Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

ITALIANO wrote:

Sabin wrote:

Precious Doll wrote
It's not just superhero movies. It's all the stuff being made for streaming that is sucking 'talent' from the film industry not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. Actually, the move to streaming by major directors is the biggest concern. Actors are a dime a dozen but quality directors & writers are in much limited supply.

All these sentences give me anxiety.

Yes but maybe, when it comes to America (in Europe it's still a bit different), he's not totally wrong.

That's true, and as a result American 'dominance' in cinema will continue to wain, particularly in Asia & Europe apart from mass marketed product, I mean films. Given that European & Asian cinema don't rely on the English speaking markets to turn a profit, their future will depend to the uptake of streaming in the next few years. Directors from Asia & Europe have largely remained with cinema with a couple of exceptions like Paolo Sorrentino who dipped his toe into the streaming waters with The Young Pope. It's good to see he has a new feature film in post production. I also stumbled across 'news' that Chan-wook Park is making an adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl for TV which will hopefully turn out better than his last foray into an English language production.

Though I think 2017 has been a very disappointing year across the globe for cinema. For some reason it feels like the worst year ever.

Sabin wrote:

Precious Doll wrote
It's not just superhero movies. It's all the stuff being made for streaming that is sucking 'talent' from the film industry not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. Actually, the move to streaming by major directors is the biggest concern. Actors are a dime a dozen but quality directors & writers are in much limited supply.

All these sentences give me anxiety.

Yes but maybe, when it comes to America (in Europe it's still a bit different), he's not totally wrong.

mlrg wrote:I'm baffled by how such an average film as Lady Bird is winning all this awards for best picture

Totally agree with you.

danfrank wrote:I’m happy to see Cynthia Nixon show up somewhere, if only in third place. The performance of the year, in my opinion.

Yes it's clearly the best lead female performance of the year.

Precious Doll wrote
It's not just superhero movies. It's all the stuff being made for streaming that is sucking 'talent' from the film industry not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. Actually, the move to streaming by major directors is the biggest concern. Actors are a dime a dozen but quality directors & writers are in much limited supply.

All these sentences give me anxiety.

Keep in mind that the members of the NSFC who don't live in or near the major media markets may not get to see a film until right before it's national release date.

Sabin wrote: It's the weak competition. First you have to take into account all the movies that never happened because of how many actors are doing superhero films. This has been the case for the last three years. When the big name competition is weak, voters turn to smaller films, they nominate the anchors of Best Picture nominees, or they honor star turns in movies that flopped. This year, the anchors from Best Picture nominees happen to be in smaller films, and the movies that flopped feel practically invisible now.

It's not just superhero movies. It's all the stuff being made for streaming that is sucking 'talent' from the film industry not just in front of the camera but behind it as well. Actually, the move to streaming by major directors is the biggest concern. Actors are a dime a dozen but quality directors & writers are in much limited supply.

flipp525 wrote:Tee, what are you going to see today?

Phantom Thread, about which more, when I get the time/energy.

Though I will say that, for this group to rank Anderson's achievement as (merely) about the same as Gerwig/Peele's (both of whose films I like) is borderline insulting. Phantom Thread is the work of a master.

Full list of winners updated below.

Going into the award's season, did anybody think that 'Lady Bird' would pick up nine major awards from the four major critic's groups? It was pretty much eligible for five awards, right? Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay. It picked up Best Picture awards from the NYFCC and the NSFC. Saoirse Ronan picked up a Best Actress award from the NYFCC. Laurie Metcalf won Best Supporting Actress mentions from the National Board of Review, LAFCAA, and NSFC. Greta Gerwig picked up Best Director awards from the National Board of Review and the NSFC, and now she has a Best Screenplay award from the NSFC. Its poorest showing was at LAFCAA where it only won (or placed) in one category.

Actually, the NSFC is the only organization that hasn't changed. It has kept to its traditional first weekend in January vote while every other group gets earlier and earlier every year.

I think announcing as early as most of these groups do is hurting the few small films that are left to compete. An award bestowed in late November or early December not only enhances the prospects of a film that doesn't open until Christmas or later helps that film, but it also hurts the competition.

They're not going to be talking Monday about who won and lost tomorrow night. They're going to be talking about who looked gorgeous in mourning and the one or two who dared wear something to the fete other than black.

The Original BJ wrote
I know it's long been tradition for this organization to present in the new year, but you do wonder if they'd have more influence if they announced closer to the NY/LA early December dates -- at this point, it sort of just feels like they're rubber stamping narratives already in place.

I'll go one step farther. I think announcing this late in the cycle is silly. One of the reasons why these groups exist is advocacy. They're just fundamentally more relevant before the Golden Globes and SAG nominations.

Big Magilla wrote
Actors and actresses who are often taken for granted when their film comes out early in the year are sometimes remembered more fondly at year end when the anticipated front-runners prove to have clay feet. But why him this year?

It's the weak competition. First you have to take into account all the movies that never happened because of how many actors are doing superhero films. This has been the case for the last three years. When the big name competition is weak, voters turn to smaller films, they nominate the anchors of Best Picture nominees, or they honor star turns in movies that flopped. This year, the anchors from Best Picture nominees happen to be in smaller films, and the movies that flopped feel practically invisible now.

There goes my hypothesis if I can't even count from 1989 through 2017.

Gotta lose this dizzying head cold before I say or do something really crazy!

Big Magilla wrote:London born Kaluuya fits the mold like a glove. At 37, he's certainly no neophyte. He could be the next big thing, so why wait? Did waiting do Joel McCrea, Joseph Cotton or Dana Andrews any good in the old days or Oscar Isaac, Idris Elba or Joseph Gordon-Levitt?

Kaluuya will be 29 in February.

I finally get Daniel Kaluuya.

Actors and actresses who are often taken for granted when their film comes out early in the year are sometimes remembered more fondly at year end when the aniticpated front-runners prove to have clay feet. But why him this year?

Clearly the race is between an acting legend, who needs an acting award like most of us need a fourth meal in the same day, and a hot young star who if if this one wasn't a fluke will have lots more shots at the brass ring. Most voters will pick one of the two, but what about the group that says there must be someone else out there who not only should be considered for an award, but actually needs one to bolster his career? London born Kaluuya fits the mold like a glove. At 37, he's certainly no neophyte. He could be the next big thing, so why wait? Did waiting do Joel McCrea, Joseph Cotton or Dana Andrews any good in the old days or Oscar Isaac, Idris Elba or Joseph Gordon-Levitt today?

I don't see him as an Oscar winner for Get Out, but as a nominee over some of the other names that have bene floated? Why not?

So I think they liked Lady Bird, Get Out, and Phantom Thread, right?

I've been thinking for a few weeks that Kaluuya is going to get one of those Best Actor spots. He just seems like the kind of breakthrough star in a Best Picture candidate that voters would be more excited to recognize than, say, a Tom Hanks performance that's fine but not that thrilling.

I bet against Dafoe in my predictions for tomorrow night...but that might just be stupid, given how much of an inexplicable steamroller he seems to have become. (Then again, Mahershala Ali was a similar juggernaut at this point last year, and had his stumbling blocks en route to the Oscar.)

I know it's long been tradition for this organization to present in the new year, but you do wonder if they'd have more influence if they announced closer to the NY/LA early December dates -- at this point, it sort of just feels like they're rubber stamping narratives already in place.