92nd Oscars: Picture

[Sabin]

Precious Doll wrote
I know statistically things pointed to a 1917 win particularly with PGA & DGA wins. The lack of SAG nominate didn't seem like a handicap given there are only really two actors with roles of any substance.

In retrospect, we should have put more weight on the SAG win. With movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Irishman, they REALLY didn't have to give it to Parasite. Actors make up the largest voting body in the Academy and actors vote for everything.

[Precious Doll]

People will certainly seek out Bong's earlier films and no doubt have a mixed reaction to them. The theme of underlying social inequity runs through all of his films to some degree. For example The Host is not a straight out monster film as it has a lot of subtext to it. But none of Bong's films are as fully realised for international audiences in the way that Parasite is. I don't mean to in any way to diminish the greatness of Mother, The Host or Memories of Murder but they have limited international appeal. Also, Korea has a number of major directors but Bong is clearly the standout of his contemporaries. He certainly has showed his ability to work in English language cinema, something Park Chan-wook failed to do though he appeared to have more luck with TV series The Little Drummer Girl.

I've always loved the idiosyncratic nature of Korean cinema though I never fully understood where it came from and why until I saw a documentary Non-Fiction (2014) directed by Yoon-suk Jung which really gives an outsider a sense of the South Korean collective psyche, though Sang-soo Im's The President's Last Bang (2005) had given me some clues earlier.

[anonymous1980]

Nor do I think there will be a sudden interest in Korean films beyond the people that discovered the wonders of contemporary Korean cinema more than two decades ago.

Personally, I like to be an optimist. I'm sure there are more than a few young budding teenage cinephiles out there who might have been hesitant to cross that "one inch barrier" that Director Bong so eloquently put to check out non-English language/subtitled films. Parasite's success during this awards season might entice them to give it a try. They may fall in love with it and will want to check out more of what Korean cinema has to offer. Maybe this will lead to them hungry for more non-English language/subtitled cinema.

If this happens even a few times out there in the world, the Oscars have done their job.

[Precious Doll]

Parasite's win(s) were surprising and also not surprising at the same time.

I know statistically things pointed to a 1917 win particularly with PGA & DGA wins. The lack of SAG nominate didn't seem like a handicap given there are only really two actors with roles of any substance.

Sidetrack remark: George MacKay generally grates me and seeing four underwhelming to downright awful performances from him in the space of just over a year (Ophelia, Where Hands Touch, True History of the Kelly Gang & 1917) doesn't help his standing in my eyes.

I think the thing that helped Parasite to victory was it has a large number of passionate supporters who LOVED the film. The reaction from the SAG audience the most telling. And frankly, there is probably more passion for Parasite from people in general, be they industry people or the general public that any other best picture nominee of the decade.

The Globes and BAFTAs seem more interested in trying to predict the Oscars more than anything else in general. Despite all the changes that BAFTA have made over the years to try to align their awards with the Oscars they are still a third rate awards body with basically zero credibility and their wins mean zip.

I don't expect to see any Foreign Language film to repeat Parasite's Oscar success anytime soon. Most 'foreign' films simply don't generate massive widespread appeal - Parasite is not going to change that. Nor do I think there will be a sudden interest in Korean films beyond the people that discovered the wonders of contemporary Korean cinema more than two decades ago.

Its box office is really interesting too because it looks like being one of those rare Oscar winning films that even though its out now on Blu Ray/DVD, streaming, etc is generating an interest from people to go and watch it on the big screen.

Most major Oscar winning films (picture, actor, actress, foreign language film) get a bump at the box office for a week nowadays and then disappear from the big screen but it looks like Parasite will be around for a few more weeks and maybe even a couple of months. I tend to put that down to one word: passion.

[Sabin]

OscarGuy wrote
How do we reconcile small casts versus SAG? I mean La La Land was essentially a cast of 2, 1917 might have been bigger, but was it? Then how do we reconcile editing since 1917 didn't look like it had any? These are weird distinctions that can rationalize a miss at SAG or the Oscars in editing.

I guess... small casts don't win?

What constitutes a small cast. I don't know. Less than three? <shrug>

I think the big take away is that whatever movie wins Best Picture at least sort of has to be about acting. Or rather they have to be about characters.

[OscarGuy]

How do we reconcile small casts versus SAG? I mean La La Land was essentially a cast of 2, 1917 might have been bigger, but was it? Then how do we reconcile editing since 1917 didn't look like it had any? These are weird distinctions that can rationalize a miss at SAG or the Oscars in editing.

[HarryGoldfarb]

Six films have won the PGA and DGA award over the years and gone on to lose Best Picture:
Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Brokeback Mountain, Gravity (it was a tie), La La Land, and 1917.

The number that also won a BAFTA:
Brokeback Mountain, La La Land, and 1917.

La La Land and 1917 failed to land a nomination for Best Cast at SAG, so this has to be a major warning from now on. Brokeback Mountain, however...

[danfrank]

Jane Fonda gets a nod for her perfectly timed reading of the best picture winner: https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/ ... fashion%2F

I also loved her subtle expression of delight.

I love Jane Fonda, but, I got the impression she had enough work done that the most she could give was a subtle expression.

Evidence to the contrary: https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads ... etflix.jpg

[Sabin]

Six films have won the PGA and DGA award over the years and gone on to lose Best Picture:
Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Brokeback Mountain, Gravity (it was a tie), La La Land, and 1917.

The number that also won a BAFTA:
Brokeback Mountain, La La Land, and 1917.

Obviously, there are more qualifiers for a snubbed film than whether it wins a handful of precursors. And the fact that it wasn't up for a SAG award is very meaningful to its chances in retrospect. But that doesn't change the fact that 1917 was perceived as such a heavy going into Oscar night.

Doesn't it *already* feel like it's been forgotten?

[anonymous1980]

Parasite's victory is actually quite amazing. Historically, the Academy isn't too fond of Asian cinema outside of Japan even in the Foreign Language Film categories where Western European countries like France and Italy typically dominate. (Both France and Italy have more WINS than all the nominations for all the non-Japanese Asian countries COMBINED)

For an Asian film from a country that never even gotten a single nomination before this year, to be the first non-English language film to break that language barrier and WIN the Best Picture Oscar is truly astounding. As an Asian, I'm quite proud we did it ahead of the Europeans. LOL.

[Greg]

Jane Fonda gets a nod for her perfectly timed reading of the best picture winner: https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/ ... fashion%2F

I also loved her subtle expression of delight.

I love Jane Fonda, but, I got the impression she had enough work done that the most she could give was a subtle expression.

[danfrank]

Jane Fonda gets a nod for her perfectly timed reading of the best picture winner: https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/ ... fashion%2F

I also loved her subtle expression of delight.

How I wish Moonlight had gotten that same treatment.

This level of explosive applause from the crowd is rare, and only happens when there is suspense in a race, or when a beloved underdog pulls off an upset. As Tee said in another post, these rare moments are why we watch the Oscars. I will try to hold on to this high for a while.

[Greg]

No film this decade has won more than four non-technical awards. Is this a first?

[Sabin]

Is it just me or did the room feel more ecstatic about each Parasite win than any Best Picture win memory? Diane Keaton let out a scream. Penelope Cruz had a huge smile despite Almodóvar losing. Spike Lee hit every syllable of his name hard. And when the lights went down, the audience demanded “Up! Up! Up!” I think these people really love this film. I wonder if it wasn’t even close.

It strikes me that for all the push for diversity and inclusion in recent years, Parasite transcending the foreign language barrier was one they could really get behind. In retrospect, changing the title to International Film in the year of Parasite ended up being pretty meaningful.


Most Oscar wins of the decade:
7 for Gravity
6 for La La Land, Mad Max Fury Road
5 for The Artist, Hugo
4 for Birdman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inception, The King’s Speech, Life of Pi, Parasite, The Shape of Water

Parasite joins the ranks of The King’s Speech, Birdman, and The Shape of Water as relatively high-achieving Best Picture winners. Each has four and each has a directing win in their tally. Though Parasite couldn’t quite match the prowess of the true powerhouse Best Picture winner this decade: The Artist.

This is the second Oscar night of the decade where I felt confident that one movie was going to win a lot of Oscars and was wrong (the other being La La Land). It’s just never going to happen again, is it?

[taki15]

History has been made. We have out first foreign language Best Picture winner and our first dual International Film/Best Picture winner.

Mexicans must feel kinda bummed. They would have been the ones to break that record if not for the anti-Netflix bias/campaign.