OSCAR NOMINATIONS
OSCAR NOMINATIONS
[bold]Best Picture[/bold]
“American Sniper”;  “Birdman” ; “Boyhood” ; “The Grand Budapest Hotel” ; “The Imitation Game” ;  “Selma”;  “The Theory of Everything” ; “Whiplash”
[bold]Best Actor[/bold]
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”;  Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper";  Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”;  Michael Keaton, “Birdman”;  Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
[bold]Best Actress[/bold]
Marion Cotillard, "Two Days One Night";  Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”;  Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”;  Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”;  Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
[bold]Best Supporting Actor[/bold]
Robert Duvall, "The Judge";  Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”;  Edward Norton, “Birdman”;  Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”;  J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”;
[bold]Best Supporting Actress[/bold]
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”;  Laura Dern, "Wild";  Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”; Emma Stone, “Birdman”; Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
[bold]Best Director[/bold]
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Morton Tyldren, "The Imitation Game" Alejandro G. Iñárritu, “Birdman” Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” Bennet Miller, "Foxcatcher"
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Emma Stone? Keira Knightley? Meryl Streep? Puhleeze
by Simon Halls Squirrel
So happy for Laura Dern!! Very well deserved and she wasn't expected to place.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 2
01/15/2015
Wow, Selma shut out of everything except Best Picture. Bound to be some backlash about that.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
No Anniston, Jolie, Blunt or Castain
by Simon Halls Squirrel
The guy from Selma honestly deserved a best actor nod.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Pretty much a Selma shut out
by Simon Halls Squirrel
GIllian Flynn, nominated for every pre-cursor, shut out. Wow.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 9
01/15/2015
No love for Anniston. Only one nom for INTO THE WOODS, and of course, it had to be Streep.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
{quote] Actor, Keaton.Actress, Moore.Supporting Actor, Simmons .Supporting Actress, Arquette.
There is already a thread as we on DL already predicted the winners WEEKS ago
by Simon Halls Squirrel
People on the twitter losing their mind over the Lego Movie snub.
heh...
Selma, despite the topicality, was not a very good movie.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Poor Jennifer Aniston is humiliated again. First Brad Pitt, now this. I'd kill myself.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Very disappointed Cooper got a nod for becoming poster boy for the right wing freepers.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[bold]Best animated feature film of the year[/bold]
“Big Hero 6”; “The Boxtrolls”; “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; “Song of the Sea”; “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”
[bold]Achievement in cinematography[/bold]
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Emmanuel Lubezki;  “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Robert Yeoman;  “Ida” Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski;  “Mr. Turner” Dick Pope;  “Unbroken” Roger Deakins
[bold]Achievement in costume design[/bold]
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Milena Canonero;  “Inherent Vice” Mark Bridges;  “Into the Woods” Colleen Atwood;  “Maleficent” Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive;  “Mr. Turner” Jacqueline Durran
[bold]Best documentary feature[/bold]
“CitizenFour” Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky;  “Finding Vivian Maier” John Maloof and Charlie Siskel;  “Last Days in Vietnam” Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester;  “The Salt of the Earth” Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier;  “Virunga” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
[bold]Best documentary short subject[/bold]
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry;  “Joanna” Aneta Kopacz;  “Our Curse” Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki;  “The Reaper (La Parka)” Gabriel Serra Arguello;  “White Earth” J. Christian Jensen
[bold]Achievement in film editing[/bold]
“American Sniper” Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach;  “Boyhood” Sandra Adair;  “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Barney Pilling;  “The Imitation Game” William Goldenberg;  “Whiplash” Tom Cross
[bold]Best foreign language film of the year[/bold]
“Ida” Poland;  “Leviathan” Russia;  “Tangerines” Estonia;  “Timbuktu” Mauritania;  “Wild Tales” Argentina
[bold]Achievement in makeup and hairstyling[/bold]
“Foxcatcher” Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard;  “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier;  “Guardians of the Galaxy” Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White;
[bold]Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)[/bold]
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Alexandre Desplat;  “The Imitation Game” Alexandre Desplat;  “Interstellar” Hans Zimmer;  “Mr. Turner” Gary Yershon;  “The Theory of Everything” Jóhann Jóhannsson
[bold]Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)[/bold]
“Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie” Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson;  “Glory” from “Selma” Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn;  “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” Music and Lyric by Diane Warren;  “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond;  “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again” Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Bradley Cooper could win an Oscar and a Tony this year.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 25
01/15/2015
[quote]Wow, Selma shut out of everything except Best Picture. Bound to be some backlash about that.
Actually it got Best Song too and it will win even though it's totally forgettable. They snubbed Sia's "Opportunity" from "Annie" which was nominated by the GG's.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[bold]Achievement in production design[/bold]
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock “The Imitation Game” Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald “Interstellar” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis “Into the Woods” Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock “Mr. Turner” Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts
[bold]Best animated short film[/bold]
“The Bigger Picture” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees;  “The Dam Keeper” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi;  “Feast” Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed;  “Me and My Moulton” Torill Kove;  “A Single Life” Joris Oprins
[bold]Best live action short film[/bold]
“Aya” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis;  “Boogaloo and Graham” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney;  “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)” Hu Wei and Julien Féret;  “Parvaneh” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger;  “The Phone Call” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
[bold]Achievement in sound editing[/bold]
“American Sniper” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman;  “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock;  “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas;  “Interstellar” Richard King;  “Unbroken” Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
[bold]Achievement in sound mixing[/bold]
“American Sniper” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin; “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga;  “Interstellar” Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten;  “Unbroken” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee;  “Whiplash” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
[bold]Achievement in visual effects[/bold]
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick;  “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist;  “Guardians of the Galaxy” Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould;  “Interstellar” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher;  “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer
[bold]Adapted screenplay[/bold]
“American Sniper” Written by Jason Hall;  “The Imitation Game” Written by Graham Moore;  “Inherent Vice” Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson;  “The Theory of Everything” Screenplay by Anthony McCarten;  “Whiplash” Written by Damien Chazelle
[bold]Original screenplay[/bold]
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo;  “Boyhood” Written by Richard Linklater;  “Foxcatcher” Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman;  “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness;  “Nightcrawler” Written by Dan Gilroy
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 27
01/15/2015
Theory of Everything for Best Picture is a joke. The reviews were mediocre, praising Redmayne and  Jones and not much else.
Gyllenhaal should have been nominated for Nightcrawle instead of Cooper for American Sniper.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Hollywood is going to get ripped for this Oscar nom list.  It's too "inside baseball".
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 40
01/15/2015
R11, there's usually one surprise out of the four majors and I predict it will be for Best Actress.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 41
01/15/2015
Freshly Oscar nominated Bradley Cooper on "live" in a few minutes with Kelly and guest host Anderson Cooper.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 42
01/15/2015
Nor is the Grand Budapest Hotel. It's been up for other awards (and won some), and will hopefully pick some up (particularly costume and set design). I know Anderson won't win for director, but that wound be great.r
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 43
01/15/2015
The Paris massacres were the best thing to happen to "American Sniper," which had almost been forgotten.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
R57 and you want Marion Cotillard to DEFEAT Julianne Moore, correct?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 61
01/15/2015
wow, American Sniper is a huge surprise here, 6 nominations! Selma, no surprise at all, you can't force it down to people's throat.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
Some of these are really surprising:
WHIPLASH for Best Picture?  If not for the quality of Teller's and Simmons' performances, it would have been nothing special.  And the last 10 minutes defies credibility.
Bennett Miller for Best Director?  Please.  He thought he was making a Grand Statement about American and paced the film accordingly.
Jake Gyllenhaal must be seething. I'm sure he thought he was a shoo-in.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
What has Bradley Cooper done to his face? He's starting to look like Barry Manilow.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 64
01/15/2015
Jennifer Anniston stretched by not washing her hair.  She is the living embodiment of Valerie Cherish playing the brunette in the TV movie about the woman who got all the headaches.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 65
01/15/2015
And, yes, "Monique LeBlanc for 'Dark Horse'" for the win.  Can not get excited about Julianne Moore and her Oscar bait rehash of Julie Christie years ago.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 66
01/15/2015
Selma wasn't as good as it could have been, but Oyelowo's performance was extraordinary. Shame on the Academy.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 67
01/15/2015
How does a movie get best director, best original screenplay, best actor and best supporting actor nods without getting a best picture slot?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Agreed about JG. He was robbed, IMO. His performance was so creepily mesmerizing.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 70
01/15/2015
Why was Selma expected to get so many nominations?  I think the "snub" myth is because it just opened so there is a lot of buzz about it right now.  It didn't win any precursor awards.  Now, if Boyhood or Birdman had been shut out, THAT would have been a snub.
Same with Aniston.  Creating buzz doesn't mean the Academy has to follow suit.
Epic fails for Gone Girl, Unbroken, into the Woods, and all the other overhyped mediocrities from this year.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
"American Sniper is a huge surprise here."
Never underestimate Clint Eastwood's appeal in Hollywood.  Cooper is benefitting from that.
Cotillard is not going to defeat Moore.
Whatever people here say about SELMA, some of the other nominees (THEORY OF EVERYTHING and IMITATION GAME come to mind) are no better.  And David Oyelowo deserves a nod more than Carrell, but Carrell is well-liked in the industry.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 72
01/15/2015
R68, directors nominate directors, but the entire Academy votes for best picture.  Thus, you get more "actor friendly" movies like Imitation of Everything being nominated while the directors favor more subtle, auteur-driven fare like Foxcatcher.  It used to be that directors like Pedro Almodovar and Mike Leigh would be nominated for directing even when their movies weren't up for one of the 5 best picture slots.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
I watched Sniper on solarmovie....I don't get all the love for Cooper's performance.
As far as freeperism, that is the belief of the main character and I understand it. However it is presented without any real balance....
HIs troubled marriage is more about absence and he almost hit a dog...gee whiz PTSD is a bitch!
really...his blind patriotism is lauded...america is the greatest country in the world...let me kill 160 people!!!
And of course BC gained 40 lbs for the movie. What acting!!! Weight gain/loss id looked at as commitment to art. I say it's commitment to a $10 mill paycheck.
What a load of crap.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
R76 you forgot about Glenn Close and Deborah Kerr
6 nominations both, zero wins
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
Let's face it.
Jake G was not going to get a nom for playing a Marvel comics super hero who teleports.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 81
01/15/2015
I wonder if someone will have the guts to ask Bradley Cooper if he is a right wing fucktard?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]but Oyelowo's performance was extraordinary. Shame on the Academy.
Agreed.  Even if you didn't love the movie, Oyelowo's performance was fantastic.  Even more impressive when you think of the pressure he is under to bring MLK Jr to life.
That he was snubbed while performances like Cooper's and Carrell's were nominated is...unfortunate.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 83
01/15/2015
[quote]American Sniper is patriotic trash, it unironically treats the enemy as a this evil monster. Cant believe the academy is sucking this movies dick.
The Academy has been sucking Eastwood's dick for so many years, it's probably gold-plated by now.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Aniston's voice is so fake, just not believable.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 90
01/15/2015
R57, you sound like an idiot. How is it intimidation to complain about a movie not getting a nomination?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 91
01/15/2015
A lot of the academy are old conservatives, they still idolise the likes of. John Wayne and his movies, remember some refused to watch Brokeback Mountain.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 92
01/15/2015
R87, how can you think Selma is worse than most of the other nominated movies? You really think it's less deserving than American Sniper?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
This really is a weak and unexciting slate for the Academy Awards.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 97
01/15/2015
That was Jen's last, best chance at movie stardom. She should look for a high end cable series. She must have paid a fortune for that shameless Oscar campaign.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 98
01/15/2015
Ava DuVernay should have had Morton Tyldum's Director nomination and David Oyelowo should have had Bradley Cooper's Actor nomination.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 99
01/15/2015
Wow... of all the movies nominated in OP's post, I've seen only one, for Supporting Actress ("Into The Woods").
Usually I've seen at least ONE of the Best Picture nominated films!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
The only one I saw was The Grand Budapest Hotel.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 102
01/15/2015
Ugh, American Sniper was nominated. I guess that means Chris Kyle's Karen Carpenter looking widow will be at the awards.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 103
01/15/2015
[quote]No love for Anniston. Only one nom for INTO THE WOODS, and of course, it had to be Streep.
INTO THE WOODS also got Production Design.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 104
01/15/2015
[quote]The Paris massacres were the best thing to happen to "American Sniper," which had almost been forgotten.
The nomination ballots closed (Jan. 8) one day after the Charlie Hebdo shooting (Jan. 7). I don't think it had much of an impact.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 105
01/15/2015
[quote]BBC News, British actors are the greatest actors in the world. Please I hope attention seeking photo bombing Cumbercunt doesn't win or the other guy , otherwise we will never hear the end of British bullshit hyperbolism.
Weren't the Brits supposed to dominate the Best Actor category (Cumberbatch, Redmayne, David Oyelowo, Timothy Spall) with Keaton as the sole American? In fact, that's why many people speculated that's why he would win, because he would be the only American. Instead, it's 3 Americans against 2 Brits.
Not so great, then.
reply 106
01/15/2015
I like an Academy Awards that is more daring and international. Timothy Spall deserved a nod. For that matter, so did Bill Murray for St. Vincent.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 107
01/15/2015
"Pride was overlooked but you'll never hear the barrage of "the Academy is homophobic" in the way the blacks will scream."
VERY true.
reply 108
01/15/2015
Streep's nomination is a joke--she didn't even give the best performance in the movie. It's this sort of reflexive nomination that's starting to turn her into a joke.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 109
01/15/2015
And when I say it's turning Streep into a joke, I don't mean to imply it's her fault.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Bill Murray played Bill Murray.
No surprise there and he was not worthy of a nomination.
Julianne Moore was amazing. Truly amazing. I saw the film last night at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens; Julianne introduced it. She will deservedly win the award. I have not seen Marion's performance though, but Juianne's performance was astonishing.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 112
01/15/2015
"I don't get the Bradley Cooper appeal. What is it? Are his performances Oscar worthy? I ask those who have seen his films. Were you blown away by him?"
No, but I was blown by him.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 113
01/15/2015
Selma has a good heart but many things was wrong with it. The lead actor was just  better than okay. The actor playing Johnson like he was Nixon. The rap or hip hop song at the end was very stupid. Oprah and the mean lady from Orange is the New Black were just extra half the movie.
Sorry some years there are no deserving black actors...
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 114
01/15/2015
Why so much hate for Bradley Cooper in "American Sniper", a film 98% of you haven't even seen yet?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
[quote]RIP Jen's Cake campaign
She got the munchies and ate it.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 116
01/15/2015
[quote]Wow, Selma shut out of everything except Best Picture. Bound to be some backlash about that.
Oops, my bad.
reply 117
01/15/2015
Selma is an excellent film and it should have been nominated in more categories, especially Best Director and Best Actor.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]Sorry some years there are no deserving black actors...
That statement should trouble everyone. If black actors were truly given opportunities outside a small handful of race-specific roles, there would be no year without black actor nominations.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
I'll never forget how excite Julie Christie and Cate (also nominated) when Marion won.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 122
01/15/2015
I don't follow all the award handicapping, but last Sunday while watching the Golden Globes, I was perplexed by the nomination of Anniston for a movie that I had never heard of. How could I have totally missed this one? Completely off my radar, I Googled it to find out that it doesn't open until next week, which is typical of these ridiculous Oscar bait campaigns. Admittedly, because of this, I'm glad it didn't get a nod. I'm tired of these films opening for one showing only to meet a deadline.
Same goes for cramming just about all the nominated films into opening in December to ride the wave of "Award Season."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Depicting LBJ as a racist asshole is not inaccurate.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
Exactly. LBJ was a dick. Deal with it.
They don't need more black historical movies. They need black sci-fi movies. Black superhero movies. Black nerd meets girl of dreams comedies. Black cartoons (FUNKY). Creative smart Black American movies. Enough with the sad historical tales. Let's get futuristic.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 140
01/15/2015
LBJ did more for black people in this country than any other POTUS, including the present one.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 142
01/15/2015
What I thought was odd about Selma Johnson was acting like Nixon? Wasn't Johnson supposed to be a charmer?
They get actor who are spitting image of Cora and MLK and you get Tim Roth to play George Wallace and don't even dye his hair black?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 143
01/15/2015
LBJ did a lot, but he wasn't Christ on the wing of a unicorn. He had to play politics and I don't think the movie got that wrong.
Hollywood can't cope with reality, where there are gray areas. The Allies must always win, black people must always be saved by white folks, and the queer must die a noble (but permanent) death at the end of the movie. It's two thousand and motherfucking FIFTEEN and we still are in that rabbit hole.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
[quote]Jake G didn't get a nom...
[quote]Poor Jennifer A is probably crying her eyes out right now...
This is them about now:
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 145
01/15/2015
[quote]the problem is not the nominations but producers or studio heads who don't greenlight prestige black films
But why must they be "presige black films"? The problem is that Hollywood will not use a black actress in something like "Still Alice," or "Wild," or "Into the Woods." They're segregated into Tyler Perry crap or the one or two designated "race films" of the year. It's disgraceful.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 147
01/15/2015
If you listen to the released LBJ audio recordings, there are many conversations between LBJ and MLK and all of them are cordial and respectful. If anything, MLK became a bit of a bully after LBJ won the 1964 election in a landslide over Goldwater. He was insisting that LBJ name a black Supreme Court judge and a black Cabinet member, at the same time LBJ was trying to push voting rights legislation through Congress and he didn't want to overplay the black card. As it happened, LBJ did eventually name a black Supreme Court judge and a black Cabinet member. Plus, LBJ had a black secretary in the WH, another first.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 148
01/15/2015
I didn't see Selma, but it seems like a Made-For-TV Movie from the 70's or 80's - same with The Butler last year.  Isn't a little condescending overpraising movies such as these and then being surprised when the awards don't follow?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Julianne Moore should get it. It's time for a career Oscar for her.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 151
01/15/2015
Hated every frame of "The Lego Movie" but yeah the snub is the biggest shock. It's "Dragon 2" for the win.
Goes to show that members don't see the films. Best sound for "Interteller"? People hated the sound so much, couldn't hear the dialogue, that the director had to issue a statement.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 152
01/15/2015
You are so clever R147, that hasn't been obvious for a month now (and has already been talked about on this thread...)
by Simon Halls Squirrel
I didn't realize Eastwood was a producer on American Sniper
This is Eastwood's 11th nomination (not counting the Thalberg)
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 158
01/15/2015
Do you think the Academy nominates Meryl every year as some sort of joke?  She obviously loses way more than she wins.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
154 doesn't exist..
Does anyone think the song Everything is Awesome has a chance? I think the rap in the Selma song was terrible...
Wait a minute I haven't even heard it but Glen has it in the bag...
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 160
01/15/2015
I told you bitches back in october/november that marion cotillard will be nominated instead of amy adams, and i was right!!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
American Sniper was porn for Freepers.
What a boring year for movies. Looking at the nominations, it's just "meh." Hopefully this year will have some movies that are actually interesting to watch.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]They don't need more black historical movies.
Yes they do. They just need to do different historical figures and events than the same ones they've been doing over and over again. Where is the multi-million dollar widescreen epic about the Haitian slave rebellion?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 164
01/15/2015
r149 see it and then get back to us with the reality. It's not at all the paint-by-numbers flick you're anticipating. It's moving, vivid filmmaking, that brings what couldve been a stale history lesson to life
by Simon Halls Squirrel
where is Chris Pine's nomination as prophesized by Lynn Stairmaster?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 167
01/15/2015
[quote]Please don't try to speak the opinions of an entire race [R154], it's embarassing sweetie.
Please don't assume all members of a race think or act alike, R155. It's extremely patronizing, dear.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 168
01/15/2015
Agreed, R162. I am trying to watch "Big Eyes" and aside from Amy Adams, who I think is excellent, the movie is piss poor. Awful music. Lame supporting cast. A strange digital look (should have been shot on film). Tim Burton can't make an adult film. Amy Adams was let down on all fronts.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
The average moviegoer doesn't care about The Oscars or critics. So what?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 170
01/15/2015
Bradley Cooper and Bradley Cooper related films becoming staples of the Oscar nominations is really, really annoying. Now I'm worried about what American Sniper might actually win(adapted screenplay/BP).
Emma Stone getting a nomination is also ridiculous, but I guess if creepy old voters can't have Jennifer Lawrence around, Stone makes for a decent replacement. I like Rosamund Pike, but it's unfortunate that her first nomination is for fucking Gone Girl.
If Laura Dern miraculously pulls an upset, I'll pretend she won for Inland Empire or maybe Blue Velvet even though she was the lead female in those films. I think the only person who has a chance to upset Arquette is Streep, because it's Streep.
This is absolutely the time for Cotillard to win, but Julianne's probably the only safe bet this year. I'll pretend she won for Safe.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
I agree with r173 I wasn't impressed with movie or Pike's performance at all...
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 174
01/15/2015
[quote]I don't get the Bradley Cooper appeal. What is it? Are his performances Oscar worthy? I ask those who have seen his films. Were you blown away by him?
Absolutely.
Oh, you said blown [italic]away[/italic]... never mind.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 175
01/15/2015
Your comment, R168, makes no sense in regards to my post at R155.  That is exactly what I was telling R154 he/she should not do.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 176
01/15/2015
"LBJ did more for black people in this country than any other POTUS, including the present one."
Exactly! DO YOU HOMEWORK PEOPLE!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 177
01/15/2015
OK, enough about race. Contrary to what most people have said, the Academy, with 1 or 2 exceptions, did a great job this year.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
[quote]Exactly! DO YOU HOMEWORK PEOPLE!
Especially for Keyboarding 101.
reply 179
01/15/2015
No way, R178. American Sniper's noms were inserted by The Pentagon.  They should also have gone full tabloid with an Aniston / Jolie pairing. Bad business!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 181
01/15/2015
Marion Cotillard already came up as the surprise winner (in another foreign language performance no less) for the Oscar that everyone thought would go to the Alzheimer's performance. I wonder if she can do it again.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]Emma Stone getting a nomination is also ridiculous
She was fantastic in BIRDMAN. I haven't ever been a fan but I came away from the film very impressed by her performance.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 189
01/15/2015
I think when JK Simmons comes to the stage for his Oscar, they need to play the "We are Farmers....bum ba dum ba bum bum bump" music as his entrance.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 190
01/15/2015
The only things I didn't see coming were the Lego Movie and Life Itself snubs. (No pundit saw those coming.) I'm surprised that people are surprised by anything else. Selma was shut out of all the major guilds, whereas American Sniper got recognition from almost all the major guilds. What did everyone think was going to happen this morning-- that Selma would miraculously rebound after botching everything else?
Another thing: Best Picture will be between Boyhood and The Imitation Game. Birdman is out of contention after missing an editing nomination, something the Best Picture winner hasn't done in 30+ years. I'd say there's a 95% chance BP is going to Boyhood, but I suppose we could have another King's-Speech-like-upset on our hands.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
You must not have been in the mood for proper spelling and grammar, r187.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 193
01/15/2015
Happy for Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Guess there are good people taking away the good roles from Jessica Chastain.
No to Jennifer Anniston - that Calk walk was always a dream.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 194
01/15/2015
Yeah the Lego Movie snub is the most shocking thing here.  I don't understand how it did not get a nom for best animated film.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
JK plays a MM and an awful character in Oz.
Also has the 100th spinoff of CSI starting pretty soon. Wonder if that will hurt her?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Oh, thanks r44 for posting spoilers...much appreciated!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]I didn't work out for MONTHS!
So? I haven't worked out in YEARS, and I didn't get shit from the Academy either!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 224
01/15/2015
No openly gay actor has ever won an academy award R218.  With the possible exception of Sir John Gielgud , but I'm not really sure how well known his sexuality was.
Considering this is an industry where so many are still encouraged to hide their sexuality, don't expect many people to speak out about it.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
R222 is posting from 1957.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 226
01/15/2015
NPH's performance in that Seth MacFarlane thing didn't exactly set the world on fire. That movie was horrible to begin with, so for the Blu-ray, he made it longer and more horrible.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
"Depicting LBJ as a racist asshole is not inaccurate."
A "racist asshole" who signed the fortified Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law? Incidentally,  the bill was passed due to Johnson's ability to convince Republican leader Everett Dirksen to support the bill that amassed the necessary Republican votes to overcome the a filibuster created by anti-civil rights senators.
You're a fucking idiot.
01/15/2015
[quote]Wasn't the reason Marisa Tomei won because she was up against 4 British stalwarts?
I don't think so. People like to say this, but Tomei was practically a nobody. She had done a few years on a soap (AS THE WORLD TURNS) and one season of a sitcom (A DIFFERENT WORLD) and was relatively new to films.
In other words, she hadn't earned much goodwill to constitute beating out two British grand dames (Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Plowright) and a respected Brit (Miranda Richardson) and a respected Aussie (Judy Davis). Redgrave and Davis were former nominees, with Davis being the critical darling, and Plowright won Golden Globe and Richardson had a banner year (DAMAGE, ENCHANTED APRIL, THE CRYING GAME).
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 229
01/15/2015
LOTS of chatter all over my social media about the whiteness of the nominees. This will not end well.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 230
01/15/2015
[quote]In other words, she hadn't earned much goodwill to constitute beating out two British grand dames (Vanessa Redgrave, Joan Plowright) and a respected Brit (Miranda Richardson) and a respected Aussie (Judy Davis). Redgrave and Davis were former nominees, with Davis being the critical darling, and Plowright won Golden Globe and Richardson had a banner year (DAMAGE, ENCHANTED APRIL, THE CRYING GAME).
Your point?
reply 231
01/15/2015
[quote]The Academy has been sucking Eastwood's dick for so many years, it's probably gold-plated by now.
Clint Eastwood is incredibly overrated, that's it's getting monotonous.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
movie birdman
actor benedict
actress ('tress'? what does THAT mean? lol does that have something to do with hair, e.g. "My L'OREAL tresses are shining!") uh, who cares, really? Julianne, should be
best supporting actor...leaning towards Norton/Duvall...
best supporting actress, blech..um...Dern..
director, tyldren
what? no best screenwriter category? Pffft! what was i thinking? this about THA MOO-VEEZ, not WRITING! Writing involves stories silly!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 271
01/15/2015
So, there were no black actors working this year? I'm disgusted. I'd rather see Tyler Perry up there for Gone Girl. Seriously, Rosemond Pike? I don't think so.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Rosemund Pike is a horrible actress
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 278
01/15/2015
Is she, R278? I liked her in An Education, but that is the only thing I saw her in.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 279
01/15/2015
Academy member here.  By chance, the last two screeners I watched were 'Two Days, One Night' and 'Still Alice.'  If there's a possibility of an upset, it could be in this race.
Julianne Moore is fine, but it's a terrible movie. And Cotillard really is amazing in an excellent movie.
I was surprised Cotillard got nominated. But now that she is, voters will make a special effort to see the movie (I still don't think most members have seen 'Two Days, One Night") and that will only help Cotillard.
Moore is still the favorite, but I could see a way in which Cotillard wins. No one else has a chance.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
yay, Marion. I want to see that movie. Has it been released yet?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 281
01/15/2015
Gotta laugh at all the race baiters on twitter screaming about how if Selma were directed by an old white man and told from the POV of a white person, it would have gotten all the nominations.  As if 12 Years a Slave never happened. Also saw someone say the only black person whose name was called was Cheryl Boone Isaacs, totally ignoring the songwriters and some of the producers of Selma, including the Big O herself.
Be upset if you think some talent went overlooked, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but let's not twist facts.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
will you vote for marion R280?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 291
01/15/2015
[quote]I don't know whose worse...the race baiters, or the Democrats who are always convinced that there's a secret political conspiracy.
Or people who don't know the difference between "who's" and "whose."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 292
01/15/2015
R292 Needs a real job, besides that of professional cunt. How do you list your occupation on your tax forms?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 294
01/15/2015
I don't really care who wins anything AS LONG AS JULIANNE WINS. She should already have at least 3 or 4 Oscars.
I'm sure Marion is great, but she already has an Oscar.
I don't understand why Pike got a nom. I didn't think she was great at all.
Also wasn't all that impressed with Arquette. Even though I haven't seen Wild, I'd like Dern to win because I like her.
Ralph Fiennes should have been nominated. He was fantastic.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 296
01/15/2015
Sad Jake didn't get nominated, but he wasn't going to win anyway even if his performance was light years better than Redmayne's.
Too bad for Rene Russo but good for Laura Dern.
At least Nightcrawler got a screenplay nom and Jake got nominated for everything else this year.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]This thread is a huge waste of gay energy.
If we could harness that to power cars and appliances, the terrorists would go bankrupt overnight.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 302
01/15/2015
R300 I know opinions are subjective, and I haven't seen Birdman yet, but Nightcrawler is my favorite film of the year.
Better than Imitation Game or Theory of Everything or St. Vincent or The Judge. More tension and suspense than Foxcatcher. Hard to compare to Into the Woods. Not sentimental/emotional like Boyhood, it's a thriller about a sociopath and Jake is incredible as well as Russo and the direction.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 303
01/15/2015
Haven't seen NIGHTCRAWLER, but TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT is very good, though the Dardenne brothers' doggedly realistic style of filmmaking won't be to everyone's taste.  The film is hard to watch in some sections given the situation that the lead character is facing.
It's a credit to Cotillard's ability to disappear into a role that she pulls off her performance in this kind of film.
I haven't seen STILL ALICE, but from what I gather, she excels in an otherwise mediocre film (heard Kristen Stewart is also very good).
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 304
01/15/2015
I completely agree, r280. Marion has been winning critics awards as well. There is awareness. If there will be an upset, it will be in this category.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 305
01/15/2015
Cooper is not winning anything and if American Killer wins it will be, because of cheating. Who would vote for the  trash?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
"American Sniper" made Joe Biden cry.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 313
01/15/2015
Doesn't Meryl Streep have the option of not submitting her name for consideration? Or withdrawing her name?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 314
01/15/2015
[312] Is there someone you think was snubbed or "egregiously overlooked" due to the inclusion of Streep this year?  I'm not baiting, I'm curious if there's someone who was truly left out in favor of her or if you're just annoyed because it's Streep.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]is Nightcrawler worth watching?
I thought Nightcrawler was a great movie.  Very entertaining.  Jake G, Rene Russo and whoever plays Jake's assistant all did a great job.
It's a pity the Academy overlooked it, not that I am surprised, but definitely check it out.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]Any chance at all that Redmayne might overtake Keaton?
It could be a tie (?), like in 1969 when both Barbra and Katharine got one each.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 317
01/15/2015
I thought this was Laura Dern's first nomination, but she was nominated in 1992 for Rambling Rose as Lead Actress.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 318
01/15/2015
[italic]Foxcatcher[/italic] is nominated for directing and writing but not for picture. [italic]Selma[/italic] is not nominated for either directing or writing but is nominated for picture.
Makes sense, right?
People have the high-profile categories figured out.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Vanessa Redgrave
Carmen Ejogo
Redgrave hasn't been nominated in years.  It would have been nice to have Vanessa at an Oscar ceremony, bringing back the glamour and prestige.
R314 Meryl wants the nominations, and as in the case of last year, watch your back if you're in danger of cutting her out of the list.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
R317  Oscar buffs believe that it wasn't a tie. BS was added.
Well, it happens in politics; so why not mess with the Oscars? If you read, 'TIS HERSELF, the autobiography of Maureen O'Hara, you'll find out that director, John Ford, did.
Weren't you suspicious why "Brokeback Mountain" won so many BEST PICTURE awards from red and blue states, as well as overseas, (I heard it was over 90), then lost to a critically-bashed movie, like "Crash"?
Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, Woody Allen and others zeroed in on the premise that The Oscars is a POPULARITY CONTEST!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 326
01/15/2015
[quote]Actually it got Best Song too and it will win even though it's totally forgettable. They snubbed Sia's "Opportunity" from "Annie" which was nominated by the GG's.
I'm not so sure "Selma"s win is in the bag; the surprise nomination of Glenn Campbell's very moving Alzheimer's song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" could be the game-changer.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 327
01/15/2015
A Marion spoiler would be interesting! Everyone keeps saying Julianne is due. Imagine all the Moore fangurls losing their shit the day after!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 328
01/15/2015
I'm going to imagine that Julianne Moore's nom is for Maps to the Stars so that I can really get behind her and root for her.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Go back under your bridge, r342.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 343
01/15/2015
R325 did you even watch FOXCATCHER? Why would Redgrave be nominated? For being wheeled in and out of a couple scenes? She has about 3 minutes of screen time. In two short scenes she says absolutely nothing. In her longest scene, she has a discussion/minor argument with her son (played by Carrell) that lasts about two minutes. Then she dies off-screen and we never see her again.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 344
01/15/2015
I am thrilled that Laura Dern was nominated. She was great in Wild and got more votes than Jessica Stain, who was left out.
Streep is indeed powerful and well loved by the Academy, but I don't think Nightcrawler (or whatever it's called) is an Oscar movie.
Russo was always a longshot, and so was Redgrave (she is barely in Foxcatcher and it's not much of a performance).
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 345
01/15/2015
Nice bone thrown at Nightcrawler's screenplay. Except the intertwined menace and humor, diabolical and preternatural soullessness aren't on paper but in Jake G's performance. He's Night of the Demon personified, and rapes/kills through verbal subtext and one "actressing" scene with a mirror! An avant-garde performance that wouldn't be out of place in an anarchic ATG Japanese new wave indie. So Du Pont over Lou Bloom? Any criticism that can be leveled at Jake works tenfold on Carrell+prosthetic.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 346
01/15/2015
Oh, gee. An opportunity for yet [italic]another[/italic] race-baiting, "Let's trash blacks" thread. The Oscars may be unpredictable, yet this theme certainly isn't.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
My post was a reply to 344
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 350
01/15/2015
R349 don't exaggerate. AnnE had about 15-20 minutes of screen time and she was the focus for a bit with five songs in succession-- "At the End of the Day," "Lovely Ladies," "I Dreamed a Dream," "Fantine's Arrest," "Fantine's Death: Come to Me" -- not to mention she is featured in the "Finale", too.
Redgrave only had 3 minutes of screen time. In her first scene, she is seen from afar petting one of her treasured horses. The scene lasts about 10 seconds. The second scene she has a discussion with her son, which lasts about 2 minutes. In her third and last scene, she is wheeled into the gym to observe, doesn't say anything, and then promptly leaves after a minute.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Redgrave looked sickly when she was on Call The Midwife.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 353
01/15/2015
2014's best picture nominees are almost as shitty as 2013's. What a horrid crop of movies if these are the best they can come up with. Jeez! I'm going back to reading the classics. Fuck Hollywood right in its cooter!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 355
01/15/2015
351 Fuck, I just remember her singing that one song and I don't remember her in the finale.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 356
01/15/2015
So glad "Finding Vivian Maier" was nominated.  I saw the documentary on Showtime the other day, and I find it fascinating to say the least.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 357
01/15/2015
Foxcatcher isn't one of my favorite films of the year, but Miller's direction is first rate.  Shame Tatum wasn't under consideration--his performance was a thousand times more interesting than Ruffalo, and about as skilled as Carell's.  Great he was nominated over Eastwood.
I hated American Sniper, but I think Bradley did what he could with the part, short of blowing every voter for votes.  Jake deserved a nomination, as did Oyelowo (easily the best thing about Selma), but I'm much more pissed about American Sniper's other nominations than Brad's.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 358
01/15/2015
[R314] I doubt if Meryl Streep could do it or would do it even if she could.  She's part of a movie, and I don't think producers would take kindly to her dropping out and lessening their number of nominations. They use it in their advertising.
Secondly, if she withdrew her name from Oscar contention, everyone would always look on the actual winner and think, well, Meryl Streep dropped out.  Maybe wouldn't have won otherwise.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Now that Al Sharpton is having a meeting, DL will blame all 'the blacks'.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 362
01/15/2015
I don't think you can refuse a nomination even if you wanted to. George C. Scott was nominated four times and each time he refused the nominations and even wrote to the Academy to get them to remove his name, stating that he didn't see himself in competition with other actors, but they refused and he even won one time (for PATTON).
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 363
01/15/2015
Poser of the Streep question here, and adding to those who responded. I'd sooner remove Emma Stone, who did nothing special in Birdman before I knocked off Streep.  Stone is a middling actress who, in her one bravura scene (which was basically her championing the internet) sounded as though she were reading a shopping list.  As "just fine, nothing special" as Streep was in ITW, I would dump Stone well before her.
Also wasn't terribly impressed with Knightley, though I'd probably choose her over Streep.
Redgrave may have been award-worthy in the 4-hour cut of Foxcatcher no one saw, but in the actual release, as others have pointed out, she was akin to a prop.
I'd personally dump Streep and Stone for Carrie Coon and Kim Dickens of Gone Girl, and possibly Knightley for either Viola Davis in Get on Up or maybe Watts.  I haven't seen Boyhood or Wild yet, so I can't comment on those two.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
[bold]HOW COULD YOU BITCHES IGNORE THE MOST IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT???[/bold]
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs mispronounced cinematographer Dick Pope's name as "Dick Poop".
In related news, "Dick Poop" is currently trending on Twitter.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 366
01/15/2015
R359, it's silly to blame Meryl for getting nominated.  However, it's fair to blame critics for their endless over praise of her phoned in performances.  In my opinion the attention she gets has less to do with her often mediocre acting than with the critics' own egos.  I think this blogger has it right.
[quote]All I see when I watch her is accent and gears turning.  I never for a moment feel anything for the character, only awe that the actress has such technique.  And those machinations have gotten creakier or been reduced.
Simply put I have yet to see a performance of hers (especially the nominated ones) where I can't find someone in the same year who did it better; someone who buried the technique and does not allow the audience to see it, but instead lets the audience see the character (THE CHARACTER, NOT THE ACTRESS) thinking and feeling.
My explanantion for her success is simply this: critics hate to be wrong.  They were bamboozeled in the late 70's with the prestige of Yale Drama school and the patronage of Joe Papp (the head of the New York Shakespeare Festival) into believing the hype and they can't back down.   Like the court in the fairy tale, no one dare say the truth.  And if one does, no one will admit it's the truth for risk of looking stupid.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 367
01/15/2015
R363  Scott did not decline the nomination for "Anatomy of a Murder," nor, IIRC, did he bother doing so for "The Hospital," since the Academy ignored his gesture the previous year.  In fact, I think I remember reading that some later year he even asked for a pair of tickets to the ceremony, because his then-wife, Trish Van Devere had never been and wanted to go.
I remember what a "scandal" it seemed at the time of "Patton," and now it just seems silly and pretentious.  If you don't want to endorse such things, don't go.  The Academy is nominating your performance not your moral character.  It's fine to say that you think competitive awards in the arts are silly and meaningless and you have every right to say so, but to "officially" refuse it seems rather pompous to me.Just like Brando's ridiculous deal with "The Godfather"--he was refusing to accept the award because of the treatment of Native Americans by Hollywood and the United States?  There's a logical gap in the train of thought.  One has nothing to do with the other.  If he had said, I don't think I wanna come to your party because I realize how poorly you've treated the First People of the land, that's okay--but then just don't show.  Don't send someone to lecture people on social injustices--even if she was a Social Justice Warrior Princess.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 368
01/15/2015
I think her work in Ironweed, One True Thing, The Hours (for which she should have been nominated over Kidman), and The Devil Wears Prada is peerless.  In the case of Ironweed, her character is supposed to be "in performance," trying to maintain her self-image as a society lady while giving hand jobs for a night in a car.  And who among us can't connect with the reality of that?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 369
01/15/2015
A lot of posters seem to think the race for Best Picture is between "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Birdman", but I wonder if:
Given the age, conservative ethic, etc., of the Academy, I wouldn't be surprised if Best Picture goes to "American Sniper."
You heard it here first, folks...
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Not without a Best Director nomination, no
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]Not without a Best Director nomination, no
Another propaganda film (ARGO) won Best Picture without a Best Director nod. I think R370 may be right.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 373
01/15/2015
No way is Birdman winning BP either. Maybe the SAGs equivalent. It's probably between GBH and Boyhood.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 374
01/15/2015
But Argo won mostly because of a surge of support behind Affleck, who many felt was snubbed for Best Director. It was not a strong contender pre-nominations.   I'm pretty sure no one has questioned the absence of Eastwood's name in the Best Director category.  You'd have to go back to Driving Miss Daisy to find a pure example of this.
If you're going to go by that example, then say hello to the 2014 Best Picture of the Year- Selma
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 375
01/15/2015
Birdman is too weird for Best Picture.  Too many shots of people's backs.  Too much about the industry.
Grand Budapest Hotel is too twee for BP.  Too pink.  Too doll house.  The themes are unimportant.
Hence, Boyhood wins by default.  It's daring, original and the theme of growing up in divorce has been considered important ever since Kramer vs Kramer.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 376
01/15/2015
[R359] Strange because in The Devil Wears Prada I saw those gears turning like crazy. To me her acting choices are always so obvious.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
He was amazing in Nightcrawler!  This year is such a snoozer.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 379
01/15/2015
[quote]A lot of posters seem to think the race for Best Picture is between "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Birdman"
WTF?  Which posters?  It is blatantly obvious to everyone that Boyhood is the front-runner.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 380
01/15/2015
Peerless?  Give me a break.  She did a fine job in Prada, but she was no better than countless other stars having a fun time in a popcorn movie who would not have gotten nominated for that.  Nicholson didn't get nominated for his Joker in Batman, and that was a more iconic and fascinating star turn in a popcorn flick than what Streep did in Prada.
She was fun to watch, but in the same way a well cast James Bond villain is fun.  She was simply an entertaining cartoon.  Her character had no depth, it was all surface.  And your Ironweed defence doesn't work either, because she's almost always recognizably "in performance," irrespective of what the script is.  That mechanical, gears turning trait that blogger notes is present in the majority of her movies.
Even her accent work, though skilfully done, doesn't really deserve the hype.  Someone up thread mocked Cotillard for boasting about her accent work, but if she managed to nail a precise regional accent rather than some all purpose French accent, why shouldn't she get credit?  Critics can never shut up about Streeps proficiency with accents, it's worth pointing out the truth that more often than not, good actors do manage to do that part of their jobs well.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 381
01/15/2015
Streep's work in Woods is her best in years. She didn't deserve her nominations for Margaret Thatcher, August and some other roles, but she deserves this one.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 382
01/15/2015
With $59 million, Grand Budapest Hotel has the biggest North American box office total (so far) for this batch of Best Picture nominees.
American Sniper will likely take that title after a few weeks in wide release.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 383
01/15/2015
And there are actors and actresses who do good work and are rarely, if ever, recognized by the Academy.
Botton line is that they could have taken a year off from Streep.  Streep has three and will no doubt score a couple of more Oscar nominations.  It wouldn't have been a royal snub to give the slot to another worthy candidate this time.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 384
01/15/2015
[quote]With $59 million, Grand Budapest Hotel has the biggest North American box office total (so far)
Since it's already out on DVD and on cable, I don't think it will be adding to its total.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 385
01/15/2015
Why arer you little ladies so obsessed over this annual awards show, when you claim everything is biased and politically motivated?
But then this is Data lounge, where obsessed fans don't know when to just call it a day, and left go.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 386
01/15/2015
[quote]She did a fine job in Prada, but she was no better than countless other stars having a fun time in a popcorn movie who would not have gotten nominated for that.
[quote]She was fun to watch, but in the same way a well cast James Bond villain is fun. She was simply an entertaining cartoon. Her character had no depth, it was all surface
First of all, Streep was in the wrong category. Her character was clearly supporting. Even though Streep has top billing and is the title character, the movie only has one lead. AnnE is in pretty much every frame and the story is told through her eyes. Streep is never on screen unless AnnE is present, and there are stretches where Streep is forgotten 'cause the movie focuses on AnnE's character's private life. We never see Miranda's private life. The one time we see her at home is when Andy goes to drop off something and catches Miranda and her husband arguing. Like us, Andy doesn't know what's going on and doesn't find out until later in the film when Miranda opens up about her impending divorce. If Miranda had been played by a lesser known actress, she would have been campaigned in supporting. But since it's Streep, she was put inexplicably in Lead.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Jennifer Aniston missed out on a nomination because, apparently no one can spell her name properly.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 388
01/15/2015
[quote]Botton line is that they could have taken a year off from Streep. Streep has three and will no doubt score a couple of more Oscar nominations. It wouldn't have been a royal snub to give the slot to another worthy candidate this time.
It's insane that Streep has racked up six nominations in 8 years:
[quote]2006: Best Actress, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA [quote]2008: Best Actress, DOUBT [quote]2009: Best Actress, JULIE & JULIA [quote]2011: Best Actress, THE IRON LADY **WINNER** [quote]2013: Best Actress, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY [quote]2014: Best Supporting Actress, INTO THE WOODS
With the exception of 2007, 2010, and 2012, it's been a nomination a year.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 389
01/15/2015
No sympathy for Ava nor her film.  Non WGA script which is weird weird weird for a big American project.  (Forgivable for a foreign one ala Almodovar, of course).  Plus she had no issue bleating this fact in press interviews -- then had the nerve to bitch about her writer and how she couldn't be credited for all her rewrites.
WGA could've done a credit Arbitration but no.  Non union.  And probably not smart when screenwriters nominate screenwriters and vote for the rest.
Part of me was rooting for her to make film history here but maybe she is getting what she deserved.  The whole non-WGA thing made it feel like a homespun student film.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
No Jessica Shitstain!  Praise God.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 393
01/15/2015
Writers Guild of America is the screenwriters union in Hollywood and, like the DGA, we can shut the town down overnight if we go on strike.  :)  For whatever reason (an amateur decision really), she chose not to be a signatory -- which is weird since it isn't that hard.  (Tyler Perry, asshole, won't either so his writers work for nothing... and are scabs, to boot).
She was ineligible for WGA Awards as a result.  One more place "Selma" lost traction.  It just feels... non-pro at best, a weird "Fuck you" at worst.  WGA writers take that shit seriously.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 394
01/15/2015
and not a single good movie amongst them, R389.  Unless ITW is head and shoulders above the others.
The ampas love affair with Streep is becoming ridiculous.  So many noms, so few films of any real lasting impact or importance.  She really is the most overrated actress alive.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Truthful movie posters (Oscar edition):
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 396
01/15/2015
Prada is the one Streep should have won for. It's the last one where she had any finesse in her performance.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 397
01/15/2015
I thought Birdman had some good performances but it just wasn't that great of a movie. I am going to see Whiplash this weekend.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 398
01/15/2015
[quote]Prada is the one Streep should have won for. It's the last one where she had any finesse in her performance.
No, that Oscar belonged to Mirren.  Mirren deserved her victory that year.
The brutal truth is that, despite the ludicrous hype and overpraise, Streep shouldn't even be a three time winner.  Even at her peak she was overrated, but she hasn't been consistently good in decades.  Though the fawning critics and Oscar voters can't bring themselves to admit it, she's way past her prime and among actresses of a certain age, others of her generation like Mirren or Spacek are much more likely to deliver a strong and worthy performance on the rare occasions they get a part worthy of their abilities.  Neither one would have butchered those parts in August or Doubt like the ham fisted Streep did.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 399
01/15/2015
R399, or arguably Judi Dench.  There's somebody who has a command of the screen that would blow Meryl off the screen.  So much charisma and presence.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 400
01/15/2015
I thought Streep was wonderful in Doubt, and she was my pick (albeit in a weak year).  And though I'm a fan, I would not have nominated her for anything she's done since then.  I wish she'd have won for Doubt instead of The Iron Lady.  But then we'd still be stuck with Winslet begging for an Oscar.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 401
01/15/2015
I am so fucking sick of Meryl Streep getting Oscar nominations.  This is totally ridiculous and unprecedented and undeserving.
When Jack Nicholson now has 7 fewer nominations, something is totally wrong....he's been in many more classics in films people will watch forever.
Why is there no criticism of this by writers, bloggers, even actresses in the Academy? Someone with nothing to lose speak up!!...new faces can't break through (Adele and Julia Louis-Dreyfus last year), Meryl's contemporaries are pushed aside to arguments that she's the greatest of all time.
In all seriousness, Meryl should have 10-12 noms: Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, French Lieutenant, Sophie's Choice, Silkwood, Out of Africa, Postcards from the Edge, Bridges of Madison County, One True Thing, Adaptation, and Devil Wears Prada.
What a joke!
reply 402
01/15/2015
my favorite Streep performance was in Angels in America. Though I thought she was good in Sophie's Choice, Prada and The River Wild.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 403
01/15/2015
Other than his role on OZ, J.K. Simmons is probably best known for those Farmers Insurance commercials these days.  Has there ever been an actor to win a GG (and be a front-runner for an Oscar) when he's known for being the spokesman in a commercial?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
No R404, JK is best known as J Jonah Jameson in Raimi's Spider-Man by far
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 406
01/15/2015
Oh, OK R406.  I've no interest in the SM films and haven't seen any of them, so I didn't know.  He also played Coop's father in "Limitless", I believe.  He's a good actor.  His portrayal of a white supremacist/rapist/sociopath in OZ was disturbingly realistic.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 407
01/15/2015
R401, you're entitled to your opinion, of course, but I wish people would take the rose coloured glasses off when it comes to Streep.  Really LOOK closely,at what she's doing in a movie like Doubt.
In her final scene in Doubt, Streep has to break down and cry.  A real heart wrenching sobbing loss of control.  This is the climactic moment where everything comes together.
And she fails miserably to pull off the moment!  She simply can't do what's needed!  Watch her face closely.  She,can't even cry convincingly!  Even her tears look fake.  She merely mimics crying instead of actually crying.  She can't even cry without "crying," crying in quotation marks!  She fake sobs like a dinner theatre actress instead of authentically sobbing.
Watch her face carefully and you can clearly see her simulating, mimicking a breakdown instead of embodying it viscerally the way a truly great actress would:
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 408
01/15/2015
Simmons was also in the first Spiderman movies.  His character would have made the newer ones somewhat interesting or at least liven them up a bit.  He was great on L&O as the police psychiatrist.
He is one of the few actors where even if the project around them is terrible, they are still good.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 409
01/15/2015
Agree on Meryl, they should spread the wealth! There's no reason they couldn't have thrown poor Rene Russo a bone for supporting actress this year.
We need a Meryl break!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Bradley Cooper has zero chance of winning. Keaton is a near lock.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 415
01/15/2015
As was explained on BBC News, Redmayne and Cumberbatch will cancel each other out, leaving the Academy to vote for Michael Keaton (in the Hollywood tradition, he has paid his dues).
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 416
01/15/2015
Judi Dench got a nomination for Philomena. I watched the other night. Three quarters of her performance is looking wistful. Not Oscar-worthy.
[quote]Watch her face carefully and you can clearly see her simulating, mimicking a breakdown instead of embodying it viscerally the way a truly great actress would:
Maybe we all see what we want to see. I don't agree with you at all.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Foreign movie with a Jewish theme will win.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]Bradley would prefer to win a Tony in June, which he will.
I actually told him I think he'll win the Tony when I met him after the show last month and he was pretty gracious and self-effacing about it.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]As was explained on BBC News, Redmayne and Cumberbatch will cancel each other out,
No, they simply won't beat Keaton regardless of their nationality.  It has nothing to do with a Brit v American thing.  It's simply Keaton's year, is all.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Aren't you forgetting "The Fisher's"?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 433
01/15/2015
[quote]Maybe we all see what we want to see. I don't agree with you at all.
I guess that is the problem, and that accounts for the gulf between Meryl worshippers and those of us who find her mechanical and mannered.  To me, it was immediately evident that she was merely simulating, not incarnating, the emotions.
I must admit I find it astounding that anyone at all could watch that scene and be deeply moved by it, or consider it any kind of pinnacle of quality acting.  She quite simply isn't genuinely crying in that scene, rather, she is "crying."  There isn't one authentic, deeply felt gesture or facial expression in that entire sequence.
It's a textbook example of her consistent inability or unwillingness to immerse herself in her characters.  She acts over them instead of through them.
She fakes and click click clicks her way through the character's breakdown instead of credibly and movingly embodying it.  And her delivery of the line, "I have such doubts," is awful and amateurish.
Contrast that to a scene like the climax of Remains of the Day, where Emma Thompson is weeping as she says farewell to Hopkins for the last time.  Thompson doesn't merely simulate weeping, she WEEPS!  Or Maggie Smith as Judith Hearne, crying softly to herself as she pours herself another drink to ease her pain.
Meryl almost always needs to act the acting, instead of just acting.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Wild Tales sounds kind of interesting
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
[quote]"American Sniper" made Joe Biden cry.
Of course, it did.  It was tailor-made for old white men.  You know, the typical Oscar voter.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 443
01/15/2015
Oh thank goodness there are posters sick of Streep. I agree with he earlier post comparing her to Greer Garson.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/15/2015
I hope to heaven Bradley Cooper won't win.
It was so stupid that out of nowhere American Sniper was nominated. I felt like I was punched in the gut by the right wing.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 445
01/15/2015
Were there even any good American movies in 2014, including obscure indies? I can't think of any.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 446
01/15/2015
I think when all is said and done, the only thing anyone will remember from this year will be the brilliantly funny Annabelle.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Jessica CHastain for president. What a speech! Seriously.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 451
01/16/2015
R445 AMERICAN SNIPER's nominations were not "out of nowhere." It got BAFTA nods for Screenplay and Sound, AFI picked it as the movie of the year, National BOard of Review gave it Best Director and picked it as one of the top ten movies of the year, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) nominated it for best theatrical motion picture, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) nominated for outstanding directing, and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) nominated it for Adapted Screenplay.
Thus, it had a lot of support from the guilds.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
R454 they didn't send out screener in time.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 456
01/16/2015
I don't think there's any way that Redmayne is beating Keaton, and if we're going with Keaton being this year's Rourke then the battle is between Cumberbatch and Cooper. Scary stuff.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 457
01/16/2015
I've watched both Boyhood and Into the Woods. Meryl certainly deserves the nomination, but I think Patricia is going to win.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 458
01/16/2015
[R434] I saw Cherry Jones do Doubt on Broadway and as far as I'm concerned, Streep couldn't touch her.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Wow, I was only joking, but I guess I called it.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 460
01/16/2015
Bradley would prefer the Tony? He's a famewhore, he wants ALL the awards. I'm actually kind of scared he might win this year. Unless someone does a good job with a smear campaign to ruin his and the film's chances similar to what happened with Zero Dark Thirty.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 461
01/16/2015
R451 She really made a fool out of herself with that speech.  She had to google "MVP" because she's "never been a jock"?  Oh.my.god.  Could this woman be MORE inauthentic?  Oh, then she visibly starts shaking when she tries to make a big political statement.  This woman tries even harder than Hathaway, something I thought I'd never see.  MVP of Film my ass.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 462
01/16/2015
I'm just thrilled that Gone Girl was totally denied, along with Jessica Chastain. AMPAS finally seems to be waking up to the fact that she's a completely bland, charisma, and charm-free actress.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Gone Girl wasn't "totally denied", Rosamund Pike got a nomination. That counts.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 464
01/16/2015
[quote]I'd personally dump Streep and Stone for Carrie Coon and Kim Dickens of Gone Girl, and possibly Knightley for either Viola Davis in Get on Up or maybe Watts. I haven't seen Boyhood or Wild yet, so I can't comment on those two.
I'd agree with this, although I liked Stone's performance. I thought Coon was a bit of a cipher (which mostly seemed like a failure of the material,) but was surprised by how well Dickens came off. She's done great work on shows like Treme, and she deserves to be seen more. She's underrated. Watts was overlooked for two exceptional performances. It's really too bad that the heat of her career has been waning in the past few years even though she's been doing truly exceptional work.
I don't get the Knightley hate. She can be wonderful.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Not many films nominated that the general public has seen or has had access to.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 466
01/16/2015
Going by the Critics' Choice Awards Moore, Keaton, Arquette and Simmons and Boyhood(BP) are locks for the Oscars. So, while the Oscars might have some fun with the nominations, they'll always bore you with their predictable wins.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 467
01/16/2015
I think Aniston would've stood a much better chance if her film had managed to get a release from a proper distributor and done more than a minimal qualifying release. The whole self-distribution thing only coming to cinemas after the nominations are announced, etc. - it just veers too close to Sally Kirkland territory. Despite the quality of Anistom's performance it just reeks too much of vanity project.
She did well to be in the mix and snagging GG and SAG nominations. People will think of her differently going forward. But even that face she made at the GGs when her name was called out said "I don't really belong here."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 468
01/16/2015
R464, the nomination confirms that Pike is a good actress stuck in a farrago of a film. It says "She deserves better than this."
That anyone thinks Flynn was deserving of a writing nomination is ludicrous with all that 1st, 2nd and 3rd act trouble.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 469
01/16/2015
I love Peter Bradshaw's review of American Sniper in The Guardian: "Worringly dull celebration of a killer."
Clint always has the entire Warner Bros. voting block behind him. That's why it cleaned up.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Knightley IS wonderful and she deserved her nod she's better than Stone who I also liked.
Watts' character in Birdman is forgotten the last half of movie...
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 475
01/16/2015
I don't disagree about Gone Girl not being good, I was just pointing out that her nomination(and I also agree that it's undeserved even though I do like her) does mean the film is represented.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/16/2015
R-461 obviously doesn't know the definition of the word "prefer".
Comparing Jessica Chastain to Anne Hathaway is accurate, both equally phony. Anyone who saw Chastain on Broadway in The Heiress left the theatre disappointed.
"Gone Girl" was a good summer popcorn movie, no one expected it to garner awards.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 477
01/16/2015
I have a friend who works for Entertainment Tonight who says all those young actresses are jerks with the exception of Jessica Chastain.  While she may be considered not a great actress, she's the only genuinely nice one.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 478
01/16/2015
This has been discussed a hundred times, but watching Chastain at the Critics' Circle last night, ALL I could think was, how MUCH she looks like Ron Howard! (Also being honored; interesting..)  Sister?!  Daughter?!  ("My sister - my daughter"!  - "My sister - my daughter"!
(Apologies to "Chinatown"!)
reply 479
01/16/2015
R476, you obviously haven't visited the IMDb boards, not that I'm suggesting you should. But there are plenty of people who thought it was going to clean up with nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress and a slew of Supporting noms for everyone ftom Tyler Perry to Carrie Coon to Missy Pyle.
I'll bet the producers are pissed not only about Best Picture but also being snubbed for any technical awards.
I thought it was a pike of sheep dung so I don't care. Would've preferred to see Anuston nominated over Pike.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
I loathe almost every movie Eastwood has ever made. I doubt this will be different.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 481
01/16/2015
I actually saw Cake, and without a doubt I thought Jen was a shoe-in for a nomination.  It's a wonderful performance.  Not sure what happened.  I can only think that the movie was too far under the radar to start nabbing nominations right before they are announced.
Another possibility it that the movie itself wasn't liked.  It's not a great movie.  Jen's performance IS great (really, I swear), but the movie has serious flaws.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Black people should be honored they're not included in this shit-fest. Lame years for movies.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 486
01/16/2015
Bullshit r477, it's been talked about since before it came out as a leading awards contender. It's starring Ben Affleck, a major star and double Oscar winner, is from a very bestselling book, and is directed by Fincher. It was expected to pick up noms and be serious contenders for BP, BD, both actor, actress, at least one supporting nod, and best adapted screenplay, amongst others. It was denied all but one, and she has no chance.
The revisionist history here... Lol.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Oh, Jesus, R399/R408, we fucking get it. You don't like Streep.
You seem a little over-invested in all this.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 499
01/16/2015
R408 is also full of projecting his own drama when it comes to Doubt.  There is nothing in the play or the script that requires Sister Aloysius to break down sobbing.
On the contrary, it's about a woman is wound extremely tightly, so when she cracks, trembing, starting to cry, feebly saying that she has "doubt" as if she can barely speak, it's the smallness of her, the fragility of it that is so much more gutting.
I prefer Cherry Jones' convinction and steady power to Streep's whirling vengeful nun.  You believed Jones was formidable, devout, and would not lose, so when she's left this shell of a person with her doubt it was awe-inspiring.  But if Streep had broken down sobbing it would've been way too much.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 501
01/16/2015
Did anyone actually like Whiplash? I found it deeply tiresome and completely lacking in credibility. JK Simmons made a meal out of a few awkward crumbs of a role. It was like watching an exchange between two people without any real context. I couldn't hear whether tempos were fast or dragging or whatever - that just went on forever. The whole film was just one long sucker punch, I couldn't engage with it at all. Strictly one for jazz drummers, I'd say.
And people say Birdman is overrated.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 502
01/16/2015
"...On the contrary, it's about a woman is wound extremely tightly, so when she cracks, trembing, starting to cry..."
Um,...
01/16/2015
Agree that Cherry Jones was much better in the DOUBT role than Streep.
Nominating Streep has become reflexive on the part of the Academy, thought I'm sure her "people" are working hard so that she can get another notch on her bedpost.
"Did anyone actually like Whiplash?"
I thought Teller and Simmons were both stellar, and the film was an interesting depiction of two egotistical, driven characters butting heads (to put it mildly).  Neither character is what you'd call sympathetic.
Simmons character was like a more loud, aggressive version of John Houseman's character in THE PAPER CHASE, really. Or like a quasi-abusive athletic coach who is tolerated by the school because he wins competitions.
But the script lacked credibility at times, particularly the last part at Carnegie Hall (there's no way someone like Simmmons' character would risk public derision by setting up Teller's character like that).
Performing arts schools can be pretty brutal.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 505
01/16/2015
BIRDMAN is set in a Broadway theater with actors rehearsing a play.  Hardly what I'd call "Hollywood-insider."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 506
01/16/2015
You're right, R504.  A friend of mine in SF is an actor (mainly theater; very occasionally small, indy films; nothing anyone has probably seen.) He LOVED "Birdman", but 3 female friends of his, and their husbands-boyfriends, all nice people who like films: HATED "Birdman."  I'd have to read what the $$$ gross is, though - anyone know?  TIA.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 507
01/16/2015
[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 508
01/16/2015
[quote] Al Sharpton is considering mounting a protest at the Oscar ceremony due to no black nominees.
I don't get this.  Common and John Legend are both black. Oprah is black.  There's an African movie nominated for Best Foreign Film whose filmmaker is of color.  One can whine that there aren't "enough" nominees of color but to say that none were nominated is utter bullshit.  And Sharpton isn't the only one saying this, it's rampant on social media and places like Vox, et al.  Not only is it untrue but it's a slap in the face to those who did score nominations.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 509
01/16/2015
"The shortlist has been the subject of some criticism after it was noted that, for the second time this century, every single actor in the Academy’s four categories is white."
So twice in 15 years there have been no acting nominees of color. Twice.
Everyone complaining needs to shut up immediately.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
The Academy chose to award a right wing redneck propaganda shit flick.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/16/2015
"I prefer Cherry Jones' convinction and steady power to Streep's whirling vengeful nun."
Yes indeed. Truly one of the best evenings I have ever spent in the theater. I am so glad I saw it twice.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/16/2015
Sharpton has always has a hard time connecting dots.
When the vast majority of funding and the entirety of crews are composed of reasonably well-off white people as input, what, exactly, does he expect for output?
In the 90's many POC understood this and sought funding/interest from their various communities. Just ask even that dumbass Tyler Perry.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
[quote]Crappy Black Annie of course didn't deserve any nomination for acting.
We disagree.
reply 517
01/16/2015
R501, it would help if Streep loons like yourself addressed my actual complant, instead of inventing imaginary objections and attacking straw men of their own devising.
My complaint has nothing to do with Streep not going big enough or weeping dramatically enough.  God knows, Streep is so rarely capable of subtlety or understatement I could only welcome it when it's there.
My actual complaint is that she simulates and mimics instead of channelling the actual emotion, as Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson did at pivotal moments in their movies.  She's an expert mimic, but she is mimicking rather than embodying and incarnating grief and sadness.
And other people agreed with me.  As another poster mentioned, the scene should be painful and moving, as those scenes in Judith Hearne or Remains of the Day are.  But it isn't.  And the reason it isn't is because Streep mimics or synthesizes her characters breakdown instead of allowing it to be viscerally represented.
It isn't my private peeve or quirk.  Even admiring Streep fans have noticed her inability to cry convincingly onscreen:
by Simon Halls Squirrel
"Al Sharpton is considering mounting a protest at the Oscar ceremony due to no black nominees."
In response, the Academy is considering having Tawana Brawley present the Oscar for Best Picture.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 523
01/16/2015
The brother of a friend of mine was dating one of Meryl's daughters a while back and he got to know Meryl somewhat well. "The Devil Wears Prada" was then in release and my friend's brother mentioned to Meryl that he'd just seen it. Meryl asked him what he thought of Anne Hathaway in the movie and my friend's brother said he thought she did a good job. Meryl looked at him and said, "Really? I thought she brought nothing to the role.".
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Oh shit the director and producer of a the snubbed FORCE MAJEURE lol Mary!!
Staged? yeah right!
reply 529
01/17/2015
Vulture assesses all of Streep's Oscar nominations, concluding that 10 were "well-deserved" (including the current one for INTO THE WOODS), 6 were "sure, why not," and 3 were "just because it's Meryl" (or basically undeserved):
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 530
01/17/2015
According to the betting agencies, the only close race is for Best Actor, between Keating (paying $1.64) and Redmayne (paying $1.91).  (Odds are from Sportsbet, listing the amount you win for each $1 wagered, but other agencies are similar)
The rest are shoo-ins according to the bookmakers - Moore for Best Actress at $1.05 (Reese is next paying $10.00, Marion is way off at $21.00), Arquette ($1.04, followed by Stone at $15.00), Simmons is also at $1.04 (followed by Norton at $11.00), Linklater at $1.06, Boyhood at $1.06.
Sure, bookmakers know fuck all about films, but since they have to pay out cash to the winners, they usually research these things pretty well.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 531
01/17/2015
They probably had a good reason to cry. Maybe  there Dad's had told them they would win?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 532
01/17/2015
[quote]Pride was overlooked but you'll never hear the barrage of "the Academy is homophobic" in the way the blacks will scream.
As I recall, there were many accusations of homophobia against the Academy from gays when "Brokeback Mountain" lost Best Picture to "Crash" (and rightly so in my opinion).
[quote]Bradley Cooper better enjoy it. His nomination is an embarrassment and he'll never be nominated again.
I agree.  And what's worse, check this out:
[quote]The nomination places Cooper in the company of some of Hollywood's greatest thespians to earn three acting nominations in consecutive years:  Spencer Tracy (1936-1938), Gary Cooper (1941-1943), Gregory Peck (1945-1947), Marlon Brando (1951-1954), Richard Burton (1964-1966), Al Pacino (1972-1975), Jack Nicholson (1973-1975), and William Hurt (1985-1987).
There is no way in hell Bradley Cooper belongs on a list with those actors.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Alec Baldwin's baby looks like an 80 yr old man
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 534
01/17/2015
R535, I don't hate Bradley Cooper.  I just saw "Silver Linings Playbook" and in my opinion he absolutely 100% did not deserve a nomination for that film.  He did absolutely nothing remarkable in it and, just like this year, there were other far more deserving actors who lost out on a nomination so that the Hollywood machine could catapult Cooper to an A-list film career.  It's as simple as that.
But hate him?  No.  As an actor, he's perfectly adequate, nothing more, nothing less.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 536
01/17/2015
To each his own, but I thought he was wonderful in SLP, with Jennifer Lawrence's performance the one not worthy of an Oscar nomination.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 537
01/17/2015
Who is Cooper's main competition for Actor of the Moment? Christian Bale? Nope, too busy making stinkers and doing brownface.  Daniel Day-Lewis makes 1 movie per decade.  Everyone else is too busy making action or comic book movies.  Cooper got in with David O. Russell, who knows how to write dialogue to suit actors' strengths and make movies that will get awards attention.  In Russell's last three movies, 11 actors have gotten Oscar nominations and 3 have won. Bradley Cooper is just taking advantage of the lull in male stars.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 539
01/17/2015
Leonardo thought the same thing, R539. So I decided to come out of retirement and show him who's king in Gangs of New York. I ate him alive, in every fucking scene. He was scared more than Paul Dano in the bowling alley. I'd be happy to show Bradley the same courtesy.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
I would've LOVED to have seen DDL in Scorsese's adaptation of Silence that's out next year.
He cast Liam Neeson.
reply 542
01/17/2015
Lol at the thought of Brad Cooper in a movie with DDL. He wouldn't last five minutes.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 543
01/17/2015
Rumour has it that the original Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood quit the film (or was fired) because he was scared shitless of Mr. DDL.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 544
01/17/2015
I just came home from seeing AMERICAN SNIPER at the huge Imax screen theater within the AMC Times Square. The theater was packed.
The audience gave it some mild applause at the end, but according to some Twitter posts, film audiences in Texas and Middle America are reacting as if Jesus raised Chris Kyle from the dead for an in-theater appearance.
More than a few posts mention Obama has called "gay basketball player" Jason Collins a hero.
All of that being said, Bradley did acquit himself very well, and in another year I do not think there would be much grumbling about his nomination. However I now have a visceral hatred toward Bradley Cooper after seeing the film. Jake Gyllenhaal deserved the nomination.
The last word belongs to @HarveyFierstein     ·
Jan 6
"Kind'a shocked watching AMERICAN SNIPER. Haven't seen anything so baldly racist since 1950's Cowboy & Indian movies. We can do better."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/17/2015
I dropped a line
"More than a few posts mention Obama has called "gay basketball player" Jason Collins a hero......but has never mentioned Chris Kyle's name before or since his death."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 546
01/17/2015
Obama also let that innocent Marine rot in a Mexican jail for months without lifting a finger to help release him.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 547
01/17/2015
Well, take it as a "teaching moment". If you think the Pentagon and Hollywood aren't totally in bed together, then this POS propaganda junk about a bloodthirsty, compulsively lying psycho who loved killing might convince you.
When it wins Best Picture out of nowhere.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Meryl's wig in "Devil Wears Prada" reminds me of Jerri Blank. Some fashionista.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 550
01/17/2015
Anyone who thinks that Bradley Cooper is more than moderately talented and that he and Jennifer fucking Lawrence are "real stars" are complete fools. SLP was a mediocre rom-com that wouldn't have received any nominations(except maybe for De Niro) if it hadn't been produced by Harvey Weinstein and if Lawrence wasn't a casting couch whore.
Bradley Cooper will also kiss and eat whoever's ass will get him a bit more fame. In a way he does deserve to be on that list because his famewhoring ways paid off. For his acting, though, absolutely not.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 556
01/17/2015
R551 is Amy Adams, who keeps fucking Harvey for an Oscar and didn't even get a nomination this time. She got the ones that were promised for The Fighter and The Master but not Big Eyes?  That magical fuck just isn't working anymore!!
Michelle Williams had better nomination luck with Harvey vehicles Blue Valentine and My Week with Marilyn, but still no Oscars.  Kate Winslet got one for The Reader after she fucked Harvey.  And who could forget Meryl fucking her way to Oscar #3 for Harvey's film The Iron Lady.
Fucking Harvey Weinstein gets a lot of people ahead, but for some reason, Jennifer Lawrence is the only one who gets called out for it.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 557
01/18/2015
Cannot believe talentless famewhore stone has a nomination.!She must of sucked some pretty special cock for that role.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
No it didn't. Ebert was a buffoon.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 562
01/18/2015
[quote] Pride was overlooked but you'll never hear the barrage of "the Academy is homophobic" in the way the blacks will scream. As I recall, there were many accusations of homophobia against the Academy from gays when "Brokeback Mountain" lost Best Picture to "Crash" (and rightly so in my opinion).
Yes, but there was good reason for that.  If you'll remember, some academy members (Ernest Borgnine in particular) publicly voiced that they were not voting for (or even viewing) Brokeback because it was a "gay film."
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 563
01/19/2015
[quote] The last word belongs to @HarveyFierstein · "Kind'a shocked watching AMERICAN SNIPER. Haven't seen anything so baldly racist since 1950's Cowboy & Indian movies. We can do better."
Fuck Harvey Fierstein.  He lost his right to complain about homophobia the minute he claimed Lola in Kinky Boots wasn't gay because he was afraid of alienating the family crowd and thereby losing money.  He can go fuck himself.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 565
01/19/2015
I'm quite glad Into the Woods has only gotten 1 nomination (and I doubt Meryl will win) so I won't feel the need to see it. It really doesn't look like my cup of tea.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
01/19/2015
SOLUTION!!!!
From this point forward it should be MANDATORY to nominate at least ONE AFRICAN AMERICAN in EACH CATEGORY. Diversity MUST become mandatory or they will keep fucking us over. Oprah was robbed this year. David Oyelowo was fucking robbed this year. Selma was fucking shit on this year by the academy.
It was all retribution for Ferguson. I have stated before that I am done with Hollywood pictures. From now on I will only watch films made by foreign movie makers like Bollywood. Diversity must be FORCED in Hollywood. We cannot sit still for this any longer.
FUCK HOLLYWOOD!!!
Whose dick at the Academy is Cooper sucking?  Meh talent.  Why???
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 571
01/19/2015
Agree R570. I think the actors who are actually talented like Jake and Joaquin don't go around kissing ass and campaigning the way talentless hacks like Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams do.
Unfortunately talent does not always speak for itself. You have to play the politics game to get an Oscar.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 572
01/19/2015
I've never been a huge Jake G. fan, but I agree that he deserved at least a nomination for Nightcrawler. He was phenomenal in it.
The Oscars have always been about politics, campaigning & ass-kissing. Meryl is a good actress but no way did she deserve a nod for Into the Woods. Ditto Cooper for American Sniper. In Hollywood, it's who you know and who you blow!
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 573
01/19/2015
The whole world is like that - it's rare when the good stuff or good people are recognized. It's all asskissing, deals, connections, aggressive sociopaths.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
Jake was also overlooked by the Academy for "Prisoners", in which he was outstanding.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 578
01/19/2015
R575, I can't wait to see who DDL eats next!!  Last time it was the entire Lincoln cast, including Spielby!!
Bradley is following the George Clooney model. Anyone read the Sony hacked emails? He was emailing Amy Pascal every week. No other talent was doing that, not even Angelina Jolie as the Cleopatra talks were going on. Most people would just ignore her emails and she'd bitch to her assistants to keep trying them.  Didn't Clooney win his Oscar and become the first person to go on and on in his speech about how amazing AMAZING the Academy is?? Giamatti was probably thinking, "what a tool!"
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 579
01/19/2015
I don't feel as bad about the Roger Ebert documentary being overlooked as I did about the Joan Rivers documentary being snubbed.
I fear we're going to see toothy Rory Kennedy at the podium next month, holding an Oscar.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 580
01/19/2015
Did you notice that fucking movie, American Sniper was not even nominated?  I hope they won't invite Bradley Cooper to the awards.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 587
01/20/2015
Year of the upsets! American Sniper for BP! Benedict Cumberbatch or Bradley Cooper for Best Actor! Marion Cotillard for Best Actress! Meryl for Best Supporting Actress! Duvall for Supporting Actor! Wes Anderson for Best Director! Tears, moans, and groans all around.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 588
01/21/2015
That would be nice actually, at least a few of them.  Must admit, though I lean to the left, the "American Sniper" stuff is cool to see in terms of how a movie reflects society -- and how what seemed a lock for many like LInklater is now threatened a bit.  All at the 11th hour of awards season.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 589
01/21/2015
[quote] Do we really have to waste an Oscar on Patricia Arquette just in time for her to go star on a lousy CSI cybercrime show on CBS in a few weeks? What a fucking waste of gold plating.
This.  She and Shillinger are the fucking Webster's definition of overrated.  These two belong on a procedural instead of winning Oscars.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 590
01/21/2015
R590 You're out of your element. They're both good actors, and it's unfortunate that Arquette is doing that stupid show and whining about money in interviews, but leave JK Simmons alone.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
American sniper Bradley cooper Julianne Moore Ethan Hawke Patricia Arquette Wes Anderson
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 592
01/21/2015
[quote] You're out of your element. They're both good actors, and it's unfortunate that Arquette is doing that stupid show and whining about money in interviews, but leave JK Simmons alone.
You're slipping.  You forgot to call me a freeper.
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 593
01/21/2015
So, seriously, now... Which one is going to win Best Picture, and why will it get the votes?
by Simon Halls Squirrel
reply 594
01/21/2015
Here's a clue, R594:  if Dean Cain is invited to present the Best Picture Oscar, we'll know what's going to win.
by Simon Halls Squirrel