2019 Oscar Nominations

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I might have seen iron eagle years ago but obviously it had little impact since I remember nothing. Air fighting movies don't seem to do much for me...

Anyone who doesn't like Top Gun hates America.

j/k. It's not a very good movie. I never heard of Chappie before and didn't put together that Iron Eagle was about planes.

 

[Totenkindly]

Well, I said I actually can watch top gun on occasion. I actually bought it in 3d cuz it was super cheap, so I figured why not... but at best it's a guilty pleasure for me.

I think I saw it before I even knew who val Kilmer was. It's got Rick rossovich too. (And of course anthony Edwards and meg ryan.)

 

[highlander]

OK I watched Roma and the Favorite this weekend . Roma starts out slow but is actually a really good movie . I've never seen anything like it.As to the Favourite, it was an interesting and good movie but not my kind of thing. Both had interesting plot twists that I didn't expect.

 

[Totenkindly]

Saw "The Wife" last night. Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce were both great. Close is more the focus of the movie but is maddeningly opaque -- she deflects so much that comes at her as a character (it's her personality), although it makes some sense too with later revelations that provide some answers and reinterpretation of early scenes. The film itself isn't bad, it's just that it's the two lead performances that make it work.

Aside from flashbacks, the film mostly takes place in a continuous short period of time which gives a bit more continuous representation of the character than the more "leap in time" of "A Star is Born." Comparing Close to Gaga, they've very different characters -- Close's "Joan" is very controlled, very mysterious, a woman in command of herself and managing some secrets, while Gaga's "Ally" is more naturally flowing, organic, trying to establish who she is, far more directly emotive. Still, they are both women are trying to mediate in some way who they are with the world around them, although I think Ally is more exploratory in her quest to find herself, whereas Joan knows who she is while knowing who she has to be to succeed, even if on some level it frustrates her.

I think the interesting thing with Joe and Joan is how they love each other yet also are really frustrated with each other in some deep ways. It's not necessarily contradictory, and at core it seems like they do truly love and respect each other, but it doesn't remove the baggage. It reminds me of the relationship between my parents, who were very different people, and they both had some deep-seated frustrations with each other, yet I remembered watching my mother shortly after my dad's death and I could just tell that she still very much had loved him, esp as we both stood there at the casket during the viewing. You build a life together and it is what it is, and navigating that for so long, you have something unique with each other and a connection that outsiders might not understand.

As the credits started rolling, I felt like an idiot because I finally recognized young Joe -- it was Harry Lloyd, who my prior experience with was in his role as Viserys Targaryen.

 

[ceecee]

Saw "The Wife" last night. Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce were both great. Close is more the focus of the movie but is maddeningly opaque -- she deflects so much that comes at her as a character (it's her personality), although it makes some sense too with later revelations that provide some answers and reinterpretation of early scenes. The film itself isn't bad, it's just that it's the two lead performances that make it work.

Aside from flashbacks, the film mostly takes place in a continuous short period of time which gives a bit more continuous representation of the character than the more "leap in time" of "A Star is Born." Comparing Close to Gaga, they've very different characters -- Close's "Joan" is very controlled, very mysterious, a woman in command of herself and managing some secrets, while Gaga's "Ally" is more naturally flowing, organic, trying to establish who she is, far more directly emotive. Still, they are both women are trying to mediate in some way who they are with the world around them, although I think Ally is more exploratory in her quest to find herself, whereas Joan knows who she is while knowing who she has to be to succeed, even if on some level it frustrates her.

I think the interesting thing with Joe and Joan is how they love each other yet also are really frustrated with each other in some deep ways. It's not necessarily contradictory, and at core it seems like they do truly love and respect each other, but it doesn't remove the baggage. It reminds me of the relationship between my parents, who were very different people, and they both had some deep-seated frustrations with each other, yet I remembered watching my mother shortly after my dad's death and I could just tell that she still very much had loved him, esp as we both stood there at the casket during the viewing. You build a life together and it is what it is, and navigating that for so long, you have something unique with each other and a connection that outsiders might not understand.

As the credits started rolling, I felt like an idiot because I finally recognized young Joe -- it was Harry Lloyd, who my prior experience with was in his role as Viserys Targaryen.

I agree with the bolded. The scene when their daughter calls about having the baby and the both of them on the phone with the baby - that's the only place you see her really grappling with emotions. It's hard when you contain emotions about everything else and then are expected to have an emotional moment at a less than ideal time. And I could see Joe hoping the baby would be a distraction for Joan and she wouldn't fuck up his award ceremony.

To think that a woman is so incapable of literary rockstar-ness on her own, and needs to let a man handle it, is appropriately nauseating now. I watched this movie on a plane and it pissed me off. Joe was a subpar writer and a subpar husband but sacrifices are made in a marriage and Joan understands that. And generally when those sacrifices reach a breaking point in any marriage, the dam bursts with unexpected violence. Not to the woman of course but to everyone else. And you see the softer side of those sacrifices when her daughter calls about the baby. And with her son as well.

Incidentally, Glen Close's GG speech makes much more sense when you find out this movie took 14 years to make as no American studio would finance it.

But by far, my favorite scene was on the plane home with Christian Slater. This was no longer the shy, self-effacing wife. She was her own person with the literary award she deserved. And the money and the power to stop his book - no husband to stop her anymore.

Glen Close's own daughter Annie Starke played the younger Joan, I thought that also emphasized the overall feeling about women and empowerment.

 

[Totenkindly]

I agree with the bolded. The scene when their daughter calls about having the baby and the both of them on the phone with the baby - that's the only place you see her really grappling with emotions. It's hard when you contain emotions about everything else and then are expected to have an emotional moment at a less than ideal time. And I could see Joe hoping the baby would be a distraction for Joan and she wouldn't fuck up his award ceremony.

That was a big scene. it felt authentic mostly, but maybe too much... I couldn't tell whether it was perfectly authentic (she's a woman who has spent so much time needing to control what she releases, due both to society as well as the needs of dealing with the ego of her husband) although I also think there was a lot of subtext there in how the kids positioned themselves to their parents.... both kids seemed to feel their mother more truly loved them despite any mistakes she made, whereas for their dad there was more distance, a bit of self-protectiveness, anger, resentment... even if David also really wanted his dad's approval since there had always been a "but" involved. IOW, whatever Joan had controlled in her expression over the years, they still recognized her as the one stabilizing the family and presenting a more nurturing parental figure.

Incidentally, Glen Close's GG speech makes much more sense when you find out this movie took 14 years to make as no American studio would finance it.

On the DVD rental I got, it has a 6:30 minute or so interview doc with Close and she says similar things, about how maybe the creation of the film (its arduous journey) will enable more films like it to be made, since they also are now seen as more viable. If anything, at least her nomination brought the film a lot of press it might have received otherwise. I was able to redbox it.

But by far, my favorite scene was on the plane home with Christian Slater. This was no longer the shy, self-effacing wife. She was her own person with the literary award she deserved. And the money and the power to stop his book - no husband to stop her anymore.

It was a huge change from how she had to approach Slater throughout the rest of the film, she had to take such an indirect, self-effacing, protective approach even when he got under her skin.

Glen Close's own daughter Annie Starke played the younger Joan, I thought that also emphasized the overall feeling about women and empowerment.

I didn't know that, but it was really uncanny how the two ages of the character shared mannerisms... It "felt" like the same person and there were appearance similarities. Now it makes much more sense. What a unique experience, too, being able to share that role so to speak...

 

[Totenkindly]

Figure I'll toss in the BAFTA awards
Bafta winners 2019 in full: Every award as Olivia Colman is crowned Best Actress for The Favourite | London Evening Standard

Full list of winners:

Best Film
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma - WINNER
A Star Is Born

Best Director
Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman
Paweł Pawlikowski - Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite
Alfonso Cuaron - Roma - WINNER
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale – Vice
Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody - WINNER
Steve Coogan - Stan and Ollie
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis – Widows
Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Glenn Close – The Wife
Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
Olivia Colman – The Favourite - WINNER

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman
Mahershala Ali – Green Book - WINNER
Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell – Vice
Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams – Vice
Claire Foy – First Man
Emma Stone – The Favourite
Margot Robbie – Mary, Queen of Scots
Rachel Weisz – The Favourite - WINNER

Best Original Screenplay
Cold War
The Favourite - WINNER
Green Book
Roma
Vice

Best Adapted Screenplay
BlacKkKlansman - WINNER
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born

Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - WINNER

Outstanding British Film
Beast
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite - WINNER
McQueen
Stan & Ollie
You Were Never Really Here

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Apostasy
Beast - WINNER
A Cambodian Spring
Pili
Ray & Liz

Film Not in the English Language
Capernaum
Cold War
Dogman
Roma - WINNER
Shoplifters

Best Documentary​
Free Solo - WINNER
McQueen
RBG
They Shall Not Grow Old
Three Identical Strangers

Best Original Music
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
A Star Is Born - WINNER

Best Cinematography
Bohemian Rhapsody
Cold War
The Favourite
First Man
Roma - WINNER

Best Sound
Bohemian Rhapsody - WINNER
First Man
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
A Quiet Place
A Star Is Born

Best Make Up & Hair
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite - WINNER
Mary Queen of Scots
Stan & Ollie
Vice

Best Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite - WINNER
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots

Best Production Design
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The Favourite - WINNER
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Best Editing
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
First Man
Roma
Vice - WINNER

Best British Short Film
73 Cows - WINNER
Bachelor, 38
The Blue Door
The Field
Wale

Best British Short Animation
I'm OK
Marfa
Roughhouse - WINNER

Best Special Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther - WINNER
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
First Man
Ready Player One

EE Rising Star award (voted for by the public)
Barry Keoghan
Cynthia Erivo
Jessie Buckley
Lakeith Stanfield
Letitia Wright - WINNER

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen

 

[Totenkindly]

Saw "The Favourite" today. Great acting, great directing, funny script, pretty original in how it was all put together. I enjoyed it and laughed out loud at some of the lines. It had some emotional resonance at spots as well, if you're thinking big picture behind the various scenes, in terms of how the shenanigans are damaging the people involved. Power can be a cage.

But I don't know if that adds up to Best Picture. It doesn't feel like a mainstream movie per se aka crowd pleaser, and I don't think the general audiences ranked it as highly, even if people who evaluate films can see the excellence involved in it. So I'm kind of interested to see how Sunday night pans out. I'm suspecting something a little more accessible will pick up Best Picture, even if Coleman and others might pull in some of the individual awards. (Coleman really was good, and so were Stone and Weisz. In fact, I'd say Stone was better here than for what she already won an Oscar for.)

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Saw "The Favourite" today. Great acting, great directing, funny script, pretty original in how it was all put together. I enjoyed it and laughed out loud at some of the lines. It had some emotional resonance at spots as well, if you're thinking big picture behind the various scenes, in terms of how the shenanigans are damaging the people involved. Power can be a cage.

But I don't know if that adds up to Best Picture. It doesn't feel like a mainstream movie per se aka crowd pleaser, and I don't think the general audiences ranked it as highly, even if people who evaluate films can see the excellence involved in it. So I'm kind of interested to see how Sunday night pans out. I'm suspecting something a little more accessible will pick up Best Picture, even if Coleman and others might pull in some of the individual awards. (Coleman really was good, and so were Stone and Weisz. In fact, I'd say Stone was better here than for what she already won an Oscar for.)

Well, if it did win Best Picture, it probably would be the first with a duck race, or at least the first with foppish aristocrats participating in a duck race.

Also, Rachel Weisz's character is an ancestor of Winston Churchill.

 

[Totenkindly]

I watched Overlord tonight. Pretty much what you'd expect from a Nazi / superzombie film. My main gripe is simply that they tried to offer a whole hour of war stuff that simply isn't as good as your best war movies, as some kind of preamble (pretty much a retread of any other war movie you've seen but not as good), before just going nuts with the superzombie stuff. I wish they had just gone balls to the wall early in and not let up. There were definitely some moments when you want to yell "holy shit!" repeatedly at the TV, at least.

I don't remember if it got any noms for the Oscars, unless it was in the special effects realm.

Well, if it did win Best Picture, it probably would be the first with a duck race, or at least the first with foppish aristocrats participating in a duck race.

ROFL. I did laugh at a hell of a lot in this film.

if you watch the credits, after the Elton John song stops, you hear various random soft noises. A few times, it's the quack of a duck.

Also, Rachel Weisz's character is an ancestor of Winston Churchill.

Interesting. I knew they were historical figures, with an attempt to root the basics in the history, but not a huge effort in terms of the specifics.

 

[Totenkindly]

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/awards-leaderboard-top-movies-of-2018/

List of 2018 films ranked by number of awards each has won.

 

[Totenkindly]

Best song?

 

[Jaguar]

Hope Glenn wins Best Actress. Her performance in The Wife was excellent.

 

[Totenkindly]

There's a number of categories where I'd be happy with a few of the selections winning. So that's a plus, at least.

Here are my guesses as to what will win (not necessarily what I liked most). In 2 minutes before start!

Best Picture: “Roma”
Alternate: “Green Book”

Lead Actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Alternate: Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Lead Actress: Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Alternate: Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma” or Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Alternate: Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”


Supporting Actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Alternate: Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” or Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”

Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Alternate: “Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
[This is a category where I'll be mad if one of the others -- i.e., The Incredibles 2 -- wins.]


Animated Short: “Bao,” Domee Shi

Adapted Screenplay: “BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
Alternate: “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins or “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

Original Screenplay: “The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
Alternate: “First Reformed,” Paul Schrader

Cinematography: "Roma"
Alternate: "The Favourite"

Best Documentary Feature: "Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Alternate: “RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short Subject: “Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins

Best Live Action Short Film: “Marguerite,” Marianne Farley

Best Foreign Language Film: “Roma” (Mexico)
Alternate: “Cold War” (Poland)

Film Editing: “Vice,” Hank Corwin

Sound Editing: “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “First Man”

Sound Mixing: “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “First Man”

Production Design:“Black Panther,” Hannah Beachler
Alternate: “The Favourite,” Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

Original Score:“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson
Alternate: “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell

Original Song: “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice

Makeup and Hair: “Vice”

Costume Design: “Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter or “The Favourite,” Sandy Powell

Visual Effects: “Avengers: Infinity War” or "First Man"

I never did see Green Book or Bohemian Rhapsody, and I'm only halfway through Destroyer and If Beale Street Could Talk. (I know Destroyer didn't make the cut, and so far it's been an average film, but it's mainly notable for the director + for another "WTH, that's Nicole Kidman???" performance -- small alterations to her face, and she can carry herself like completely different people.)

 

[Totenkindly]

It would be wonderful if there were enough write-in votes for "In a Place (Called Slaughter Race)" to win Best Song, though.
....If only so Sarah Silverman could say she won an Oscar.