Awards Season 2016

[Dylan]

Meanwhile, I haven't seen the film, so can someone briefly explain to me how an animated movie gets nominated for visual effects?

I don't know what convinced them in this case, but animated films have always had a side crew for special effects that can't be done with normal animation. All the bubbles in The Little Mermaid for example are special effects and not animation proper.

Similarly, the only Oscar nomination Nightmare Before Christmas got in 1993 was for Best Visual Effects.

[FrauBlucher]

FYI... Criterion just tweeted Barry Jenkins in the Criterion closet, if someone would like to post video.

[oldsheperd]

No Silence for best picture? Silence, in my opinion, was the best film released last year. I consider the most important film of this decade as well.

[knives]

Just need 54 to have seen all of the nominees. Something tells me I won't be doing that before the ceremony.

[FrauBlucher]

I'm am not surprised in the least about Silence being largely ignored. It's a subject the academy members cannot and will not want to get their heads around. I wouldn't be surprised if Scorsese himself is not surprised by the lack of nominations.

[swo17]

Best Picture nominees if the forum had voted for them (based on the dynamic top 10 thread as they currently stand):

Elle
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
The Witch

[tenia]

I can't speak much for the live movies, because most of them aren't released in France yet, but I hope Disney don't get the best Animated movie award, because the other 3 are very good ones (My life as a courgette, especially).


And on a totally different subject, I'm surprised to see A Man Called Ove nominated both as a Foreign movie but also for best make-up. Is that "usual" ?

[Dead or Deader]

There must be innumerable of Trump voters in Hollywood. How Mel Gibson can be nominated is appealing after this year election, no one with his record should ever be forgiven by any rational person.

[captveg]

I mean, Fences looks like pure Oscar bait, but outside of that, I really think last year's controversy was just followed up pretty coincidentally with a year of strong, diverse films. I can't see anything here that looks to have been nominated out of some kind of careful political concern...

I wouldn't say "careful political concern", but Hidden Figures is an extremely mediocre piece of filmmaking. It's a good enough story that I liked it anyway, and I think that enthusiasm for it is sincere as far as it goes. But I think it's fair to wonder if the political aspect of it was enough to push it from "audience pleasing box office hit" to "Best Picture nominee".

As possible evidence for that position, it didn't get any other nominations other than Spencer for Supporting Actress, and it doesn't seem like anyone will argue very strongly that it was snubbed for anything else. Basically no one seems to think that it was distinctive for its writing or direction or ... anything, really, except the political aspect of it.

I think you might be in the minority on that (yuk yuk) as it's been very popular with audiences, and is far and away the standout family film and word-of-mouth champion of 2016. I haven't seen it, but its inclusion isn't surprising at all.

Having seen both, Fences is the far more rivvetting work, even if Hidden Figures is the more crowd pleasing. The stage origins of Fences isn't ever too far away from consciousness, but Washington makes it works as a film and the characters strongly drive the material. Spencer is the highlight of HF, but it's a very conventional work.

[MaxCastle]

I mean, Fences looks like pure Oscar bait, but outside of that, I really think last year's controversy was just followed up pretty coincidentally with a year of strong, diverse films. I can't see anything here that looks to have been nominated out of some kind of careful political concern...

I wouldn't say "careful political concern", but Hidden Figures is an extremely mediocre piece of filmmaking. It's a good enough story that I liked it anyway, and I think that enthusiasm for it is sincere as far as it goes. But I think it's fair to wonder if the political aspect of it was enough to push it from "audience pleasing box office hit" to "Best Picture nominee".

As possible evidence for that position, it didn't get any other nominations other than Spencer for Supporting Actress, and it doesn't seem like anyone will argue very strongly that it was snubbed for anything else. Basically no one seems to think that it was distinctive for its writing or direction or ... anything, really, except the political aspect of it.

It actually got an adapted screenplay nomination as well.

[captveg]

There must be innumerable of Trump voters in Hollywood. How Mel Gibson can be nominated is appealing after this year election, no one with his record should ever be forgiven by any rational person.

He said some stupid things. But I wouldn't ascribe his accepted penance to such a limited stereotype, and I have two words why: Roman Polanski.

[Ribs]

One of the things I keep thinking back to was how Paramount rushed out The Big Short last year so it wouldn't be competing with Silence as their big awards play - only for Fences to be rushed into production so it can come out by the end of the year, and be the one to actually get awards coverage!

(I also imagine that, had Big Short actually come out in September or whenever, Ryan Gosling'd have quite a better narrative of "Oscar for the year, if not the performance.")

[Brian C]

It actually got an adapted screenplay nomination as well.

So it did, I stand corrected. I must have checked before IMDb updated each individual film page. Thanks.

[beamish13]

There must be innumerable of Trump voters in Hollywood. How Mel Gibson can be nominated is appealing after this year election, no one with his record should ever be forgiven by any rational person.

He said some stupid things. But I wouldn't ascribe his accepted penance to such a limited stereotype, and I have two words why: Roman Polanski.

As long as you're loyal to the industry, Hollywood will absolve you of wrongdoings. This is why Elia Kazan was booed during his lifetime achievement award speech.

[domino harvey]

Booed? Ed Harris sat on his hands and that was the worst of it

[willoneill]

Booed? Ed Harris sat on his hands and that was the worst of it

Nick Nolte looked extremely stern. I would consider that more menacing than being booed.

[beamish13]

There were a few stray boos in the audience. You couldn't hear them well during the telecast, though.

[captveg]

Is August Wilson's nomination 11 years after his passing a record for posthumous recognition?

EDIT: This article answered my question:

"While at least one person has been nominated (and won) an Academy Award more than a decade after their death -- film composer Larry Russell, who won 18 years after he died for the Charlie Chaplin film "Limelight" -- most Oscar winners honored posthumously are recognized within a year of their passing."

Limelight was a unique circumstance at the time where films were eligible if the year they screened in NY/LA, no matter what year it was initially released overseas. They revised the rules shortly afterwards to make films meet a particular 12-18 month window, I believe.

[mfunk9786]

Totally puzzled by the way Kristopher Tapley at Variety has ranked the Best Actress chances...

Current Prediction:

01. Emma Stone

Possible Spoiler:

02. Meryl Streep

Dark Horse:

03. Natalie Portman

Other Nominees:

04. Isabelle Huppert
05. Ruth Negga

He knows that Huppert has been sweeping this category to this point, right? I would say the momentum is soundly in place for her to easily have the 2nd best chance of taking it home.

[domino harvey]

If I am sure of anything in this life, it is that Meryl Streep is not winning this year

[knives]

Yeah, Huppert and Portman are the only ones who have actually won awards so far and the academy occasionally gives Best actress to French performances.

[hearthesilence]

Surprised Amy Adams and especially Annette Bening were passed over - they definitely gave better performances than at least two of the actual nominees who weren't Isabelle Huppert.

Not surprised by Silence's lone cinematography nomination, but I hoped the Academy would come out and boost it, it deserves a lot more.

And showering another Mel Gibson film with nominations, yeeeeeesh....

[domino harvey]

The Oscars' website goofed again. After posting a pic of Carol in the Best Picture category last time, this year they inadvertently listed Tom Hanks as the sixth (!) Best Actor nominee

To add fuel to the fire, apparently Amy Adams was listed with Best Actress as well

[manicsounds]

How "Your Name" was snubbed for the animated Oscar is a wonder. In my opinion it wasn't just the best animated film I saw last year but the best film I saw last year.

[swo17]

The Oscars' website goofed again. After posting a pic of Carol in the Best Picture category last time, this year they inadvertently listed Tom Hanks as the sixth (!) Best Actor nominee

To add fuel to the fire, apparently Amy Adams was listed with Best Actress as well

#OscarsSoNotAmy