Awards Season 2013

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Don't forget the deserved nomination for The Grandmaster's cinematography.

[captveg]

I'd argue that the fact that The Grandmaster exists in two forms, with the US Cut being the most seen (and generally least liked for those who've seen both) probably helped prevent its Foreign Language Film nomination.

[warren oates]

I really want Bad Grandpa to win best make-up. I mean, let's be fair here, it's the only make-up job that actually had to fool anyone in front of the camera.

I'm happy to see Prisoners get nominated for anything. And it certainly deserves the cinematography honors as much as any other nominated film or any of Deakins' other work. But in a less crowded year this film might have gotten more noms for acting and even directing.

Also, I just noticed that there are two genocide reenactment docs nominated. Anybody know anything about the Cambodian best foreign film nominee The Missing Picture, which seems like more of a personal essay film? How much claymation is there? How does it compare to something like The Act of Killing, to other films about the Cambodian genocide like Enemies of the People or to something like Waltz With Bashir that uses nontraditional media to tell such a harrowing tale?

[Buttercream]

I've yet to see The Missing Picture, but what I've seen of Rithy Pahn's work is quite amazing (he's an underrated master in my opinion). I actually kept thinking of how much more affecting his doc S21: The Kmer Rouge Killing Machine was compared to The Act of Killing, which I didn't much care for.

[Andre Jurieu]

The comparison of Robbie and Lawrence in their respective roles in Wolf and Hustle seems a bit off to me; only superficially similar characters from whom their films were asking very different contributions. Lawrence's instability and borderline lunacy at times is both vital to the plot and pretty consistently funny; Robbie's basically the younger, hotter version of Edie Falco's character in The Sopranos, who tries to simultaneously wallow in her husbands wealth and resent him for the behavior that brings in the money without ever seriously confronting the criminality of it. Both do very well with their parts, but Lawrence's struck me as more substantial, challenging, and memorable (perhaps because, having lived in Philadelphia for several years, I was closely acquainted with several Southern Jersey housewives with borderline personalities...).

I'm not sure I'm prepared to mount a point-by-point case on why Jennifer Lawrence might deserve to win an Oscar for American Hustle, but let's remember the baseline standard here. Though this is a very good selection of performances this year (from what I gather, I haven't seen all the films), this is the award that Beatrice Straight won for a single scene, that Jennifer Hudson is widely acknowledged to have won for singing one song, that Judi Dench won for a single monologue, that Hermione Baddeley was nominated for for a two-and-a-half-minute performance, and that has been awarded to some otherwise pretty indefensibly awful performances (I won't name names). Is Jennifer Lawrence's performance at least as good as these? Yes. Are there deserving performances that didn't get nominated and nominees whose performances were not deserving? Yes, as always.

I've seen a lot of criticism (not here, but elsewhere) of Lawrence in this role (focusing not on specifics of her performance but on minutiae like how old her character was supposed to be in the film), and I absolutely don't get it. I never questioned her appropriateness for the role because she is a very compelling actress and I believe her as that character, even if maybe she doesn't have the appropriate number of wrinkles or accurate dipthongs. I love watching her on screen, especially in a film like this where she is given leave to cut loose. I guess maybe a criticism that people seem to have with her performance and with the film in general is that she and the other actors don't disappear into their roles completely enough (see concerns about accents, age, makeup and hairstyles, etc.) I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who watch a movie and expect to forget that they're watching a movie. For a movie that is almost entirely about people playing roles that are maybe a little bit beyond their grasp and that was made in a very fast-and-loose, improvisatory fashion, I expect to notice "performance."

I think it would be great if she won. I think it would also be great if Sally Hawkins won (mainly as a catch-up award for Happy Go Lucky). I am not as enamored of June Squibb's performance as others, and I haven't seen the other two films.

I'm in agreement with these two posts for the most part. I think it's kind of being overlooked just how consistently humorous Lawrence was in a role meant to be slightly ridiculous, while it seemed everyone else in the film (maybe with the exception of Cooper) took their roles almost a bit too seriously. I felt that Lawrence crafted a character that not only seemed plausible within the world that Russell intended to create, but also fit together perfectly with the overall purpose of the movie, which routinely (and purposely) teetered over into the ludicrous. While I do agree that the casting of Lawrence sometimes does seem odd considering how young she looks in comparison to the leading-men she performs with, I do think her immaturity makes sense within the context of this film. The performance verges on becoming a caricature, but that suits the film's overall tone and subject-matter.

I though Robbie did well in Wolf, but I was actually far more fascinated with Cristin Milioti's performance as Belfort's first wife. While Robbie held her own in all her scenes, I'm not really sure her character or performance ever surprised me with something unexpected or with something exceptional. It fit neatly into the familiar perceptions of a pop-culture/cinematic mobster's trophy-wife.

It also really can't be underestimated how likeable Lawrence's public persona has been over the past few years, especially since she seems to have an accurate understanding of her position and ability within the industry and she never hesitates to be self-deprecating or admit to embarrassment, which I'm sure endears her to a solid base of awards voters. While it's probably become a bit tired to some, it also continues to convince some people that she remains grounded and humble. I do think if she does win back-to-back Oscars the already building backlash against her will become a flood. Considering her recent behaviour on the late night talk-show circuit, I worry what the effects of that backlash will have on her mental health.

Having said all this, I'm not really actively rooting for Lawrence to win (based on the nominations, I would be thrilled if Sally Hawkins won), but I also would be pleased if she did. Like Matt, I just think the nomination is deserving (I also share his opinion on June Squibb's performance, as I think that Payne's script really does the heavy lifting for her).

Paul F. Tompkins described August as an overacting competition in which there is a 14 way tie.

That pretty much confirms what I already assumed. That cast never made me think the movie would be subtle on any level, especially with Wells as the director.

[mfunk9786]

The Academy's Shame: Inside Llewyn Davis or "A masterpiece walked away with two measly nominations today"

[lacritfan]

Has anyone heard of Alone, Yet Not Alone, which was nominated for Best Original Song?...there is this one interesting tidbit:

The film's musical score was composed by William Ross who was the Musical Director for the 85th Academy Awards ceremony.

Surprise Song Nom 'Alone Yet Not Alone' Riles Up Contenders

I can't figure any of this shit out...

[swo17]

I think it's just the latest example of how true art sometimes is overlooked by those in a position to make decisions about what is paid attention to and what is not...

Earlier examples including the continued popularity of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Jay Z.

[knives]

Why lump Jay Z with them?

[swo17]

Because that article's headline did.

I find the implication that only popular artists are able to create true art deserving of awards to be far more sickening than any Oscar snub or political maneuvering.

[knives]

Valid, though I disagree with the idea that Jay Z is bad as suggested by the humour in your comment (I'd also disagree on Coldplay, but I know that is not a popular opinion and thus I will assume bad taste on me).

[swo17]

I don't dislike any of those artists (I actually quite like The Blueprint and '90s Coldplay, so there) but let's not pretend that they're more popular than others because they are empirically better or truer artists. It's because someone in a position to make decisions about what is paid attention to and what is not puts them on the radio more. Literally anything will become popular if it's played on the radio enough.

[knives]

I'm not going to try to decimate popularity because it is a total quagmire to me, but them being popular is basically unrelated to the point of complaint with this song nomination and I assume that they were only mentioned as a way to highlight that the song had a lot of competition.

[swo17]

I was more criticizing the tone of the article in a paragraph like this (slightly embellished by me):

Despite its incredibly low profile (bad), the song was awarded a spot in the best original song category alongside "Ordinary Love" (the song from Mandela (who you have heard of): Long Walk to Freedom for which U2 (who you have heard of) won the best original song Golden Globe), "Happy" (the music and lyrics of which were written by the popular (good) Pharrell Williams, who also performed it in Despicable Me 2 (which you watched with your kids)), "The Moon Song" (which was written by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O and Spike Jonze and features prominently (good) in the best picture Oscar nominee (good) Her) and "Let It Go" (the Idina Menzel ballad that was written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and has propelled the Frozen soundtrack to the top of the charts (good)).

This paragraph would read a lot differently if the article were congratulating the underdog for making it among such elite company, as opposed to questioning its right to be there.

[knives]

Their writing style of the article is pretty awful, but I don't think your suggested other article works either since I assume that the controversy is mainly around the how of the nomination which does look like someone utilizing their position to get the nomination (though of course Capra got his big when as president so who am I to criticize).

[swo17]

I wasn't suggesting another article. I quoted that paragraph from the Hollywood Reporter article that lacritfan linked to, and just added embellishments to flesh out the tone that I perceived in it.

[knives]

I was referring to your last sentence where you do suggest a different article.

[Feego]

Pete Hammond at Deadline had this to say about "Alone, Yet Not Alone" composer Bruce Broughton:

So, as a former Governor and head of the music branch he is obviously well-connected and well-liked within the organization and I am told he started making phone calls to colleagues urging them to consider the song. Call it the most grass roots of campaigns.

I have to agree with Swo that it's kind of ridiculous act as though this is some kind of anomaly because, well, this kind of stuff happens all the time in the entertainment industry, especially with the Oscars. It's no secret how big a role campaigns and favors play in determining Oscar noms/wins. This just may be the most extreme example in recent memory as this film and song have quite literally come out of nowhere.

[lacritfan]

Oh geez-us AYNA is sung by an evangelical Christian quadriplegic. Good luck criticizing this nom once the Christian media and Fox news find out. Better to just let this controversy die now before it becomes a bigger story.

[criterion10]

I actually think this is one of the better years in recent memory for the Academy Awards nominations, mostly a result of last year containing a pretty good crop of films. I was especially happy to see Wolf of Wall Street gets its dues (although the lack of an Editing nomination is disheartening), and I was also glad to see the love for Her.

There weren't any major surprises, for better or for worse (I was hoping to see someone like Adele Exarchopoulos get a nomination for Blue is the Warmest Color, though that was obviously nothing more than wishful thinking). The biggest surprise (and it really isn't a surprise) was the more-than-expected love for Dallas Buyers Club. It wouldn't surprise me to see the film take home more than just Best Supporting Actor come Oscar night.

The biggest and worst snub is obviously Inside Llewyn Davis, which was my second favorite film of last year. For shame.

While 12 Years a Slave or Gravity (top two front runners at the moment) are not in my top five, rather my top ten, I certainly will have very little to complain about should they take home the big prize. Should American Hustle, on the other hand, win, I may have to fly out to California and slap across the face each and every one of the Academy members who voted for the film (not a David O. Russell fan, and American Hustle was especially messy and uneven).

[knives]

Honestly with regards to DBC I wouldn't be surprised in it came home with lead though given the (deserved) narrative surrounding him and how that will give them the satisfaction of rewarding an aids film without having to reward 'gay'. In general I still feel that dom was right with 12 Years a Slave probably getting the Grand Hotel treatment. That said I'm rooting for Dern.

[adavis53]

I've seen a lot of criticism (not here, but elsewhere) of Lawrence in this role (focusing not on specifics of her performance but on minutiae like how old her character was supposed to be in the film), and I absolutely don't get it. I never questioned her appropriateness for the role because she is a very compelling actress and I believe her as that character, even if maybe she doesn't have the appropriate number of wrinkles or accurate dipthongs. I love watching her on screen, especially in a film like this where she is given leave to cut loose. I guess maybe a criticism that people seem to have with her performance and with the film in general is that she and the other actors don't disappear into their roles completely enough (see concerns about accents, age, makeup and hairstyles, etc.) I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who watch a movie and expect to forget that they're watching a movie. For a movie that is almost entirely about people playing roles that are maybe a little bit beyond their grasp and that was made in a very fast-and-loose, improvisatory fashion, I expect to notice "performance."

I totally agree with your analysis. In a film that was completely about superficiality and the shallowness of performance, both in the context of the film and metacinematically, I feel American Hustle's performers well deserve their nomination (I'd even probably champion Bradley Cooper's massive excessiveness more than the others). While I understand it's received a lot of criticism for being weird or ridiculous, or whatever the criticisms were, I actually really appreciated the scene with Lawrence singing Wings straight to the camera. Its incredible over-the-top-ness exemplified both the character's mild insanity as well as Lawrence's commitment to the showiness of the film as a whole. I also felt that her performance at the dinner scene with Bale, Renner, and Renner's wife (apologies to the actress for not remembering her name) was one of the strongest of the film based of Lawrence's ability in it.

[domino harvey]

I just saw it and wasn't Renner's wife Elizabeth Rohm from Law and Order?

[OnOnt]

I've yet to see The Missing Picture, but what I've seen of Rithy Pahn's work is quite amazing (he's an underrated master in my opinion). I actually kept thinking of how much more affecting his doc S21: The Kmer Rouge Killing Machine was compared to The Act of Killing, which I didn't much care for.

The Missing Picture is incredible and also far more affecting than The Act of Killing, which makes it's absence from the Best Documentary list even more absurd. Maybe they felt the five documentaries chosen were superior to every foreign language film submitted that didn't get nominated.

[jindianajonz]

Oh geez-us AYNA is sung by an evangelical Christian quadriplegic. Good luck criticizing this nom once the Christian media and Fox news find out. Better to just let this controversy die now before it becomes a bigger story.

Hey guys, maybe we shouldn't judge this thing without hearing it first

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWVyVMbSzM4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, that was simplistic sentimental dreck.