2015 Awards Season Discussion

[ruby24]

I saw The Imitation Game yesterday. Really enjoyed it, thought the acting was terrific, the story exciting. Benedict Cumberbatch was fantastic. The whole theater was really into it too, there was laughing all through it and clapping at the end. I think this will be a big crowdpleaser.

[blixie]

I think Eddie Redmayne is great but I so don't want to watch the Theory of Everything, it seems incredibly maudlin, I'd rather just re-watch A Brief History of Time. Same for the Imitation Game, that story has been done about 10 times and I have zero interest though I believe Bumberbitch is probably as impeccable as always. I will eventually see them on cable, but meh.

 

I saw Wild, and while I think it's deserving of a Best Pic in a 10 pic race, and I typically love Reese and she is typically good, I think Laura Dern is the stand out of that film. 

 

I find this year really kind of good in the sense of more films are really strong and worthwhile while none are really distinguishing themselves as super great. Right now the best movie I've see is probably Gone Girl or The Babadook, as well as Enemy and Belle, but I haven't seen Inherent Vice, Foxcatcher, or Whiplash, which just left the last of our small art houses, dammit.

Edited December 28, 2014 by blixie

[anyanka323]

Just got back from seeing Imitation Game.  As was aptly put, it's probably one of the better made British, Oscar-bait films post 2000.  I actually liked it better than the King's Speech, a film that has not aged well from my POV, and only really deserved one of its wins, for Colin Firth.  The comparisons to A Beautful Mind are also apt, although Imitation Game takes fewer liberties with Turing's life than A Beautiful Mind did with Nash's.  The standout performances were Keira Knightley and Mark Strong as Stewart Menzies. 

[Dejana]

I did like both Unbroken and The Imitation Game, but felt the films left too many interesting developments to onscreen blurbs before the credits, and the directors could have re-shifted focus to depict those events rather than certain elements they did choose to highlight/dwell on instead.

Edited December 28, 2014 by Dejana

[vb68]

I just saw Boyhood and thought it was terrific.   I hope it gets it's nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette among others, and I hope it sweeps those big three.  It deserves a win for each in my book.

[Shannon L.]

Hate how comedic acting , which IMO is more finely tuned and difficult to get the  right timing,  gets trumped by the "serious" matter most of the time.

Agreed.  While I've been heralding Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne, I do think comedy doesn't get enough recognition (nor do I think more subdued dramatic roles get enough recognition).  I was watching My Cousin Vinny last night for the umpteenth time and I still marvel at how fantastic Marissa Tomei was in that role.

I can't comment on Grand Budapest Hotel because I haven't seen it.

We were talking about St. Vincent today and I remembered this post--I can't believe I didn't mention Naomi Watts!  I was so happy to see her nominated for her role in that film because I left there thinking that if I could nominate actors for major awards, she'd definitely be on my list.

[Rick Kitchen]

I saw Into the Woods and loved it, but I'm confused as to why Emily Blunt is in the Best Actress category and Meryl Streep is in the Best Supporting Actress category.

[vb68]

What day are Oscar nominations?

[BetterButter]

Jan. 15

[BrittaBot]

Birdman was boring and I don't get what all the hype is about. 

[Shannon L.]

 

Birdman was boring and I don't get what all the hype is about.

For the most part, neither do I.  I was with a couple of people who work(ed) in the industry and they were raving about some of the technical aspects.  We all liked Ed Norton's part and, thought that, overall, the movie was trying too hard and by the end had fallen flat.

[Rick Kitchen]

Entertainment Weekly's picks for Best Supporting Actress:

Sure Things:

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Emma Stone, Birdman

 

Serious Threats:

Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game

Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year

 

Potential Spoilers:

Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

Laura Dern, Wild

 

And their picks for Best Supporting Actor:

Sure Things:

Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

JK Simmons, Whiplash

Edward Norton, Birdman

 

Serious Threats:

Robert Duvall, The Judge

Mark Ruffalo: Foxcatcher

 

Potential Spoilers:

Tom Wilkinson, Selma

Miyavi, Unbroken

[JBC344]

To me it looks like Best Supporting so far may come down to Patricia and Laura Dern who seems to be getting more and more press for Wild, more so than Reese.

[vb68]

Selma is coming under attack for its historical accuracy with regard to LBJ.  

 

I do remember a similar thing happening to Zero Dark Thirty over torture.   Those attacks did help to kill that film's momentum.

Edited January 1, 2015 by vb68

[Dejana]

It's not really Oscar season until the accuracy of the awards bait comes under question. Sometimes it hurts (Zero Dark Thirty), sometimes it doesn't matter (in the same year, Argo withstood criticisms about significantly downplaying Canada's role in the rescue). Slate has a piece about all the generous liberties taken with Alan Turing's life and work for The Imitation Game.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Dejana

[AimingforYoko]

FWIW, Andrew Young (who was at the December 1964 WH meeting between MLK and LBJ in dispute) said that scene was his only quibble in the movie.

Good piece from Washington Post.

[aradia22]

Thanks for the link, Dejana. I'm not a big Slate reader (people usually link me to the site more than I visit it). Can I just say that this is the worst as far as portraying intelligent characters goes?

 

Leaving aside Turing’s codebreaking achievements, The Imitation Game also somewhat alters Turing’s personality. The film strongly implies that Alan is somewhere on the autism spectrum: Cumberbatch’s character doesn’t understand jokes, takes common expressions literally, and seems indifferent to the suffering and annoyance he causes in others. This characterization is rooted in Hodge’s biography but is also largely exaggerated: Hodges never suggests that Turing was autistic, and though he refers to Turing’s tendency to take contracts and other bureaucratic red tape literally, he also describes Turing as a man with a keen sense of humor and close friends. To be sure, Hodges paints Turing as shy, eccentric, and impatient with irrationality, but Cumberbatch’s narcissistic, detached Alan has more in common with the actor’s title character in Sherlock than with the Turing of Hodges’ biography. One of Turing’s colleagues at Bletchley Park later recalled him as “a very easily approachable man” and said “we were very very fond of him”; none of this is reflected in the film.

Also, wow, they changed a lot.

[ruby24]

Every single movie about true history faces this exact same controversy every year and I never understand it. I'm willing to bet that every single movie ever made about "true events" has changed a lot for dramatic license, and who cares? Doesn't everyone know this who sees these movies? You're never seeing the exact truth on screen about anything, just the essence of it.

[Schweedie]

I really wish there were a bit of awards buzz for Pride (if there is, I've missed it). I absolutely loved it - everyone in the cast gave such brilliant performances, and it's been a long time since I loved a movie I knew nothing about going in this much. It has a Golden Globes nomination, at least.

[loriro]

Me too. It's so refreshing to see an icy, femme fatale lead who stayed cold and calculating all throughout the movie.

 

I agree with this premise in general... and overall I really liked the movie.  But if I had one quibble with it, it was actually Rosamund Pike's performance as Amy.  Amy as a character is one of the most complex (albeit seriously deranged) females we've seen in a movie in some time.  But what made the book work so well was how surprised the reader was when the reveal came that Amy wasn't really "amazing Amy"...the perfect, loving wife, but really such a cold, calculating woman.  There may have been clues all along (may have been... I admit I was shocked), but it was the unexpectedness of it that made the reveal such a gut-punch.  In the movie, Pike captured the "disturbed" and "icy" part of her amazingly (no pun intended) well.  But there seemed to be too much of that "cold", "calculating" thread running even through the early scenes before the reveal that were supposed to be portraying Amy as an innocent victim. It may have been a conscious acting/directing choice, to help viewers (particularly those who hadn't read the book) clue into the fact that she wasn't necessarily what she seemed, but for me it was a bit too blatant. And it took me out of the moment.  I suspect those who hadn't read the book (and most who did), didn't sense that, but for me it made the performance a bit disappointing. 

 

I've no doubt she'll get a nomination, and overall it will be deserved because she really excelled at showing the pathos of Amy. But I just wish there had been more of a dichotomy in the portrayal, if that makes any sense. 

[Rick Kitchen]

The National Society of Film Critics gave Best Picture to Goodbye to Language and best actor to Timothy Spall for Mr. Turner. Best Actress went to Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night.

 

Way to go against the tide.

Although I have been seeing Spall's name cropping up more often lately.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[BetterButter]

2015 PGA Nominations

[vb68]

Here's some interesting analysis about  Selma's lack of a PGA nomination.  If it's true screeners didn't get out like they say, then I don't know who is at fault there.  I guess I don't really understand when and how the voting takes place for these nominations.  But it is interesting to read.

Edited January 5, 2015 by vb68

[thuganomics85]

Writers Guild Nominations: besides the usual suspects, the most interesting one is Guardians of the Galaxy actually getting a nod for Adapted Screenplay.  I doubt that's going to transcend over to the Oscars, but interesting none the less.

[anyanka323]

The WGA nomination for Guardians of the Galaxy is a pleasant surprise, especially in a year with a number of strong adapted scripts.  I don't think it will carry over to the Oscars because it's a comic book movie and Marvel has the reputation of being very stingy.  Avengers could have swept many of the technical awards in 2012 but Marvel didn't want to pay for an Oscar campaign.  I'd argue that Guardians could have racked up multiple nominations in both technical and general categories if there had been more of a campaign for it.  Given that Gone Girl may be the only blockbuster among the best picture nominees, and Guardians was well reviewed, it could have gotten in.  I'd quite frankly prefer to see Guardians over Unbroken, which may squeak in and has middling reviews but is more of a traditional Oscar-bait movie. 

[AshleyN]

BAFTA Nominations

 

Once again, Selma is shut out. Can it be officially said that the decision to rush it out for this season was a mistake? Because based on reviews and overall response, this seems like the sort of film that should be right in the hunt for major wins, instead it's barely getting nominated anywhere, likely because people haven't had a chance to see it. And while there's still a chance it can score major Oscar nominations (did they send screeners to Academy members in time?), it seems pretty unlikely that it can win at this point.

 

Also, if Oyelowo can't get in at the Oscars, does that mean we're going to have an all-white acting lineup? Because yikes.

Edited January 9, 2015 by AshleyN

[proserpina65]

Regarding the BAFTAs - I was very surprised to see Mr. Turner shut out of everything except production design-type categories.  I'd have expected an acting nomination for Timothy Spall at least.

[absnow54]

Interesting that Steve Carell is in the supporting category for Foxcatcher. Everything else so far he's been lead. 

[vb68]

I agree that Selma has been mishandled.   I think I have been underestimating The Grand Budapest Hotel.   That's a bigger player than I thought it would be.

 

It's also interesting that they favored Amy Adams over Jennifer Aniston.  I think  Big Eyes had been dismissed at this point. 

 

I would love Rene Russo to get an Oscar nomination just because who would have ever thought.  It's fun when that happens.

Edited January 9, 2015 by vb68

[methodwriter85]

Birdman was boring and I don't get what all the hype is about. 

 

Gen X cinema reviewers who grew up on Beetlejuice and 1980's Batman really, really want Michael Keaton to be famous again.

 

I love Emma Stone, but the clip of her rant that they keep showing really makes me cringe.

Edited January 9, 2015 by methodwriter85

[caracas1914]

JK Simmons, Whiplash

 

 

I really hope he's this year's " Hey this seasoned  veteran actor has been around and built up a respectable body of work so let's show we also honor no names"  as far as the Academy.  Simply because I think he killed that role, there was an awesome creative drive behind his "evil" persona.

[Schweedie]

I really hope he's this year's " Hey this seasoned  veteran actor has been around and built up a respectable body of work so let's show we also honor no names"  as far as the Academy.  Simply because I think he killed that role, there was an awesome creative drive behind his "evil" persona.

I would love for JK Simmons to get recognition for this role. Agreed, he killed it - he was so terrifying and nailed every moment of being an abusive bastard, including the moments where he would come off as 'nice'. He was just chilling.

 

I was kind of hoping for Ben Schnetzer to snag a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Mark Ashton in Pride (described as 'breathtakingly realistic' by one of Mark's friends, and I believe it), but it was always going to be a long shot with the competition this year. But Imelda Staunton got a 'best supporting actress' nom, at least!

 

The Selma thing is strange. I can't imagine voters seeing it and just ignoring it, so it must be the mishandling.

[caracas1914]

What I Love about Selma is that it's not your run of the mill important film with exclamation point solemn film making.  The Director goosed it to life with her smart directorial choices and the writing fleshes out MLK JR. in a refreshing way.

 

Annoying if it falls by the wayside because of inept handling.

Edited January 9, 2015 by caracas1914

[proserpina65]

The Selma thing is strange. I can't imagine voters seeing it and just ignoring it, so it must be the mishandling.

 

Selma won't be released in the UK until February 6th, so it wasn't eligible for the BAFTAs.

[Schweedie]

Selma won't be released in the UK until February 6th, so it wasn't eligible for the BAFTAs.

Ah, that explains this round, at least! Thanks.

[JBC344]

What I Love about Selma is that it's not your run of the mill important film with exclamation point solemn film making.  The Director goosed it to life with her smart directorial choices and the writing fleshes out MLK JR. in a refreshing way.

 

Annoying if it falls by the wayside because of inept handling.

This is what made the movie for me too, and made it incredibly exciting.  The fact that it wasn't a typical biopic, and it didn't have all the cliché moments highlighted.  Two of my favorite scenes were when Coretta and MLK were listening to the fake Hoover tapes of him having sex and even though Coretta acknowledges she knows the tape is fake she uses the opportunity to confront him about his real mistresses.  The time in which the director Ana lets that scene just play out so slowly and the pauses and silences throughout that scene are just so powerful and so different from what a traditional biopic would of given us. 

 

The confrontation at the march was another scene, I sort of got a "western shoot out" feel from the way it was beautifully shot.  Those scenes of brutality while incredibly hard to watch, were so captivating. 

[aradia22]

 

I agree that Selma has been mishandled.   I think I have been underestimating The Grand Budapest Hotel.   That's a bigger player than I thought it would be.

Throwing in my agreement about Selma. I'm not surprised that TGBH is doing well because it had a lot of buzz when it came out but I'm surprised it's been able to hang on this long with other big contenders emerging during the year.

[AshleyN]

Selma won't be released in the UK until February 6th, so it wasn't eligible for the BAFTAs.

Are you sure? Because everything I've read says that it was eligible (BAFTA dates are different than other awards), and just didn't make it. Variety even has a headline devoted to its "snub".

[ancslove]

I'm a bit surprised that Jack O'Connell and Miyavi from Unbroken have been completely shut out.  They were superb, even if Unbroken isn't a perfect movie.  Miyavi especially brought a certain black humor, mania, and even vulnerability to make a brutal villain into a very complex character.

[Skyline]

Selma was eligible for the BAFTAS. It's underperforming due to screeners being poorly distributed. I heard AMPAS did receive screeners in time before the voting period ended.

[ruby24]

I don't know what to make about Selma anymore. On the one hand, this could all be a screener issue, but on the other hand, you can't really ignore a guild/Bafta shutout like this either- and it actually did get a couple of craft guild noms, like costume and makeup/hairstyling, so clearly some of them saw it.

 

I think it gets in, but I don't know how many nominations it will get. Maybe 4-5 at the most, and I really don't think it has much chance to win anything anymore. But hopefully it can still snag PIcture, Director (that one's really iffy, imo) and Actor nominations. Plus, BAFTA did get screeners, so they just didn't take to the film- and there is overlap between Bafta and the Academy.

[Chaos Theory]

I am hoping Pride wins tonight's Golden Globes but the fact that I want it to win pretty much guarantees it won't.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[methodwriter85]

Damn it, Julianne Moore is totally going to get the "We Are Awarding You For Your Body of Work" Oscar, isn't she? Any other year I'd be thrilled for Julianne Moore because I think it's an injustice that Julia Roberts has an Oscar while Julianne Moore doesn't, but I really wanted Rosamund Pike to get it.

 

I'm just going to have to pretend that Julianne Moore got it for Far From Heaven when she wins.

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, I was pulling for Rosamund Pike too, but I think it's going to be Julianne Moore.  I'm sure she's great in her film, but I think also going to be the whole "She's been nominated multiple times, but hasn't won yet!" bit, will be coming into play.  To be fair, the same can be said for Amy Adams, but It doesn't feel like she's getting the momentum Moore is getting.

 

Here's the list of the Globe winners.  Besides Moore and Adams winning their respected categories, both J.K. Simmons and Patrica Arquette pull off supporting wins, Michael Keaton wins, Eddie Redmayne gets a solid victory over David Oyelowo and Benedict Cumberbatch, and Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel take the big awards.  

 

Also, Richard Linklater wins Best Director, and while I usually am too afraid to make predictions, I think he's got this.  I think voters are going to go wild over the whole "he filmed this over several years" concept.  I guess we'll wait and see who the other director nominees are, but the only other person I can really see make it a competition is Selma's Ava DuVernay.

Edited January 12, 2015 by thuganomics85

[methodwriter85]

*shrugs* It seems so rare that the Best Actress award goes to the person I want to win for the performance I want them to win for, so eh. Rosamund Pike will have other chances, hopefully. It just pisses me off to think we're going to have two straight years of "Body of Work" Oscars for Best Actress.

 

I don't think it hurt as much as watching Bradley Cooper give such a fantastic performance in Silver Linings Playbook and know that he didn't have a shot because of Daniel Day Lewis.

[AshleyN]

 It just pisses me off to think we're going to have two straight years of "Body of Work" Oscars for Best Actress.

???

 

Are you talking about Blanchett? Because I'm pretty sure she gave the most acclaimed performance of the year in any category last year, so I don't know how it could be dismissed as a "body of work" award (especially since she already had an Oscar).

 

For that matter, from what reviews I've seen for Still Alice, Julianne Moore has some pretty spectacular reviews. So while her "overdue" status definitely helps her*, at least it seems like her win will come for a genuinely deserving performance.

 

*But really, how many people win Oscars based on performance alone?

 

 

Anyways, it really does seem like three of the four acting races are already over, doesn't it? Throw in the fact that it looks increasingly unlikely that anything will be able to challenge the Boyhood/Linklater juggernaut, and the only one of the really big categories that seems to have much suspense is Best Actor.

Edited January 12, 2015 by AshleyN

[vb68]

 

*But really, how many people win Oscars based on performance alone?

 

I would definitely argue that it seems to be helping Micheal Keaton that his role in Birdman is considered a big comeback, and everyone always liked him in addition to how great most of the reviews are of his  performance.   

 

There's always political jockeying and campaigning.  And I would agree that Julianne Moore has the reviews to back herself up.   Sure, there's some layers to it, especially another movie she's in called Map To The Stars that for some reason isn't eligible and reviewers are making hay about, but I don't think anybody has said she doesn't deserve it for Still Alice. 

Edited January 12, 2015 by vb68

[proserpina65]

proserpina65, on 09 Jan 2015 - 1:05 PM, said:

 

Selma won't be released in the UK until February 6th, so it wasn't eligible for the BAFTAs.

Are you sure? Because everything I've read says that it was eligible (BAFTA dates are different than other awards), and just didn't make it. Variety even has a headline devoted to its "snub".

 

Upon further investigation, I stand corrected, although it does look like most films nominated for BAFTAs in recent years were released in the UK before the end of the year.  Still, information is power.  Thanks.  :-)

[slowpoked]

For that matter, from what reviews I've seen for Still Alice, Julianne Moore has some pretty spectacular reviews. So while her "overdue" status definitely helps her*, at least it seems like her win will come for a genuinely deserving performance.

 

 

Haven't seen Still Alice, but I trust that Julianne has given a great performance, just because she always does. Loved her in the Kids Are All Right. Such a very understated turn.

 

That said, even though she has no chance in hell, I'd like Rosamund Pike to win because I like to see a crazy deranged female lead role win an Oscar. I'm also rooting for Reese because I always love a comeback story. It's easier to just go say eff it after a string of underwhelming movies and her intoxication arrest, but she worked hard to rehabilitate her image and get back on top. So many men get second chances after screwing up, but not so much with the women. I'm happy to see Reese buck that trend a bit.

[Shannon L.]

God, I would hate to be a member of the academy and have to make a choice on who I thought was the best in most of these categories.  When it comes to best actors this year, I'd probably end up having to flip a coin.  In regards to actresses, I plan on seeing Still Alice and  I really like Julianne Moore, but I thought Rosamund Pike was amazing. 

 

I just got back from seeing Selma and I loved it.  I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.  Maybe it's not quite strong enough to win, but, imo, it's sure strong enough to get at least a few nominations.