Academy Award nominees

#1

The Wolf of Wall Street 8/10 - Scorsese playing with POV, Leo going bonkers, Jonah popping quaaludes = 3 hours of sheer insanity.

American Hustle 6/10 - Lots of fancy costumes, big hair and makeup, lots of fancy talk and funky sets, but…. what?

Nebraska 6/10 - I haven't really liked any of Alexander Payne's films since Sideways.

Capt. Phillips 7/10 - A solid, if kind of standard action-drama until the final 15 minutes where Tom Hanks does some stuff that is better than anything in his entire career, and yes I mean his entire career. How Barkhad Abdi got nominated and not Hanks shows how insanely competitive the Lead Actor category was.

Dallas Buyers Club 6/10 - Really good performances, but the movie itself is kind of mediocre.

12 Years a Slave 7/10 - Gritty stuff, but could have been a LOT better. Having none other than Brad Pitt show up late in the film to basically give a speech about how slavery is bad was just…

Gravity 9/10 - Incredible, really. Astonishing. And the story is stronger than many give it credit for.

Her 10/10 - The year's best film, period. It says so much about our world, I honestly can't believe it.

Blue Jasmine 8/10 - One of Allen's better recent films, and Cate Blanchett is amazing in it. A very bleak film, really.

Before Midnight 8/10 - A wonderful ending to a trilogy every one should see.

The Grandmaster 7/10 - Gorgeous kung fu fighting in the rain and Zhang Ziyi = a pretty good time, but the film's a bit long.

Inside Llewyn Davis 9/10 - The Coens are on such an amazing roll these days. I feel like I could watch this a hundred times.

Prisoners 3/10 - We will not discuss this abomination.

The Great Gatsby 6/10 - Baz Luhrmann knows how to throw a party, but it's all too big and brash, with little heart.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 5/10 - An improvement over the first, but this trilogy is still a bit of a disaster imho.

All is Lost 7/10 - Minimalist filmmaking at its best.

Star Trek into Darkness 5/10 - not bad, but far from good.

Iron Man 3 6/10 - Gwyneth Paltrow made this better than it should have been.

Despicable Me 2 6/10 - A big step down.

Frozen 8/10 - A big step up!

Saving Mr. Banks - 4/10 - So syrupy it'll give you a cavity.

The Act of Killing 9/10 - Chilling, horrific stuff.

The Square 7/10 - Netflix makes its way into another awards show!

20 Feet From Stardom 7/10 - Entertaining and fun.

The Hunt 8/10 - Uncomfortable, riveting and one of the year's best performances by Mads Mikkelsen.

the Great Beauty 9/10 - Maybe my second-favourite film of the year, this is a must-see.

The Croods 4/10 - Really?

Unseen: Philomena, August: Osage County, the Invisible Woman, Lone Survivor, The Lone Ranger, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Book Thief, Cutie & the Boxer, Dirty Wars, Omar, the Missing Picture, The Broken Circle Breakdown, The Wind Rises, Ernest & Celestine

#2

The Wolf of Wall Street - I'd give this a 8 or 9, yep. Pretty good film with a bunch of good performances.

American Hustle Maybe a 7, I don't get a lot of the criticism of this film, I watched it and liked it fair enough.

Nebraska - Not seen it.

Capt. Phillips - Seen bits of it, but not all. Eh.

Dallas Buyers Club - Not seen it,

12 Years a Slave - Not seen it,

Gravity - Not seen it,

Her - Somewhere between 8/9/10 out of 10. Pretty good film but I wouldn't go as far as saying the best of the year/best of all time as I've heard others say :P

Blue Jasmine - Not seen it,

Before Midnight - Not seen it,

The Grandmaster - Not seen it,

Inside Llewyn Davis - Not seen it,

Prisoners - Not seen it,

The Great Gatsby - Not seen it,

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - I'd give it 6 or 7 out of 10. Solid visuals, good acting, probably could do better in terms of tightening/trimming the story telling.

All is Lost - Not Seen it,

Star Trek into Darkness - 8/10 for me. Solid step forward from the first film.

Iron Man 3 - Eh, *Barely* an 8/10.

Despicable Me 2 - Not seen it.

Frozen - Probably a 9/10. As Disney movies go, one of the best.

Saving Mr. Banks - Not seen it.

The Act of Killing - Not seen it.

The Square - Not seen it.
20 Feet From Stardom Not seen it.

The Hunt 8/10 -Not seen it.
the Great Beauty - Not seen it.
The Croods - 7 or 8 out of ten. As cheese kids family movies go, it does its job and is pretty entertaining.

The only one I've seen from your Unseen list is The Lone Ranger, which I won't bother rating :P

#3

Literally the only one of thee I saw was Saving Mr. Banks (I don't go t movies much anymore.) I loved it though. Mary Poppins is one of the greatest films of all time.

#4

This could be an interesting year for the Oscars. Anyone else planning on watching? The Big Short won the Producers Guild Award for Best Production but Spotlight won the SAG Award for Best Acting Ensemble in a Film. Odds are pretty favorable for one of these two taking it all. I haven't been following closely as in years past but there doesn't seem to be as much hype about any of the Best Picture nominees. Lots of love for Leo but The Revenant isn't making much noise on the Best Picture front (the Golden Globe doesn't count for much).

#5

Oh, such a thread exists?

It's a very, very dull Oscars year and roster, all the nominated movies being almost textbook made for such awards. In the past years, I always found time to (procrastinate) absurdly tape the show and watch it in the morning, but I barely feel compelled anymore, because it will surely prove a four-hour drag with predictable winners and such.

That being said, I still love commenting on movies, so here goes:

Best Picture

The Big Short is a refreshing, if cynical take on the subject, but let's not kid ourselves, it's just a sassy sort of movie with no actual outstanding virtues. Even American Hustle had something more to it, in previous years, in the same sort of genre.

Bridge of Spies has no place in the category, it's a very tired by-the-trope Spielberg movie, with the exception of Mark Rylance's supporting performance. Its nomination is pure Academy spielbergjerk.

Brooklyn is a fine period piece drama, almost surprisingly so, until its third act falls on its nose. No chance in this category.

Mad Max: Fury Road. Heh, hell of a stunner, but I anticipate it will only take home technical awards. Maybe even splitting those with The Revenant or Star Wars, because since Lord of the Rings took 11 freaking statues, the Academy "learned" its lesson by not awarding movies more than 3 or 4 a piece ever again. Geez.

The Martian is cool. Bit of a stretch to call it oscarworthy, though.

The Revenant is high-on-drugs cinematic achievement, but the mix of bloody B-story and highbrow Malick meets Herzog navalgazing philosophy is artificial, pompous and unsatisfying. I still see it as a possible winner, but I would personally not give it the award.

Room. Would have worked better as an European arthouse shocker, without the (sorry to say it, but) American-style lax drama style. Some 20 minutes in this actual movie are of that caliber, but the rest is pretty standard. No chance.

Spotlight, hardly memorable-two-years-from-now alike, let alone up there with stuff like All the President's Men or Network, but I think I'd be ok with this one getting the Oscar. Its structure and script are tight, the ensemble cast doesn't leak any individual bravado, it's not really an anti-cleric movie as much as a view on modern journalism, human ethics and such. No problem with this one winning, if it'll happen.

Best Actor

Haven't seen Cranston, but doubt he's that good. Haven't seen Fassbender and don't feel like it. Damon's nomination is honorable for him. Redmayne is pure Oscarbait. Leo is just as well, but whatever, they should just end this Leo-Oscar meme already.

Oh wait, so technically SVS should get an Oscar!!

Best Actress

Rooney Mara is not supporting in Carol, so my winner is not nominated. If Brie Larson will win, it's not really worthy. I don't think Blanchett will win and it's also not that worthy. I don't want Lawrence to win. "Sersha" won't win. Haven't seen Rampling, but I hear 45 Years is a stunner.

Actor, supporting

Rylance for Bridge of Spies. Wasn't that wowed by Hardy in Revenant - mostly because the movie was so fragmented, it kept jumping from his story to Leo's back and forth, it completely pulled me out of it!, but he's better than Leo, so lol. Bale, Ruffalo, Stallone, just show yourselves out. Won't be surprised one bit if Stallone wins.

Actress, supporting

Unnecessary nomination for a Spotlight actor/actress notwithstanding, this is probably the best of the four. Rooney Mara is not supporting, but an Oscar her way would be nice. Wouldn't mind Leigh, either, only shining light in Tarantino's sad piece of film. Vikander is ok, but errr not feeling it. Didn't see Winslet, don't want her to win anyway.

Best Animated

It's going to be Inside Out, why even bother. I wasn't even knocked over by Anomalisa, in order to root for an underdog or something.

Cinematography

Contrary to expectations, I'd actually give it to Roger Deakins for Sicario. That man hasn't won in 16 nominations! But probably Lubezky will take it. No fault there.

Directing

I'd give it to George Miller. What? His movie is the only one who would have completely flopped in the hands of another, lesser craftsman. It's called Achievement in Directing, isn't it? This is by far an actual achievement. The rest are simply tied with the movies themselves being Oscarworthy and are not worthy of a statuette. Not that it was best ever or anything, but seriously, how can you snub Todd Haynes? How?

Documentary

Only saw Amy, which was real meh. Should see The Look of Silence, the follow-up to The Act of Killing, which was huge. Huuuuge. Don't care about the category though, whatever wins, wins.

Best Foreign

Haven't seen any of those! Anyway, the Oscars are hardly the most reliable indicator of foreign cinema accolades. Son of Saul could win it, and I sure hope that movie is worth its praise, upon viewing it (eventually).

Original Score

Ugh, this is actually a pretty weak roster. Morricone never won? Yeah, probably him.

Adapted Screenplay: ugh, what am I supposed to choose here. Maybe Brooklyn will get a lone award, here?

Original Screenplay: Spotlight.. If Inside Out is "original", so is copypasta. Ex Machina is a nice surprise, except Alex Garland can't into third acts. Not one bit, bro, sorry.

Technicals: don't care.

#6

OK, that's an awesome picture

I have nothing else to addv to this conversation, since cinematically, I am fairly plebian. I know what good is, and I know what schlock is, but I am hard pressed to be able to describe it.

#7

There's an even better one, but couldn't find it back then.

#8

The gif is really funny. I guess instead of 'interesting' I should have said wide open. Sometimes award season can be very exciting when there are no clear favorites in a few categories. This year though feels very flat. Maybe it's the OscarsSoWhite people taking the wind out of the pomp and circumstance of the season. I haven't seen any of the films nominated for Best Picture yet. I usually try to see or end up having seen at least one of them. I just haven't watched that many movies in the last two years though.

Ricochet, you seem like a movie snub cut from a similar cloth as me. I look forward to discussing the merits of movies we've seen in the future.

#9

There's a thread somewhere in this section for newly seen films, I usually update it, except that the past month I was either too busy to watch new stuff or watched new stuff but didn't have time to write the updates (and now that the mood is gone, don't feel like returning either).

#10

So the DGA went with The Revenant. That's intriguing because it further muddies the waters. Does the DGA plus the Golden Globe give The Revenant the lead in the Oscar hunt? The Academy is majority actors and SAG went for Spotlight. It's one of those movies that matter in terms of social justice, so I still think it's got a slight edge. I mean, rewarding a film about exposing an atrocity makes Hollywood look good because it gives the impression that Hollywood is paying attention to the 'little people' of the world. The Big Short highlights the exploits of a bunch of financial insiders and The Revenant boasts Leo getting raped by a bear.

Spotlight's subject matter is icky but the fact that it's about calling out wrong-doers makes me think it still has an edge. The cast is loaded with Academy-friendly talent too. Definitely a soft year but it's keeping us guessing.

#11

So you feel there is no artistic merit in Leo getting raped by a bear?

#12

I've not seen any movies nominated, I can't say I've felt very compelled to see anything but Sicario. I wanted to see Inside Out but I haven't watched that yet either.

#13

S~V~S wrote:So you feel there is no artistic merit in Leo getting raped by a bear?

Bear rape works individually for Best Actor but collectively for Best Picture? I'm not so sure. Then again, the director is almost a shoe-in to win the Oscar after the DGA's. Best Actor plus Best Director momentum could do the trick. We'll see what the remaining guilds go for.

#14

G-Man wrote:
S~V~S wrote:So you feel there is no artistic merit in Leo getting raped by a bear?
Bear rape works individually for Best Actor but collectively for Best Picture? I'm not so sure. Then again, the director is almost a shoe-in to win the Oscar after the DGA's. Best Actor plus Best Director momentum could do the trick. We'll see what the remaining guilds go for.

That's a tricky subject, because same Director winning the Oscar, plus Best Picture two years in a row has never happened.
Director winning Best Picture as well or the other way around can be hit and miss, too.
Oscar Best Picture without a Screenplay nomination (which The Revenant would not have, if it'd win, but Spotlight would) has also never happened, apparently.

These are Oscar shenanigans on paper, but if there's anything, the Academy love their shenanigans when it comes to these two picks.

#15

The only one I think I have seen is The Revenant, which was visually stunning but I felt it dragged. I literally fell asleep. Still haven't seen the end.

I have no idea why I haven't watched Inside Out. (I loooove Mindy Kaling

) and I have been meaning to go to the theatre to see the Big Short for a while.

Has anyone seen Room who has also read the book? I read it a while ago and am curious how it compares.

#16

I will now try to rank every nominated movie that I've seen, regardless of what they've been nominated for, whilst also rainbowing them in very good, good, meh, hollywood, seriously no. As you can tell, it won't be a very riveting roster. My top 2015 would be quite a whole different affair, in which I wouldn't even have 10 movies, at this point.

45 Years
Sicario

Mustang
Mad Max: Fury Road
Spotlight
Carol
Ex Machina (special upgrade, but a reminder that its third act is utter fail)

Creed
Inside Out
Brooklyn
Room
Youth

The Revenant
The Big Short
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Steve Jobs
The Martian

Joy
The Hateful Eight
Bridge of Spies
Spectre
Trumbo
The Danish Girl

--- haven't seen (relevant categories, alphabetical)

A War (Krigen) [have it on my watchlist, though]
Boy & The World
Cartel Land
Embrace of the Serpent
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Son of Saul [arrgh]
Straight Outta Compton
The Look of Silence [arrgh]
Theeb
What Happened, Miss Simone
When Marnie Was Here
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
World of Tomorrow [arrgh]

#17

S~V~S should be pleased. Bear Story won best animated short.

#18

I've only seen Inside Out and Star Wars.

WIll probably see Revenant next week.

Not sure about others.

#19

G-Man wrote:S~V~S should be pleased. Bear Story won best animated short.

It was a good year for Bears

#20

World of Tomorrow was SO good. I'm pretty upset Don didn't win.

#21

Rico normally I'm saddened by your contrarian take on the world but I'm inclined to agree with almost every point you made pre oscars this year. At least on the ones I've seen.

#22

Who are you? Ech.

also Im not contrarian. I just happen to be right.

#23

Ricochet wrote:Who are you? Ech.

also Im not contrarian. I just happen to be right.

SINGING DOO WA DIDDY DIDHHHBHBH HHHHH H HH H HHBHBHBBHBHBHHHH HHBHBHBBHBHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

#24

Ricochet wrote:Who are you? Ech.

also Im not contrarian. I just happen to be right.

You think you are not contrarian? Most contrarians take pride in it. How ... contrary of you.

#25

That it is all.

PS: Comrade Leo looks hella like Lenin.

#26

Lenin was a mushroom.

#27

I just love how every single winner from Mad Max witnesses or Morricone to Mark Rylance (who gave a very dignified speech otherwise) or Innaritu (who was barely able to cram his agenda talk into one minute) was loudly played off, except for Leo, who spent like 4 minutes up there without even so much as a Walkyrie cry in the distance. Yeah, this was rehearsed as hell.

#28

Watched Revenant yesterday.

Leo earned it. The movie is good as hell.

(though I didn't watch any other nominees so I'm not sure if there was any better lol)

#29

While I still have a few more movies to talk about over in the films thread, I checked again the nominations' list and it appears I'm all done with the major contenders, except for animation (where I never tend to go into that much detail) and foreign (where I don't know anything about 3 of the 5 nominations and have no idea how they ended up on the list). So I figured I should get this prediction game done now and move on.

Best Picture
Arrival - substantial and flawed in its own package, nevertheless the brainiest and least Oscar pandering of this bunch, but it would also feel as a cheap verdict to say this should get it; I'm quite indifferent to its stakes in this situation
Fences - not even capable to look more like a movie than a theater play, let alone pose qualities of a great movie
Hacksaw Ridge - quite Oscarbaity, from double genre perspective: biopic and war
Hell or High Water - even this seems like the usual hardboiled, Southern-flavored movie that tends to get nominated once in a while, though still rather decent on its own merits
Hidden Figures - cute
La La Land - supreme boner guaranteed among the Academy's ranks
Lion - Weinstein coupon written all over it
Manchester by the Sea - not that Oscarbaity, I'd say, although neither atypical for this kind of chagrin drama to meet the basic standards for Oscar nods
Moonlight - I guess this counts

Who will win: La La Land. Not excluding Moonlight, but not feeling the call as close as it's made out to be.
Who should win: Not La La Land. Literally too indifferent to process any further than this.

Actor, Leading
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea - quite good, but not spearheading
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge - both honorable and nearly going overboard with it, but overall, appreciable and creditable
Ryan Gosling, La La Land - no
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic - genuinely surprised this had traction not only for the Globes, but the Oscars as well; nothing about the performance (or the film) moved me personally, plus Viggo doesn't need this nomination to prove how versatile, idiosyncratic actor he can be, because all his other movies that proved that hardly ever got close to "Academy standards"
Denzel Washington, Fences - most Oscarbaity of the five, tbh, and it all has to do with Denzel being at helm of this movie's entire vision; you can therefore almost feel that he's filming himself deliver big lines and act the shit out of it

Who will win: hopefully not Gosling. That leaves Affleck in the lead and Denzel for possible snub. I don't care much.
Who should win: uhmmm, yeah, whateves, let's go with Affleck

Actress, Leading
Isabelle Huppert, Elle - terrific
Ruth Negga, Loving - very poised, rafined, although it didn't move me that much personally
Natalie Portman, Jackie - extensive, dedicated work; totally fine with this performance
Emma Stone, La La Land - I liked her in it, I truly did
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins - did not watch, I do not need intentional cringe in my cup of tea; it's her 300th nomination and, frankly, it sounds a bit ridiculous

Who will win: Was sure Portman was the lead, but then Huppert and Stone split the Globes' categories. Stone?
Who should win: Huppert

Actor, Supporting
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight - there is no performance in this movie that stands out as a solo recital, so I cannot act convinced that Ali's performance counts as a standout
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water - I can see how he got here, but nah
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea - pushing move to cover almost all the acting slots from this movie; besides, not only is this performance not remarkable in any particular way, I've caught some buzz that ipretty questionable as child acting performance altogether
Dev Patel, Lion - bait and illogical... how is this supporting? he's the bloody PROTAGONIST of the movie
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals - moreover surprised it wasn't Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Who will win: since I've been so waffly thus far, I'll place a real bet and say Ali
Who should win: Shannon is the only actor from this list I'd support, and even in his case I commented that it might have been the second best pick from the movie

Actress, Supporting
Viola Davis, Fences - deserved and expected, but more in the sense that she chewed quite hard on it
Naomie Harris, Moonlight - same issue with singling out performances as over in Supporting Actor, and here Harris is even more meteoric than Ali
Nicole Kidman, Lion - give me a break
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures - not surprised, but indifferent
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea - Oscar nod for a scene rather than a movie-long performance, but said scene is arguably notable; fine with this, but not over the moon about it

Who will win: Davis
Who should win: I find this list pretty meh. Davis.

Directing
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival - as I've said in the Picture category, this nomination provoked less satisfaction for me than expected; Villeneuve was not even looked for Prisoners or Sicario and yet I'm now supposed to believe that this elevated him to true Academy consideration? the guy is in a league of his own already, so this doesn't mean that much when you think about it
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge - no doubt did everything textbook to bait the nomination
Damien Chazelle, La La Land - duh
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea - his intense vision of drama blues makes the Picture - Directing combo indispensable, so duh #2
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight - duh #3

Who will win: I'd say Chazelle, given the scale of what he crafted, however arguable or misguided
Who should win: Given instead the nuance and depth of what was crafted, I'd say Jenkins.

And, just like last year, a rainbow list of every nominated movie (any category) that I've seen. Color scheme: quite good, good, meh, hollywood, seriously no

The Lobster
The Salesman
Arrival

Elle
Moonlight
Jackie
Silence
Toni Erdmann
Hell or High Water

Fire at Sea (Fuoccoamare)
Kubo and the Two Strings
Manchester by the Sea
Zootopia
Loving

La La Land
Star Trek: Beyond
Hidden Figures
Fences
Doctor Strange
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Nocturnal Animals
Captain Fantastic
Lion
13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Suicide Squad

--- haven't seen (relevant categories, alphabetical)

13th
20th Century Woman
A Man Called Ove
I Am Not Your Negro
Land of Mine
Life, Animated
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
O.J. Made in America
Passengers
The Red Turtle
Tanna

#30

Glad to see you have Capt. Barftastic in red. Any other color, you n me'd have had some words

I'll post some thoughts soon, but I've still got a few big contenders to catch up to...

#31

Dear Rico,

When I read your posts at night which I am doing now, I cannot see anything you've posted in that bright green or yellow color. Are there other colors you could use? What about a nice purple, or a deep fuchsia? I'm sure you made some good recommendations in your top category but I won't know what they are until maybe tomorrow (I won't be able to read the yellow even in daylight).

Yours truly,
juliets

#32

juliets wrote:Dear Rico,

When I read your posts at night which I am doing now, I cannot see anything you've posted in that bright green or yellow color. Are there other colors you could use? What about a nice purple, or a deep fuchsia? I'm sure you made some good recommendations in your top category but I won't know what they are until maybe tomorrow (I won't be able to read the yellow even in daylight).

Yours truly,
juliets

Are you on the light background?

#33

I think she is. I am on the light one, too, cause it looks more like my work intranet screens lol. That black and red is too obvious at work so I keep it on light all the time although I like the dark better.

Yellow is hard

#34

Mkay, fixed the green and yellow, hopefully. Aren't they traditionally used in rainbow lists, though? Isn't that normal yellow?

Light skin ftl, you know it's true.

Except for work-related scheming, I guess.

No wait.

Work ftl.

timmer wrote:Glad to see you have Capt. Barftastic in red. Any other color, you n me'd have had some words

I'll post some thoughts soon, but I've still got a few big contenders to catch up to...

Looking forward to, anytime.

#35

Ricochet wrote:Mkay, fixed the green and yellow, hopefully. Aren't they traditionally used in rainbow lists, though? Isn't that normal yellow?

Light skin ftl, you know it's true. Except for work-related scheming, I guess.

No wait.

Work ftl.

timmer wrote:Glad to see you have Capt. Barftastic in red. Any other color, you n me'd have had some words

I'll post some thoughts soon, but I've still got a few big contenders to catch up to...
Looking forward to, anytime.

Yes, people do use that yellow in rainbow lists. I just can't see who they have in that color unless I go to "Quote" and read it in black and white. Depending on my mood, I either just skip over it or go to "Quote". I can't read the black background and besides, we had a discussion in chatzy where someone brought up that it is legitimately harder to read than the light background. You must have been asleep (you miss some of the best things while sleeping).

Thank you though for fixing the movies though. I will eagerly go read which ones you thought were best.

#36

Rico - Why didn't you like Captain Fantastic? Too quirky and cloying for its own good?

I cried through most of the last third of La La Land.

I wish 20th Century Women had been nominated for more. I know Silence didn't get the awards it wanted, but I'm super interested to see it.

#37

Being an obsessee of Melancholywood, I was happy to see that two Scandinavian films made the cut for Foreign Film this year!

#38

I have only seen 13th out of the nominations, which was good (even though my favorite part was from the Black Power Mixtape).

#39

Mongoose wrote:Rico - Why didn't you like Captain Fantastic? Too quirky and cloying for its own good?

No scene that I can recall from it, having seen it, what, two months ago or so, did not make me cringe. At its best, it made me chuckle that this could be Matt's adoptive family.

Mongoose wrote:Being an obsessee of Melancholywood, I was happy to see that two Scandinavian films made the cut for Foreign Film this year!

Doesn't a Scandinavian movie make the cut most of the times, anyway?

Either that or a war movie. Gotta have them war movies.

#40

Mongoose wrote:Being an obsessee of Melancholywood, I was happy to see that two Scandinavian films made the cut for Foreign Film this year!

Ricochet wrote:

Doesn't a Scandinavian movie make the cut most of the times, anyway?

Either that or a war movie. Gotta have them war movies.

One usually does, but I can't think of a time in recent memory where there were two. If you can think of any, definitely let me know.

Actually, maybe the year Ida was up...

#41

Holy crap, I didn't realize Captain Fantastic was directed by the actor who plays Gavin Belson in Silicon Valley...

#42

I've seen just about all I can see before the big show, so here are my thoughts:

Best Picture
Arrival - I quite enjoyed this for its emotional underpinnings, but the sci-fi plot end of the film is problematic.
Fences - brutally honest film, judging you as you judge its lead character. But Denzel could have done more with it.
Hacksaw Ridge - a garbage screenplay tacked onto a visceral war film. But when I say garbage.. I mean, this is the whole dump level bad.
La La Land - Overshoots repeatedly, needed to be reigned in, but man, when it hits it hits BIG. Your winner, right here.
Manchester by the Sea - this cut me to the bone. Would be a WELL-deserved winner, if it could win, which it probably can't.
Moonlight - A great film, and the only film other than Manchester that I think would be worthy of being called Best Picture.

Actor, Leading
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea - Stunning work, just stunning. The only thing holding him back from destroying this category is the ongoing controversies dogging him about how he treats women on the sets of his films.
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge - He's great in both if his big roles this year, and his anchoring of Silence could lend him some votes here... don't count him out as a shock winner
Ryan Gosling, La La Land - he fits the film perfectly and has great chemistry with Stone. I can't see that being enough to win, but if La La sweeps, Gosling could possibly be swept into a win?
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic - he's always solid and does good work with his role here, but the film is awful and lets him down. He's the only one of the five who I can say has zero chance of winning.
Denzel Washington, Fences - As a director, Denzel didn't do enough. As an actor, he did more than enough. He knows the role so well, the whole film is his baby, he could def win this.

This is a surprisingly competitive category, and a super solid one. I think affleck gets it but Denzel and Garfield could both spoil, and if La La is huge... hoenstly, I wouldn't bet any money on this category.

Actress, Leading
Isabelle Huppert, Elle - amazing work, amazing career, amazing woman. Definitely a main contender.
Natalie Portman, Jackie - Very modulated, studied, rehearsed work, very much a la Daniel Day-Lewis for my money. I think if she hadn't won before, she'd win this year, but that previous win will push her out of contention.
Emma Stone, La La Land - If Huppert hasn't got this sewed up, Stone will take it. La La Land is her big moment, easily her best work yet.

Actor, Supporting
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight - Moonlight could have been nominated several different ways, and I'd have preferred to see Andre Holland here, but Ali is great in his limited screen time, and would be a fine winner.
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea - An interesting performance, as on one hand he doesn't seem to be "acting" but on the other he is acting just like a teenager, so maybe he's in a way great? He has no chance, anyway.
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals - A popular actor but I can't see him beating Ali.

Actress, Supporting
Viola Davis, Fences - I really hope she wins. She puts so much of herself into the role she blows snot bubbles. Do you know how invested in a role you have to be to do that, lol? She's amazing here.
Naomie Harris, Moonlight - the only performance I did not like in the film, so I'm not rooting for her
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea - She's kind of bad in the film, and her role in underwritten anyway. I'd hate for her to win here.

Directing
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival - Villeneuve is def. going to win this one day, but it won't be this year even if Arrival was solid.
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge - I guess he's all cool, now? Can't complain about his work in the battle scenes, at least.
Damien Chazelle, La La Land - One of only 2 people who can win this, and really, the only one. But Whiplash was tighter and better/
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea - I think he gets more props as a writer than a director. I'd be stunned if he won, but happily stunned
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight - the most assured, solid directing effort of the five, this SHOULD be his award. But there is no way he'll beat Chazelle.

#43

Good stuff, timmer, we're much on the same side, except at Michelle Williams is bad in Manchester (why), Manchester being worthy (ech), kid in Manchester being good (ech).

If you like Huppert, please track down L'avenir (Things to Come). I pretty much don't believe, chance-wise, in her getting the Oscar, because older better foreigner actresses have been acknowledged in the past years, but never awarded (Emmanuelle Riva in Amour, Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years).

#44

Oh I loved Things To Come!

#45

Y u no post in the movies thread regularly?

#46

Lol I guess I just tend to forget?

#47

Dunno why I remembered Viola Davis having won an Oscar before. Probably mixed her up with Octavia Spencer from The Help. Anyway, I can now fully endorse her receiving it. I mean, it's still a check-all-boxes kind of performance, still the other four don't come even close to adequate contention. Both her and, ironically, Spencer yet again, are the only nominees doing a full, fleshed out role in their movies.

#48

With two days to go, I'll go ahead and put a firm call on both my preferences and predictions for this thing.

-	Should win	Will win
Best Picture	Moonlight	La La Land
Directing	Barry Jenkins	Damien Chazelle
Best Actor in a Leading Role	Casey Affleck	hmm, I can genuinely smell a Denzel grab
Best Actress in a Leading Role	Isabelle Huppert	Emma Stone
Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Mahershala Ali	still the most volatile, unpredictable category by nature, but hopefully Mahershala Ali
Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Viola Davis	Viola Davis
Best Animated Film	idc	idc
Best Adapted Screenplay	ugh, toughie. Fences, I guess	Fences
Best Original Screenplay	lol, The Lobster	La La Carp
Best Cinematography	Silence	La La Land
Documentary (Feature)	N/A	O.J.
Best Foreign Language	The Salesman	Toni Erdmann
Best Original Score	Jackie	La La Land

#49

Is Moana nominated for Best Original Score?

I feel that should win, but that's primarily because it made that movie feel like home, which means the music was completely on point. It almost made me cry in places because of how much it felt like it captured my culture (I say as a white boy who adopts the culture only by where I was born and raised).

#50

It is not, only Best Song.