Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel both named Hoop Dreams as their best film of 1994. However, it was not even nominated for an academy award. This is a few of their reviews regarding the documentary film.
While the film got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Editing, the fact it wasn’t nominated for Best Documentary is just embarrassing. Easily one of the best documentaries not just of 1994, but of all time. The Academy still doesn’t get it right most of the time these days.
I remember when it wasn't nominated and I thought, "Gene and Roger's blood must be boiling right now. Can't wait to hear them talk about this nonsense." And yes, two others they fucked up on were Life Itself and Won't You Be My Neighbor?
sha11235 There are some other times where great documentaries weren’t even nominated when they were considered one of the years best (if not THE year’s best) doc: American Movie, Crumb, Dear Zachary, Grizzly Man, Hearts of Darkness, Jane, Paris is Burning, Salesman, The Thin Blue Line, They Shall Not Grow Old, Three Identical Strangers, and Waltz with Bashir. The Academy does pick some damn good documentaries, but there are still great ones that get ignored and for other categories, animated films aren’t taken very seriously since they rarely get nominated for Best Picture, even if they were truly one of the best films of their year. Also, there have been a lot of good films nominated for Best Picture, but sometimes better films got ignored entirely. The Oscars don’t always get it right when it comes to picking the year’s best, most deserving films.
Siskel & Ebert made many, many contributions to the world of cinema but perhaps their greatest gift was their continuing support, passion and relentless plugging of Hoop Dreams to ensure that it got much wider recognition than it originally got.
Its very rare for a documentary to move you emotionally like this. How in the world did not even get nominated for best documentary it should have easily won best documentary.
Wow. "And now for my #2 picture, Pulp Fiction." Shows the power of vision these critics had. This movie, today in 2019, is still underrated for its social importance in documenting the reality of American life. But Roger Ebert grasped that innately in 1994. He was, after all, as the comics love to remind us, in touch with black America. The dream in the title is so laden with meaning: it's all the hope and potential in a life, for something as simple and tangible as a ball game; but it's also the mystification of what this society expects of a human life, which is the ghetto. The film pivots gracefully for almost 3 hours between the drugs, grit, struggle, poverty, and racism on one side to the perseverance of these families' dreams for something better.
What an amazing film it was. The wild thing is, the scene that sticks with me and I still remember has nothing to do with basketball. When Arthur’s mother graduated from nursing school, that was one of the most touching and sweet moments I’ve ever seen in any film ever.
loved the way they both rallied behind this classic documentary. They usually dnt agree but they were both clearly on the same page with this one and rightfully so, this was such a great documentary!
Besides the quality of the reviews themselves, probably the greatest thing Siskel and Ebert did was use their influence to promote films like "Hoop Dreams" that otherwise likely would've gone unseen by the masses ("My Dinner with Andre" and "Gates of Heaven" are other examples). That was a powerful thing, especially in the pre-Internet age.
No one wanted a documentary about two black youths to have a chance of winning. And, it was created by unknown filmmakers who weren't kissing anyone's behind in the industry. They got robbed. It's still one of the best documentaries of all time.
I think 1994 was a rare year for Siskel and Ebert where they had the same movie at the top of both lists Hoop Dreams as the best film and their worst film North. I watched Siskel and Ebert for years and never saw an instance where that happened.
1996 it happened again. They both loved Fargo and hated Mad Dog Time. On the show, to make it clear, Roger then showed Little Indian, Big City, which was the second worst. I guess he felt it was better to make room for more bad films on the show.
During their time together reviewing movies together, they agreed on naming the same film #1 on their lists 9 times... 1969-"Z" 1972-"The Godfather" 1975-"Nashville" 1983-"The Right Stuff" 1989-"Do The Right Thing" 1990-"Goodfellas" 1993-"Schindler's List" 1994-"Hoop Dreams" 1996-"Fargo" ...and there we have it...RIP, Gene & Roger....
Boy do I love it when they rail against the Academy. The Academy will turn 92 YO in 2020. In 92 years they have never nominated a documentary film as Best Picture. And it looks like they never will. The Documentary film category don't even nominate what is perceived as the years best doc (Brother's Keeper, Shoah, Paradise Lost, Life Itself, Crumb, Roger & Me, The Thin Blue Line, etc). I think they should do away with the foreign language film category, animated film category and the documentary film category and consider them all for Best Picture.
The032387 Yeah, and they now snubbed Won’t You Be My Neighbor, They Shall Not Grow Old, Three Identical Strangers, and Apollo 11 for best documentary, the Academy never gets it right.
They would've loved it this year that a foreign film won Best Picture. Here they got out of the idea that it didn't say Best American Film but Best Picture.
I'll always be grateful to the Oscars for exposing me to movies I otherwise wouldn't have watched. But this was a shameful problem that affected numerous quality documentaries, not just Hoop Dreams
Watching this episode again reminds me why I quit watching all awards shows and subsequently hardly any movies, I don't go to the theater any more because the movies are out on dvd within a week of releasing them so why spend $16+ when I can wait and see it for a $1 or wait a little more time and see it for free?
I am born and raised in England and even though i am no expert on basketball but i how many kids in America go after hoop dreams every year. Thanks BBC.
I'm so glad they praised this movie like they did...it Had to be a Great Movie, seeing how they agreed on All the Same Pts...which was Not always common ground btw those 2 ...when you think of...Great Movies...or Classics Movies...this has got to be up there... I Still follow William & Arthur...both of them have been in the public eye since this film...Arthur, has commentated for games on ESPN & Sports Network...and goes all over the country public speaking...William & Arthur still do Anniversaries' & tour reshowing this movie with updates on them now...every few yrs., there's some project they're involved in showing what they've been doing since this movie... sadly, Arthur's father died...and William's brother died...one of them were actually murdered, but I can't remember which one...look, if nothing else...this movie has made a way for them to excel in life, even w/o making it to the NBA...they're Still making money off this movie...which shows just how Great this film was...it's almost unheard of for non-actors to Still be eating off their one and only movie that came out almost 30yrs ago...
I just saw Hoop Dreams for the first time. It's one of my favorite documentary I've ever seen. I completely agree with S and E but even though I hate doing it, I have to play the race card. Not saying the Academy is racist but a documentary featuring two black families and not about war or the holocaust-which was horrific but has been done many times before-doesn't seem regarded in the minds of those who voted.
I remember siskel & ebert loved this film more than any other & brought up many times. After the last dance doc it's time for me to see this film. These 2 kids never made the nba right ? I remember watching these reviews & wondering if these kids would make it . I thought everyone part of the academy like actors directors vote . Wow good for these 2 fighting for this film & trying to make changes. Ok I see the academy members vote for the 5 nominees different branches pick the noms. I got that when they said if hoop dreams was nominated it would have won beating the chairwoman s film for a win so they snubbed hoop Dreans. The Oscars let's be honest screws up a lot they either give " I'm sorry Oscar's " which is never ending bc then that I'm sorry oscar screws someone more deserving & years later their I'm sorry will come. Or we learned about Harvey weinstein campaigning hard ( paying off as well doing favors etc ) to get his people & films Oscars which in turn made his films appear like the gold standard of films. I always thought Paltrow's career was way over hyped than what she actually did. After shallow hal I dont remember her. I also was seeing her on magazine covers b4 se7en came out & she had a supporting small role. So I saw how Hollywood starts picking a person & slaps them on mag covers & tells u " this is the it girl /guy" I remember the first time I started noticing this bc b4 that it used to take fans liking something to get it attention from the media not the other way around.
No. Neither made the NBA. William Gates nearly quit Basketball alltogether his Senior Year at Marquette. But by then he was already Married with 2 kids and had moved on with his life and was checked out after his knee injuries. Last I heard he was a preacher somewhere in Texas. Arthur Agee played some International Ball after playing College in Arkansas. Several people in that Documentary in both their families have passed away as well throughout the years But this is a film. Even after all these years still resonates with me. Because Basketball is not the forefront of this story. It's American Struggle. And inner City Life at it purest form. In this Countries arguable most ruthless, violent City. Everytime you watch it you want to see these 2 make it out
I wonder if and I do hope sincerely in my heart we can look back as a people and give the correct criticism to these documentaries along with so many other things I feel like this was discriminated against this was 35 years ago when I seen it, I found love with the film back then it changed my life and my outlook I’m a white person a white boy but I grew up in Detroit I played basketball. We all had hoop dreams but it was the energy the emotion and the sadness the discrimination. Everything within the story is the reason that this documentary still didn’t make it out it’s time I believe we need to look back on things with a open view one that’s not blurred by racism or the quick pro quo. Everything is changed since this time so much better so much more open so much more excepting everything is like free. I think now if this was played if people seen this, it’s definitely top to top three for me. It’s number one for that year and for the last 35 years hoop dreams is an amazing documentary at files of life of a young man define all odds over five years competing against challenges in his life at that time that were horrible, discriminating, challenging in scenes in the film. He’s referred to as Meat in a meat factory please watch this film, share your opinion, and let’s give Arthur his place in history, that he saw rightfully deserves
@@zacharysiple629 as did Toya...there's only a few ''kid movies'' that I like, and Home Alone ain't 1 of em...maybe I'm being a little bias...but I'm just not a fan of movies that revolve around kids...hey, sue me...however I must admit...you'll be waiting in a long azz line b4 you ever see a dime of lawsuit coinage...
