2020 Awards Season

[Sharpie66]

I appreciated the female nom announcer taking a not-too-subtle dig at the all-male list of directors.

[Simon Boccanegra]

4 hours ago, starri said:

I'll add Octavia Spencer for [Fruitvale Station].

Seriously. That was possibly her best film performance ever. She got to channel her talent into a complex person, rather than a boilerplate sassy truth-teller in feel-good pap. But the Academy prefers her as the latter, based on the nominations for The Help, Hidden Figures, and The Shape of Water -- three movies I got through with gritted teeth.   

2 hours ago, absnow54 said:

I think Florence Pugh deserved her nom, for breathing life into one of the least likeable characters in literature (Jo and Laurie 4 eva!)

I didn't have a strong feeling against the character, but she's also deserving for playing the character's different ages. If she's not exactly convincing as 12, she's good enough that the scenes play and the movie doesn't go off the rails. And she's superb as the more mature version of the character.  

[PepSinger]

#OscarsSoWhite #OscarsSoMale

utterly ridiculous given the movies this year.

[Ms Blue Jay]

No recognition for The Farewell.  Well, it's cool that Awkwafina won that Golden Globe.  

I would boycott the Oscars but I'm so damn happy for the Parasite team.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Blergh]

18 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

No recognition for The Farewell.  Well, it's cool that Awkwafina won that Golden Globe.  

I would boycott the Oscars but I'm so damn happy for the Parasite team.

Not just for Awkwafina as Best Actress but I also think that the Chinese performer who played Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) should have gotten a Best Supporting Actress nod- inasmuch as it's hard to remember being so moved by a performer's interpretation despite speaking only one or two words of English for the entire movie. I could believe  via Mme. Zhao's performance that this complex  elderly matriarch could have come full circle after having been  in the Revolutionary Guard as a young woman! 

 

Oh, and while Little Women DID get a few nods here and there, I would have liked it to have gotten   Best Cinematography and Best Director ones,too. 

[UniqBlue69]

I knew there was no way in hell they were going to ever nominate J.Lo for a stripper movie. I thought they'd at least go the inspired route and nominate the housekeeper from Parasite in her place, not name check Kathy Bates for cuckoo Clint's latest flop!

[AshleyN]

The fact that they managed to go with the most boring choice for just about every toss-up spot is almost impressive. Not a Yalitza Aparicio or Phantom Thread in sight.

And it's been said already, but damn this has to be the bro-iest Oscar line-up for awhile. At least Little Women managed to peak just in time to break through in a few categories, I guess?

Edited January 13, 2020 by AshleyN

[Ms Blue Jay]

18 minutes ago, UniqBlue69 said:

I knew there was no way in hell they were going to ever nominate J.Lo for a stripper movie. I thought they'd at least go the inspired route and nominate the housekeeper from Parasite in her place, not name check Kathy Bates for cuckoo Clint's latest flop!

Elisabeth Shue and Julia Roberts have been nominated for playing prostitutes among I'm sure others…… I don't get why the subject matter is such a big deal.  

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Shannon L.]

I'm also not sure that I agree with Scarlett Johannson getting two nominations.  I loved JoJo Rabbit, but I don't know that her performance in it was more worthy of a nomination over some of the actresses left out of the Supporting Actress category. 

We're going to see 1917 tomorrow and I'm planning on seeing Little Women soon.  Only things will keep me from seeing all 9 BP nominees:  In regards to Parasite--I'm a wimp, so anything remotely scary has me covering my eyes a lot and I'm a slow reader, so subtitles are a huge struggle for me.  If I read fast enough to see what's on screen, I can't comprehend what I read.  If I read slow enough to comprehend what I'm reading, I miss the action.  If I can find it anywhere, I may try to watch it, but given how I am, it would probably be a waste of money. 

Also:  Rocketman being snubbed for Hair and Makeup and Costume?  The Irishman for visual effects? For what?  The de-aging?   I've been reading that a lot of people thought the de-aging  was terrible in that movie (I'm kind of "meh" about it).  What other visual effects are so great?  I haven't seen the last 40 minutes of it, so maybe there's something big at the end? 

[Ms Blue Jay]

 

11 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

In regards to Parasite--I'm a wimp, so anything remotely scary has me covering my eyes a lot and I'm a slow reader, so subtitles are a huge struggle for me.  If I read fast enough to see what's on screen, I can't comprehend what I read.  If I read slow enough to comprehend what I'm reading, I miss the action.  If I can find it anywhere, I may try to watch it, but given how I am, it would probably be a waste of money. 

I wouldn't call it "scary".

There is, however, 

Spoiler

some violence.

I've been intimidated by subtitles but there are a few foreign movies I've really enjoyed:  Parasite, Swimming Pool, Portrait of a Lady on Fire.  I think you could get used to it?  I now want to watch more to see what I've been missing.

11 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

Also:  Rocketman being snubbed for Hair and Makeup and Costume?  

That's disgusting!

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 10:31 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

We can say it's subjective etc. etc. but there are actual metrics.  For example, I pointed out that Uncut Gems is at 96% or whatever on RT- no matter what you think of critics or the movie or reviews it is "Critically acclaimed", that is a fact.  Yet, absolutely no big awards traction.  These awards are all political and have nothing to do with ratings or even box office, it just seems to be political and how we can reward the most white people every year year after year.  (I know that Adam is white, but whatever, the point for me remains).

The critics don't vote for the nominations, though, nor do audiences.  It's members of the various branches of the Academy who are eligible, and it's their subjective opinions on which their votes are based.  Now, I'm not saying that those who vote aren't at least partially influenced by critical acclaim, but ultimately it all comes down to someone's opinion.  There's no real scientific method for that.

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 3:43 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's not just that it was "largely silent".  She is barely in the movie period.

Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for 8 minutes worth of Shakespeare In Love.  And fully deserved it imo.  And that's not even the record.  So it doesn't always matter how much screen time an actor/actress has.  (Not saying that Robbie would've deserved an nomination, though.)

On ‎01‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 6:54 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think he should have won for "Titanic" and for "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".  

Alas, he wasn't even nominated for Titanic.

The movie made $2 billion dollars, and a lot of that was Leo-Mania - not saying that's why he deserved the nomination but I think it's mind-boggling that Kate and Gloria were nominated and he wasn't. 

I haven't seen Gilbert Grape so I know nothing about his performance, but I thought he was bog-standard at best in Titanic.

On ‎01‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 12:15 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

think I'm just making the same point over and over and over again.  I think the award should be meirt based and I think all this other "stuff" is incredibly stupid.

But even using merit as a standard is flawed because it's a subjective judgment.

On ‎01‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 10:44 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's a personal opinion based on watching the movies,

Exactly.  It's your personal opinion.  Which you are perfectly entitled to.  But we all have them, and we're not always going to agree.

5 hours ago, Sharpie66 said:

I appreciated the female nom announcer taking a not-too-subtle dig at the all-male list of directors.

I didn't.  I thought it was disrespectful to the nominees.

[Ms Blue Jay]

17 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The critics don't vote for the nominations, though, nor do audiences.  It's members of the various branches of the Academy who are eligible, and it's their subjective opinions on which their votes are based.  Now, I'm not saying that those who vote aren't at least partially influenced by critical acclaim, but ultimately it all comes down to someone's opinion.  There's no real scientific method for that.

If white movies, directed by men like Bombshell 
- Lost money at the box office
- 67% on RT
Didn't make money with audiences OR score well with critics

Another mostly white, male directed movie, Joker
-69% on RT

Continuously get nominated for industry awards like the Oscars over movies directed by women or people of colour for example

Us  (black director, black cast)
-93% on RT

The Farewell  (female director , Asian cast)
-98% on RT  -- GOODNESS.  98 percent!

Then people like me, who fight for more recognition of diverse films, are going to point to these patterns like lack of box office or lack of critical acclaim as metrics to ask important questions like, why aren't non-white movies or female directed movies getting more award recognition?

It's worth asking these questions.  Of course I'm going to use the metrics of critical reviews and audience figures to see if a movie's well received or not.  

It is no coincidence that white movies and male directed movies constantly float to the top and I'm not going to stop questioning it and pointing to evidence to back up my opinions.

 

17 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't.  I thought it was disrespectful to the nominees.

This is disrespectful to women:

Only five women have ever been nominated for best director at the Academy Awards. Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) is the only female director to win the award in the ceremony's 92-year history.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[proserpina65]

1 minute ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

If white movies, directed by men like Bombshell 
- Lost money at the box office
- 67% on RT
Didn't make money with audiences OR score well with critics

Another mostly white, male directed movie, Joker
-69% on RT

Continuously get nominated for industry awards like the Oscars over movies directed by women or people of colour for example

Us  (black directed, black cast)
-93% on RT

The Farewell  (female directed , Asian cast)
-98% on RT  -- GOODNESS.  98 percent!

Then people like me, who fight for more recognition of diverse films, are going to point to these patterns like lack of box office or lack of critical acclaim as metrics to ask important questions like, why aren't non-white movies or female directed movies getting more award recognition?

It's worth asking these questions.  Of course I'm going to use the metrics of critical reviews and audience figures to see if a movie's well received or not.  

It is no coincidence that white movies and male directed movies constantly float to the top and I'm not going to stop questioning it and pointing to evidence to back up my opinions.

 

None of what you posted contradicts that it's subjective opinion, not necessarily critical acclaim, which influences how Academy voters vote.

[Ms Blue Jay]

16 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The critics don't vote for the nominations, though, nor do audiences.  It's members of the various branches of the Academy who are eligible, and it's their subjective opinions on which their votes are based. 

Some subjective opinions are influenced by racism and sexism and it's important to explore.

[proserpina65]

Just now, Ms Blue Jay said:

Some subjective opinions are influenced by racism and sexism and it's important to explore.

Subjective opinions are influenced by thousands of factors, and yes, racism and sexism are among those.  But it's still subjective.  There is no mathematical equation for determining quality.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ok.  I'm still going to criticize the preferences of the Academy as long as they stay mostly stagnant for 100 years.

 

[PepSinger]

27 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

39 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

didn't.  I thought it was disrespectful to the nominees.

This is disrespectful to women:

Only five women have ever been nominated for best director at the Academy Awards. Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) is the only female director to win the award in the ceremony's 92-year history

THIS. 
 

They are big boys; they’ll be fine.

[Ms Blue Jay]

And some of them have been nominated/won multiple times and will continue to do so!!  We can't say the same for women who do not get the same opportunities.   Bong Joon-ho hilariously called the Oscars "local"; I doubt he cares about Issa Rae scoffing.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

In regards to Parasite--I'm a wimp, so anything remotely scary has me covering my eyes a lot and I'm a slow reader, so subtitles are a huge struggle for me.  If I read fast enough to see what's on screen, I can't comprehend what I read.  If I read slow enough to comprehend what I'm reading, I miss the action.  If I can find it anywhere, I may try to watch it, but given how I am, it would probably be a waste of money.

I'm as wimpy as they come when it comes to scary movies, but I wouldn't call Parasite "scary," just some things that were unexpected.  Also, I was hesitant about seeing a movie with subtitles for the reasons you stated, but that movie was so engrossing (IMO) that I didn't mind the subtitles at all.  I didn't even mind not getting up to get a snack because I didn't want to miss one second of it. 😃

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I wouldn't call it "scary".

 

No?  For some reason I thought it was classified as a horror movie.  Is it more of a thriller?  Sometimes, if they get too intense, I'll end up covering my eyes, just in case.  Like I said, 100%, tried and true wimp.

46 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for 8 minutes worth of Shakespeare In Love.  And fully deserved it imo.  And that's not even the record.  So it doesn't always matter how much screen time an actor/actress has.  (Not saying that Robbie would've deserved an nomination, though.)

And what a brilliant 8 minutes those were!  Same with Anthony Hopkins' 12 (?) in Silence of the Lambs.  However, I agree that Margot, while sweet and a breath of fresh air in OUTIH, didn't deserve the nomination for that one.  Bombshell was the deserving role, imo, and I'm glad she got it. 

2 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I'm as wimpy as they come when it comes to scary movies, but I wouldn't call Parasite "scary," just some things that were unexpected.  Also, I was hesitant about seeing a movie with subtitles for the reasons you stated, but that movie was so engrossing (IMO) that I didn't mind the subtitles at all.  I didn't even mind not getting up to get a snack because I didn't want to miss one second of it. 😃

Ok, this is good to know.  With this and what @Ms Blue Jay said, I'm leaning more towards trying to watch.  Now, if I can find it anywhere....

[Ohwell]

11 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

No?  For some reason I thought it was classified as a horror movie.  Is it more of a thriller?  Sometimes, if they get too intense, I'll end up covering my eyes, just in case.  Like I said, 100%, tried and true wimp.

Definitely not a horror movie, I'd call it more of a thriller, and some parts of it I'd even call dark comedy. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

The poster, the title -- I mistook it for a horror movie too.   If anything it's KIND of like a social horror like "Get Out".  But yes, more of a thriller, I agree.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[ruby24]

Parasite is not a horror movie at all. It's a thriller with some twists. 

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, PepSinger said:

THIS. 
 

They are big boys; they’ll be fine.

Making that comment implied that the men who were nominated didn't deserve their nominations, which, imo, was an ahole thing to do.  It was not criticizing the Academy or its process.

[Ms Blue Jay]

All she said was "Congratulations to those men."  That's a lot of reading into it.  Maybe that is her very subtle way of criticizing the Academy, if she emphasizes "men".

 

[AimingforYoko]

6 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

That's a lot of reading into it.  Maybe that is her very subtle way of criticizing the Academy, if she emphasizes "men".

Subtle is the textbook definition of "shade". It's not a direct shot, but it gets the point across without addressing it head on. And it gives the "shader" plausible deniability.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I think she's shading the Academy and this longstanding tradition of female directors being shut out.  Not the male directors.  Who would shade Bong Joon-ho?  LOL.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

 

5 hours ago, UniqBlue69 said:

I knew there was no way in hell they were going to ever nominate J.Lo for a stripper movie. I thought they'd at least go the inspired route and nominate the housekeeper from Parasite in her place, not name check Kathy Bates for cuckoo Clint's latest flop!

E. Alex Jung just reminded me that Natalie Portman was nominated for playing a stripper in "Closer".  (Deservedly, I thought.  I love that performance.)

https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/oscar-nominations-2020-still-so-white.html

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, Shannon L. said:

Now, if I can find it anywhere....

You know the rules. No seeing the worthy Best Picture movies until after the ceremony. 

[chitowngirl]

 

6 hours ago, UniqBlue69 said:

I knew there was no way in hell they were going to ever nominate J.Lo for a stripper movie. I thought they'd at least go the inspired route and nominate the housekeeper from Parasite in her place, not name check Kathy Bates for cuckoo Clint's latest flop!

 

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Elisabeth Shue and Julia Roberts have been nominated for playing prostitutes among I'm sure others…… I don't get why the subject matter is such a big deal.  

Mira Sorvino won an Oscar for playing porn star and a hooker!

[Pickles Aplenty]

On 1/13/2020 at 4:11 PM, chitowngirl said:

 

 

Mira Sorvino won an Oscar for playing porn star and a hooker!

Helen Hayes won for playing a prostitute/kept woman in The Sin of Madelon Claudet in 1932.  So, this is a tradition that goes waaayyy back.

Topic?  I guess I'm a little bummed that Jessie Buckley didn't get any recognition for Wild Rose, but that was a longshot, anyway.  I would be happy if Quentin Tarantino, Laura Dern, and Jonathan Pryce win, but who I want to win doesn't matter at all, so we'll see.  I won't complain if Brad Pitt ends up taking home an acting Oscar.  I didn't love Little Women, so I'm not pissed off that Greta Gerwig was snubbed.  Mostly, I just want to see what everyone will be wearing.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Billina

[kiddo82]

8 hours ago, UniqBlue69 said:

I thought they'd at least go the inspired route and nominate the housekeeper from Parasite in her place, not name check Kathy Bates for cuckoo Clint's latest flop!

I haven't seen Parasite yet so I can't comment on it but I don't think Kathy Bates was just a name check for Richard Jewell.  She broke my heart in that movie more than once.  

It's interesting because I actually think Scarlett Johansson's better role was Jojo Rabbit.  I just think she was able to bring something different to it than we usually get to see from her.  She was good in Marriage Story but of her two nominations, that's the one I would have given to someone else.

My biggest UO, although the nomination doesn't surprise me, is that I don't think Saoirse Ronan was that great in Little Women.  Like Johansson in Marriage Story I thought she was good, but if she hadn't been nominated I wouldn't have thought twice.

I was hoping George MacKay or Eddie Murphy would sneak into the best actor category.  

I really want to watch The Two Popes but I am dragging my heels hard on The Irishman.  I wish it was out in a theater because it would both force me to see it (when I know things are available streaming I tend to put them off, especially if I'm less than excited about them) and it would force me to pay attention better.  I get too distracted at home.

[scarynikki12]

6 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

I am dragging my heels hard on The Irishman.  I wish it was out in a theater because it would both force me to see it (when I know things are available streaming I tend to put them off, especially if I'm less than excited about them) and it would force me to pay attention better.  I get too distracted at home.

In my area some of the theaters will show the Best Picture nominated movies shortly before the telecast. Both the Regal near me and the independent where I saw The Irishman have done this. Check the theaters in your area, especially any independents, and you might find one or more doing the same. If not, then know that Scorsese breaks The Irishman into chapters, with black and white titles, so you can approach a Netflix viewing that way if you're concerned about the length.

[Dancingjaneway]

I will definitely be skipping the Oscars this year. What an absolutely HORRID list of nominees. The person that tweeted about the academy only liking Lupita as a slave was DEAD on!  Also how many times are we going to remake "Little Women" or do a war movie like "1917"? I hope Parasite wins. I also find it very suspect that the only nomination for a WOC is for playing a famous slave. 🙄

[tennisgurl]

Very Oscar-y list of films up for Best Picture this year, the big surprise is Parasite, which I want to see really badly and is definitely next on my list. You have your war picture, your token comic book movie, your period pieces, your book adaptations, your token quirky film, etc. I have been behind on my Oscar movies in general this year, so I need to play catch up. Yeah, it really makes eyebrows raise when you see how boys club the Oscars look this year, especially as women behind the scenes are becoming more prominent. Always one step forward two steps back with the Oscars. 

In fact, its a very period piece heavy year in general, even by Oscar standards. Seven out of nine are set in the past, or an alternate past in the case of Joker. 

 

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

You know the rules. No seeing the worthy Best Picture movies until after the ceremony. 

You remembered!  :)   Oh man.....no promises, ok?  If I can find it, I may go with my son and husband because they really wanted to see it, but missed it when it was released. 

[scarynikki12]

3 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

You remembered!  🙂   Oh man.....no promises, ok?  If I can find it, I may go with my son and husband because they really wanted to see it, but missed it when it was released. 

I will never forget your powers, hee. You do need to see it so I won't hold it against you if you go before the telecast. What else have you not seen so I can arrange for back ups?

[Ms Blue Jay]

54 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:

My biggest UO, although the nomination doesn't surprise me, is that I don't think Saoirse Ronan was that great in Little Women. 

Her accent is incredibly weird.  It's very distracting.  Everyone else is playing typical American and she's on a totally different page.  Greta's obsession with making Saoirse American in movies baffles me.  Not everyone can pull it off.

[thuganomics85]

Been at work all day, so I finally got time to take a look at everything.  Granted, it is probably saying something that there was a time I would make myself get up early to see the nominees, but this year I was like "Oh, yeah, that's happening today."

All in all, no real surprises, I guess.  Glad that Parasite got some love in the main categories, but everything else seems to be the status quo.  Ford v. Ferrari getting a Best Picture nom is a little surprising since it didn't really get any of the other main categories, but I guess it appealed to a lot of voters who enjoyed it's more "old-school" style of filmmaking (not an insult, by any means.)

Haven't seen Little Women yet, but I have to imagine Greta Gerwig's direction was at least better than Todd Phillips' for Joker, where I felt he just did a Martin Scorsese marathon, tried his best to copy his stye, and called it a day.  I've heard any some of more unique moments actually came from Joaquin Phoenix himself, so really, maybe he deserved co-credit!  All in all, I can see why her snub is so frustrating considering the competition.

Man, they certainly showed that getting a Globe for comedy categories mean squat since both Taron Egerton and Awkwafina got denied.

While I know that surprises can certainly happen in the acting categories (see: Olivia Colman beating Glenn Close), I think the frontrunners are in good spots now.  Despite its nominations, it feels like Marriage Story just doesn't have the support many thought it would, so I don't see Adam or Scarlett upsetting Joaquin or Rene for their trophies.  On the flip side, I think Laura will be considered that film's "win", plus she might benefit for also being in Little Women and some voters will just cast it to her for having an amazing year all around.  As for supporting actor, the category consist of Brad and four previous acting winners, so I suspect that will come into play, and give him the edge (I do keep forgetting he actually has an Oscar for producing 12 Years A Slave.)

I wish I could say that I'm surprised that they were only one Cynthia Erivo away from having all white nominees in the acting categories, but this is the same organization who probably think giving Green Book the Best Picture Oscar is "progressive." 

I'm curious to see how Best Picture will and the rest of the awards will play out (the only one I'll go out on a limb for is Cinematography: I think Roger Deakins has that in the bag), but yeah, not exactly the most interesting award season for me. 

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by thuganomics85

[Dejana]

Both the Musical/Comedy winners at the Golden Globes got snubbed; I think it's been a few years since that happened. Also, JLo, but she was a lead in Hustlers, so whatever (I wouldn't have minded a Brad Pitt snub for the same reason). Oh well, now she's got more time to rehearse for the halftime show! 

Horror movies have an uphill climb at the Oscars. Get Out lingered throughout the year and was probably a serious threat to win Best Picture. Universal campaigned that movie a lot in its season. That's the kind of support a horror performance usually needs in order to break through with the Academy, so Lupita would have been a pleasant shock. It's not the sort of thing AMPAS normally rewards.

Last year showed that AMPAS voters do not like being told what to do or how to think, and some Anonymous Ballot types even said that in those profiles. It's been clear for months that Joker was held in high regard by the industry, however much Film Twitter tried to convince themselves Academy members wouldn't like it or pretended that the Golden Lion was, IDK, just Venice trolling everyone. Because the voters have seemed a bit testy with being "lectured", I also wondered if they would "punish" Little Women somehow. Not really, IMO it did pretty well with its nominations today, but I will be so unsurprised when a couple of Anonymous Voters say they were big LW fans but just didn’t vote for Gerwig in Director because they didn't like being "guilted" into voting a certain way, Kathryn Bigelow let her work stand on its own, etc.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Dejana

[Ms Blue Jay]

9 minutes ago, Dejana said:

Horror movies have an uphill climb at the Oscars. Get Out lingered throughout the year and was probably a serious threat to win Best Picture. Universal campaigned that movie a lot in its season. That's the kind of support a horror performance usually needs in order to break through with the Academy, so Lupita would have been a pleasant shock. It's not the sort of thing AMPAS normally rewards.

I just think that Lupita did an exceptional job - something more exciting or notable than what Daniel, or Allison, or anyone else did in "Get Out".  Plus, she received so many accolades from other bodies.  So I was really hoping.

Horror fans have had to deal with this forever.  Lots of grumbling about Toni Collette and Hereditary.  Still, I held out hope for Lupita.  I really thought her nomination would have been so sensible with how good she was in the movie.

I'm really glad Get Out was nominated for Best Picture when it did.  That was deserved (IMO).

Edited January 14, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Her accent is incredibly weird.  It's very distracting.  Everyone else is playing typical American and she's on a totally different page.  Greta's obsession with making Saoirse American in movies baffles me.  Not everyone can pull it off.

Yeah.  That could be a contributing factor for sure.  It might just be I was never a huge fan of the character or the source material.  I never understood the big '94 version/Winona Ryder-as-Jo hype either.    Also doesn't help that Florence Pugh's performance pretty much pulled focus (in a good way) from everyone else's.  Pugh made Amy, another character I never had strong feelings about, pop while Ronan's Jo seemed more same old, same old.

 

38 minutes ago, Dejana said:

Last year showed that AMPAS voters do not like being told what to do or how to think, and some Anonymous Ballot types even said that in those profiles. 

This times a bunch.  I don't know how much change we're ever really going to see until some of the older voters are no longer voting.  It's like turning the Titanic around.  Not that anyone really likes being told how to think, mind you, but you hope that folks less set in their ways have more of an open mind.

Edited January 14, 2020 by kiddo82

[Pickles Aplenty]

2 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I was hoping George MacKay or Eddie Murphy would sneak into the best actor category.  

I agree about Eddie Murphy.   Dolemite Is My Name was one of my favorite movies all year, and it was nice to see Eddie have some juice, again.  I feel like he hasn't really been excited about acting, in a while.

[Simon Boccanegra]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Greta's obsession with making Saoirse American in movies baffles me.  Not everyone can pull it off.

That's not the way things have happened at all.

Ronan was favored by one of the producers of Lady Bird, Scott Rudin, who hoped to get a "name." It was a small film that could benefit from that. Gerwig wasn't on board at first, because of Ronan's being Irish, but she said when she heard Ronan read for the part, she changed her mind. Obviously, she loved the resulting performance, as did many people who saw Lady Bird (including awards voters), and was agreeable to making her the lead of a second movie. I'm not sure that constitutes an obsession.  

Edited January 14, 2020 by Simon Boccanegra

[Ms Blue Jay]

I do think it's a little odd that an American movie about 4 American women stars 4 non-American women playing them, but that could just be me.  I don't think I'm saying anything too extreme by saying that Saoirse has become a muse for Greta.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[angora]

I'll be honest. I've only seen three of the Best Picture nominees so far (Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, and Marriage Story,) so I can't speak to how deserving the others, and their accompanying nominations, might be. That said, of the other six, Parasite and 1917 are the only ones I really feel excited about seeing. A lot of it just feels very, "Yep, we're the Academy. This is what we do."

I saw a lot of great films in 2019, and too many of them got no or practically no love. Nothing for The Farewell, Just Mercy, or Dolemite is My Name? Hardly anything for Rocketman? Big bummer.

My major grievances, though, are the lack of Taika Waititi for Best Director (I'd have loved to see him snag a Best Supporting Actor nod too, but I was almost certain that was never gonna happen,) Taron Egerton for Rocketman, and Lupita Nyong'o for Us. Lupita especially. I don't care that it was a horror film, I don't care that it came out in February, and I don't care that the film wasn't as universally loved as Get Out. Lupita acted her face off in that movie, TWICE!, and to not even nominate her for it is ridiculous.

[benteen]

That a movie as ordinary and pedestrian like Joker would get 11 Oscar nominations shows how worthless that awards show has become.

[Shannon L.]

12 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I will never forget your powers, hee. You do need to see it so I won't hold it against you if you go before the telecast. What else have you not seen so I can arrange for back ups?

As of right now, I've seen 6 and 3/4 of the BP nominees.  I'm watching The Irishman episodically and I still have to watch the last 40 minutes.  I will see Little Women soon and am leaning towards Parasite, if I can find it.    Of the other major categories, I have not seen:  Richard Jewel*, The Two Popes*, Pain and Glory, and Harriet.

*Leaning towards trying to get to them before the show. 

[Simon Boccanegra]

1 hour ago, Shannon L. said:

I will see Little Women soon and am leaning towards Parasite, if I can find it.   

It will be available for rental on January 28, well before the Oscars. I haven't made it to that one yet either, and it's actually still playing where I live, but I have so many films that are movie theater "musts" (based on recency of release) that I'm going to couch-watch Parasite on VUDU. 

[AshleyN]

I'm probably a little biased since she's one of my favourite working actors, but I though Saoirse was fantastic in Little Women (and Lady Bird) and I'm all for her and Greta Gerwig becoming the next iconic actor/director pairing. Florence Pugh was terrific too and I'm happy for her nomination. I do think she had a little bit of an advantage when it came to reactions, just because Amy is a character that isn't traditionally as baity and Gerwig went out of her way to give more focus and depth to her than previous adaptations, whereas Saoirse being great as Jo was a little more expected, but both of them went above and beyond for me.

And speaking of Ronan, she's (somewhat quietly) putting together a pretty incredible resume: four nominations at 25, all for Best Picture nominees, for four pretty distinct characters, and all for (IMO) genuinely exceptional and deserving performances. And she's managed to do it while avoiding overexposure or backlash. The once thing I would like to see for her is to break out of the period box a little more -- especially since Lady Bird showed she's more than capable in a contemporary setting -- but I'd guess that has more to do with the roles she's being offered than it being the only thing she wants to do.

Edited January 14, 2020 by AshleyN