Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

Bohemian Rhapsody is not a comedy or a musical. It’s a dramatic biopic that features (pre-recorded) music from Queen. I agree with MaxWilder that it was correctly classified in the drama category for the Golden Globes. And Rami Malek absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for it. I think him placing here bodes well for his chances.

I’m curious where those complaining about this would have placed something like Jessica Lange’s performance in Sweet Dreams, an actress lip-syncing to already-recorded Patsy Cline music.

Reza wrote:Yet they gave 5 Globes to the Streisand version of Star including 3 in the musical / comedy category. And both Mason and Garland won Globes for the '54 version also in the musical / comedy category. Enough drama in those versions too I recall. Yet this new version is deemed a drama in complete contradiction to so many other films with songs that were always placed in the musical / comedy category. Why this sudden change now?

I haven't seen ASIB versions 2 and 3 but, again, I don't care about past category fraud. A Star Is Born (2018) is a drama. WB is confident enough in it that they're going for the big prize rather than committing category fraud and going after the easier comedy/musical award.

Greg wrote:

Mister Tee wrote:(fun fact: every major movie about the space program -- The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Gravity -- has WON both the sound mixing and editing categories).

Apoolo 13 was not nominated for Sound Effects Editing, as it was called in 1995, which was won by Bravehart

I can see how you read it that way, but I meant sound mixing and (film) editing. Apollo possibly would have won sound effects as well, had it been nominated -- and both The Right Stuff and Gravity did win that category.

Max, I wouldn't classify Interstellar that way (mostly what I remember from the interminable thing was the dust storms), but The Martian I'll give you.

Mister Tee wrote:(fun fact: every major movie about the space program -- The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Gravity -- has WON both the sound mixing and editing categories).

Apoolo 13 was not nominated for Sound Effects Editing, as it was called in 1995, which was won by Bravehart

MaxWilder wrote: They're in the drama category because they're dramas. You're saying there's no such thing as a drama set in the music world. Would they have to cut all the concert scenes to qualify as dramas?

(I know about Walk the Line and Ray. They should have been in the drama category, too.)

Yet they gave 5 Globes to the Streisand version of Star including 3 in the musical / comedy category. And both Mason and Garland won Globes for the '54 version also in the musical / comedy category. Enough drama in those versions too I recall. Yet this new version is deemed a drama in complete contradiction to so many other films with songs that were always placed in the musical / comedy category. Why this sudden change now?

Mister Tee wrote:(fun fact: every major movie about the space program -- The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Gravity -- has WON both the sound mixing and editing categories).

What about Interstellar and The Martian? Both are about NASA missions (not unnamed future space agencies). They're fictional, but so is Gravity.

Reza wrote:This is so true and absolutely absurd that both Star and Rhapsody were positioned in the drama category.

They're in the drama category because they're dramas. You're saying there's no such thing as a drama set in the music world. Would they have to cut all the concert scenes to qualify as dramas?

(I know about Walk the Line and Ray. They should have been in the drama category, too.)

OscarGuy wrote:Tee, this isn't the first year they've had the 7-nominee slates.

True, but this year I think they've refined their selections to a point that anything or anyone not mentioned is going to have a hard time pulling off an Oscar nod. This really feels as if it is a list of preliminary nominations from which the final selections will be made.

Sabin wrote: But the best argument against why First Man didn't get a nomination is that the studios cheated by pushing A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody for Drama instead of Comedy/Musical. To which I say, if your best defense is that you were up against Bohemian Rhapsody, there's other problems.

This is so true and absolutely absurd that both Star and Rhapsody were positioned in the drama category. The film, Cooper or Lady Gaga winning in the drama category would seem to hold more importance than if they were to win in the musical / comedy category. Rhapsody only made it because of its huge boxoffice. Rami Malek would have made the list even if the category had not been changed to drama and because of it he seems poised to now be seriously considered for an Oscar nod which I feel he deserves. The Star team is going to get Oscar nods regardless of the category here. Malek's nod here in the drama category helps him now on the road to an Oscar nod.

Mister Tee wrote
I could be off-base here, but I have a notion First Man could do something like what The Insider did: rack up a surprisingly decent showing in the Oscar nominations despite being widely seen as a box-office flop. Cinematography, both sounds, editing, score and visual effects all seem fairly get-able (fun fact: every major movie about the space program -- The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Gravity -- has WON both the sound mixing and editing categories). Adapted screenplay seems the less competitive side of the writing contest, and First Man is as likely as anything beyond BlackkKlansman/Beale Street/Can You Ever Forgive Me? Foy has a reasonable shot at making the supporting actress list. With that many nods accumulated, best picture wouldn't seem much of a stretch.

Anne Thompson is always talking about certain films doing well because they appeal to the steak-eaters in the Academy. This film would seem to be right up their alley.

But The Insider got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture. And so did The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, and Gravity. I know that the Golden Globes don't matter. There's no crossover. But the best argument against why First Man didn't get a nomination is that the studios cheated by pushing A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody for Drama instead of Comedy/Musical. To which I say, if your best defense is that you were up against Bohemian Rhapsody, there's other problems.

It's also worth saying this: I didn't see it. I haven't seen a lot of movies this year. It's the most buckle down year of my life. But I was very fond of La La Land and I still didn't make time for it. My feeling is that it just didn't quite fit the mood of the year. I'm sure it's possible that it makes a showing (lord knows, the person in my Oscar pool that bet $50 on it is hoping).

Reza wrote:

dws1982 wrote:Even if they were just hedging their bets on its Oscar prospects, I'm glad they gave several nominations to First Man. To me it's a top five of the decade contender.

I agree. It's certainly one of the best of this year at least.

I could be off-base here, but I have a notion First Man could do something like what The Insider did: rack up a surprisingly decent showing in the Oscar nominations despite being widely seen as a box-office flop. Cinematography, both sounds, editing, score and visual effects all seem fairly get-able (fun fact: every major movie about the space program -- The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Gravity -- has WON both the sound mixing and editing categories). Adapted screenplay seems the less competitive side of the writing contest, and First Man is as likely as anything beyond BlackkKlansman/Beale Street/Can You Ever Forgive Me? Foy has a reasonable shot at making the supporting actress list. With that many nods accumulated, best picture wouldn't seem much of a stretch.

Anne Thompson is always talking abot certain films doing well because they appeal to the steak-eaters in the Academy. This film would seem to be right up their alley.

dws1982 wrote:Even if they were just hedging their bets on its Oscar prospects, I'm glad they gave several nominations to First Man. To me it's a top five of the decade contender.

I agree. It's certainly one of the best of this year at least.

Tee, this isn't the first year they've had the 7-nominee slates.

Even if they were just hedging their bets on its Oscar prospects, I'm glad they gave several nominations to First Man. To me it's a top five of the decade contender.

"Hey: if we expand the field of nominees, we can be sure to have pretty much any possible contender. It'll make us the best predictors ever!"