2020 Awards Season

[starri]

I guess it's that time again.

So, which "long overdue" Best Actor award is going to happen, Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or Eddie Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name?

Both have that narrative, and they also have the home court advantage of being in movies about Hollywood.  Murphy has the additional cards of playing a real person AND the AMPAS not wanting to look biased against Netflix.

[Shannon L.]

I think they're both overdue for an award, but I don't think Brad Pitt's performance was anything special in OUATIH.  He had great chemistry with DiCaprio (and, yes, I think he'll get and deserve a nomination), but overall I don't think it was award worthy.

I can't comment on Eddie Murphy until I see the movie, but I'll be pissed if he wins and the talk is about it being because they didn't want to look biased against Netflix.  Why?  Because, for now, I'm still obsessed with Taron Egerton as Elton John and can't imagine anyone being better than him this year.  I could be wrong--there are many years when I see more than one performance that makes me say "I want this person to win, but would be happy for this person and that person if they won instead", so we'll have to see. 

[Slade347]

Pitt will be going for Bedt Supporting Actor for OUATIH. His Best Actor push will come for Ad Astra.

[Dejana]

5 hours ago, Slade347 said:

Pitt will be going for Bedt Supporting Actor for OUATIH. His Best Actor push will come for Ad Astra.

I feel Brad is far too much of a star and had way too much screentime in OUATIH for a Supporting Actor placement to work, but there's rarely pushback on category fraud (alas). There haven't been double lead Oscar nominees for the same movie since Thelma & Louise. Nowadays, I'm sure the awards industrial complex would offer up all kinds of pretzel logic to explain how, actually, Louise supports Thelma's character arc. Leo and Brad are already both Oscar winners, so Sony should campaign them both for Best Actor and let the chips fall where they may. Ad Astra could turn out to be a nonstarter, awards-wise, negating the need to go Lead for it.

Joker is playing in competition at the Venice Film Festival, which seems surprising to Film/Awards Twitter considering the buzz about the production, a version of the script that's leaked and general skepticism about Todd Phillips' directorial abilities to handle the material. WB is playing it like they are extremely confident and Joaquin Phoenix is already talking about the psychological conditions he studied in order to portray the character. He got a Best Actor nomination for The Master when it was a financial flop, not very Academy-friendly and he'd openly expressed his disdain for Oscar campaigning that season. If he gets the reviews in a huge WB hit and actually tries with the voters, an "overdue" narrative could take him pretty far this year.

That's all subject to change, depending on the critics and how the release goes. Last year showed that Film Twitter outrage about a movie doesn't mean that awards voters won't like it.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Dejana

[proserpina65]

It's a small film which didn't get much play on this side of the Atlantic, so it'll probably be ignored come awards time, but I'd love to see Jessie Buckley get some awards love for her performance in Wild Rose.

[vb68]

On 8/17/2019 at 9:34 AM, Shannon L. said:

I think they're both overdue for an award, but I don't think Brad Pitt's performance was anything special in OUATIH.  He had great chemistry with DiCaprio (and, yes, I think he'll get and deserve a nomination), but overall I don't think it was award worthy.

On 8/18/2019 at 5:35 PM, Dejana said:

I feel Brad is far too much of a star and had way too much screentime in OUATIH for a Supporting Actor placement to work

I have to respectfully disagree with both statements. I thought it was off the charts good. It's my favorite performance of Brad's in ages. But I absolutely loved the movie as a whole, too.

The category doesn't bother me at all. I can see it both ways, and there's category fraud arguments every single year now.  So I just don't see it as a big deal. 

There are also similar arguments for Tom Hanks in Won't You Be My Neighbor, who might be Brad's biggest competition in the supporting category right now. I haven't seen that, so can't comment beyond that except the trailer didn't  impress me that much. It was too much" Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers."  But maybe I can buy into it more in the context of the whole movie.

On 8/18/2019 at 5:35 PM, Dejana said:

Leo and Brad are already both Oscar winners, so Sony should campaign them both for Best Actor and let the chips fall where they may

Brad's never won for acting, though. I think that makes a big difference in the narrative.

I was really surprised The Joker won at Venice.  I strongly suspect the movie itself is going to be very divisive in the current political climate, but it will be interesting to see if Joaquin Phoenix can keep momentum throughout the race. He's another long overdue actorefinitely deserves the recognition.

It was also surprising Jojo Rabbit won the audience award at Toronto after the critics all but wrote it off as terrible.  We will see how that plays out.

I'm anxious to see Marriage Story with the critical raves saying Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson give career best performances.

Edited September 19, 2019 by vb68

[Amello]

I work at one of venues that was used for TIFF, and Marriage Story was my favourite film that I got to see. I hope it's able to at least get recognized. For Joker, there were definitely people who walked out because they couldn't handle how dark it was. But I do think no matter what you feel about the film, Joaquin Phoenix absolutely deserves praise. Of course, I think he's the best living/working actor today so I'm a bit biased.

I wasn't working when it played where I work, but all my colleagues loved Jojo Rabbit. Knives Out was extremely popular as well. It was a hell of a fun ride, but even though it had an all star cast and I found it entertaining, it still felt very 'B' movie to me. 

[kiddo82]

Apropos of nothing, I had a weird realization tonight that while no woman has ever won an Oscar for playing the Esther Blodgett role in A Star is Born (3 of the 4 were nominated) we could have two actors win for playing the Joker role.  I don't think it means anything but it's rather a shower thought that popped into my head.  To date, only Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro have won Oscars for playing the same character in 2 separate movies. (Vito Corleone)  What would make this different for me is that the Vito Corleone characters portrayed by Brando and De Niro are the same character in the same universe.  The Ledger/Nolan Joker has nothing with the Phillips/Phoenix Joker.   

[methodwriter85]

I'm kind of surprised that no one's won for playing Elizabeth Bennett or Jo March, either.

[kiddo82]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I'm kind of surprised that no one's won for playing Elizabeth Bennett or Jo March, either.

I think the challenge with characters like those is that most people are introduced to them as adolescents through the books and it's a nearly impossible to live up to everybody's collectively different imaginations.   Contrast that with the Godfather where I'd wager more people see the movie before reading the book (if ever) and Brando and De Niro are Corleone to them.  It probably also doesn't hurt that Puzo adapted his own work into the film.  Portrayals of real life public figures, especially relatively contemporary ones from the 20th century and beyond, are less tricky to judge because we have definitive proof what they looked like, walked like, sounded like, etc.  More people will probably agree on Rami Malek hitting the mark on Freddie Mercury than they will on anyone's portrayal of Jo March.  As for any joker portrayal, it's not that there aren't comic book fans married to their own version (we know there are) but again, I'd think that a Batman/Joker movie (even a Joker movie that isn't being marketed at all as the type of comic book movie we think of today) will appeal to a broader audience who has never sniffed the source material than an Alcott or Bronte adaptation would.  

Edited September 21, 2019 by kiddo82

[sweetcookieface]

I know they’re total long shots, but I’d love for Lupita Nyongo and Florence Pugh to be recognized for their performances in Us and Midsommar, respectively.

[AshleyN]

So The Irishman premiered tonight, and the initial response seems to be big fat raves. This actually surprised me a bit, because a lot of Scorcese movies seem to start off fairly divisive, and (usually) grow in reputation over time. It's interesting, though not really surprising, to note that the reviews indicate that it's a lot slower and more contemplative than the trailers indicated.

I'll say this: if there's any narrative that can overcome the final hurdle of the anti-Netflix brigade, the idea of them swooping in to offer one of America's most revered filmmakers all the money and creative freedom that he apparently couldn't get from the studios would probably be at the top of the list.

Also, it's kind of funny that this year features the first Scorcese/De Niro collaboration in decades competing against Joker, given all the Taxi Driver/King of Comedy comparisons I've seen with the latter.

Edited September 29, 2019 by AshleyN

[Silver Raven]

I wonder if Billie Eilish's song "Bad Guy" will get a Best Song nomination.

[methodwriter85]

I think J. Lo has a really good shot at the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Hustlers. I think the movie was too lighthearted for her to have a real shot at the Oscar, but I think the Golden Globe is a real possibility for her.

[Dejana]

After seeing Hustlers, if JLo is "supporting" in it, what are Julia Stiles, Kiki Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Wai Ching Ho, cameos? Wu is onscreen a tiny bit more, I guess enough to justify Lopez being in a completely different category from her, and the awards industrial complex's insistence that movies can't have two leads of the same gender will continue. Applying the same sort of gymnastics to non-Oscar bait shows the ridiculousness of it all: "It's Hobbs & Shaw, not the reverse, so actually, I think Jason Statham's story arc supports The Rock's evolution as a lead character!"

Usually, when one co-lead gets "demoted", it's to try to maximize the nomination chances for the film, but I don't see Wu getting any traction in Best Actress even with JLo safely in Supporting. Some years, Best Actress is the less competitive category between the two, even if it is more prestigious. Very rarely, voters will reject a studio's category placement for an actor, but I think the last time it happened at the Oscars was with Kate Winslet for The Reader.

*

Joker had a huge opening weekend. Joaquin seems the most likely nominee from it, with a nomination in Best Director being the iffiest prospect given the nature of that branch in recent years. Todd Phillips doing Director rountables is going to provide the awards blogs with a lot of content, if nothing else.

Edited October 6, 2019 by Dejana

[methodwriter85]

9 hours ago, Dejana said:

After seeing Hustlers, if JLo is "supporting" in it, what are Julia Stiles, Kiki Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Wai Ching Ho, cameos? Wu is onscreen a tiny bit more, I guess enough to justify Lopez being in a completely different category from her, and the awards industrial complex's insistence that movies can't have two leads of the same gender will continue.

In the thread for Hustlers, I mentioned that I thought JLo was a shoo-in for Best Actress in a comedy at the Golden Globes, and that's where I was informed that she's actually being pushed for Best Supporting.

I can kind of see it, because she's enigmatic up until the very end, but if this was to push Constance Wu for Best Leading Actress, I'm not seeing it.

[Silver Raven]

Robert DeNiro Best Supporting Actor for Joker and Best Actor for The Irishman?

[Dejana]

6 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

In the thread for Hustlers, I mentioned that I thought JLo was a shoo-in for Best Actress in a comedy at the Golden Globes, and that's where I was informed that she's actually being pushed for Best Supporting.

I can kind of see it, because she's enigmatic up until the very end, but if this was to push Constance Wu for Best Leading Actress, I'm not seeing it.

It could be about billing, because Constance comes before Jennifer in the advertising, so if the studio pushed JLo in Best Actress they would have to campaign Wu there, and just as much, lest the talent get offended. Not that it would cause vote splitting in this case, but it would be a bigger effort/expense to push two people vs one.

Or, they think it's an easier path to a Supporting nomination; that's often why lead performances end up there (last year, it took a while for Olivia Colman's lead placement to be announced for The Favourite and when it was, prognosticators said she was costing herself a sure-fire win in BSA, which, LOL). In JLo's case, maybe it's felt that some voters aren't ready to go all in on "Jennifer Lopez, Oscar nominee" just yet, so Best Actress might be a bridge too far, but in the "lesser" category...

Edited October 7, 2019 by Dejana

[methodwriter85]

I don't think she'll get the Oscar for that reason (and again, Hustlers is more comedy) but I do think she's going to get the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in A Comedy.

[Shannon L.]

I'm putting Renee Zellweger on the top of my Best Actress Oscar list right now.  I didn't love the movie itself, but damn, was she good.

[Shannon L.]

I've been reading articles about the Oscar's Best Actor race.  I'm seeing Joaquin Phoenix as a front runner with Adam Driver as very possible spoiler.  My best friend's son is an award winning make up artist and hair stylist and he says from what he's hearing, put your money on Joaquin.  That's fine.  He's a great actor and I could tell from the trailers that his performance in The Joker was going to be amazing (I'm going to see it soon), as does it appear that Adam's in Marriage Story is amazing (I'm anxiously awaiting that one, too).  But, when I read of other actors who could round out the list, I'm seeing Taron Egerton either very low on the list or not on it at all.  I swear to God, if his only nomination and possible win is the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, you're going to hear the scream from here.

I will do my best not to become a broken record or to keep whining in this forum should he not be nominated for an Oscar. 

Edited November 20, 2019 by Shannon L.

[ShadowHunter]

5 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I've been reading articles about the Oscar's Best Actor race.  I'm seeing Joaquin Phoenix as a front runner with Adam Driver as very possible spoiler.  My best friend's son is an award winning make up artist and hair stylist and he says from what he's hearing, put your money on Joaquin.  That's fine.  He's a great actor and I could tell from the trailers that his performance in The Joker was going to be amazing (I'm going to see it soon), as does it appear that Adam's in Marriage Story is amazing (I'm anxiously awaiting that one, too).  But, when I read of other actors who could round out the list, I'm seeing Taron Egerton either very low on the list or not on it at all.  I swear to God, if his only nomination and possible win is the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, you're going to hear the scream here.

I will do my best not to become a broken record or to keep whining in this forum should he not be nominated for an Oscar. 

I hope Adam and Joaquin both get a nomination and they do not lose a spot to Leo. Plus you have Bale and Damon who could surprise. A competitive race this time. Tom Hanks maybe? 

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, ShadowHunter said:

I hope Adam and Joaquin both get a nomination and they do not lose a spot to Leo. Plus you have Bale and Damon who could surprise. A competitive race this time. Tom Hanks maybe? 

Everything I've read about this movie seems to suggest that Mister Rogers is actually the supporting character to Matthew Rhys's journey.

Joaquin seems like he's going to be the frontrunner, although something about him strikes me as someone that could make a disastrous P.R. move at some point and tank his Oscar chances.

In Taron's case, it really is the nomination being the award. He's got way too much against him for the win- the movie came out all the way back in the spring, last year's Oscar win was for a biopic on a gay British music icon, and he's only 30.

[Shannon L.]

10 hours ago, ShadowHunter said:

I hope Adam and Joaquin both get a nomination and they do not lose a spot to Leo. Plus you have Bale and Damon who could surprise. A competitive race this time. Tom Hanks maybe? 

Damon had top billing, so Bale would probably be nominated for Supporting Actor--and, not surprisingly, deservedly so.  But, while Damon was good, I don't think it was special enough for a nomination.

6 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Everything I've read about this movie seems to suggest that Mister Rogers is actually the supporting character to Matthew Rhys's journey.

Joaquin seems like he's going to be the frontrunner, although something about him strikes me as someone that could make a disastrous P.R. move at some point and tank his Oscar chances.

In Taron's case, it really is the nomination being the award. He's got way too much against him for the win- the movie came out all the way back in the spring, last year's Oscar win was for a biopic on a gay British music icon, and he's only 30.

I agree that Taron's nomination would be the award--that's all I'm asking for  :) 

[ShadowHunter]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Everything I've read about this movie seems to suggest that Mister Rogers is actually the supporting character to Matthew Rhys's journey.

Nice. He was wonderful on The Americans. 

On 10/7/2019 at 2:23 AM, Silver Raven said:

Robert DeNiro Best Supporting Actor for Joker and Best Actor for The Irishman?

It could happen.  This could be a good year for Netflix. 

I think Brad has a chance for supporting for Once Upon A Time.  I thought he was better then Leo. 

[Dejana]

14 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Damon had top billing, so Bale would probably be nominated for Supporting Actor--and, not surprisingly, deservedly so.  But, while Damon was good, I don't think it was special enough for a nomination.

I agree that Taron's nomination would be the award--that's all I'm asking for  🙂

According to the campaign page, both Damon and Bale are being pushed in Best Actor:

https://www.foxscreenings.com/ford-v-ferrari/categories/

Refreshing, but it's early and things can change as the season goes on. Last year, there as a time when the FYC page for A Star Is Born listed three songs under Best Original Song, but the other two titles eventually disappeared and they only ended up pushing "Shallow". I remember when Christoph Waltz was first campaigned in Best Actor for Django Unchained (along with Jamie Foxx) and DiCaprio was the movie's big Supporting Actor push. Then Waltz started getting critics' notices in the Supporting category and showed up there at some precursors. Leo ended up being snubbed on Oscar nomination morning that year, while Waltz ended up winning. It's all very fluid and strategic.

*

Best Actor looks really competitive this year. Timing is really everything; switch the release dates of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, and Taron has a much easier path to a nomination. The year after Jamie Foxx lip-synced and steamrolled to the Oscar for Ray, Joaquin Phoenix did his own singing for Walk the Line and was never more than an also-ran in Best Actor. He did win the Golden Globe for Musical/Comedy (back when they automatically considered movies about musicians as musicals).

Both Joaquin and Adam Driver's Best Actor pushes are for playing fictional characters, so either winning would be downright refreshing in the category. It's getting to the point where AMPAS can just split it into Best Actor in a Biopic and Best Actor Not in a Biopic and be done with it.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Dejana

[ShadowHunter]

22 hours ago, Dejana said:

According to the campaign page, both Damon and Bale are being pushed in Best Actor:

I saw that. Silly if you ask me but not surprised.

[Silver Raven]

I'm hearing Oscar buzz for Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems.

[amaranta]

21 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I'm hearing Oscar buzz for Adam Sandler for Uncut Gems.

This year's dark horse for a nomination, I think.  Great reviews and now the movie has picked up several Indie Spirit awards nominations, including Sandler for Best Actor.

Edited November 30, 2019 by amaranta

[Trini]

Annie Awards nominations:

Quote

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 47th Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Frozen 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (DreamWorks Animation), Klaus (Netflix presents a Production of the Spa Studios and Atresmedia Cine), Missing Link (Laika, LLC) and Toy Story 4 (Pixar Animation Studios). Best Animated Feature-Independent, spotlighting features with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases, include: Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (GKIDS), I Lost My Body (Netflix), Okko’s Inn (GKIDS), Promare (GKIDS) and Weathering With You (GKIDS).

...

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. ...

Full list at link.

[AimingforYoko]

You've been warned, America.

[AshleyN]

So today was the unofficial start to awards season, with the announcement of the National Board of Review winners:

Best Film: THE IRISHMAN
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD
Best Actor: Adam Sandler, UNCUT GEMS
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, JUDY
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD
Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, RICHARD JEWELL
Best Original Screenplay: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, UNCUT GEMS
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, THE IRISHMAN
Breakthrough Performance: Paul Walter Hauser, RICHARD JEWELL
Best Directorial Debut: Melina Matsoukas, QUEEN & SLIM
Best Animated Feature: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD
Best Foreign Language Film: PARASITE
Best Documentary: MAIDEN
Best Ensemble: KNIVES OUT
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Roger Deakins, 1917
NBR Icon Award: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: FOR SAMA
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: JUST MERCY

Top Films (in alphabetical order)
“1917”
“Dolemite is My Name”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Knives Out”
“Marriage Story”
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
“Richard Jewell”
“Uncut Gems”
“Waves”

I expect the critics awards to be a battle among The Irishman, Parasite, and Marriage Story, and it looks like The Irishman drew first blood (even though NBR isn't technically a "critics" group). It'll be interesting to see if that will continue with the New York critics, who announce tomorrow. I'll be shocked if Parasite doesn't win in LA.

I actually saw Knives Out yesterday so it was nice to see the ensemble, which was truly terrific, rewarded here. I hope they get a SAG nomination.

That's a good start for Adam Sandler. I know he has great reviews, but the film is pretty under the radar, so he'll need as many mentions as he can get to keep his name in the mix.

Edited December 4, 2019 by AshleyN

[Shannon L.]

Damn. With all the talk about Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver, Sandler just slips in under the radar.  I hadn't even heard of Uncut Gems until last week when it was a preview at a movie I went to see.  Very interesting......

[kiddo82]

4 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

You've been warned, America.

The awfulness of Jack and Jill wasn't on purpose?

Edited December 4, 2019 by kiddo82

[starri]

Sandler is just lazy and uses Happy Madison to subsidize vacations for himself and his friends.  When he wants to work for it, as he did in Punch-Drunk Love, he's actually pretty good.

[amaranta]

13 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Damn. With all the talk about Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver, Sandler just slips in under the radar.  I hadn't even heard of Uncut Gems until last week when it was a preview at a movie I went to see.  Very interesting......

I can't watch the typical Sandler comedy.  I find them irritating and cringe inducing.  But I do think we're going to get Adam Sandler, Oscar nominee for this season.  

[AshleyN]

New York Film Critics Circle winners:

Best Film: “The Irishman”

Best Director: Benny and Josh Safdie, “Uncut Gems”

Best First Film: “Atlantics,” Mati Diop

Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”

Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, “Us”

Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern for “Marriage Story” and “Little Women”

Best Non-Fiction Film: “Honeyland”

Best Screenplay: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino

Best Cinematography: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Claire Mathon

Best Foreign Language Film: “Parasite”

Best Animated Film: “I Lost My Body”

Special Award: Randy Newman

Special Award: Indie Collect

Looks like they really wanted to spread the wealth.

Another big win for The Irishman (although it's a little weird that it took Best Picture on back to back days but Scorsese couldn't win director either time). Recent years have shown that early frontrunner status isn't always a good thing though.

It's very early, but so far Parasite hasn't been able to break out of the foreign language box the way Roma did.

That's an great win for Lupita. The early release for Us meant that she was in danger of being overlooked in favour of contenders who came later, but this should put her right back in the conversation.

Finally, I feel like awards love for Antonio Banderas should be automatically accompanied by this:

[ruby24]

The AFI has announced their Top 10 List:

1917

The Farewell

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

Knives Out

Little Women

Marriage Story

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Richard Jewell

Special Award: Parasite (ineligible for the main list)

Usually 5-7 of these make it into Best Picture. Guessing The Farewell, Knives Out and Richard Jewell are less likely to make the cut. Little Women and Joker are maybe's. The rest of them I bet make it, including Parasite.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I saw "Once upon a time in Hollywood" and I do not get any accolades for Brad Pitt's performance.  I thought Leo was wonderful, though.  Brad Pitt doesn't do much.  I don't get what the big deal is.  He smirks a lot.  He's hot for his age.  Ok?

I'm so so so so so happy about Lupita winning for "Us".  One of the few movies I actually really did like this year, and by far my favourite performance.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/20/2019 at 11:26 PM, Dejana said:

Best Actor looks really competitive this year. Timing is really everything; switch the release dates of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, and Taron has a much easier path to a nomination. 

It's absolutely crazy.  BR almost made a billion dollars (!!!!!!  - that's Avengers money, holy shit) and Rocketman only made $175 million.  It makes me feel sad for the movie, honestly.  I thought that Taron and Jamie Bell were so great 😞

[methodwriter85]

7 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's absolutely crazy.  BR almost made a billion dollars (!!!!!!  - that's Avengers money, holy shit) and Rocketman only made $175 million.  It makes me feel sad for the movie, honestly.  I thought that Taron and Jamie Bell were so great 😞

They knew that having "graphic" gay content would cut into the bottom line of the movie's earning power, and went ahead with it anyway because they didn't want to neuter Elton John like they did to Freddie freakin' Mercury.

I also think Queen in general has a larger cross-generational appeal due to Wayne's World bringing back "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "We Will Rock You"/"We are the Champions" becoming perennial sports anthems. Elton John did have his moment in the 90's with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" and "Candle in the Wind '97" but for the most part he feels like a Boomer nostalgia act. I work at a movie theater, and I was actually listening to a Daddy explain to his handsome 25-ish Son who Elton John was after they got out of the movie.

[AshleyN]

LA Film Critics Awards: 

Best Picture: Parasite 
Runner-up: The Irishman 

Director: Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) 
Runner-up: Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) 

Actor: Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory) 
Runner-up: Adam Driver (Marriage Story) 

Actress: Mary Kay Place (Diane) 
Runner-up: Lupita Nyong'o (Us)  

Supporting Actor: Song Kang Ho (Parasite)
Runner-up: Joe Pesci (The Irishman) 

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers) 
Runner-up: Zhao Shuzhen (The Farewell)

Screenplay: Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) 
Runner-up: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won (Parasite) 

Documentary: American Factory
Runner-up: Apollo 11

Animation: I Lost My Body 
Runner-up: Toy Story 4 

Foreign-language: Pain and Glory 
Runner-Up: Portrait of a Lady on Fire 

Editing: Todd Douglas Miller (Apollo 11) 
Runner-up: Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) 

Production Design: Barbara Ling (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) 
Runner-up: Ha Jun Lee (Parasite) 

Music/Score: Dan Levy (I Lost My Body)
Runner-up: Thomas Newman (1917)

Cinematography: Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Atlantics)
Runner-up: Roger Deakins (1917)

Career Achievement Award: Elaine May 

Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film: Ja'Tovia Gary's The Governy Documentary 

New Generation: Joe Talbot, Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

...

Big day for Parasite as expected, but The Irishman clearly had a lot of support here as well.

First win for JLo!

Joe Pesci continues to be the critics pick from The Irishman cast. I wonder if that will continue into the industry awards, or if they'll go more for Pacino. If I had to guess I'd say they're both getting nominated at the Oscars though (in which case a split vote might make things easier for a Brad Pitt win).

And of course:

Edited December 9, 2019 by AshleyN

[absnow54]

Golden Globe Nominations

Best motion picture, drama

• “1917”
• “Joker”
• “Marriage Story”
• “The Irishman”
• “The Two Popes”

Best actress in a motion picture, drama

• Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
• Renée Zellweger, “Judy”
• Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
• Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
• Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”

Best actor in a motion picture, drama

• Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
• Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
• Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
• Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
• Christian Bale, “Ford v Ferrari”

Best motion picture, comedy or musical

• “Dolemite Is My Name”
• “Jojo Rabbit”
• “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”
• “Rocketman”
• “Knives Out”

Best actress in a motion picture, comedy or musical

• Awkwafina, “The Farewell”
• Beanie Feldstein, “Booksmart”
• Emma Thompson, “Late Night”
• Ana de Armas, “Knives Out”
• Cate Blanchett, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”

Best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical

• Roman Griffith Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”
• Daniel Craig, “Knives Out”
• Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite Is My Name”
• Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”
• Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”

Best director, motion picture

• Bong Joon-Ho, “Parasite”
• Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
• Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”
• Sam Mendes, “1917”
• Todd Phillips, “Joker”

Best supporting actress in a motion picture

• Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
• Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
• Annette Bening, “The Report”
• Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
• Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”

Best supporting actor in a motion picture

• Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
• Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
• Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
• Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
• Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”

Best screenplay, motion picture

• “The Irishman”
• “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”
• “Parasite”
• “Marriage Story”
• “The Two Popes”

Best animated feature film

• “Frozen II”
• “Toy Story 4”
• “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
• “Missing Link”
• “The Lion King”

Best foreign language film

• “The Farewell”
• “Pain and Glory”
• “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
• “Parasite”
• “Les Misérables”

Best original score, motion picture

• Thomas Newman, “1917”
• Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Joker”
• Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”
• Randy Newman, “Marriage Story”
• Daniel Pemberton, “Motherless Brooklyn”

Best original song, motion picture

• “Beautiful Ghosts,” “Cats”
• “ (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
• “Into the Unknown,” “Frozen II”
• “Spirit,” “The Lion King”
• “Stand Up,” “Harriet”

[PepSinger]

Way to go, Jennifer Lopez!

[ShadowHunter]

In regards to Male Actor Adam Driver, Leo, Bale, Antonio Banderas, and Joaquin Phoenix could all get nominated. Eddie Murphy and Jonathan Pryce as well.  The Academy could still show love to Robert De Niro.  Who will be snubbed?  Sometimes we get a surprise nomination that nobody predicted. 

[Shannon L.]

6 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical

• Roman Griffith Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”
• Daniel Craig, “Knives Out”
• Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite Is My Name”
• Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”
• Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”

Damn, that's a really competitive category.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm very happy about the Best Actor in Comedy category.  There is no way I'd consider OUATIH a comedy though.  Very happy about Eddie, Leo, Taron.

Jennifer Lopez as Supporting actor is complete nonsense.  Tom Hanks is a bit iffy too.

Very upset about Lupita getting snubbed.

Absolutely no female directors.

Here was a good tweet today:

Edited December 9, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Simon Boccanegra]

I get it, and while she understandably left herself off, I look forward to seeing Alma Har'el's own film (Honey Boy). Most of what I've read is that she did a stunning job with what a lot of people expected to be a famous actor's self-indulgent vanity project. 

However...Scorsese, Joon-Ho, Tarantino, Mendes, and Phillips are a strong group, and at least three of them were all but automatic, based on the acclaim for their films and the impossibility of separating the films from what they did as directors. I don't think I'd want a situation in which people are filling out ballots and thinking, "I have to set aside a slot for at least one woman. Now, which of these others should I remove?" It seems to me logical that in some years there's going to be an overwhelming consensus choice, a Bigelow/Hurt Locker or a Gerwig/Lady Bird, and in some other years, not as obviously. 

Unfortunately, when I'm reacting to nominees, I never have seen everything, because a lot has not opened where I am. When I had caught up last year, I did think Marielle Heller was more deserving of directing nominations for Can You Ever Forgive Me? than some of the men who did get them (e.g., Peter Farrelly at the Globes; Adam McKay and Spike Lee at both the Globes and the Oscars). 

[kiddo82]

The Farewell qualifies as a foreign language film?  Is there a quota or percentage of non English dialogue that needs to be met? Just curious as it's been so long since I've seen it I don't even remember how much of it had to be subtitled.  I mean, would a movie like Inglorious Basterds be considered a foreign language film? The funny thing about watching a movie with subtitles is that after a while you forget.

Some of the categories seem both stacked and wide open which is fun.  Even a guy like Phoenix, who seemed destined to sweep all the majors, (and still might) has some stiff competition.  Kinda rooting for Eddie Murphy in the lead comedy category but I'm stoked for the nomination for Roman Griffith Davis.  He was aces in Jojo Rabbit.  Speaking of Jojo Rabbit, kinda disappointed no nom for Waititi either for direction or especially for screenplay.  Maybe since the writing categories expand at the Oscars he'll get one there.  Happy for Jennifer Lopez's nomination but that category is another stacked one. (Johansson, who IMO, deserved a nomination herself for Jojo Rabbit didn't even get in)  Don't know why since I haven't seen either movie yet but my gut is saying Bates or Dern for supporting actress.  

Edited December 10, 2019 by kiddo82

[AshleyN]

Damn, what a sausage fest.

1 hour ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

I get it, and while she understandably left herself off, I look forward to seeing Alma Har'el's own film (Honey Boy). Most of what I've read is that she did a stunning job with what a lot of people expected to be a famous actor's self-indulgent vanity project. 

However...Scorsese, Joon-Ho, Tarantino, Mendes, and Phillips are a strong group, and at least three of them were all but automatic, based on the acclaim for their films and the impossibility of separating the films from what they did as directors. I don't think I'd want a situation in which people are filling out ballots and thinking, "I have to set aside a slot for at least one woman. Now, which of these others should I remove?" It seems to me logical that in some years there's going to be an overwhelming consensus choice, a Bigelow/Hurt Locker or a Gerwig/Lady Bird, and in some other years, not as obviously. 

Unfortunately, when I'm reacting to nominees, I never have seen everything, because a lot has not opened where I am. When I had caught up last year, I did think Marielle Heller was more deserving of directing nominations for Can You Ever Forgive Me? than some of the men who did get them (e.g., Peter Farrelly at the Globes; Adam McKay and Spike Lee at both the Globes and the Oscars). 

To be honest, I think at least part of the problem is that women only seem to get nominated when there's an "overwhelming consensus choice". You pretty much never see female directors get nominated as a fringe fourth/fifth nominee* -- they have to be undeniable.

*And if they did you know there would be people whining about it being an agenda-driven choice, and not on merit.

Beyond that though, when it comes to these nominations in particular I think the bigger issue is the almost complete snubbage of female-led/female-driven films in general. Of the ten best picture nominees only two even have female leads, and in both cases they it's a co-lead situation with a man. That's ridiculous.