The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[truthaboutluv]

They were in the theater, in the hallway outside the theater doors (I know there's a term for that, but it's not coming to me right now).  They do serve alcohol and many of the celebrities drank a lot.  That kind of makes the "The Globes are more fun because they serve alcohol" argument moot, I guess.

 

 

Yeah it's a misconception that there is no drinking and mingling going on at the Oscars versus the Golden Globes. There have been many "what you didn't see" articles about the show throughout the years that mention people at the bar. I think it was last year they talked about Cate Blanchett being there when the In Memoriam tribute was played and some other actor rubbing her back affectionately when Philip Seymour Hoffman's picture was shown because she got a little emotional.

Edited March 1, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[BW Manilowe]

Indeed. I have always enjoyed this guy and his work over the years and he's finally getting his due so I am quite pleased.

Did she say "Emmy" first? "Oz" flashback probably.

It's just not to my taste. It annoys me more than anything else.

You mean Lupita? No, she said, "And the Actor (the award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards) goes to...", instead of "And the Oscar goes to...". Sorry this comment's a week late; it took me awhile to figure out where the thread was.

[WendyCR72]

This is the Academy Awards. It isn't life and death. It's an awards show.

 

So the sarcasm and being bitchy to your fellow posters is not only unnecessary, it's also uncalled for. The beauty of a place like this is that everyone has and gets to share their opinion. No one has to agree with it, but everyone has to respect it.

 

So stop with the snark towards your fellow posters and stick to what was on the TV screen.

 

Thank you.

[JBC344]

I think for the Oscars it isn't just the alcohol, as we have heard that guests can grab a drink in the hall during commercial breaks.  I think with the globes it is the fact that you are sitting around a table with your peers/friends.  Also your drink is right there at the table with you.  In a situation where you are sitting there nervous, waiting to win. I personally would be much more relaxed sitting table side with my friends and co-workers having a drink than sitting facing a stage.

[DollEyes]

Loved Patricia Arquette's acceptance speech. It wasn't "perfect," but I believe her intentions were. However, I don't believe that the only people who should/do care about the poor and middle class are the poor and middle class. Not all movie stars are born and raised rich. Some of them even grew up poor. As long as said actors' heads,  hearts and wallets are in the right place, it's all good, as far as I'm concerned. I was also thrilled for Julianne Moore. I don't believe that it was a "career achievement" Oscar because she was great in Still Alice. If it had been a deal like giving Al Pacino the Best Actor Oscar for Scent Of A Woman when he deserved it for other, much better performances, then I would agree. I'm even more thrilled for Eddie Redmayne. I don't believe that he campaigned any harder for an Oscar than any of the other acting nominees. He's not Harvey Weinstein. I  found Redmayne's reaction to winning and his acceptance speech adorable. Hopefully, TPTB will make a movie with him and Hugh Grant as father and son.  

 

Why am I watching Khloe Kardashian?

 

  I don't mind it because she's the only one there who's offering up something other than "omg she looks AH-MAZING!!!!!" She is actually giving some commentary and isn't above giving (constructive) criticism.

 

  I minded it plenty because if I wanted to hear Khloe Kardashian's opinions about fashion, beauty or anything else, I'd watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Anna Kendrick's and Zoe Saldana's Oscar dresses weren't my favorites either, but they still looked better in their dresses than Khloe looked in hers. Khloe's red gown looked like a belted bedsheet. As for Khloe's leopard-print dress, it's the Academy Awards, not the AVNs. As far as I'm concerned, Khloe Kardashian knows as much about style as Kim does about modesty, Kris knows about parenting and Kanye does about humility.

[Chrissytd]

We have a host.

http://deadline.com/2015/10/chris-rock-oscar-host-2015-88th-academy-awards-1201589689/

[Rick Kitchen]

ew

[Ohwell]

Chris is fine by me.  Better than Neil Patrick Harris.

[cpcathy]

Better, but still not the right choice. But what do I know, I enjoyed the Seth McFarlane hosted year!

[Princess Sparkle]

Better, but still not the right choice. But what do I know, I enjoyed the Seth McFarlane hosted year!

Seth McFarlane is actually my favorite Oscar host of the past five years.  I also liked when Chris Rock hosted previously, I'm just surprised he agreed to do it again - I thought he was pretty frustrated that he was reined in a lot the last time he hosted.

 

But he did have, IMO, the funniest Oscar joke for awhile when he was telling Hollywood they could wait to make movies - "You want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law? Wait! You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait! Alexander is not Gladiator.  You want Denzel and all you can get is me? Wait!  Denzel’s a fine actor. He would've never made Pootie Tang."

Edited October 26, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[Slade347]

I'm fine with Chris Rock and I enjoyed him the first time he hosted the show. That said, these shows have so many issues that go well beyond who's hosting, I'm not sure it matters all that much who the host is.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Slade347

[Chas411]

What date do the nominations get announced again?

[BW Manilowe]

What date do the nominations get announced again?

Thursday, January 14, 2016 (2 weeks from yesterday), at 8:30AM Eastern/5:30AM Pacific & 13:30 UTC (that time was actually listed in the item I used to get the date on Google).

[Chas411]

[Chas411]

Anyone know if this will still broadcast live in Europe? Normally it does every year but I haven't been able to find any listings this year..

[BW Manilowe]

This year's theme/tag line & "key art" have been announced/unveiled. The theme/tag line is "We all dream in gold".

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-2016-theme-key-art-854874?utm_source=twitter

Edited January 13, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[thuganomics85]

Here are our nominees!  The Revenant leads the pack with 12 nominations, along with impressive showings from The Big Short, Spotlight, and... Mad Max: Fury Road!!!  Hell yeah!  Meanwhile, Star Wars: The Force Awakens' box office wasn't enough to secure a Best Picture spot, and some surprising BP snubs for Straight Out of Compton and Carol.

 

Oh, and Fifty Shades of Grey is now technically an Academy Award nominated film now.

[Valny]

Unless I have the wrong list, I am kind of surprised Carol didn’t make the cut for Best Picture.

 

These are the noms in that category.

 

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

 

I guess they cut down the number this year right?

Edited January 14, 2016 by Valny

[truthaboutluv]

The immediate things that popped out at me that I was annoyed by - no See You Again for Best Song but of course Sam Smith's boring as fuck Writings on the Wall gets nominated because god forbid they not nominate a Bond theme. Except this song is no Skyfall at all. Seriously, the song was panned by critics and the public...WTF. And totally confused about Gaga's Till It Happens To You getting in there. Man Gaga's people are working hard for her.

 

And I think the biggest disappointment for many was Straight Outta Compton not getting a Best Picture nod. With that and the fact that once again, the entire acting categories were white people, yeah I'm anticipating the comments and backlash against the Academy. Will be interesting to see what Chris Rock says in his opening monologue. 

Edited January 14, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Shannon L.]

I guess I can find a way somewhere to watch Bridge of Spies, but I have absolutely no interest in Brooklyn, Mad Max or The Revenant.  Spotlight was hard enough to watch--I don't know if I could handle The Room.  I also haven't seen 4 of the 5 movies with Best Actress nominations and can't get excited about watching any of them.  It's going to be one of the less exciting Oscars for me this year, but it's not because I didn't like many of the movies--it's just that very few of them interested me so I never bothered with them.  I'm crossing my fingers for the Spotlight, The Big Short, The Martian and Steve Jobs nominations. And Sylvester Stallone! (I wish Creed had another nomination or two).  I do want to find Trumbo, though.  Maybe it will show in a few more theaters now that it has a nomination.  I did want to see it, but it was only in one theater here and the times never worked with my schedule.

[slowpoked]

Surprised at no Best Picture nom for Inside Out. I thought it was the best animated movie in recent years, well for me it was certainly better than Toy Story 3 and that movie got nominated for BP.

[topanga]

No Benicio Del Toro nomination? Everything that man does is magical. 

[Chrissytd]

I'm surprised Emily Blunt didn't a nom for Sicario. Many thought she would get one.

[slowpoked]

No Benicio Del Toro nomination? Everything that man does is magical. 

 

 

I'm surprised Emily Blunt didn't a nom for Sicario. Many thought she would get one.

I thought Sicario would be an awards season favorite too but when it didn't get traction at the early announcements like GGs, SAGs and BAFTA, I knew it wouldn't have a shot at the Oscars.

 

Maybe Blunt can pick one up next year with Gone Girl-lite The Girl on the Train. I think she's overdue for a nom.

Edited January 14, 2016 by slowpoked

[Inquisitionist]

 And Sylvester Stallone! (I wish Creed had another nomination or two).

 

I haven't seen Creed, but Richard Brody had a few things to say about its omission in The New Yorker:

 

The first thing to leap out from this morning’s nominations is the incredible whiteness of the nominees for performance. “Creed” should have been a shoo-in for a Best Picture nomination, and its star, Michael B. Jordan, who carries the movie on his well-muscled shoulders, should have been a contender for Best Actor. (I also thought that Tessa Thompson’s supporting role was among the year’s best, but I harbored no expectation that she’d be nominated.)

 

I agree that Sylvester Stallone gave a hearty, worldly-wise performance as the aged Rocky Balboa, and thought that he’d be one of the few intersections between my own year-end picks and the nominations. But the Academy’s choice of no one but Stallone to represent “Creed” at the awards—no Jordan and no Ryan Coogler, who wrote and directed it, and, for that matter, no Maryse Alberti, whose distinctively agile cinematography is integral to the movie’s emotional impact—is a grotesque distortion of the viewing experience. It’s a distortion that, in effect, filters out the blackness from Coogler’s remarkable drama about the modes and ironies of black American experience and reduces the film to “Rocky 7.” That distortion says much about the Academy—much that the Academy wouldn’t like to acknowledge about itself.

 

Emphasis added by me.  I'll definitely see the film now.

[kittykat]

The real question remains, is it Leo's to lose, or is Fassbender sweeping in for the steal?

 

And the backlash over the lack of diversity has already begun with talks of Ryan Coogler and Beasts of No Nation being snubbed.    A lot of people were expecting Idris Elba in the BSA as well.

[BW Manilowe]

Unless I have the wrong list, I am kind of surprised Carol didn’t make the cut for Best Picture.

These are the noms in that category.

The Big Short

Bridge Of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

I guess they cut down the number this year right?

Awhile back (unfortunately I'm not sure when; maybe after the first year they had 10 nominees), they changed it so the maximum number of movies in the Best Picture category was 10, but they were no longer required to nominate 10 if that many weren't worthy; they could nominate fewer. Or so I've heard.

[PinkRibbons]

Crimson Peak not getting nommed for any technical awards is a travesty. That house was magnificent! The ghosts were nothing to sneeze at either.

Edited January 14, 2016 by PinkRibbons

[briochetwist]

Is the Academy obligated to nominated Jennifer Lawrence every damn year?  

[Inquisitionist]

Is the Academy obligated to nominated Jennifer Lawrence every damn year?  

 

LOL, she's the new Meryl Streep!

[DearEvette]

My husband saw Joy and is a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan and even he said she doesn't deserve the nom.  He thought Joy was bad frankly.

 

And I have to say I am so over the commentary around Leo DiCaprio.  There is the feeling that he is due an Oscar by fiat somehow.  Why does the narrative around him take on the feel of forgone conclusion that he is supposed to get one.  That the fact that he hasn't is a travesty?  I remember when Django Unchained came out and people were saying he was a shoo in for a nomination.  In my opinion he did shit all in that movie.  Samuel L. Jackson was more deserving of a nom than Leo Fucking DiCaprio.  He played a much more layered character than Leo and he played him with such ooze and menace. 

[Inquisitionist]

Samuel L. Jackson has one Academy Award nomination and zero wins -- now there's a travesty!

[slowpoked]

So is Brie Larson the presumptive favorite for Best Actress? Right now, I think it's Brie > Cate > JLaw. Another question is, if Brie wins, is Hollywood getting its new IT girl?! And what would that mean for JLaw?

 

So many questions!!!

[truthaboutluv]

I'll say what I said in the movies thread about Jennifer Lawrence and Joy. While the film was not great by any means and the family was pretty awful, I thought she did a really good job and more importantly, essentially carried the entire film. It was surprising to me how utterly forgettable Bradley Cooper was and kind of insignificant Robert De Niro was. Lawrence essentially led the entire film and so for that alone, I'm fine with her getting a Lead Actress nomination. I mean it's not like she has a prayer's chance in hell of winning any way. 

 

As for Leo, I don't think it's so much that people think he's obligated to have an Oscar but more the sense that he's paid his dues, has had at this point a long and very respected career and is arguably one of, if not the best actor of his generation. Let's face it, the Academy loves giving "career" Oscars. Hell that's why Leo didn't win the Oscar he should have won a lot time ago in my opinion, for What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Because back then he was some fresh faced 19 year old kid with his first nomination. Voters probably figured he had time and so they gave it to Tommy Lee Jones, a veteran actor. 

 

Similarly when Denzel Washington won over Russell Crowe because all of the industry was going on about how great of an actor he was and it was a travesty he'd never won a Leading Actor Oscar and well Russell essentially seemed to be on a campaign to be the biggest asshole in the world and make people NOT want to vote for him. Not to mention Denzel had lost previously for a far superior performance in Malcolm X to Al Pacino who himself should have won years before for The Godfather or Dog Day Afternoon. 

 

So is Brie Larson the presumptive favorite for Best Actress? Right now, I think it's Brie > Cate > JLaw. Another question is, if Brie wins, is Hollywood getting its new IT girl?! And what would that mean for JLaw?

 

Yeah Brie's the favorite. If there is an upset, in my opinion it would actually be Soairse Ronan or Cate Blanchett. Jennifer has NO shot in this category. The reviews for Joy were very mixed and she was considered an outside shot to even get the nomination. Most believe she got in because the Academy and I guess well her people, placed Alicia Vikander in Supporting for The Danish Girl when let's face it, she was lead. 

 

As for Brie being the next IT Girl, if she does indeed win, I think we have all seen many people win Oscars who go on to have average careers after (looking at you Hilary Swank and Adrian Brody). The win is nice sure and it will open some doors but it's all about the projects and roles after. Many focus on J-Law's Oscar nominations and I guess her win as this being the reason she's this huge IT Girl but that's not really true. 

 

Yes, her coming out of nowhere to be nominated for Winter's Bone put her on people's radar but it's not like she won for it. But on the heels of that she signed on to do The Hunger Games which guaranteed a built in audience and that got huge and in the middle of that, she did Silver Linings Playbook and won the Oscar. That's really what's catapulted J-Law so much. Just a solid series of projects in the space of a few years. And yes, maybe that will be Brie too. We shall see but I don't think her winning will make it a guarantee. 

Edited January 15, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[slowpoked]

As for Brie being the next IT Girl, if she does indeed win, I think we have all seen many people win Oscars who go on to have average careers after (looking at you Hilary Swank and Adrian Brody). The win is nice sure and it will open some doors but it's all about the projects and roles after. Many focus on J-Law's Oscar nominations and I guess her win as this being the reason she's this huge IT Girl but that's not really true. 

 

Yes, her coming out of nowhere to be nominated for Winter's Bone put her on people's radar but it's not like she won for it. But on the heels of that she signed on to do The Hunger Games which guaranteed a built in audience and that got huge and in the middle of that, she did Silver Linings Playbook and won the Oscar. That's really what's catapulted J-Law so much. Just a solid series of projects in the space of a few years. And yes, maybe that will be Brie too. We shall see but I don't think her winning will make it a guarantee. 

I like your take about it, truthaboutluv, but I was mostly being tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing. ;) You know how Hollywood always loves the new IT girl, even though they may not necessarily have the makings of being the IT girl, if that makes sense. I mean, for all we know, Brie may be content in doing indies even after winning and that will put her out of the public consumption immediately. Much like Kristin Wiig, who has gotten mad respect from me for putting her feet down and saying no to the Bridesmaids sequel even though it would make her insane amounts of money and keep her in the public eye, and went on to do the projects she personally connects to, regardless of whether they worked out or not (she went on to do a string of indie movies before going back mainstream on Ghostbusters). 

 

But to your point, I think one of the most recent examples is Lupita Nyongo. The woman had everything going for her before and after her Oscar win. Everyone was rooting for her and she was well-liked and was likeable enough. But someone did observe astutely that even with all of that attention and hype, Lupita didn't have a significant role lined up just yet after 12 Years A Slave. Maybe because she was a woman of color, and her win didn't necessarily transcend that barrier, who knows. But it wasn't an array of projects like JLaw had after her breakout role. Lupita may have lost some momentum, but I guess it would help that she was in Star Wars, even though if you don't follow it thoroughly, you wouldn't know she was in that movie.

[KatWay]

 

Maybe because she was a woman of color, and her win didn't necessarily transcend that barrier, who knows. But it wasn't an array of projects like JLaw had after her breakout role.

no"maybe" there if you ask me...there simply aren't many roles in white-dominated Hollywood for black women. I think if she wants an array of projects that showcase her like JLaw does, she has to write/produce her own movies because I fear nobody else in Hollywood will do it. 

 

Brie Larson was very good in Room, but I am rooting for Saoirse Ronan to pull an upset. It's such a subtle, non-showy role and she just carries a whole film just by the expressions in her eyes, basically. I think she is incredibly talented and I always prefer the understated roles to the big performance ones. Emmanuelle Riva in the heartbreaking Amour should have gotten JLaw's Oscar for Dramatic Speech at a Dinner Table.

[methodwriter85]

I guess I can find a way somewhere to watch Bridge of Spies, but I have absolutely no interest in Brooklyn, Mad Max or The Revenant.  Spotlight was hard enough to watch--I don't know if I could handle The Room.  I also haven't seen 4 of the 5 movies with Best Actress nominations and can't get excited about watching any of them.  It's going to be one of the less exciting Oscars for me this year, but it's not because I didn't like many of the movies--it's just that very few of them interested me so I never bothered with them.  I'm crossing my fingers for the Spotlight, The Big Short, The Martian and Steve Jobs nominations. And Sylvester Stallone! (I wish Creed had another nomination or two).  I do want to find Trumbo, though.  Maybe it will show in a few more theaters now that it has a nomination.  I did want to see it, but it was only in one theater here and the times never worked with my schedule.

 

No, trust me, Brooklyn is a wonderful movie. The acting is gentle and moving, and the scenery and costumes are gorgeous.

[Ruby25]

I loved Brooklyn too, and I'm really happy it got in for Best Picture.

 

I think Brie Larson will win though, because Room got BP and Best Director (that was a surprise), so she's probably locked. Honestly though, I think we may be looking at another Hilary Swank type of win, because I have a feeling that Brie Larson won't go on to be a big mainstream movie star like Jennifer Lawrence or something. I don't see it happening.

 

I could be wrong of course. It's just my instinct. Jennifer Lawrence  by the way, was FAR more lucky than anything else, imo, because of landing that Hunger Games franchise. That thing had a built-in audience like the Harry Potter movies, it was always going to be huge. I think her luck far eclipses her talent.

[Hanahope]

I can't believe that Straight Outta Compton didn't get a Best Picture nom and Mad Max did.  If mean WTF?  Max was fine for cinematography, but Best Picture?  Are they serious?  And not a single non-white actor/actress? 

[Darknight]

Is the Academy obligated to nominated Jennifer Lawrence every damn year?

Sorry but she's screwing someone to get to the top.

[truthaboutluv]

Well of course, because we all know women can't be successful without having sex to get there.

[Ruby25]

Sure they can, but in her case I have no idea what it is that's launched her so high, besides pure luck. All I see in her movies is a mediocre screen presence at best. Offscreen I see a loud, arrogant, full of herself personality, but people seem to like that, so I guess that's what it is?

I'm not even someone who says movie star acting isn't really acting- I think people like George Clooney, Julia Roberts, etc. were stars whose personas onscreen made them famous for a reason. But I don't even see THAT with her. Seriously, people have compared her to Julia Roberts and I'm like, huh? Watch any one of Julia's old movies and you can see her personality translated onscreen in a way that made you understand what it was that fans of hers loved, but those Hunger Games movies and the David O. Russell stuff? I just don't get it. I don't see her personality in those, and the acting itself isn't that impressive (everyone just screams their dialogue in all DOR movies anyway).

I don't get it at all.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Ruby25

[truthaboutluv]

And that is an opinion one is entitled to because all of this is subjective. I have loved Leo Dicaprio since I first saw him in This Boy's Life and think he is not one of, but the best actor of his generation. And yet I've seen many comments throughout the years from people who believe Leo is overrated as an actor. And let's not forget when Gwyneth Paltrow came on the scene and then god forbid won that Oscar for Shakespeare In Love. There were many who threw claims of nepotism because her parents were both actors and I'll be honest, I personally have never seen anything of Gwyneth's where I thought she was an amazing actress in it. But I'm not going to immediately jump to the "well obviously she's on her back to have the success she does."

I have always maintained that Hollywood and entertainment is not fair and there is a lot of luck that goes into it. Right time, right role and for singers, right sound at the right time, etc. Speaking of music, I've read comments where some are sure Adele's label is inflating her album numbers because they really just cannot understand what is so special or good about her music. Art is subjective. And so my point is just because a person doesn't see it with Jennifer doesn't mean others don't and so her success must be crudely dismissed as well clearly she's screwing someone.

As I have said before, Jennifer really hasn't done THAT much in the last few years. It's just been a string of right roles at the right time. She did an indie film that took her all the way to an Oscar nomination, on the back of that she signed on to do The Hunger Games which was guaranteed to smash because it was popular book trilogy. She did the X-Men films she'd been signed to long before the Oscar nomination, where she's wasn't the lead or the star. And then she did Silver Linings Playbook where a very strong performance in my opinion and yes, very good campaigning by her team, notched her the win.

Yeah I didn't think she was that special in American Hustle but frankly I didn't think anyone was. However, the movie had huge buzz behind it at the beginning and rode it all the way to nominations for the whole cast but it ended up not winning a thing by Oscar night. And now she's nominated for Joy which she has zero shot of winning but as I said, I personally do believe she did a really good job in the movie and essentially carried the entire film in my opinion.

And really, other than the fact that she's won one, Jennifer isn't that different than Amy Adams in terms of being nominated - Amy Adams was nominated for an Oscar in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and that's not counting the other two she had in earlier years. And for the record, I think she deserved all those nominations.

Edited January 15, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Paws]

The whiteness of the Oscars and the film industry in general is really shocking. Look at theater and the Tony Awards--the person who was won the most Tonys for acting is Audra McDonald. The top shows on Broadway, year after year, either have people of color in the lead or as major parts of the cast--Lion King, Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Wicked (green is a color!). This year the Color Purple and Hamilton could easily win all 4 acting awards in a musical for people of color. The people who go to the theater are mostly old, rich and white. If that demo enjoys seeing stories about people of color live on stage then certainly the rest of the world can enjoy those stories on film.

[Ruby25]

I don't think Leo is the best actor of his generation at all and I do think he's somewhat overrated in terms of skill. BUT, I do think he's a great star and a great screen presence and the movies where he's been the best are the ones where he's been open, funny and just more relaxed onscreen. Movies like Titanic, Catch Me if You Can and even The Wolf of Wall Street (yes, he's trying hard in that one, but he's actually really good at comedy), you can just easily see how appealing he is to audiences. I also think he was great in The Departed.

I love Leo, I just think you can really see him "acting" when he does movies like The Aviator or J. Edgar, something where it's obvious he's trying really hard. He just can't disappear into roles like Sean Penn or Robert DeNiro or somebody- he's not a character actor and I think he wishes he was.

[Paws]

I also think he was great in The Departed.

He was fucking hot as hell in the Departed, is what he was.

But seriously, I do think he's a tremendous actor. The reason he hasn't won an Oscar yet is that he's too good looking.

[BW Manilowe]

And that is an opinion one is entitled to because all of this is subjective. I have loved Leo Dicaprio since I first saw him in This Boy's Life and think he is not one of, but the best actor of his generation. And yet I've seen many comments throughout the years from people who believe Leo is overrated as an actor. And let's not forget when Gwyneth Paltrow came on the scene and then god forbid won that Oscar for Shakespeare In Love. There were many who threw claims of nepotism because her parents were both actors and I'll be honest, I personally have never seen anything of Gwyneth's where I thought she was an amazing actress in it. But I'm not going to immediately jump to the "well obviously she's on her back to have the success she does."

I have always maintained that Hollywood and entertainment is not fair and there is a lot of luck that goes into it. Right time, right role and for singers, right sound at the right time, etc. Speaking of music, I've read comments where some are sure Adele's label is inflating her album numbers because they really just cannot understand what is so special or good about her music. Art is subjective. And so my point is just because a person doesn't see it with Jennifer doesn't mean others don't and so her success must be crudely dismissed as well clearly she's screwing someone.

As I have said before, Jennifer really hasn't done THAT much in the last few years. It's just been a string of right roles at the right time. She did an indie film that took her all the way to an Oscar nomination, on the back of that she signed on to do The Hunger Games which was guaranteed to smash because it was popular book trilogy. She did the X-Men films she'd been signed to long before the Oscar nomination, where she's wasn't the lead or the star. And then she did Silver Linings Playbook where a very strong performance in my opinion and yes, very good campaigning by her team, notched her the win.

Yeah I didn't think she was that special in American Hustle but frankly I didn't think anyone was. However, the movie had huge buzz behind it at the beginning and rode it all the way to nominations for the whole cast but it ended up not winning a thing by Oscar night. And now she's nominated for Joy which she has zero shot of winning but as I said, I personally do believe she did a really good job in the movie and essentially carried the entire film in my opinion.

And really, other than the fact that she's won one, Jennifer isn't that different than Amy Adams in terms of being nominated - Amy Adams was nominated for an Oscar in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and that's not counting the other two she had in earlier years. And for the record, I think she deserved all those nominations.

I'm not sure you're accurate in saying the late Bruce Paltrow--Gwyneth's father--was an actor. I knew of him as being more of a producer, writer, & director (for shows like St. Elsewhere & The White Shadow, among others, & maybe some theatrical films). Her mother, however, is an actress, the very well-known Blythe Danner.

[truthaboutluv]

I know who Paltrow's parents are. It was a simple error in calling them both actors. The point I was making was that many assumed nepotism with her because her parents were both in show business.

[wallflower75]

So having seen the nominations, I'm a little disappointed by the lack of love for Straight Outta Compton.  I thought it was a very good film that deserved a bit more than it got.  Where the heck was Ridley Scott's nomination for The Martian?  And I was surprised that Sorkin wasn't nominated for the Steve Jobs screenplay--I figured he was a shoo-in.  But my big disappointment was that Christian Bale got nominated for The Big Short over Steve Carell.  In a movie about how corrupt and soulless Wall Street can be, Carell showed us that sometimes, the people who work there have a heart.  Don't get me wrong--I think Bale was good.  I just believe Carell was better.

[Jordan Baker]

I too would like to have seen Steve Carell nominated, but I'm happy that Christian Bale was given the nod. I found his performance fascinating.

 

My biggest disappointment was that Paul Dano wasn't nominated for "Love and Mercy." He was outstanding in the role.