Screen Actors Guild Nominations

Post by **Mister Tee** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:41 am

So, they're reading the Ensemble nominees, Nine is the 4th film named, and I'm thinking, wow, they left off Precious...followed instantaneously by, what??, they left off Up in the Air?

My immediate reaction was like Magilla's -- the film was thought of as generally a three-actor piece, not quite enough for an ensemble. (There's no point judging based on the number of actors listed on the SAG printout; I can tell you from personal experience that people vote the film, not the list of actors provided) Beyond that....well, the folks who run computer simulations for baseball players will tell you that if you run 200 versions of an Albert Pujols season, in four of them he'll hit .265. I think this is just one of those four -- fluky. dws is of course right, why try and declare races over in December (something the Oscar bloggers maddeningly try to do every year)? But, put it this way: is anyone seriously now ready to expunge Up in the Air from the best/director/screenplay list?

The other big surprise in Ensemble was An Education making it there after missing in supporting actor. Did they want to honor Emma Thompson more than Molina?

I'm not sure I'd take all the Nine/Basterds nods too seriously. SAG is a place Harvey has been know to over-achieve -- see: Station Agent, Bobby. Supporting actress is particularly suspect.

Last Station lives somewhere. I have no idea what to make of that film's prospects. There doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm, but Mirren could get the nod much the way Blanchett did for Elizabeth 2: Over the Top -- revered former winner holding down an empty chair.

Best actor could well go that way on Oscar morning. Is the Mortensen push more or less over?

How many ways do I hate the Damon nomination? It's a name actor slumming for support in a role that by all acounts is co-lead. It's not been singled out by anyone, and thus seems rote (big role in important movie -- penicil him in). And it's diverting any heat he might have for his memorable work in The Informant! If his carries over to the Oscars, I'll be in the uncomfortable position of groaning over a nod for an actor I quite like.

Tucci keeps getting nominated for Bones, despite critical brickbats. I keep thinking at some point Julie and Julia will slide in, but the clock is ticking on that one. (Unless we have a repeat of Dennis Hopper '86. Those of around at the time will always remember the sight of him on Entertainment Tonight reacting to the announcement -- "Hoosiers?...Hoosiers?")

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Post by **Bog** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:38 am

Big time researchers around here...how many times has the film with the most acting nominations (the only objective at the SAGs) not gotten an ensemble nod? Now this very well could have been the nod for Day-Lewis, Dench, Mackie, Sarsgaard, Molina, et al. and they felt it unnecessary to add Up In The Air to that list with everyone already being represented...it's still possible (likely) the SAGs do not try to predict the Oscars like we are trying to make them appear...but that they have performers they want to make sure are included bar none.

Post by **dws1982** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:29 am

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Post by **OscarGuy** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:26 am

DWS, if you read further down, I did INDEED bring that up, which is what Magilla was taking issue with, but it's still a valid point. Whether or not the award is Best Ensemble, it is, for all intents and purposes one of the three best bellwethers for Best Picture winners, at least in terms of nominations. I would say a 93.3% winner-is-a-nominee rate is nothing to be sneezed at.

Post by **Big Magilla** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:19 am

dws1982 wrote:I don't know. Up in the Air may still win, but I think the race is definitely still open. Not sure why everyone wants it to be over in December.

Maybe so we can get back to other things and come back to all this after the holidays when the Globes and SAG awards are presented and the Oscar nominations are announced in early February.

In the meantime we have a lot of movies to catch up with.

Post by **dws1982** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:13 am

It is worth remembering that since the award has been handed out, Braveheart is the only Best Picture winner that wasn't nominated for Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards.

I don't know. Up in the Air may still win, but I think the race is definitely still open. Not sure why everyone wants it to be over in December.

Post by **Big Magilla** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:08 am

OscarGuy wrote:But, as you can see, small ensembles DO get nominated for SAG and Best Picture winners do as well. As for how many? Up in the Air had an ensemble of at least 4 (in addition to these three nominees, there's also Jason Bateman, but probably also Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons and Sam Elliott)

OK, but it's the SAG awards, not the Oscars. Ensemble at the SAGs is supposed to mean best bunch of actors working together, not Best Picture.

As I sai, I haven't seen Up in the Air but my impression is all the actors play opposite George Clooney without any interaction with the other actors which may have cost it a few votes in the minds of those who think of a true ensemble as one in which all (or most) of the actors have scenes with more than one performer. I'm sure if there had been ten nominees, it would have been one of them.

The only film I see that could possibly beat Up in the Air at the Oscars is Avatar if it's a Titanic size hit and that remains to be seen.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:05 am

anonymous wrote:The usual odd discrepancy in the Motion Picture Ensemble category: Evangeline Lilly gets in for her 2 minute cameo in The Hurt Locker but David Morse, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Christopher Sayegh (the kid who plays the DVD boy) gets left off and they had more prominent roles in the film.

The SAG rules are what screw people over. Crash's list left out the poignant performance of Michael Pena.

Their rules specify that the individuals up for the ensemble award cannot share the credit screen with someone else, so all those films you see where they list three actors together on the same screen, those actors are not eligible, only single-card placement makes an actor eligible. I would guess that Evangeline Lilly got her own title whereas the others were listed in tandem with each other.

Post by **anonymous1980** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:00 am

The usual odd discrepancy in the Motion Picture Ensemble category: Evangeline Lilly gets in for her 2 minute cameo in The Hurt Locker but David Morse, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Christopher Sayegh (the kid who plays the DVD boy) gets left off and they had more prominent roles in the film.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:58 am

Zahveed wrote:Interesting to see Diane Kruger and not Mélanie Laurent. I would much prefer the latter, but any performance for Basterds, besides Eli Roth, is fine with me.

Here's the thing, there are a lot of names left off Supporting Actress, which suggests tight voting. Lead Actress, however, seemed like a significant number of big names, which could have meant Laurent, who is a small fish in a big pool, couldn't crack that list.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:56 am

5 Individuals in the Ensemble:
The Hurt Locker
In America
Moulin Rouge
Waking Ned Devine
Good Will Hunting

4 Individuals in the Ensemble:
Doubt
Hotel Rwanda
Sideways
Billy Elliot

3 Individuals in the Ensemble:
Million Dollar Baby

There's no data for the first three years of the SAG Awards.

But, as you can see, small ensembles DO get nominated for SAG and Best Picture winners do as well. As for how many? Up in the Air had an ensemble of at least 4 (in addition to these three nominees, there's also Jason Bateman, but probably also Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons and Sam Elliott)

Zahveed · Post by **Zahveed** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:52 am

Interesting to see Diane Kruger and not Mélanie Laurent. I would much prefer the latter, but any performance for Basterds, besides Eli Roth, is fine with me.

Post by **Big Magilla** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:43 am

OscarGuy wrote:Although we don't know the ramifications of this all on the ten-nominee Best Picture slate, Up in the Air may very well have fallen out of the running for Best Picture.

An anomaly you're giving too much credence to.

The actual nominees had large ensemble casts. Up in the Air, which I haven't seen yet, has three principal players, all of whom were nominated. No film scored more than three nominations.

Relax, it's all good.

Post by **Big Magilla** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:38 am

Reza wrote:Why is Diane Kruger on the list?

Because she was good, the only real surprise here.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:37 am

I would guess a lot of close voting and remember, nominations are from the Screen Actors Guild. This includes plenty of out-of-work actors in small cineplexes around the country. A lot of times they vote for names above performances, especially those films they haven't yet seen...or, in Kruger's case, films they have seen.

Although we don't know the ramifications of this all on the ten-nominee Best Picture slate, Up in the Air may very well have fallen out of the running for Best Picture.

Not since Braveheart in 1995 has the Oscar winner for Best Picture NOT been a nominee for Best Ensemble at SAG.

On top of that, only four (technically three) Oscar winners since (and including) 1995 have not been among this organization's nominees.

1995: Braveheart
2000: Benicio Del Toro - Traffic (though he was nominated lead instead of support)
2000: Marcia Gay Harden - Pollack
2001: Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind

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Screen Actors Guild Nominations