It's that time of year again and the nominees are out, which you can see here:
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019
Post your thoughts here and be sure to tune in on February 24th at 8:00 PM EST.
It's that time of year again and the nominees are out, which you can see here:
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019
Post your thoughts here and be sure to tune in on February 24th at 8:00 PM EST.
I don't know if I'm scared or excited at the possibility of the Academy giving Incredibles 2 the Best Animation award instead of Spider-Verse. It would be the most stupidly entertaining upset in a while for me.
It would be stupid, not entertaining.
No it'd would be entertaining just to see the amounts of shit lost over it.
@Count:
I don't know if I'm scared or excited at the possibility of the Academy giving Incredibles 2 the Best Animation award instead of Spider-Verse. It would be the most stupidly entertaining upset in a while for me.
What's the basis? I haven't seen Spider-Verse. Is it just that much better than Incredibles 2?(which i thought was decent, but not as good as the first) The only other film in the category I've seen is Isle of Dogs and I didn't like it, even though I'm a fan of most Wes Anderson films.
What's the basis? I haven't seen Spider-Verse. Is it just that much better than Incredibles 2?(which i thought was decent, but not as good as the first) The only other film in the category I've seen is Isle of Dogs and I didn't like it, even though I'm a fan of most Wes Anderson films.
I share the same opinion on Incredibles 2. Okay on its own, but definitely inferior to the first film on most fronts aside from action choreography.
Spider-Verse is arguably the best Spider-Man movie, if not one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen. And it easily blows away every other animated film I've seen in years, not just 2018. It has been universally acclaimed by both critics and fans, and for good reason. The writing, the pacing, the characters, the humor, the music, the moral messages, and ESPECIALLY the literal comic-book-come-to-life animation style are all superb.
I'm usually more critical towards superhero films than most other superhero fans (for example, I think Thanos is a terrible villain in Infinity War), but I fell in freaking love with this film. I only have minor nitpicks about it at best. Which is surprising because the movie looks so bloated to the point it could easily fall apart on paper and I thought most of Miles' other media appearances were bland. Yet this movie won me over against all the odds. I will praise and defend it towards the end of my days.
EDIT: I believe it has already won Best Animated Picture for the Golden Globes too.
No it'd would be entertaining just to see the amounts of shit lost over it.
Precisely.
@Count:
I share the same opinion on Incredibles 2. Okay on its own, but definitely inferior to the first film on most fronts aside from action choreography.
Spider-Verse is arguably the best Spider-Man movie, if not one of the best superhero movies I've ever seen. And it easily blows away every other animated film I've seen in years, not just 2018. It has been universally acclaimed by both critics and fans, and for good reason. The writing, the pacing, the characters, the humor, the music, the moral messages, and ESPECIALLY the animation are superb.
I'm usually more critical towards superhero films than most other superhero fans, but I feel in freaking love with this film. I only have minor nitpicks about it at best. Which is surprising because the movie looks so bloated to the point it could easily fall apart on paper and I thought most of Miles' other media appearances were bland. Yet this movie won me over against all the odds. I will praise and defend it towards the end of my days.
Precisely.
Well Damn, that was a great endorsement. I feel like I need to go see it in theatres asap.
When was the last time there were this many joke noms?
Vice is medicore
Bohemian Rhapsody is bad and arguably offensive
Green Book is a dated as fuck afternoon special written by a bigoted Trump fanatic whose screenplay has been denounced by family members of the black protagonist
Could've easily done with just the other 5 as Best Picture noms (plus Spider-Verse tbh)
Green Book being this weird award darling is kind of dumbfounding.
Rami Malek deserves his nomination, but Bohemian Rhapsody is literally a raunchier version of The Greatest Showman.
Bohemian Rhapsody is fine.
If you don't actually know anything about Queen or Freddie Mercury.
If you know anything about them though its complete garbage. Raimi Malek as Freddie though, maybe he deserves that.
Black Panther being nominated for Best Picture is cool. We're past due for a fantasy/comic film to win, (Lord of the RIngs was the last one forever ago) and the almost all black cast is a thing, (they need to work against their "all white winners" image) and it made a loooooot of money. It's maybe not the ACTUAL best picture, but it certainly deserves the nod and would be a nice win. However considering its not up for acting and directing, they're not taking it THAT seriously. It's up for sound and music and production awards, so it'll get the consolation prizes there probably.
As for the animation awards…
Incredibles 2 is the Pixar film, so its automatically a contender even if its not as good as the first and Spiderverse is better. But Incredibles and Ratatouille both won their years so Brad Bird has already claimed the award twice.
Mirai isn't going to win, the academy doesn't watch anime films. I'm pretty sure Spirited Away winning back in 2002 was a combination of trying to legitimize the category, giving Miyazaki an award, and heavy heavy push.
Ralph Breaks the Internet has the same problem as the first Ralph. It speaks strong to its target demo but not much else, and its much weaker than its first film.
Spiderverse should win. Art direction, story, everything, it should win. Straight up.
Isle of Dogs, I haven't seen. But it looks like its quirkier and more artsy, and Wes Anderson still hasn't won an award despite being nominated for decades now, it might just be his turn regardless of how good the movie is.
So, if all is right, Spiderverse. But if its about rewarding a particular creative after years of work, Isle of Dogs.
I don't know about the Animated Category but one film I'm certain will win easily is Won't You Be…
it would be sad if Incrdibles 2 won over into the spider verse, since the latter is clearly the superior film in all regards (animation, story, characters etc.)
Black Panther probably won't win but it's still awesome to see a super hero movie get a nom
Too bad Leave no Trace didn't get a spot. That was a moving picture and one of the best I'd seen this year.
Bohemian Rhapsody is fine.
If you don't actually know anything about Queen or Freddie Mercury.
If you know anything about them though its complete garbage.
If you know about what it's director was just accused of and how the band apparently gave their approval of him directing the film in spite of some preexisting allegations it may be even worse.
Where the fuck is the cast of Death of Stalin's nominations for best everything.
Give Jason Isaacs a Lifetime Achievement award at least, god knows Zhukov earned it for him.
Of the eight films that were nominated for Best Picture, I've only seen two of them: Black Panther and Blackkklansman (though I do have Roma in my Netflix queue). I doubt Black Panther will actually win, but I guess it'd be pretty cool if it did, even if I don't think it's quite as great as everyone makes it out to be. At the very least, we finally have a superhero movie nominated for Best Picture (it was bound to happen)
I doubt Roma will win either since it's already going to win best Foreign film (I mean, duh)
Most of the rest of nominees really surprise since they seem to have had really mixed reactions. Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star is Born, and Vice have all been pretty divisive as far as I can tell.
Honestly, I'd be fine with Blackkklansman winning. That movie was great. And it would be the first-ever Best Picture win for Spike Lee (or he could win Best Director at least)
No thoughts on the Actor/Actress nominations except that I thought Adam Driver was fantastic.
I believe the nominees for Best Animated Film are the same as they were for the Golden Globes, so I'll say what I said before: As someone who has seen all five of them, I believe Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is probably the best of them. But I'd also be fine with Isle of Dogs winning since it is a very good film and a close second for me. There is of course the possibility that Incredibles 2 may win, which I hope doesn't happen. Good movie, but not best picture worthy.
For Best Adapted Screenplay, I've seen The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, but it's really hard to compare it to Blackklansman since, while they're both great, they're very different films.
And of course Infinity War will probably win Best Visual Effects and Black Panther will win all the other technical awards.
A Star is Born wasn’t really divisive, aside from Bradley Cooper constantly telling the same weird/creepy anecdote during press tour.
A Star is Born wasn’t really divisive, aside from Bradley Cooper constantly telling the same weird/creepy anecdote during press tour.
I thought it was Gaga who said the exact same thing a thousand times at interviews.
A Star is Born wasn’t really divisive, aside from Bradley Cooper constantly telling the same weird/creepy anecdote during press tour.
Well, I have one friend who said she didn't care for it, so eh, I dunno.
Kris Kristofferson and Bradley Cooper must have a battle to the death on stage.
It'd only end with Fredric March showing up and decapitating the winner.
I'm soooooooo confused, didn't Vice and Bohemian Rhabsody get like 60% on Rotten Tomatoes
I've never heard of movies with such bad reviews getting Nominated for Best Picture, did they just expect that they would be great and give them the nomination prematurely? Seriously, is that like a new low for the academy?
The Greatest Show on Earth beat High Noon and The Quiet Man, so, no, not a new low.
Plus there were a bunch of films in the early 2000s that won that nobody cares about in the least anymore and over much more deserving films no less. How many people talk about Crash, Chicago, and A Beautiful Mind these days in any context other than that they won Best Picture?
Green Book is a dated as fuck afternoon special written by a bigoted Trump fanatic whose screenplay has been denounced by family members of the black protagonist
@Cyan:
Green Book being this weird award darling is kind of dumbfounding.
Green Book still hasn't hit theaters in my country, but I really want to watch it, even if it's just for the Mahershala/Mortensen combo. And I see it's getting lots of accolades, or at least critical recognition.
But I honestly know very little of it (this is somewhat voluntary, since lately I want to know as little as possible about the movies I want to watch so that I can be "surprised"), and you two make it sound like it's straight up trash.
First: is the Farrelly brother that directed the movie a Trump fanatic? And is that something you can tell by watching this movie? Second: the family of Mahershala Ali denounced the movie's script? Third: is the movie THAT bad?
BTW, if you can avoid spoilers if/when replying, I'd appreciate it.
Green Book still hasn't hit theaters in my country, but I really want to watch it, even if it's just for the Mahershala/Mortensen combo. And I see it's getting lots of accolades, or at least critical recognition.
But I honestly know very little of it (this is somewhat voluntary, since lately I want to know as little as possible about the movies I want to watch so that I can be "surprised"), and you two make it sound like it's straight up trash.
First: is the Farrelly brother that directed the movie a Trump fanatic? And is that something you can tell by watching this movie? Second: the family of Mahershala Ali denounced the movie's script? Third: is the movie THAT bad?
BTW, if you can avoid spoilers if/when replying, I'd appreciate it.
So to answer your questions:
The co-writer of the screenplay, Nick Vallelonga, tweeted at Trump back in 2015 that he saw Muslims celebrating 9/11 in Jersey City. Vallelonga is also the son of the character Viggo Mortensen is playing in the film.
The family of Don Shirley, the character Ali plays, disputes a lot of the plot of the movie. They argue that it was written through the lens of Tony Lip (and it was because his son wrote it) and they were never contacted to verify if any of the screenplay was true. Their biggest contentions seem to be with the relationship between Ali and Viggo's characters and some of the more racially charged choices in the movie (like Ali's character never having eaten fried chicken, so Lip has to show him how).
The movie is not bad in the way something like Bohemian Rhapsody is bad. It's a well-directed sort of road comedy, but the more you think about it the more it kind of falls apart. It's a throwback race-relations movie where the racist learns his lesson and everyone lives happily ever after but the real issue of hate and persecution in the Jim Crow South is not truly explored, because the movie doesn't have the stomach for it.
Overall, not insulting for it to be nominated but not a great look if it wins.
Ok, that helped a lot. Thanks!!
I think I'll still go watch this movie and try to judge it for what it is (or tries to be).
The Greatest Show on Earth beat High Noon and The Quiet Man, so, no, not a new low.
Plus there were a bunch of films in the early 2000s that won that nobody cares about in the least anymore and over much more deserving films no less. How many people talk about Crash, Chicago, and A Beautiful Mind these days in any context other than that they won Best Picture?
This post aged me a good 17 years…..it's also true.
Just a reminder that the Oscars are on tonight at 8:00 EST on ABC.
Since the Oscars are tonight, I'll just give a quick summary on all the best picture nominations.
Bohemian Rhapsody: A fine film if you ignore what a pack of lies it is. It takes Freddie Mercury's rich, complex life and boils it down to a generic biopic plot you can find in a million other films. It insinuates that all of Freddie's problems come from his homosexuality leading him into deviancy and ties it to the reason Queen was fractured (in real life, they had taken a break because they were burned out and they were all cool with Freddy doing singles). The fact that its director has been accused of molesting young boys sure doesn't help its chances. I expect Rami Malek to win best actor which is the only noteworthy thing about the film. I mean I thought the Live Aid scene was fun but I could just watch the actual Live Aid scene on youtube.
The Favourite: Lanthimos's weird, off kilter style is something I wish I could like more than I do. While I as absolutely bored by the Lobster, I found this movie to be far more engaging because of some fantastic performances (especially by Olivia Colman, bless her heart). While I was on the ride for most of the film, I sadly felt it ran out of steam in the second half as the weird aristocracies, while funny at first, wore out my patience as the movie struggled to find some sort of climax and explore societal issues bigger than it was equipped at handling.
Black Panther: lol….Look it's a fun film, and much better than half of the trash on this list this year but it's not even the best Marvel film this year by a long shot and I thought the Oscars had this unspoken rule that only movies of a certain caliber get to be nominated. Yes, Black Panther had a lot of resonant themes about racism and national isolationism. It also had badly rendered CGI Rhinos and Martin Freeman shooting down jet planes with a VR headset, I mean come on.
BlacKkKlansman: I really dug this film. Yeah it had some Hollywood bullshit (Adam Driver's character was not Jewish and the racist cop was never arrested) but I thought it succeeded in giving a fun buddy cop adventure with some interesting twists in terms of the way it told its story and characters. A gripping story from beginning to end. I thought the ending montage was a bit on the nose but given the current absurd political environment, maybe a hit on the head is what the viewers needed.
Green Book:Oh boy, the other pack of lies movie. No, Don Shirley was not estranged with his family nor did he need his white driver teach him how to learn to enjoy fried chicken. This is such a transparent "I pretend to be about black people but I'm actually interested in making white people feel better about themselves movie" with a smattering of accidental racism on the part of the screenwriter. That line by Viggo Mortenson that he knows more like what it means to be black than an actual black man....and for his racist world views to never be really challenged....I have no idea why this film is such a critical darling, it's not impressive in any way.
Vice: Man was I disappointed in this film. I love the Big Short and was hoping to get the same magic with this film but unfortunately it feels like Adam McKay fell into the trap of forcing his movies to fit the mold of his past success because he thinks people want more of the same. Instead of making a film about something he was passionate about, it feels like someone went up to him and told him "Hey, do what you did about the financial crisis but with Dick Cheney." Not to say this film wasn't interesting to watch and it had a lot of good moments but it feels like a lesser film in every way.
A Star is Born: Surprisingly emotional film. I thought it was going to be about some dickwad white guy being jealous at his wife's success but instead we got this tragic film of a man wrecked with guilt over hurting his wife's career because of his personal demons. Bradley Cooper did a good job given it's his directorial debut. Good music too.
Roma: God, I was bored to tears by this film. It's another one of those pretentious arthouse films that thinks not having a plot makes it special. Because it's meant to be mundane because it's focusing on the ordinary people. Screw that, Ordinary people are interesting and awesome and if I'm bored when I'm watching a film about them, it's because the filmmakers did a poor job telling me about them. it's horribly padded, meandering, poorly edited, there's no arc or anything connective that brings the film together. The writing is horribly cliche (Pregnant maid dumped by dick boyfriend. That's the story. And of course her water breaks at the most dramatically convenient timing too) and the characters are empty husks that are never explained or explored. Probably because we're meant to put ourselves in their shoes or something which I've always found to be the laziest form of story telling. Even the fact that it's black and white comes off as a cheap gimmick that doesn't really add anything. It's just a lazy HD conversion, at least add some film grain to give it that old timey look. This movie comes off as a B+ art college project at best and it's only being lauded as it is because of Cuaron's name. I expect the movie to sweep the Oscars.
Man, I didn't realize until I wrote this but this years crop sure is shitty...
@TLC:
It also had badly rendered CGI Rhinos and Martin Freeman shooting down jet planes with a VR headset, I mean come on.
Roma: God, I was bored to tears by this film. It's another one of those pretentious arthouse films that thinks not having a plot makes it special.
What's wrong with Martin Freeman shooting down planes with a VR headset? And we always need at least one arthouse film, otherwise indie filmmakers will never feel appreciated.
It would be really cool if Black Panther could win, but I'm expecting The Favourite, A Star Is Born, or Roma to win. The first because it's a period piece (and I do love a good period piece), the second because it's drama about entertainers, and the third because, well, it's arthouse. Actually the only reason Roma wouldn't win is because the Academy hates Netflix.
BlacKkKlansman was the best one.
On the other hand, Netflix is putting some money into trying to prove they're big boys, so they might have bought that one.
So let's start things off with some Queen songs. Not that we're playing favorites with any of the nominees.
Christ this performance sucks, just get Rami Malek to sing, he's right there.
Jeez, Amy. Think you could put on a little more eye shadow?
Yeah, just from the clips alone, I feel like Regina King gave the best performance.
I saw If Beale Street Could Talk. That was a well earned victory by Regina.
That one guy has stage fright right now
Well, that's one win for Black Panther.
Make that two.
Yeah, Roma did have some great cinematography if nothing else
Is it wrong to hope that Best Picture goes to whatever film pisses off the most people in the industry to the point that it forces rule changes for voting?
Two time Academy Award winner Bohemian Rhapsody
I actually do want to see Shoplifters. It sounds like a really fascinating movie.
Animated Feature is next.
Oh thank christ.
Clean sweep of the award season.
Kinda miffed that Adam Driver didn't win, but yeah, Into the Spider-verse winning more than makes up for it.
Eyyyyy Spider-Verse won! Damn right!
I would say that we need a bit about Driver having a temper tantrum about losing but Lucasfilm won't let people make that joke.