2014 Academy Awards Discussion

[nymusix]

Oscar nominations get announced in ten days, folks!!! Isn't it exciting?

Wondering what everyone would like to see get nominated / what you would personally vote for if you had a ballot. 

[nymusix]

This is mine! The reason I have two entries for Original Screenplay is that I want Frances Ha to win but it has no chance, and given that, of the movies with a legit chance of winning I'd rather Her win. 

[David T. Cole]

You know it is Serious Bidness when someone breaks out an Excel sheet.

[nymusix]

Word table! But yes. Serious business here. 

[nymusix]

Full post here on the Oscars website: 

Best Picture

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Gravity
• Her
• Nebraska
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Christian Bale (American Hustle)
• Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
• Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)
• Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
• Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
• Judi Dench (Philomena)
• Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips
• Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
• Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
• Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
• Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
• June Squibb (Nebraska)

Best Animated Feature Film

• The Croods
• Despicable Me 2
• Ernest & Celestine
• Frozen
• The Wind Rises

Best Cinematography

• The Grandmaster (Philippe Le Sourd)
• Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)
• Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel)
• Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael)
• Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins)

Best Costume Design

• American Hustle
• The Grandmaster
• The Great Gatsby
• The Invisible Woman
• 12 Years a Slave

Best Directing

• David O. Russell (American Hustle)
• Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
• Alexander Payne (Nebraska)
• Steven McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
• Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Best Documentary Feature

• The Act of Killing
• Cutie and the Boxer
• Dirty Wars
• The Square
• 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Documentary Short Subject

• CaveDigger
• Facing Fear
• Karama Has No Walls
• The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
• Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best Film Editing

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Gravity
• 12 Years a Slave

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
• The Great Beauty (Italy)
• The Hunt (Denmark)
• The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
• Omar (Palestine)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Dallas Buyers Club
• Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
• The Lone Ranger

Best Music - Original Score

• The Book Thief (John Williams)
• Gravity (Steven Price)
• Her (William Butler, Owen Pallett)
• Philomena (Alexandre Desplat)
• Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)

Best Music - Original Song

• "Alone Yet Not Alone" - Alone Yet Not Alone
• "Happy" - Despicable Me 2
• "Let It Go" - Frozen
• "The Moon Song" - Her
• "Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Production Design

• American Hustle
• Gravity
• The Great Gatsby
• Her
• 12 Years a Slave

Best Short Film - Animated

• Feral
• Get a Horse!
• Mr. Hublot
• Possessions
• Room on the Broom

Best Short Film - Live Action

• Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)
• Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
• Helium
• Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
• The Voorman Problem

Best Sound Editing

• All is Lost
• Captain Phillips
• Gravity
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• Lone Survivor

Best Sound Mixing

• Captain Phillips
• Gravity
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Lone Survivor

Best Visual Effects

• Gravity
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• Iron Man 3
• The Lone Ranger
• Star Trek: Into Darkness

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

• Before Midnight
• Captain Phillips
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

• American Hustle
• Blue Jasmine
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Her
• Nebraska
   

I feel bad for whoever has to read the Best Live Action Short Film nominees. Other than that this seems like a pretty safe list of nominees - No real risks taken. 

[Lisin]

I feel bad for whoever has to read the Best Live Action Short Film nominees. Other than that this seems like a pretty safe list of nominees - No real risks taken.

I'm kind of surprised that they *only* went with nine films for Best Picture, since they have 10 available I thought that they'd throw another in there like August: Osage County or Blue Jasmine... I don't think either would have had a shot at winning, but I'm kinda just surprised they didn't go for 10 since they can.

[Kate]

I'm kind of surprised that they *only* went with nine films for Best Picture, since they have 10 available I thought that they'd throw another in there like August: Osage County or Blue Jasmine... I don't think either would have had a shot at winning, but I'm kinda just surprised they didn't go for 10 since they can.

They may not have been able to, per Acadamy rules.

The pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture award. There may not be more than ten nor fewer than five nominations; however, no picture shall be nominated that receives less than five percent of the total votes cast.

[ApathyMonger]

Yeah, they had ten nominees in 2009 and 2010, but apparently changed it because Winter's Bone managed to sneak in to the 2010 nominees.

[Lisin]

They may not have been able to, per Acadamy rules.

I did not realize they needed 5%. Thanks! That probably explains it!

[nymusix]

General thoughts on the show and the awards here!!

I thought in general this was a fairly predictable year for the awards, but it's fine since the awards really went to the people who deserved them mostly. 

I didn't *love* Ellen's hosting - not all of the bits worked for me - but I think she did a good enough job, and the fact that she literally broke Twitter makes me think that she'll be back. The Academy has really been struggling to find a host who would do a good job in appealing to younger audiences, while also being inoffensive (Sorry, Seth MacFarlane), and I think she really fits the bill as far as what they're looking for. 

Also, that Samsung product integration... Pretty blatant, but I suppose it makes you want to buy a Samsung. 

 

Other thoughts? 

[Tara Ariano]

So John Travolta can't pronounce "Idina Menzel," huh.

[Portia]

My main take-away from the telecast was the sad realization that Channing Tatum is now a better presenter than Harrison Ford.

[David T. Cole]

Harrison Ford's public appearances should be collected and sold as lullabies.