The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[KFC]

The bit landed with a pretty heavy thud by many viewers, so I don't think they're under an obligation to look at Chris Rock's supposed context. It wasn't a terribly complex joke, it was lazy and didn't sit well with me either given that that was the only time he made mention of Asians.

 

I think if he had framed more of his #oscarssowhite discussion about more than just black vs. white, there'd be more willingness to evaluate his jokes in a broader context, but he kept the discussion quite narrow, so I don't think he gets much of a pass on the accountants joke. It was low-hanging fruit, so I applaud them for speaking out about both bits.

[Milburn Stone]

It was low-hanging fruit, so I applaud them for speaking out about both bits.

 

The show was so desperate to be "edgy"--as opposed to, you know, honoring movies or something old-hat like that--that it was hard to tell the atrocities apart without a score card.

[Kromm]

The bit landed with a pretty heavy thud by many viewers, so I don't think they're under an obligation to look at Chris Rock's supposed context. It wasn't a terribly complex joke, it was lazy and didn't sit well with me either given that that was the only time he made mention of Asians.

I'm not talking about viewers taking context into account. I'm talking about people publicly announcing protests, giving interviews, or otherwise publicly lambasting him. A casual viewer can misunderstand the joke and not consider context all they want. I'm arguing that unless we have now transitioned to a society where the person who speaks first and/or loudest can establish the ultimate meaning of something, then context still matters to criticism.

 

Not that it couldn't have been a better or more considered joke or that other diversity issues shouldn't have been mentioned, but Monday Morning Quaterbacking is always easier than actually doing it.  That's all I'm saying. 

Edited March 20, 2016 by Kromm

[DollEyes]

 

For the future, while it may not have been used in a derogatory context, using words like "retarded" do describe anything on these forums is a no go. So please refrain from doing so in the future.

 

  As the person whose post was deleted, for the record, it wasn't meant in a negative way. Sorry for the confusion.

[crowsworks]

I loved Sully and so will the Oscars. I wonder if Laura Linney will get a nod though, for a roll perilously close to one she parodied on Amy Schumer's show. (Canadian Sniper) where all the women nominated were on the phone to their 'man' for the whole movie.

Quote

 

[BW Manilowe]

Multiple sources announced today that Jimmy Kimmel has been signed to host the next Academy Awards show.

[Milburn Stone]

I, myself, don't care what color the host is, but somewhere I read today that it would have been cool to pick Key & Peele, and I agree, that would have been brilliant.

[Dee]

Kimmel? Really?

I'd take Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Corden, Stephen Colbert or the aforementioned Key & Peele, over Kimmel any day.

[vb68]

Quote

I'd take Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Corden, Stephen Colbert or the aforementioned Key & Peele, over Kimmel any day.

I agree.   This is the most boring and meh choice they could had possibly made.

Edited December 6, 2016 by vb68

[Princess Sparkle]

Not only is it boring, but why in the world would you pick him to host the Oscars after he just tanked while hosting the Emmys (both performance and rating wise)?

Edited December 7, 2016 by Princess Sparkle

[cpcathy]

I think Seth Meyers is wit personified, I adore him, so yes, I too wish he was the host. I like Jimmy fine, I watch some of his clips on Youtube, but he was so boring as Emmys host. Ugh, not interested in this choice.

[blackwing]

I know he will almost likely never be invited back, but I guess I'm one of the few people who really liked Seth MacFarlane.  "We Saw Your Boobs" is still funny to me.  I get why many didn't find it funny, but the actresses who were shown were clearly in on the joke (their reaction shots were taped in advance, they were all wearing different clothes) and agreed to be in it.

Jimmy Kimmel is a bland choice.

[cpcathy]

I am a Seth MacFarlane fan, so I also enjoyed his time hosting. He can sing, dance and he's adorable to look at.

[Milburn Stone]

11 hours ago, cpcathy said:

I am a Seth MacFarlane fan, so I also enjoyed his time hosting. He can sing, dance and he's adorable to look at.

We are a minority, but I join you in that. I thought his subversiveness the year he hosted was a breath of foul air, which I mean as a compliment.

[BW Manilowe]

Jimmy Kimmel was on a local LA radio show (I think the article I'm linking said it was The Kevin & Bean Show) & he announced how much he's being paid to host the Oscars (though he also admitted he probably shouldn't have been announcing it): the perhaps paltry (at least in comparison with what he probably gets to host his talk show, per episode) amount of $15,000.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-leaks-oscar-hosting-pay-1201942496/

[Hanahope]

On 12/6/2016 at 2:01 AM, vb68 said:

This is the most boring and meh choice they could had possibly made.

I'm guessing Hollywood doesn't want to piss off Trump.

[Chrissytd]

2017 Nominees

[Valny]

Yeah no really big surprises there....although I wasn't 100% certain Huppert would get in...but not surprised either.

[ShadowHunter]

I went Ugh when I saw Mel Gibson was nominated for best director.

Michael Shannon who most said was actually good in Nocturnal Animals manages to get the nomination.

Most of these are not a surprise though I wasn't sure Isabelle Huppert would squeeze in but she did. I still say it's between Portman and Stone.

I will be rooting for Viola Davis.

Edited January 24, 2017 by ShadowHunter

[KatWay]

Between Casey Affleck being frontrunner and Mel Gibson being nominated, it can definitely be said that men who display disgusting behaviour will still, always and forever, be fine (see also: POTUS). As long as they have friends in high places, of course.

I think it's Stone's award for the taking, Huppert in second place and Portman only in third at this point, her momentum kind of fizzled out.

Viola should have this in the bag (good, even if it's a career award). I love Meryl but wish Annette Bening would have gotten in instead.

[ProudMary]

I am thrilled that Ruth Negga received a Best Actress nomination.  I wasn't sure she would.  Amy Adams and Annette Bening would seem to be the ones passed over in favor of Negga and Meryl Streep.  I do still think that this is between Portman and Stone and I think Portman takes home Oscar #2.

I am also delighted that "Audition" (The Ones Who Dream) snagged a Best Song nod.  "City of Stars" has gotten most of the attention but I left the theater humming "Audition."  

The Supporting  Actress category is so stacked.  I know Viola Davis is going to win and I adore her but Michelle Williams in just those few minutes she was on screen in "Manchester" was so riveting, I'm sorry that she won't be the winner.  If ever I've wished for a tie, it would be in this category.

I'm very happy that Lucas Hedges made the final cut in the Supporting Actor category; and also Dev Patel who is a personal favorite of mine and made me weep in "Lion."  I have not yet seen "Moonlight" but I realize Mahershala Ali is the frontrunner.  This is another stacked category.

Terrific year for film.  So many wonderful choices.

[Crisopera]

I was disappointed (but not surprised) that one of the funniest performances I've ever seen, by Tom Bennett in Love & Friendship, was overlooked in the supporting actor category.  The movie is great, and he is amazing in it.  The movie also deserved costume and adapted screenplay nominations.

[Valny]

2 hours ago, KatWay said:

I love Meryl but wish Annette Bening would have gotten in instead.

I haven't seen 20th Century Women yet, but I still agree with this.

Saw La La Land last night...Emma Stone is really good,I was impressed and I can see her winning but I will have to see Portman before I can give it to Emma. But at least that is an interesting race/choice...so it can go either way.

[Inquisitionist]

Meryl was her usual excellent self in FFJ, and I haven't seen many of the other nominated or in-the-running performances yet, but her nomination does seem kind of ho-hum.  I would have liked to see Hugh Grant snag a Best Supporting nod for FFJ.

[zxy556575]

I might root for Emma Stone if only I could manage to tell her and Amy Adams apart.

[DearEvette]

For me I can't tell Isla Fisher and Amy Adams apart. Still can;t even after seeing The Arrival, which Amy was very good in.

Blasphemy I am sure, but I think La La Land is overrated and saw nothing special about Emma Stone's performance.  I did not see FFJ but was Meryl that good?  I'd totally swap out Emma and Meryl for Taraji and Amy Adams.   Speaking of Taraji, she was fantastic in Hidden Figures, though.  She really disappeared into that role.  The scene where she just had to finally vent about the little daily humiliations (the coffee pot, the bathroom) was so well acted. I am thrilled about Ruth Negga.  What lovely recognition for her. 

Kinda sweet that all the main characters from The Help are nominated in the same year, even if I can't get behind Emma's nom.

Stoked about all things Moonlight.  I hope with wins all the things!  Such a good film.

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

For me I can't tell Isla Fisher and Amy Adams apart. 

I'm surprised they were together in Nocturnal Animals and it barely got a mention. One day we should get a movie where they play sisters, or twins.

EDIT: For those who watched Florence Foster Jenkins, was Meryl Streep really good in it? I barely heard any talks about her being a shoo-in for Best Actress, although she was mentioned among the possibilities, but not among the Top 5. Amy Adams has always been in most everyone's predictions. I just don't want to think that this was Hollywood's way of rallying behind La Streep in terms of the recent controversy she was in.

Edited January 24, 2017 by slowpoked

[chitowngirl]

I think Meryl, who is a very good singer, had to work hard to sing that bad.

[sally-can-wait]

5 hours ago, slowpoked said:

I'm surprised they were together in Nocturnal Animals and it barely got a mention. One day we should get a movie where they play sisters, or twins.

EDIT: For those who watched Florence Foster Jenkins, was Meryl Streep really good in it? I barely heard any talks about her being a shoo-in for Best Actress, although she was mentioned among the possibilities, but not among the Top 5. Amy Adams has always been in most everyone's predictions. I just don't want to think that this was Hollywood's way of rallying behind La Streep in terms of the recent controversy she was in.

I love Meryl but I thought FFJ was one of her weaker performances. For me, it's more of a problem that the movie had one trick and that was her terrible singing. After awhile it got tedious and I didn't feel there was much material there. It's one of those that I think would have been a great documentary but did not need to be made into a movie. Also, does anyone else think her nomination was a subtle FU to Trump? Or did the nominations have to be mailed in well before her Golden Globes speech? And yes, I feel like she took Amy Adams spot.

I do wish Hell or High Water got a little bit more love. It would have been great to see either Chris Pine or Ben Foster get a nomination along with Jeff Bridges. Very happy for La La Land though. I'm one of the ones who loved it and think it deserves all the praise it is getting.

[BW Manilowe]

33 minutes ago, double-elvis said:

I love Meryl but I thought FFJ was one of her weaker performances. For me, it's more of a problem that the movie had one trick and that was her terrible singing. After awhile it got tedious and I didn't feel there was much material there. It's one of those that I think would have been a great documentary but did not need to be made into a movie. Also, does anyone else think her nomination was a subtle FU to Trump? Or did the nominations have to be mailed in well before her Golden Globes speech? And yes, I feel like she took Amy Adams spot.

I do wish Hell or High Water got a little bit more love. It would have been great to see either Chris Pine or Ben Foster get a nomination along with Jeff Bridges. Very happy for La La Land though. I'm one of the ones who loved it and think it deserves all the praise it is getting.

I Googled the pertinent dates--it's easy if you know how. The nominations period for the 89th Annual Academy Awards (the ones whose nominees were announced today) was January 5th-13th this year. The Golden Globes, where she made the speech, were held on January 8th this year.

I suppose it's a "draw your own conclusions" thing, as to how much Streep's anti-Trump speech & her subsequent nomination were related, depending on how many Academy members who bother to vote you think are early birds/vote closer to the opening of the nominations period or how many you think wait until closer to the last minute. The voting period for final nominations started 3 days before her speech & closed 8 days later, which was 5 days after her speech.

Considering this is her record-breaking (breaking her own record, I believe) 20th nomination (with, so far, 3 wins--2 for lead; 1 for supporting), she's obviously an Academy favorite. Her nomination this year may be just as simple as that: She's an Academy favorite.

Edited January 25, 2017 by BW Manilowe
My math was wrong, like I thought.

[sally-can-wait]

Just now, BW Manilowe said:

I Googled the pertinent dates--it's easy if you know how. The nominations period for the 89th Annual Academy Awards (the ones whose nominees were announced today) was January 5th-13th this year. The Golden Globes, where she made the speech, were held on January 8th this year.

I suppose it's a "draw your own conclusions" thing, as to how much Streep's anti-Trump speech & her subsequent nomination were related, depending on how many Academy members who bother to vote you think are early birds/vote closer to the opening of the nominations period or how many you think wait until closer to the last minute. The voting period for final nominations started 3 days before her speech & closed 8 days later, which was also 8 days after her speech. (I think I have that right.)

Considering this is her record-breaking (breaking her own record, I believe) 20th nomination (with, so far, 3 wins--2 for lead; 1 for supporting), she's obviously an Academy favorite. Her nomination this year may be just as simple as that: She's an Academy favorite.

Thanks for the tip. I have never heard about Google until you pointed it out! The more you know... 

[slowpoked]

23 hours ago, KatWay said:

 

Between Casey Affleck being frontrunner and Mel Gibson being nominated, it can definitely be said that men who display disgusting behaviour will still, always and forever, be fine (see also: POTUS). As long as they have friends in high places, of course.

 

You know, now that you mention it - wasn't there a movie last year that was an early Oscar front-runner, but the director was found to have a rape case back in his teens? The movie's name escapes me, but I'm sure I didn't see that movie's name in any nominations. Man, talk about being blacklisted, huh?!

[ProudMary]

25 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

You know, now that you mention it - wasn't there a movie last year that was an early Oscar front-runner, but the director was found to have a rape case back in his teens? The movie's name escapes me, but I'm sure I didn't see that movie's name in any nominations. Man, talk about being blacklisted, huh?!

Yes, Birth of a Nation directed by Nate Parker.

[Chas411]

What did Casey Affleck do that was disgusting? 

[Chrissytd]

I didn't realize Finding Dory didn't get a nom for Animated Feature until someone on GMA mentioned it. For some reason I forgot it came out last year.

23 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

What did Casey Affleck do that was disgusting? 

Multiple women have accused him of sexual assault dating back to 2008-2010

[ShadowHunter]

All of this love for La La Land yet Michelle Pfeiffer got nothing for singing about a Cool Rider? I see lol.

[Ohwell]

17 hours ago, double-elvis said:

I do wish Hell or High Water got a little bit more love. It would have been great to see either Chris Pine or Ben Foster get a nomination along with Jeff Bridges.

I feel the same way.

[slowpoked]

4 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Yes, Birth of a Nation directed by Nate Parker.

Thank you! It is that movie. 

[ennui]

On 12/5/2016 at 9:23 PM, Dee said:

Kimmel? Really?

I'd take Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Corden, Stephen Colbert or the aforementioned Key & Peele, over Kimmel any day.

Maybe none of them wanted to do it. Hosting the Oscars is a thankless job.

On 1/24/2017 at 7:50 AM, ShadowHunter said:

I went Ugh when I saw Mel Gibson was nominated for best director.

Why? It's been 10 years since Mel's meltdown, and Hacksaw Ridge was well received. 

[gator12]

Nate Parker will be nominated if he does a film that is well receive. Look at how the Directors Guilds nominated him for a first-time feature film. 

[BW Manilowe]

From People magazine: How the nominations process works.

http://people.com/movies/how-oscar-nominations-work-inside-voting-system-academy-award/?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

[humdrum]

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

From People magazine: How the nominations process works.

http://people.com/movies/how-oscar-nominations-work-inside-voting-system-academy-award/?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

(Somewhat) convoluted, but very interesting!

[ABay]

Last year, I just couldn't get into the spirit and didn't really participate here; ragging on the red carpet with people here is my favorite thing about awards shows. I hope tomorrow is more like previous years where I join the snark through the arrivals and opening, then get offline and read in bed because I'm DVRing the ceremony and will zip through it Monday morning. Hope to see many folks here tomorrow afternoon/evening.

[Poohbear617]

Been hearing all day the Denzel is now front runner for best actor over Casey Affleck.  I am conflicted about this..while I like almost all of Denzel films, I personally find him to come off as a.bit self centered and for lack of a better word feeling entitled to win for any film he is up for. Personally I am rooting for Casey or Ryan. In 2007 Casey was nominated in the supporting category when he should have.been in the lead category for the film Gone Baby Gone.  He was excellent in that film and his role Manchester just broke my heart. As for Ryan Gosling I admire his departure from his other work and he was incredible in LA La Land..but I love his other departure in Nice Guys. He was just hysterical in that.  Besides Denzel already has 2 so he will live.? can we spread the wealth a little.  I have the same attitude about Streep. I love her films but sometimes I think she is nominated for just waking up in the morning and because she is MERYL as said above maybe Taraji or Annette or Amy could have filled. that slot. Also she has 3. Unlike Denzel though I do find Meryl to be a very gracious winner. Well I will find out tomorrow..see u all here tomorrow night.

[Ohwell]

I know Jeff Bridges isn't going to win anything but I've always had a crush on him (even moreso as he got older) so I'm just looking forward to seeing him and the rest of the cast of Hell or High Water.  That was my favorite movie this year.

[cpcathy]

58 minutes ago, Poohbear617 said:

Been hearing all day the Denzel is now front runner for best actor over Casey Affleck.  I am conflicted about this..while I like almost all of Denzel films, I personally find him to come off as a.bit self centered and for lack of a better word feeling entitled to win for any film he is up for. Personally I am rooting for Casey or Ryan. In 2007 Casey was nominated in the supporting category when he should have.been in the lead category for the film Gone Baby Gone.  He was excellent in that film and his role Manchester just broke my heart. As for Ryan Gosling I admire his departure from his other work and he was incredible in LA La Land..but I love his other departure in Nice Guys. He was just hysterical in that.  Besides Denzel already has 2 so he will live.? can we spread the wealth a little.  I have the same attitude about Streep. I love her films but sometimes I think she is nominated for just waking up in the morning and because she is MERYL as said above maybe Taraji or Annette or Amy could have filled. that slot. Also she has 3. Unlike Denzel though I do find Meryl to be a very gracious winner. Well I will find out tomorrow..see u all here tomorrow night.

Can I agree emphatically with everything you just wrote? I'm so disappointed that Denzel is the front-runner I don't even really want to watch the show.

[Shannon L.]

I try to keep up with you all, but it's tough since I have so many distractions here, but I'll at least be reading your pre-show posts with maybe an occasional comment. 

What red carpet footage do you like the best?  I usually turn on E! around 2 or 3pm (PST). 

I said in the Awards thread in the Movies section that I've seen 8 of the 9 movies nominated for best movie and the last time I saw all except one, the one I didn't see won.  Since the one I didn't see this year was Moonlight and that's the one that everyone is saying could be the movie to beat La La Land, then that could be a good omen for those of you who want to see that happen  :) 

While Hidden Figures was my favorite of the 8 I've seen, I loved Lion.  It still haunts me, but given that it's up against Moonlight for Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, plus that and La La Land for everything else, I don't expect it to go home with anything. 

I've thought about it a lot and my list would go as follows (from favorite to least favorite):

• Hidden Figures
• Lion
• Arrival
• Hell or High Water
• Manchester by the Sea
• La La Land
• Hacksaw Ridge
• Fences

[truthaboutluv]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I know Jeff Bridges isn't going to win anything but I've always had a crush on him (even moreso as he got older) so I'm just looking forward to seeing him and the rest of the cast of Hell or High Water.  That was my favorite movie this year.

Well if it's any consolation, he does have one Oscar and that's a lot more than many actors have. 

Regarding Denzel's possibly being the front runner going into tomorrow night, while I will agree that he can be a bit of a curmudgeon, I actually don't think he acts like he's entitled to win for every role he does. And in fact I think he was honest when he won the SAG and said he didn't prepare a speech because he felt certain he was not going to win. I think Denzel was perfectly okay with the knowledge that this was Casey's year. 

What may hurt Casey right now is not Denzel per se but the negative press around the lawsuit against him some years ago that was settled out of court. It's especially come back to bite him in the last few months because of the backlash against Nate Parker and many therefore making the situation a racial issue - in that Nate and Birth of a Nation basically got dumped from any Oscar contention because of Nate's alleged past crime while everyone is silent about Casey. 

Now I'm not getting into that debate because there are so many triggering issues here. But I just wanted to make the comment that if Casey loses tomorrow night, THAT I believe will be the thing that cost him the award. Much like when Denzel won against Russell Crowe for Training Day. But that was even worse because Russell won every single award leading up to the Oscars. But his bad attitude pissed people off so much that voters refused to give him a back to back Oscar, no matter how deserving. 

In my opinion, should Denzel win, I don't think it will be as egregious as that because I definitely thought his performance in Training Day was overrated and in no way deserving of that win. However, in my opinion, he was pretty masterful in Fences. Basically I don't feel like I can say a Denzel win would be undeserving even though yes to many Casey's performance was more powerful. Basically they were both great so it's a toss up. And when that's the case, something like Casey's bad press can be the thing that tips it in Denzel's favor. We'll see though. I still give Casey the edge.

Personally I'm less interested in the Best Actor race and more disturbed by the fact that Emma Stone may win a Best Actress Oscar for that average performance. It will be right up there with Paltrow winning for Shakespeare In Love over the goddess Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth. 

Edited February 26, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, Poohbear617 said:

Been hearing all day the Denzel is now front runner for best actor over Casey Affleck.  I am conflicted about this..while I like almost all of Denzel films, I personally find him to come off as a.bit self centered and for lack of a better word feeling entitled to win for any film he is up for. Personally I am rooting for Casey or Ryan. In 2007 Casey was nominated in the supporting category when he should have.been in the lead category for the film Gone Baby Gone.  He was excellent in that film and his role Manchester just broke my heart. As for Ryan Gosling I admire his departure from his other work and he was incredible in LA La Land..but I love his other departure in Nice Guys. He was just hysterical in that.  Besides Denzel already has 2 so he will live.? can we spread the wealth a little.  I have the same attitude about Streep. I love her films but sometimes I think she is nominated for just waking up in the morning and because she is MERYL as said above maybe Taraji or Annette or Amy could have filled. that slot. Also she has 3. Unlike Denzel though I do find Meryl to be a very gracious winner. Well I will find out tomorrow..see u all here tomorrow night.

I agree that the best performance by a Lead Actor this year was given by Casey Affleck but I think that those past allegations may prevent him from winning the Oscar.  BTW, the film for which he was previously nominated in the Supporting Actor category was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, not for Gone Baby Gone. 

While I enjoyed La La Land a great deal, I don't think that the performances of either Ryan Gosling or Emma Stone are worthy of the Oscar although I like both of them.  If I had a vote for Best Actress, it would go to Ruth Negga for Loving.  Much like Casey Affleck's, hers was an arresting, but understated performance.  I think Natalie Portman's performance in Jackie is also a worthy contender.  I am, however, prepared to be disappointed.  

 

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, Poohbear617 said:

Been hearing all day the Denzel is now front runner for best actor over Casey Affleck.  

How can anyone know the front-runner? Haven't the results been hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnall's porch?*

*Carnac reference