Oscar Nominations

[Big Magilla]

No announcements other than the names of the three hosts and the clips regarding the fan favorite which is likely to be Spider-Man: No Way Home which it has just been announced will be released in theatres next month with additional footage. That footage is rumored to be of Charlie Cox, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire.

With the honorary awards rescheduled for two days prior to the Oscars, it is likely the recipients will be on board if to do nothing other than take a bow. I suspect the number of other clips they show depends on how much star power they get to fill the live portions of the show. A lot of time has been taken up in recent years with the star introductions to the Best Picture clips. Still, it is three hours they have to fill.

[Sabin]

flipp525 wrote
Are they going to do the same thing as last year and not show clips of the nominated performances? I always find that so monumentally stupid, especially last year when not a ton of people had even seen the various movies.

If you hadn't known what Mank was, you would have to wait until the end of the ceremony to know it was in black and white.

[flipp525]

Are they going to do the same thing as last year and not show clips of the nominated performances? I always find that so monumentally stupid, especially last year when not a ton of people had even seen the various movies.

[Big Magilla]

No Oscar, but apparently plenty of exposure on the telecast.

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/osca ... 235181361/

[jack]

How exactly is this new popular film category being handled? I know anyone can vote for their favourite film, but has there been any announcement made about whether or not the winning film will be handed an Oscar or not?

[dws1982]

If you have a Cinemark Theater near you, they have an Oscars program this year for $35 all in, although it's possible the price varies by location. It runs the week of the Oscars. This includes a pass for all of the Best Picture nominees plus the shorts (live action and animated) program. Everything plays a few times that week so you have options on when you see things. And they are friendly with Netflix now, so you can see the Netflix nominees there if you've been wanting to catch them in theaters. I had already bought tickets for Drive My Car and The Power of the Dog before I knew they had a full-program pass, but I may cancel them in favor of the full pass, and just skip the ones I either don't want to see again or it's not convenient to see. (Would like to catch Dune in a theater, still need to see Belfast so may wait for this, would like to give CODA another shot if it's convenient, and would also see Licorice Pizza and West Side Story again if I could. Not too interested in seeing the others again except maybe Nightmare Alley, but buying the pass is still a money-saver as long as I see more than three or four of these.)

[rolotomasi99]

Do we need to talk about Flee? It got the impressive three nominations; is it doomed to lose all three, or might people feel there's some imperative to get behind it in one spot, to assure it not going home empty-handed? If so, which one? Drive My Car seems to have been pushed to invulnerability, but might its three-hour-ness catch up with it, and Flee seem the easier alternative?

I have lost track of all the rules, but are voters still required to prove they watched every nominee in the Documentary and International categories to select a winner? What about Animated?

I think FLEE has the best chance in Animated since it is up against some very strong competition in the other two categories. ENCANTO certainly has wide support since it earned two other nominations as well, but I think FLEE might be able to stand out among the other nominees since it was specifically made for adults rather than children. This could give it an advantage among voters who usually skip this category on their ballots.

Again, unsure about whether someone who only saw FLEE could even vote in the Animated category, but if so we know quite a few folks in the Documentary and International branch have seen it and loved it. Perhaps their support could be what puts it over the top against latest Disney juggernaut (which is also a lovely film, I must add).

I know this will be the first year I actually care about who wins in the Animated category.

[Okri]

I quite like the animation of Flee, truth be told. But if you like your animation gorgeous, it's not going to be the one you vote for.

[danfrank]

Do we need to talk about Flee? It got the impressive three nominations; is it doomed to lose all three, or might people feel there's some imperative to get behind it in one spot, to assure it not going home empty-handed? If so, which one? Drive My Car seems to have been pushed to invulnerability, but might its three-hour-ness catch up with it, and Flee seem the easier alternative? (Not meaning that as disparagement.) Documentary has been known to go crazy at times, but usually at the nomination stage, and Summer of Soul seems to have a truly enthusiastic support-base...but never say never. And what about animated? The category has already broken down a bit along the lines of "The Mitchells is a LEGO Movie that wasn't boxed out by the nominators, but Disney just can't lose the category" -- but might Flee provide an out-of-the-box alternative? Or might a split in the sick-of-Disney vote between Mitchellls and Flee make Encanto an even easier winner?

I could see a groundswell of support for Flee, but my best guess is that it loses in all three categories. International Feature seems unlikely against Drive My Car, unless the larger Academy membership rebels against it. I haven’t seen any of the other animated films, but the animation itself is not Flee’s strong point. The bulk of it is quite stiff and not all that attractive. Flee’s selling point is its quite compelling and moving story, which might make Documentary its likeliest win. Summer of Soul, though, is just so alive and entertaining, and tells an important American story, so I’m betting on that to win.

[Mister Tee]

A few later-in-the-week thoughts:

People rightly talk about the long wait Branagh and Campion have had for second nominations, but at least they always had their first. Let's think about Kirsten Dunst, who was discussed for a nomination 27 years ago for her breakout in Interview with the Vampire; who has carved out a really notable career for herself -- getting commercial cred with Spider Man, but working with Sofia Coppola, Charlie Kaufman and of course von Trier; and now, finally, is getting the recognition for which she's waited literally her entire adult life. Kudos to her.

Has the expansion of the Academy rolls made the group truly International for the first time? Meaning, one where subtitled films are involved not just (as per Uri) when the domestic crop disappoints, but annually? This is the 4th year in a row where a foreign-language film has been nominated for film/director. The up-to-10 rule has made it easier for a true standout foreign film to get best picture nominated, and Amour, Roma and Parasite were one thing -- major triumphs for directors previously celebrated by the Academy (two of whom had also made films in English). But, even granting the superhuman push Drive My Car got from the top critics, for Minari and Hamaguchi's films to follow suggests a change in the wind. We've also seen only the 2nd and 3rd ever foreign-language nominees in supporting acting (one a winner!). The run of Huppert/Aparicio/Banderas/Yeun/Cruz has given us a lead foreign nominee just about every year. And, while Worst Person's screenplay nomination doesn't seem startling in context of the category's long history, it's in fact the first foreign film nominated without a best picture connection since A Separation 10 years ago; prior to that, it was Pan's Labyrinth (which would probably have been a best picture nominee on a list of 10); before that, The Motorcycle Diaries. (I'm not counting Letters from Iwo Jima.) Even if it's just a return to historic patterns, it's a welcome one, after a long hiatus.

Do we need to talk about Flee? It got the impressive three nominations; is it doomed to lose all three, or might people feel there's some imperative to get behind it in one spot, to assure it not going home empty-handed? If so, which one? Drive My Car seems to have been pushed to invulnerability, but might its three-hour-ness catch up with it, and Flee seem the easier alternative? (Not meaning that as disparagement.) Documentary has been known to go crazy at times, but usually at the nomination stage, and Summer of Soul seems to have a truly enthusiastic support-base...but never say never. And what about animated? The category has already broken down a bit along the lines of "The Mitchells is a LEGO Movie that wasn't boxed out by the nominators, but Disney just can't lose the category" -- but might Flee provide an out-of-the-box alternative? Or might a split in the sick-of-Disney vote between Mitchellls and Flee make Encanto an even easier winner?

[Reza]

Jesse Plemons is so understated in The Power of the Dog but I was certain he would make the final cut. A very interesting actor. Watch him win next year for the Scorsese.

[Reza]

Some of you may know: there are now people who record reactions to nominations in real-time for YouTube. I’m not proud of this, but I watched a few, last night; the viewing confirmed my take: this set of nominations discombobulated the minds of the Oscar community more than I’ve ever seen.

I've happened upon these on YouTube in just the last year or so. It's fun to watch another fan's reaction during the announcement. The Oscar Experts are young twins who seem to download more frequently. Marianna's YouTube Impression Blend is enjoyable viewing. I've viewed both of these for last year and for 2022. I also discovered Ryan Casselman's YouTube reaction the other day.

I like comparing notes.

Especially for JK Simmons' surprise nomination.

The young twins' reactions are hilariously over-the-top. Like hearing what they have to say.

[Sabin]

Another observation. I'm sure it's been made already so forgive me if I'm just retreading old ground...

Seriously, when was the last time the category of Best Actress got this much excitement over who would or would not be nominated? I'm not talking about a total lack of consensus or a general agreement that the field of Best Actress would be strong this year. I mean, energy and focus.

I got nothing.

Over the years, we've tracked anticipation of watching people like Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio finally win their Academy Awards, we've tracked rollercoasters like Best Actress in 2018... But the sheer, laser-focused intensity surrounding the dialogue around who will and won't be nominated for Best Actress this year might be unlike anything I've ever seen at the Academy Awards in my lifetime.

The closest I can think of for any race was whether or not The Dark Knight would get nominated. I think.

I'm certain some of this is due to the prevalence of social media but there is a major fandom quality surrounding most of these contenders that I've never really felt so palpably in my life. It feels like there are vocal camps of support and dissent surrounding most everyone running. People are thrilled Kristen Stewart got in. People are thrilled Lady Gaga didn't. We've been tracking a "Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball" discourse for a year now. It would feel political if it wasn't so celebrity crush-y. People have a vested fucking interest.

The best way I can say it and I know it sounds reductive but this feels like the first -- and most -- "Movie Stars in the age of Social Media" Oscar races I've ever experienced. On the one hand, the desire to declare the race over is a little clown-ish, but on the other hand whoever wins it might end up feeling a little more meaningful than usual. I support anything that pushes the Academy Awards into the realm of meaning.

I say this as someone who is largely undecided between three of the nominees.

[Jefforey Smith]

Some of you may know: there are now people who record reactions to nominations in real-time for YouTube. I’m not proud of this, but I watched a few, last night; the viewing confirmed my take: this set of nominations discombobulated the minds of the Oscar community more than I’ve ever seen.

I've happened upon these on YouTube in just the last year or so. It's fun to watch another fan's reaction during the announcement. The Oscar Experts are young twins who seem to download more frequently. Marianna's YouTube Impression Blend is enjoyable viewing. I've viewed both of these for last year and for 2022. I also discovered Ryan Casselman's YouTube reaction the other day. And Felix Talks Film is quite good, also.

I like comparing notes.

Especially for JK Simmons' surprise nomination.

[OscarGuy]

The barrier was broken already. Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture. I think Spider-Man also suffered from being a direct sequel...that usually hurts animated features, so I imagine it's also troublesome for live-action ones.