THE OSCARS: Nominations Are Out, Who Should Win?

[jesse_custer]

He's always drinking somebody's milkshake.

Maybe if you would watch more than one movie of his, you could appear more knowledgeable.

For starters, his work in The Ballad of Jack and Rose, My Left Foot, and Last of the Mohicans is not "drinking someone's milkshake." You're simply letting your distaste of one film drive your critique, which is absurd. By the way, his performance in There Will Be Blood is supposed to be over the top, even comedic.

[Alan Smithee]

You haven't even seen six of his movies.

Actually, I have seen six of his movies, Jesse, but most of them I didn't realize he was in. I thought Geoffrey Rush was in "My Big Toe" and fell asleep during that Hiawatha movie. And I did see "My Beautiful Laundromat" back in the indie/art house days, but I seemed to recall that the guy who was the lead in "The Usual Suspects" was in that. I remember him rolling his Rs pretty dramatically and chewing the scenery in "Gangs of New York," and playing the other lead opposite Tom Cruise in "Knight and Day." I guess he immerses himself so much in his role that I have vague recollections of movies with him but no lasting memory of him in those movies.

[Lancerman]

You're thinking too hard. It's all politics.

Yeah. First it's good to know the voting process. For nominations only Academy members who are directors could vote. Hence Affleck probably got overlooked or they didn't want the pretty boy Hollywood actor in the spot.

[jesse_custer]

Actually, I have seen six of his movies, Jesse, but most of them I didn't realize he was in. I thought Geoffrey Rush was in "My Big Toe" and fell asleep during that Hiawatha movie. And I did see "My Beautiful Laundromat" back in the indie/art house days, but I seemed to recall that the guy who was the lead in "The Usual Suspects" was in that. I remember him rolling his Rs pretty dramatically and chewing the scenery in "Gangs of New York," and playing the other lead opposite Tom Cruise in "Knight and Day." I guess he immerses himself so much in his role that I have vague recollections of movies with him but no lasting memory of him in those movies.

I hope you're entertaining yourself here, because this block of text is just as boring as you find Day-Lewis in, what is it, two movies?

[PretenderNX01]

Oddly, I thought it was going to be Lincoln when Michelle Obama appeared (we hadn't had a surprise win all evening).

I was surprised Christoph Waltz won- don't get me wrong, he's a great actor but there wasn't a lot of buzz around him in particular. Jennifer, Anne and Daniel were all shoe-ins but I didn't guess Supporting Actor.

Skyfall deserved a nom.

Film critic Richard Roeper was on the Tonight Show and mentioned even with expanding it to 9 nominations The Academy still overlooks action movies and said he thought Skyfall deserved a best picture nomination (ans though Dark Knight Rises could have as well). I thought it was funny when Seth said how the Avengers was the most popular movie so it only got one nomination- funnier was how flat the audience was when he said it. Didn't like hearing that.

I just don't understand how you can win best picture, and a best screenplay award, but you can't win best director.
If it's the best movie, and it didn't win best actor or actress, doesn't that mean it had the best director, since he made the best movie? IF it didn't have the best director, best actor, or best actress, how was it the best movie?

I can see how they might say "Best picture overall" but still find individual performances to be stronger but I'm surprised a "Best Picture" doesn't have even a nominated director. Especially when he won like every other director award including from the guilds.

I hope you're entertaining yourself here

He doesn't entertain anyone, any where. I think that's why he posts so often. Ignore it and hope it goes away.

Yeah. First it's good to know the voting process. For nominations only Academy members who are directors could vote. Hence Affleck probably got overlooked or they didn't want the pretty boy Hollywood actor in the spot.

I'm curious how they overlooked/snubbed Katherine Bigelow after making a big deal about how a woman finally won. Then it's like "you got one, stop it".
I haven't seen "Zero Dark Thirty" but I never heard it was a step-down as a director for her. Most critics seemed to think she and Ben were the leaders- maybe it's like "American Idol" and too many voters thought they were safe and so they ended up in the bottom two and went home.

[Kieran_Frost]

I was surprised Christoph Waltz won- don't get me wrong, he's a great actor but there wasn't a lot of buzz around him in particular. Jennifer, Anne and Daniel were all shoe-ins but I didn't guess Supporting Actor.

I wouldn't say Jennifer was a shoe in. It could have been either her's, Emmanuelle's or Jessica's. I actually thought Waltz was a safer bet (Golden Globe and BAFTA win preceding).

Film critic Richard Roeper was on the Tonight Show and mentioned even with expanding it to 9 nominations The Academy still overlooks action movies and said he thought Skyfall deserved a best picture nomination (ans though Dark Knight Rises could have as well). I thought it was funny when Seth said how the Avengers was the most popular movie so it only got one nomination- funnier was how flat the audience was when he said it. Didn't like hearing that.

They didn't much care for Robert Downey Jr's "box office bow" comment, either

Yeah. First it's good to know the voting process. For nominations only Academy members who are directors could vote. Hence Affleck probably got overlooked or they didn't want the pretty boy Hollywood actor in the spot.

I'm curious how they overlooked/snubbed Katherine Bigelow after making a big deal about how a woman finally won. Then it's like "you got one, stop it".
I haven't seen "Zero Dark Thirty" but I never heard it was a step-down as a director for her. Most critics seemed to think she and Ben were the leaders- maybe it's like "American Idol" and too many voters thought they were safe and so they ended up in the bottom two and went home.

THIS! It's the same way Andrew Garfield missed out on a nomination for the Social Network (2010). Everyone thought everyone else was voting for him, so they didn't and "spread the love around", resulting in them not getting nominated.

[Omega Alpha]

You're thinking too hard. It's all politics.

Yes, usually when there's a split it means "We're giving Best Picture to X because of politics and bullshit, but even we are not shameless enough to not award the director of Y".

Crash vs Brokeback Mountain, Chicago vs The Pianist and Shakespeare In Love vs Saving Private Ryan are probably the best examples there.

I was surprised Christoph Waltz won- don't get me wrong, he's a great actor but there wasn't a lot of buzz around him in particular. Jennifer, Anne and Daniel were all shoe-ins but I didn't guess Supporting Actor.

He won the Globes and the BAFTA and the only reason he didn't get a SAG nom- and didn't win- was because Django didn't send screeners on time.

Of course, most "experts" were predicting De Niro despite the fact that he wasn't even nominated for the Globes and the BAFTA (the only nominee to do so) and didn't win jack all year, but that shows how "serious" they are.

I'm curious how they overlooked/snubbed Katherine Bigelow after making a big deal about how a woman finally won. Then it's like "you got one, stop it".
I haven't seen "Zero Dark Thirty" but I never heard it was a step-down as a director for her. Most critics seemed to think she and Ben were the leaders- maybe it's like "American Idol" and too many voters thought they were safe and so they ended up in the bottom two and went home.

Well, her directing is less showy there than it was in THL, so that helped, but she wasn't nominated for politics.

I don't really buy the "they were safe" argument because Spielberg seemed safer than both of them.

As for Affleck, I think directors simply saw through the obvious tricks he uses in the final act, taking every single thriller cliche in the book.

[Omega Alpha]

THIS! It's the same way Andrew Garfield missed out on a nomination for the Social Network (2010). Everyone thought everyone else was voting for him, so they didn't and "spread the love around", resulting in them not getting nominated.

Again, this is non-sense. Garfield missed the SAG and he wasn't the frontrunner to win, so it's ridiculous to assume this.

He didn't get the nom because:

a) Hollywood wasn't crazy about TSN because it wasn't "cute" enough;
b) The Academy doesn't like young attractive males;
c) Justin Timberlake spent like CRAZY in campaigning to give himself a (undeserved) supporting actor nomination, and that certainly took some votes out of Garfield. Arnie Hammer certainly took some as well.

[Alan Smithee]

I hope you're entertaining yourself here, because this block of text is just as boring as you find Day-Lewis in, what is it, two movies?

I am here to amuse only myself, and like your posts quite a lot. But you really need to go on a Three Stooges marathon.

[Siddon]

I just don't understand how you can win best picture, and a best screenplay award, but you can't win best director.
If it's the best movie, and it didn't win best actor or actress, doesn't that mean it had the best director, since he made the best movie? IF it didn't have the best director, best actor, or best actress, how was it the best movie?

He wasn't nominated for best director, I can see how Heanke, Russell, Lee, Behzin, and Lincoln all showed great direction this year but I don't agree with it.

The only two awards I had an issue with were Animated film and Adapted Screenplay. I liked Argo, I'm happy it won best picture and best editing but this year we saw a series of massive successes in adapted screenplay. Cloud Atlas and Perks of being a Wallflower didn't even get nominated and they were award worthy adaptations. Life of Pi was an unfilmable movie and it was adapted and it won the most awards but the most impressive achievement for the film turning the book into a film wasn't awarded.

I didn't like Brave winning I found it to be pandering and weakest of the films and that it just won because it's Pixar.

[dupersuper]

When will I learn to set my DVR to tape whatever comes on after the Oscars so the Oscars - which I barely even want to watch - doesn't get cut off before the last 4 or 5 categories?