2019 Oscar Nominations

[Totenkindly]

So... here's this. On very first quick skim, it looks kind of predictable but I'll examine in more detail...
(Well, not seeing Ethan Hawk in Lead Actor for First Reformed... kind of a long-shot, but he was really good.)


Oscar Nominations 2019: The Complete List

Best Picture:
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

Lead Actor:
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Lead Actress:
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Director:
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Adam McKay, “Vice”

Animated Feature:
“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird
“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Animated Short:
“Animal Behaviour,” Alison Snowden, David Fine
“Bao,” Domee Shi
“Late Afternoon,” Louise Bagnall
“One Small Step,” Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas
“Weekends,” Trevor Jimenez

Adapted Screenplay:
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters

Original Screenplay:
“The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
“First Reformed,” Paul Schrader
“Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice,” Adam McKay

Cinematography:
"Roma"
"The Favourite"
"A Star Is Born"
"Cold War"
"Never Look Away"

Best Documentary Feature:
"Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” RaMell Ross
“Minding the Gap,” Bing Liu
“Of Fathers and Sons,” Talal Derki
“RBG,” Betsy West, Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Black Sheep,” Ed Perkins
“End Game,” Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat,” Skye Fitzgerald
“A Night at the Garden,” Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.,” Rayka Zehtabchi

Best Live Action Short Film:
“Detainment,” Vincent Lambe
“Fauve,” Jeremy Comte
“Marguerite,” Marianne Farley
“Mother,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen
“Skin,” Guy Nattiv

Best Foreign Language Film:
“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Film Editing:
“BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman
“Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito
“The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
“Vice,” Hank Corwin

Sound Editing:
“Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst
“First Man,” Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl
“Roma,” Sergio Diaz, Skip Lievsay

Sound Mixing:
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”

Production Design:
“Black Panther,” Hannah Beachler
“First Man,” Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas
“The Favourite,” Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton
“Mary Poppins Returns,” John Myhre, Gordon Sim
“Roma,” Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez

Original Score:
“BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard
“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell
“Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

Original Song:
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther” by Kendrick Lamar, SZA
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG” by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by Willie Watson, Tim Blake Nelson

Makeup and Hair:
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Vice”

Costume Design:
“Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter
“The Favourite,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne

Visual Effects:
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

 

[Totenkindly]

Roma is in both Best Picture + Best Foreign film. I didn't even know that was possible, but I guess there's usually not a situation where that occurs, is there?

Kind of bummed "Leave No Trace" did not make anything. Apparently it left no trace either. Great small movie -- quiet, personal story, beautifully and often visually told. Thought maybe the director would get something. I wonder how many voters saw it.

Thinking "A Star is Born" might do better here, despite its issues. It's a popular movie with good production quality, decent acting, and emotional impact.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Desplat is like the new John Williams

 

[Totenkindly]

He's done some beautiful stuff, although I thought The Shape of Water was a little derivative of other things he's done... I'm still wishing that had gone to Phantom Thread last year. I think it's the only big "miss" I had on my ballot.

he's got such a great name, for American audiences, since we just see "Da SPLAT". splat.

 

[ceecee]

First Reformed is probably the film that stayed with me the most but I'm just not sure enough people saw it for Ethan Hawk to win (but he should). I'm also overjoyed about Melissa McCarthy, even though she won't win either.

 

[highlander]

I cannot understand why so many people think Black Panther is so great. I mean, I really liked it but it wasn't that good. It's not as good as Wonder Woman for example or some of the Star Trek movies that weren't up for an Academy Award. Why would this be up for best picture?

 

[ceecee]

I cannot understand why so many people think Black Panther is so great. I mean, I really liked it but it wasn't that good. It's not as good as Wonder Woman for example or some of the Star Trek movies that weren't up for an Academy Award. Why would this be up for best picture?

I think people will throw the race card but this is the first superhero movie to get much of anything in the way of awards. Incidentally, Michael B. Jordan got no love and I think he was the best character in the movie.

John David Washington ("BlacKkKlansman") - nothing
Ryan Gosling ("First Man") - nothing
Margot Robbie ("Mary Queen of Scots") - nothing
Jonathan Pryce ("The Wife") - nothing

None of it makes sense.

 

[Totenkindly]

I think Black Panther has just had the press, and sigh yes there is the race thing (it's like the first non-white-centric superhero movie, it FEELS different), and it's decent -- I would put it in the top few MCU movies, and ceecee is right in that Jordan was good (damn, he's usually good in anything he's in)... but I agree in that, still, looking at all the other films out there this year, I don't really understand why it's on the short list despite it being one of the best Marvel pics out there. It makes sense it is in the list, I think, but at the same time I'm not hoping for it to win.

Then again, Cameron's "Titanic" and Jackson's "The Return of the King" both won best picture honors, when I would say that they only really won on technical merit... it was simply an impressive display of craftsmanship more than being the "best movie" out that year... that, and coupled with the cross-demographic popularity of the films.

I have mixed feelings in general about Best Picture, as sometimes you get something that few regular viewers can appreciate ("The Artist") and that no one is gonna watch, and other times you get stuff that feels more like a popularity contest -- decent stuff but maybe not the best that year. Remember when "Forrest Gump" was selected over "Pulp Fiction" or even "The Shawshank Redemption"? (I think the latter might still be on the top of the IMDB scoreboard.)

I dunno. I'm not sure how I feel about Best Picture this year.


I mean, it's kind of unbelievable how Spike Lee has been glossed over for years in general. BlackKKlansman is a decent film, with a few moving moments, but is it his best work? It's kind of like Al Pacino finally winning for "Scent of a Woman."

I think Gosling has become such a widely known name that he gets underrated. He's a really solid actor but he's been in a lot of films, and his film presence tends to be understated; and now he tends to get overlooked.

 

[highlander]

I think Black Panther has just had the press, and sigh yes there is the race thing (it's like the first non-white-centric superhero movie, it FEELS different), and it's decent -- I would put it in the top few MCU movies, and ceecee is right in that Jordan was good (damn, he's usually good in anything he's in)... but I agree in that, still, looking at all the other films out there this year, I don't really understand why it's on the short list despite it being one of the best Marvel pics out there. It makes sense it is in the list, I think, but at the same time I'm not hoping for it to win.

That's my perception as well.

Then again, Cameron's "Titanic" and Jackson's "The Return of the King" both won best picture honors, when I would say that they only really won on technical merit... it was simply an impressive display of craftsmanship more than being the "best movie" out that year... that, and coupled with the cross-demographic popularity of the films.

These are two of the best movies I have ever seen. Titanic was amazing. The thing that always confused me though is why the last movie in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy got so many accolades vs the other ones. I mean I thought they were all kind of the same as it relates to caliber/quality. Return of the king won 11 academy awards. Fellowship of the Ring won 4 and the Two Towers only won two. What's the difference between them really? Were they awarding the culmination of all three or something? What would have happened if here was only one?

I have mixed feelings in general about Best Picture, as sometimes you get something that few regular viewers can appreciate ("The Artist") and that no one is gonna watch, and other times you get stuff that feels more like a popularity contest -- decent stuff but maybe not the best that year. Remember when "Forrest Gump" was selected over "Pulp Fiction" or even "The Shawshank Redemption"? (I think the latter might still be on the top of the IMDB scoreboard.)

I liked Forrest Gump most out of those three but that's just a personal opinion.

I mean, it's kind of unbelievable how Spike Lee has been glossed over for years in general. BlackKKlansman is a decent film, with a few moving moments, but is it his best work? It's kind of like Al Pacino finally winning for "Scent of a Woman."

I think Gosling has become such a widely known name that he gets underrated. He's a really solid actor but he's been in a lot of films, and his film presence tends to be understated; and now he tends to get overlooked.

I watched BlackKKlansman last weekend. It was pretty good. Best picture nomination? I don't see it but then I don't generally like Spike Lee. Personally, for the ones I saw, I would go for a Star is Born as #1 and Green Book as #2. I did not see the Favorite or Vice.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Desplat is like the new John Williams

I was very impressed by his work with Wes Anderson. I did love Isle of Dogs in general, even if it was subtly anti-cat.

 

[ceecee]

I was very impressed by his work with Wes Anderson. I did love Isle of Dogs in general, even if it was subtly anti-cat.

Same here. But I am a fan of Wes Anderson anyway. Did you see Fantastic Mr. Fox?

I really recommend seeing The Favorite for anyone that hasn't. I would have never imagined they could even get this story to translate to the screen - but the end result is just gleeful. Maybe that's just my interpretation or that I everything I knew about Queen Anne only made me feel sorry for her. This didn't.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Same here. But I am a fan of Wes Anderson anyway. Did you see Fantastic Mr. Fox?

Yeah. I think I liked Isle of Dogs better because i felt there was a little more heart to it, and I also liked the sci-fi trappings.

I really recommend seeing The Favorite for anyone that hasn't. I would have never imagined they could even get this story to translate to the screen - but the end result is just gleeful. Maybe that's just my interpretation or that I everything I knew about Queen Anne only made me feel sorry for her. This didn't.

That was very good. I did actually feel sorry for the Queen. She had so many losses and she seeks to replace those losses with people who are more interested in improving their social situation. It's a hollow place to be, and I suspect that at the end, she knew that on some level; hence the coldness towards Abigail at the end.

 

[Totenkindly]

These are two of the best movies I have ever seen. Titanic was amazing. The thing that always confused me though is why the last movie in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy got so many accolades vs the other ones. I mean I thought they were all kind of the same as it relates to caliber/quality. Return of the king won 11 academy awards. Fellowship of the Ring won 4 and the Two Towers only won two. What's the difference between them really? Were they awarding the culmination of all three or something? What would have happened if here was only one?

The big problem with Titanic for me was the character story. Some of the underlying elements were good; but the script and especially the Jack character had some real issues, there's moments of their "romance" that I found myself laughing out loud at rather than being able to take it seriously. When you're dealing with the top few films of the year, that kind of thing can often undermine a film's chances to actually take a big prize. The concept of Jack and Rose was fine, but the dialogue/realization of it was off.

But basically Cameron tapped into the mystique of Titanic at the time, tried to detail what he thought actually happened (which appeals across demographics), the pathos, the sadness of the tragedy. There are some good scenes, it's just the whole Jack/Rose dialogue and DiCaprio's delivery is off and it mars the film. It's like Avatar -- you get an amazing film from a technical perspective and from the pure ambition of creating that world, but the story and Sam Worthington's delivery IMO were below par. (Not that it won Best Picture or anything, I'm simply comparing it as another amazing Cameron technological feat that was lacking in originality and delivery of a lead actor.)

I honestly have trouble watching the LotR films. I like the first one a lot. I've barely been able to rewatch the last two. The actors were fine, it was again a scripting thing. I felt like the film won because the whole effort itself was pretty amazing in terms of the technical expertise and just getting it on the screen; voters wanted to reward that effort just for getting over the finish line.

I liked Forrest Gump most out of those three but that's just a personal opinion.

It's an okay watch. I don't think it's a bad movie, but it's really clear that there were other choices that year from an artistic POV that made more sense and even in the eyes of the public, now that time has passed and we see which are more popularized. (I think IMDB is heavily slanted towards a particular demographic and towards genre pictures, but it's funny to see that even with all those movies being in the top 15, Gump places third for the films I mentioned.) The Gump story tends to just be a strung-along series of anecdotes, mostly unbelievable. At least Jenny's story had a throughline to it, and the main point was decent enough.

I watched BlackKKlansman last weekend. It was pretty good. Best picture nomination? I don't see it but then I don't generally like Spike Lee. Personally, for the ones I saw, I would go for a Star is Born as #1 and Green Book as #2. I did not see the Favorite or Vice.

I've been planning to watch The Favourite for awhile now (I watched The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer before either had much notice) and I'm shocked and surprised in a happy way that a Lanthimos film is actually a top contender for Best Picture -- he tends to be so off-beat. And The Favourite from the outside looks like a period piece. So... anyway... now I really want to see it. Not sure if I will bother with Vice.

I wish the overall story hadn't been as choppy for A Star is Born (at times, I felt like it was a collection of scenes versus a straight emotional arc), but the scenes themselves were all pretty great. It feels like a crowd-pleaser, Cooper is solid and believable, Gaga shines within the scenes, and she shows a lot of musical versatility. She really sells the end of the film.

Not sure what to expect with Green Book but I'll probably watch it before end of the month.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

These are two of the best movies I have ever seen. Titanic was amazing. The thing that always confused me though is why the last movie in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy got so many accolades vs the other ones. I mean I thought they were all kind of the same as it relates to caliber/quality. Return of the king won 11 academy awards. Fellowship of the Ring won 4 and the Two Towers only won two. What's the difference between them really? Were they awarding the culmination of all three or something? What would have happened if here was only one?

I think it's that. Personally I thought The Two Towers was the best of the three, but it kind of got overshadowed by the other two. Also, the fact it felt more like an incomplete narrative or episode than the Return of the King did, may have played a role in it being less celebrated and awarded. It bothered me a bit how certain parts of The Two Towers novel were rearranged and inserted into The Return of the King, which was already overly long, although it probably worked better that way in establishing the narrative timeline and making it easier for the audience to follow.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

The big problem with Titanic for me was the character story. Some of the underlying elements were good; but the script and especially the Jack character had some real issues, there's moments of their "romance" that I found myself laughing out loud at rather than being able to take it seriously. When you're dealing with the top few films of the year, that kind of thing can often undermine a film's chances to actually take a big prize. The concept of Jack and Rose was fine, but the dialogue/realization of it was off.

But basically Cameron tapped into the mystique of Titanic at the time, tried to detail what he thought actually happened (which appeals across demographics), the pathos, the sadness of the tragedy. There are some good scenes, it's just the whole Jack/Rose dialogue and DiCaprio's delivery is off and it mars the film. It's like Avatar -- you get an amazing film from a technical perspective and from the pure ambition of creating that world, but the story and Sam Worthington's delivery IMO were below par. (Not that it won Best Picture or anything, I'm simply comparing it as another amazing Cameron technological feat that was lacking in originality and delivery of a lead actor.)

I get why they included the Jack/Rose arc, but I always thought it would have been just as powerful a movie, and maybe more so, had most of the emphasis been on the events surrounding the events leading up to the sinking and the sinking itself. I suppose the romantic subplot was meant to draw people in emotionally, but the real historical events IMO already carry enough emotional weight that I think the film could have thrived quite well without that subplot.

 

[highlander]

I think it's that. Personally I thought The Two Towers was the best of the three, but it kind of got overshadowed by the other two. Also, the fact it felt more like an incomplete narrative or episode than the Return of the King did, may have played a role in it being less celebrated and awarded. It bothered me a bit how certain parts of The Two Towers novel were rearranged and inserted into The Return of the King, which was already overly long, although it probably worked better that way in establishing the narrative timeline and making it easier for the audience to follow.

I actually like the Two Towers the most of the three books so I'm with you there.

 

[highlander]

The big problem with Titanic for me was the character story. Some of the underlying elements were good; but the script and especially the Jack character had some real issues, there's moments of their "romance" that I found myself laughing out loud at rather than being able to take it seriously. When you're dealing with the top few films of the year, that kind of thing can often undermine a film's chances to actually take a big prize. The concept of Jack and Rose was fine, but the dialogue/realization of it was off.

But basically Cameron tapped into the mystique of Titanic at the time, tried to detail what he thought actually happened (which appeals across demographics), the pathos, the sadness of the tragedy. There are some good scenes, it's just the whole Jack/Rose dialogue and DiCaprio's delivery is off and it mars the film. It's like Avatar -- you get an amazing film from a technical perspective and from the pure ambition of creating that world, but the story and Sam Worthington's delivery IMO were below par. (Not that it won Best Picture or anything, I'm simply comparing it as another amazing Cameron technological feat that was lacking in originality and delivery of a lead actor.)

I honestly have trouble watching the LotR films. I like the first one a lot. I've barely been able to rewatch the last two. The actors were fine, it was again a scripting thing. I felt like the film won because the whole effort itself was pretty amazing in terms of the technical expertise and just getting it on the screen; voters wanted to reward that effort just for getting over the finish line.



It's an okay watch. I don't think it's a bad movie, but it's really clear that there were other choices that year from an artistic POV that made more sense and even in the eyes of the public, now that time has passed and we see which are more popularized. (I think IMDB is heavily slanted towards a particular demographic and towards genre pictures, but it's funny to see that even with all those movies being in the top 15, Gump places third for the films I mentioned.) The Gump story tends to just be a strung-along series of anecdotes, mostly unbelievable. At least Jenny's story had a throughline to it, and the main point was decent enough.



I've been planning to watch The Favourite for awhile now (I watched The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer before either had much notice) and I'm shocked and surprised in a happy way that a Lanthimos film is actually a top contender for Best Picture -- he tends to be so off-beat. And The Favourite from the outside looks like a period piece. So... anyway... now I really want to see it. Not sure if I will bother with Vice.

I wish the overall story hadn't been as choppy for A Star is Born (at times, I felt like it was a collection of scenes versus a straight emotional arc), but the scenes themselves were all pretty great. It feels like a crowd-pleaser, Cooper is solid and believable, Gaga shines within the scenes, and she shows a lot of musical versatility. She really sells the end of the film.

Not sure what to expect with Green Book but I'll probably watch it before end of the month.

I think you are more discerning than I am about the dialogue/script. Like for Titanic, I'm a sucker for that kind of epic movie with a love story and am just not too critical of things like that.I'm known to enjoy sappy predictable movies on Lifetime . It's the overall effect the movie has on me emotionally that matters the most. I'm either riveted to the screen or not or somewhere in between. I will watch Top Gun, Jack Reacher, Gladiator, the Patriot or Titanic because they make me feel good and that's generally what I want a movie to do.

 

[Totenkindly]

I think you are more discerning than I am about the dialogue/script. Like for Titanic, I'm a sucker for that kind of epic movie with a love story and am just not too critical of things like that.I'm known to enjoy sappy predictable movies on Lifetime . It's the overall effect the movie has on me emotionally that matters the most. I'm either riveted to the screen or not or somewhere in between. I will watch Top Gun, Jack Reacher, Gladiator, the Patriot or Titanic because they make me feel good and that's generally what I want a movie to do.

Out of those, I'll still rewatch Titanic for production quality and overall feels, and Top Gun on occasion for the kitschy nostalgia, and I liked Gladiator.

The thing for me is that if the movie is masquerading as real and feels fake, I can't enjoy it even if I'd like to. It just feels fake and thus irrelevant. There's an occasional film that might fall into that category -- one is Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale -- but I feel like it's not masquerading as anything, it's just taking a lighter touch and has a sweetness about it that appeals.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Out of those, I'll still rewatch Titanic for production quality and overall feels, and Top Gun on occasion for the kitschy nostalgia, and I liked Gladiator.

The thing for me is that if the movie is masquerading as real and feels fake, I can't enjoy it even if I'd like to. It just feels fake and thus irrelevant. There's an occasional film that might fall into that category -- one is Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale -- but I feel like it's not masquerading as anything, it's just taking a lighter touch and has a sweetness about it that appeals.

do you like Iron Eagle? as far as jet movies from the 80s are concerned, I always thought it crushed Top Gun like a grape. Chock full of kitschy music and hair styles, and Lou Gosset Jr is just awesome as motherfucking Chappy.

- - - Updated - - -

Desplat is a good fit for Anderson but I miss Mothersbaugh scoring his movies.

 

[Totenkindly]

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...