Oscar Nominations
jeffl said:
Oscar nominations that baffled me, for starters:
Boyhood
Birdman
Sandra Bullock for anything
Mad Max: Road Rage
Assuming you're talking about Mad Max: Fury Road, that would baffle me too, as it came out last year and the Oscar nominations are tomorrow.
The cinematography at the very least deserves a nomination, though. I think it's an astounding piece of work.
Right, Fury Road. And I'm only anticipating the nomination as it's on everyone's top 10 list. Ridski, you're certainly in the majority. I just didn't get it. And I loved the original. This one, to me, was one long, boring car chase. Granted, I saw it while lying on my couch, which is not the best way for me to evaluate a movie. Dozing is almost always involved.
ridski said:
jeffl said:
Oscar nominations that baffled me, for starters:
Boyhood
Birdman
Sandra Bullock for anything
Mad Max: Road Rage
Assuming you're talking about Mad Max: Fury Road, that would baffle me too, as it came out last year and the Oscar nominations are tomorrow.
The cinematography at the very least deserves a nomination, though. I think it's an astounding piece of work.
"In addition to "The Revenant," the nominees for best picture are "Spotlight," "The Big Short," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Martian," "Brooklyn," "Bridge of Spies" and "Room.""
Thank you, Jeffl, for bringing us the nominations for this year.
I have seen all but "Mad Max" and "The Revenant". Was hoping to avoid seeing "Revenant" since it seems so bleak, but now that it's a nominee, that decision may have to change. Still, it's a very hard choice between the other six.
Just going through the list now. Great to see my old friend Asif Kapadia finally getting a nomination for Best Documentary for Amy after he was snubbed at the Oscars a few years ago for Senna. He's a super-smart, funny and hard-working guy who truly deserves to be up there in a tux.
Juniemoon said:
Was hoping to avoid seeing "Revenant" since it seems so bleak, but now that it's a nominee, that decision may have to change. Still, it's a very hard choice between the other six.
i was hesitant too, but it is quite good - and very allegorical.
I don't have an opinion about most of these because I rarely see movies, but I'm so thrilled "Inside Out" received a Best Screenplay nomination. It's such a smart concept and really well-executed. I'd love to see either a new category or some way to acknowledge the exceptional voiceover casting for a lot of these recent animated hits... Amy Poehler and Richard Kind are particularly great in "Inside Out," and Frozen wouldn't be Frozen without Josh Gad's Olaf.
With so much of the drivel that comes out in the form of children's entertainment, the really top-notch ones should get legit notice!
I was actually totally shocked to learn I had seen a couple of the movies that are up for awards. These days, I wait for everything to be available on demand for free. I just don't care enough about movies any more to go to the theater or even do pay-per-view. Wonder what that means? I used to go every week.
I've seen all the best picture nominations except Mad Max (don't plan on seeing it) and Room (plan on seeing it this week). They all have their good points, but I didn't think The Big Short measured up to, say, Spotlight. Anyone with half a brain and a bright 10-year old's knowledge of finance wouldn't have had to have the meltdown explained (once we all knew about the fraud from the news), but it was entertaining and the acting was top-notch.
And if memory serves, The Big Short explained and vividly illustrated the meaning of "tranche" accurately, but didn't quite translate it accurately. The most common translation is simply "slice," but there are variations.
we've seen 2 so far and want to see the other 5 out of 6 (zero interest in Mad Max). Hoping that the AMC theaters will have most of the ones wel wntto see in one day or their 2 day weekend Oscar marathon. In the dine-in theater its a really comfortable way to watch a full days worth!
it looked terrible. Not a Charlize fan and even it is a good movie, not my thing.
Well, the Academy--not exactly known for its embrace of that kind of movie--thought it was worth rewarding with its most prestigious nomination. Either they suffered a collective momentary collapse of sanity or they're more open-minded than you are.
mad max is currently on HBO
saw it the other nite. don't really get it either. my fav is bridge of spies.
only did not see reverent or room(and probably won't )
I did enjoy the others
I've seen several of the nominated movies this year, including The Big Short, Spotlight, Brooklyn, Bridge of Spies, and The Revenant. Loved The Big Short the most, but that's probably because I worked on Wall Street during that crisis and was affected. Spotlight was my second favorite and I liked all the others except The Revenant which had me hiding under my coat for the most gruesome neverending miserable experience movie since Das Boot. Would give them an award, however for the best dead horse scene since the Godfather. although as that was a horse in a bed and in The Revenant the dead horse IS a bed.
imonlysleeping said:
Well, the Academy--not exactly known for its embrace of that kind of movie--thought it was worth rewarding with its most prestigious nomination. Either they suffered a collective momentary collapse of sanity or they're more open-minded than you are.
I get it and others may find it great but it's totally not my thing. And as an added "no way", it stars Charlize Theron- a personal "ick" for me.
Out of 20 acting nominations not a single actor of color. Surely in the last two years one African-American actor gave a performance worthy of recognition.
OTOH, perhaps this should not be a surprise given the demo of the Academy membership, as well the overwhelmingly white makeup of the Hollywood power elites.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the statistics for nominations in other categories beyond acting? Are people of color receiving nominations for anything at all?
I just had an interesting conversation with people about the relative importance of the Oscars in setting the tone for the industry overall, and I'm curious to know if my hypothesis is right that Hollywood is mostly white from the top down, in every facet of the industry (even behind the camera).
I'm not up on this but I heard about the boycott. What acting performances were snubbed this year?
Even worse, is the academy board excluding certain potential members?
Hmm… here's a breakdown on who decides.
Oscar Voters: 94% White, 76% Men, and an Average of 63 Years Old
Who are #Oscars Voters?
94% White
77% Men
2% Black
2% Latino
.5% Asian, Native combined
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/oscar-voters-94-white-76-men-and-an-average-of-63-years-old/284163/
mlj said:
I'm not up on this but I heard about the boycott. What acting performances were snubbed this year?
Even worse, is the academy board excluding certain potential members?
Yes.
Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation. He was up for a Golden Globe nomination but snubbed by the academy.
Michael B. Jordan for “Creed.” Yet, Sylvester Stallone nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his reprisal of Rocky Balboa in “Creed. I did not see Beasts of No Nation, but did see Creed and Michael B. gave a great performance. Great chemistry & acting between Stallone and Jordan.
SMH.
And here's the breakdown on HOW it is decided.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/54560/how-are-oscar-nominees-chosen
In 2013, 276 new members were invited to apply for membership. In 2014, 271 were invited, and last year 322 were invited.
http://variety.com/2015/film/awards/oscar-diversity-in-new-members-1201528597/
They are trying to broaden the membership, albeit slowly, and it's up to those invited as to whether they accept that membership.
Look at the process and look at the makeup of the over 6000 members. Besides people of color, women seem to be a blip on the radar.
One of the BEST documentaries I’ve seen was snubbed 21 years ago, Hoop Dreams. This movie was a front runner for the Oscars, until they didn’t bother to nominate the documentary. The film was universally acclaimed by critics. Because of the snub, there were changes made in the voting. Interesting story below.
Oscars: Steve James’ ‘Life Itself’ Snubbed 20 Years After Historic ‘Hoop Dreams’ Omission
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-steve-james-life-snubbed-764074
phenixrising said:
Look at the process and look at the makeup of the over 6000 members. Besides people of color, women seem to be a blip on the radar.
One of the BEST documentaries I’ve seen was snubbed 21 years ago, Hoop Dreams. This movie was a front runner for the Oscars, until they didn’t bother to nominate the documentary. The film was universally acclaimed by critics. Because of the snub, there were changes made in the voting. Interesting story below.
Oscars: Steve James’ ‘Life Itself’ Snubbed 20 Years After Historic ‘Hoop Dreams’ Omission
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-steve-james-life-snubbed-764074
I agree with you, FWIW.
TarheelsInNj said:
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the statistics for nominations in other categories beyond acting? Are people of color receiving nominations for anything at all?
I just had an interesting conversation with people about the relative importance of the Oscars in setting the tone for the industry overall, and I'm curious to know if my hypothesis is right that Hollywood is mostly white from the top down, in every facet of the industry (even behind the camera).
The Oscars are a mere blip in the economics of the industry. Its real importance lies in cultural economics.
And yes, the demo of the Academy membership roughly mirrors the racial makeup of the industry. While there are some AA influential players in the industry (Oprah, Shonda Rhimes, Shawn King, Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry et al), the studios and agencies, among other loci of power in Hollywood, are overwhelmingly white...and male.
phenixrising said:
Hmm… here's a breakdown on who decides.
Oscar Voters: 94% White, 76% Men, and an Average of 63 Years Old
Who are #Oscars Voters?
94% White
77% Men
2% Black
2% Latino
.5% Asian, Native combined
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/oscar-voters-94-white-76-men-and-an-average-of-63-years-old/284163/
This is why a movie like The Revenant can get nominated and win. Not that it's a bad movie.
xavier67 said:
TarheelsInNj said:
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the statistics for nominations in other categories beyond acting? Are people of color receiving nominations for anything at all?
I just had an interesting conversation with people about the relative importance of the Oscars in setting the tone for the industry overall, and I'm curious to know if my hypothesis is right that Hollywood is mostly white from the top down, in every facet of the industry (even behind the camera).
The Oscars are a mere blip in the economics of the industry. Its real importance lies in cultural economics.
And yes, the demo of the Academy membership roughly mirrors the racial makeup of the industry. While there are some AA influential players in the industry (Oprah, Shonda Rhimes, Shawn King, Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry et al), the studios and agencies, among other loci of power in Hollywood, are overwhelmingly white...and male.
Right, that's kind of my point... the Oscars are influential within the industry, which makes people more hireable, financially bankable, etc...
I think you can easily make a case that those individual performances by Idris Elba, Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan weren't good enough. There are plenty of snubs every year for performances that you or I may think are stellar and plenty of inclusions that make you scratch your head (Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny? LOL)
But the make up of the academy is troubling and may result in bias just based on that alone. I think efforts to change that make up to make it more reflective of our diverse society would be the step that needs to be taken. And I think the current president of the academy (a Black woman) has vowed to start moving towards that, right?
As for boycotting the Oscars. Meh. Personally, I think you can make more of a statement by being present and engaging in the discussion that leads to change. Attend and intro a piece on how the academy is taking steps to reduce bias- something like that.
It'll be interesting to see what Chris Rock has to say about it.
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Oscar nominations that baffled me, for starters:
Boyhood
Birdman
Sandra Bullock for anything
Mad Max: Road Rage