringe dialogue, miscast actors, undeveloped characters etc
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