I know it's early, but I found this article on Variety, and it's quite interesting reading. Gave me a bit of hope for the rest of the year anyway:
Oscar candidates lagging: First half of 2008 comes up short on potential
As of Monday, the year was at the halfway mark, so in theory, the 2008 awards race is half over.
Not a chance. The past six months have offered fewer potential contenders than any January-June period in memory.
At least on paper, this year looks like a return to the old days, when the majors dominated awards and most of the nominees bowed late in the year -- in contrast with recent history, when the Oscar charge was led by specialty divisions and fall launches.
In the last six months, there have been possible nominees in the below-the-line Oscar races ("Iron Man," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Forbidden Kingdom," "The Incredible Hulk," "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," "Wanted," "Hancock," etc.), and there have been strong toons ("Horton Hears a Who," "Kung Fu Panda," "Wall-E") as well as too many docus to mention.
But as for potential action in the "money" categories, not so much. However, keep an eye on Overture's "The Visitor": Lead actor Richard Jenkins has rightly earned awards buzz, but the film has many other virtues (Thomas McCarthy's script and direction, the other performances, etc.). McCarthy, a talented actor in his own right, has crafted an actors' movie -- a character study with current-event concerns -- that will play well on DVD, so late-year mailings could pay off.
Otherwise, awards prognosticators have to look to the fests. Last year, Cannes boasted a lot of eventual Oscar pics, including "No Country for Old Men." This year's Cannes saw hot prospects in Universal's "Changeling"; the Weinstein Co.'s Woody Allen pic, to be distribbed by MGM, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" -- particularly for the respective perfs by Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz; and Sony Classics' "Waltz With Bashir," all of which will open this year.
The Berlin Film Festival embraced Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky," with Sally Hawkins winning the actress prize, while Sundance was bullish on "Frozen River," with Melissa Leo. The pics will be released in the U.S. by Miramax and Sony Pictures Classics, respectively.
Of course, their fate depends on what else opens.
After the specialty divisions dominated the 80th Oscars, the major studios predicted they will return triumphantly this year (Variety, March 3-9), and there are plenty of biggies on the books that make the 2008 lineup sound like the most promising from the majors in several years.
But even at the halfway point, there are questions.
Will the early buzz sustain for Disney-Pixar's "Wall-E" and WB's "The Dark Knight" and Heath Ledger?
What effect will the Clint Eastwood double whammy -- November's "Changeling" and the December bow of Warner Bros.-Village Roadshow's "Gran Torino," in which he stars as well as directs -- have on kudos? Similarly, Scott Rudin, who was in the winner's circle with "No Country," has two December openers -- but will he have a third with "The Reader," whose opening date is not yet set?
Benicio Del Toro won Cannes' actor award for Steven Soderbergh's "Che," but will it find a U.S. distrib this year and, if so, in what form will the two-part film be released?
And then there are ... other questions. In the last few years, the song category has been dominated by tunes that were production numbers (as opposed to those end-credit or background songs). So does this bode well for Disney's "High School Musical 3" and Focus' "Hamlet 2"? (If the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" can win, there may be hope for the latter pic's "Rock Me Sexy Jesus.")
A few years ago, film-awards shows followed the lead of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and moved their ceremonies a month earlier, but it's clear that the studios are not similarly shifting their release schedules to accommodate the moves. Bottom-line thinking comes first, and release dates are more focused on box office than on awards.
Still, this year will be an interesting one for the majors as they woo Oscar.
For decades, Oscar voters had a reputation for going with more mainstream films, preferring "Ordinary People" to "Raging Bull," to use an often-cited example. But in the last few years, Acad members have embraced darker, arthouse-style films like "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." So it will be interesting to see how the majors' lineup meshes with this growing specialty sensibility among the voters.
Following are the month-by-month releases that sound like awards fodder. Of course there are always disappointments -- there's no point bringing up the many, many painful memories of films whose makers thought they had a shot -- and there are always surprises.
Last year, "Juno" wasn't on anyone's radar because it wasn't skedded for a 2007 release. And the Weinstein Co. has two that may be added to its 2008 slate: "Shanghai," directed by Mikael Hafstrom and starring John Cusack, and "The Reader," directed by Stephen Daldry, scripted by David Hare, produced by Rudin and starring Kate Winslet).
But here's a blueprint for the next six months.
July: It's an f/x extravaganza with New Line's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (going out through WB); and Universal's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."
August: DreamWorks' "Tropic Thunder"; U's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."
September: Disney's Spike Lee movie "Miracle at St. Anna"; Focus' "Burn After Reading," the follow-up film from this year's triple Oscar winners, Joel and Ethan Coen, that stars George Clooney and Tilda Swinton; Miramax's Fernando Meirelles pic "Blindness"; "The Appaloosa," directed by and starring Ed Harris (New Line, via WB); Paramount Vantage's "The Duchess," with Keira Knightley.
October: Lionsgate's Oliver Stone bio-politico-comedy-drama "W." starring Josh Brolin; WB's Ridley Scott film "Body of Lies," written by William Monahan ("The Departed") and starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; Fox Searchlight's "The Secret Life of Bees" (Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah); Universal-Spyglass' Greg Kinnear film "Flash of Genius," with Marc Abraham making his directing debut; and Sony Pictures Classics' "I've Loved You So Long," with Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married," with Anne Hathaway.
November: Paramount-DreamWorks' "The Soloist" (Joe Wright directing Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.); Focus' "Milk" (Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn); Fox's "Australia," from Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman; MGM-Sony's "Quantum of Solace," with Daniel Craig returning as 007; WB's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; and the Weinstein Co./Dimension's "The Road," an adaptation of the book by Cormac McCarthy (who penned the novel "No Country") that's going out via MGM and stars Charlize Theron and Viggo Mortensen.
December: Miramax's "Doubt" (starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman and produced by Rudin); Paramount's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett under helmer David Fincher (Warner Bros. has the pic overseas); Paramount Vantage-DreamWorks' "Revolutionary Road" (Sam Mendes, DiCaprio, Winslet and Rudin again); Par Vantage's "Defiance" (Ed Zwick, with Craig); Disney's Adam Shankman-helmed "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler; Lionsgate's Frank Miller-directed "The Spirit"; Sony's "Seven Pounds," reuniting Will Smith with Gabriele Muccino (who directed "The Pursuit of Happyness"); Universal-Imagine-Working Title's Ron Howard-helmed "Frost/Nixon."
Hugh Jackman to host Academy Awards
Reigning 'Sexiest Man Alive' to emcee Feb. 22 ceremony
LOS ANGELES - Hugh Jackman will host the 2009 Oscars, Access Hollywood has confirmed.
The "Australia" star, who was recently selected as "Sexiest Man Alive," by People magazine will emcee the event on February 22.
This will be Jackman's first time as Oscar host. He previously hosted the Tony Awards in 2004 and 2005.
The 2008 Oscar ceremonies, which came just weeks after the writer's strike ended, was helmed by comedian Jon Stewart.
that's just crazy talk.
wtf?
Great, now it's going to be boring AND gay...not that there's anything wrong with that.
every year for some reason i get pulled back into the oscars even though they never fail to bore the hell out of me. if it's no scorsese competing, is the coens or pta, or some actor i love like phil hoffman. but this year i don't really care. hopefully i'll be able to ignore this crap for the first time in 14 years...
you know you won't though. as much crap as we all will forever talk on them, we all will forever watch them. ALL of us. forever.
it's just that the names that are being thrown around to get nominations and awards this year are not big enough for me to care. i don't feel like watching clint eastwood get his ass kissed again, or sean penn. fincher, van sant, kate winslet, etc...i like everyone, but i don't sabor the moment of seeing them winning as I did with the coens or pta, or scorsese...the only one i'm excited about because she totally surprised me is penelope cruz in vicky cristina barcelona. but that's that.
Quote from: Alexandro on December 13, 2008, 01:27:02 PM
i don't feel like watching clint eastwood get his ass kissed again, or sean penn. fincher, van sant, kate winslet, etc...i like everyone
I'm not sure if with that
again you only mean clint or the others too, but just in case, Fincher hasn't ever been nominated here or by the globes (til Benjamin this year). So I think it's about time he gets some recognition, not that he needs it or that makes these shitty awards worth it.
btw Alexandro, congrats for your play El Rey y su Sensei (The king and his sensei).
hey, thanks for the congrats!!
no, i only meant clint. i like him, but cmon....
List of nominees for the 81st annual Academy Awards:
BEST PICTURE
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Marttin McDonagh, "In Bruges"
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, "WALL-E"
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare, "The Reader"
Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"
John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"The Baader-Meinhof Complex" (Germany)
"The Class" (France)
"Departures" (Japan)
"Revanche" (Austria)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)
BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Wall-E"
BEST ART DIRECTION
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
"Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Revolutionary Road"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Changeling", Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight", Wally Pfister
"The Reader", Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
"Slumdog Millionaire", Anthony Dod Mantle
BEST FILM EDITING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight," Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon," Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
"Milk," Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire," Chris Dickens
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Australia", Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Jacqueline West
"The Duchess", Michael O'Connor
"Milk", Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road", Albert Wolsky
BEST MAKEUP
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Colleen Callaghan, Fionagh Cush
"The Dark Knight," Peter Robb-King, John Caglione Jr.
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire"
"Trouble the Water"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Slumdog Millionaire," "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman
"Slumdog Millionaire," "O Saya," A.R. Rahman & M.I.A.
"Wall-E," "Down To Earth," Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman
BEST SCORE
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button",Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance", James Newton Howard
"Milk", Danny Elfman
"Slumdog Millionaire", A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E", Thomas Newman
BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Dark Knight", Richard King
"Iron Man", Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire", Tom Sayers
"WALL-E", Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
"Wanted",Wylie Stateman
BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
"The Dark Knight", Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
"Slumdog Millionaire", Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E",Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
"Wanted", Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
"The Dark Knight", Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
"Iron Man", John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
"La Maison en Petits Cubes", Kunio Kato
"Lavatory - Lovestory", Konstantin Bronzit
"Oktapodi", Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
"Presto", Doug Sweetland
"This Way Up",Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)", Reto Caffi
"Manon on the Asphalt", Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
"New Boy", Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
"The Pig", Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
"Spielzeugland (Toyland)", Jochen Alexander Freydank
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
"The Conscience of Nhem En", Steven Okazaki
"The Final Inch", Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
"Smile Pinki", Megan Mylan
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306", Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
I was going to congratulate you, Mac, on putting the noms up before Variety and the Oscar site, but it's not a complete list. Still, thanks though ;)
Chuffed for Richard Jenkins' noms, but pissed at Dark Knight's snub for Picture/Director/Screenplay.
EDIT: Btw, Kate Winslet is nominated for The Reader, not RR.
not many surprises there. kind of a blah year for me despite a few keepers.
That list feels very boring. Full of the movies that anyone last year could have told you was Oscar-bait, plus some nominations for films and performances that, while not designed for Oscar, still aren't surprising.
I would have liked to seen Michelle Williams nominated for Wendy & Lucy and I'm kind of surprised that Springsteen song for The Wrestler wasn't nominated (I'm starting to think that they just nominate the songs they think would be fun to see be performed on stage).
I'm pretty convinced at this stage that Slumdog Millionaire will win Best Picture, just because that's the only one out of all them that would make a good story (will give people a lot to talk/write about regarding its rise from direct-to-DVD status to Best Picture Winner).
the reader is a pile of shit.
the dark knight was snubbed.
the other choices are so boring.
fuck these awards this year.
Garbage. Not so much the nominations, but the actual movies of the year. It's been a shit year.
Why wasn't Let The Right One In nominated for Best Foreign Language Film? Did it not qualify or was it just snubbed?
Dark Knight should have gotten a nod for Picture and screenplay. Sure, the movie falls apart at the end and get's too ambitious, but if Eric Roth got a nomination, then DK should get the WIN.
Slumdog has this all wrapped up. It'll be the icing on the cake of shit that is this year in filmmaking.
At least 2009 looks promising.
Quote from: Stefen on January 22, 2009, 08:50:03 AM
Why wasn't Let The Right One In nominated for Best Foreign Language Film? Did it not qualify or was it just snubbed?
if i recall correctly it wasn't even submitted as sweeden's film. i don't remember all the details of the new foreign rules but i remember seeing the list of 60 finalists and let the right one in wasn't included. biggest snub of the year in my opinion.
Yeah, a few surprises as usual like those Frozen River nods but other than that, almost all are either safe picks or very predictable.
Good.
- Richard Jenkins.
- Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei.
Bad.
- TDK snubbed.
- No more love for The Wrestler.
- Wolverine hosting.
Winners.
- Me and stefen cuz we'll see Kate Winslet again, which btw I don't think she has it locked.
I hope Kate wins. I haven't even seen The Reader, but like Fernando, I REALLY enjoy looking at her. Plus, Angelina is a shitty actress, Meryl Streep is too safe and predictable, Anne Hathaway = BRIDE WARS and Melissa Leo is probably just happy to be nominated.
I like Kate's choices over her career. Also, none of these actresses have ever worked with PTA and beggars shouldn't be choosers.
And the lack of love for The Wrestler and Let The Right One In is a travesty.
I'm upset I never rented the Visitor, though it did catch my eye. Will have to check it out as soon as I can.
I completely agree with everything said here (except I haven't seen the Reader, so I don't know if it's worthy or not).
TDK snub is pretty awful, and I can't fucking believe two goddamn songs from Slumdog are here. Yay for Michael Shannon and Josh Brolin, that category turned out ok, actually.
This will be the first time in a long time that I do not watch the Oscars. I really, really do not give a shit about any of these movies winning (except Heath and Kate [btw, stefan and fernando, you are not alone]).
And I am most definitely not going to that AMC 5 Best Pictures movies in a row deal. Seeing Button again would make me claw my fucking eyes out.
Herzog's first Oscar nomination, right?
- Richard Jenkins :yabbse-thumbup:
- No love for Revolutionary Road, Leo/Kate, Sam Mendes. Weird.
- Michael Shannon on the other hand, :yabbse-thumbup:
- I've been listening to The Wrestler song quite a lot and it's a great song. Weird that it was not nominated. The Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack is also very good and I was wondering why it didn't get nominated (as best song) at the Golden Globes, so whatever. The WALL-E song is also not bad.
- TDK got snubbed, but still got a ton of nominations in other shitty areas so its getting enough recognition.
- Haven't seen The Reader and I still have zero interest even after all these noms. Frost/Nixon I do want to see.
- I did not hate Benjamin Button when I saw it, but I did think of all the fucking similarities to Forrest Gump and as I found more and then read about others it pisses me off. I cannot believe they're nominating that screenplay.
- Melissa Leo? WTF
- I thought "Tear this heart out" would have been nominated for Best Foreign.
most of these are yawns, and some are just downright infuriating. ahh nothing like some fucktarded oscar noms to bring out your inner cynic.
i'll see the reader i guess, but from what i hear it's pure dreck. stephen daldry must be sleeping with like half the academy. dude could film midget porn of the third reich and still land a best director nod.
no nomination for bruce for the wrestler is inexcusable. i've always wanted the academy to just dump the best song category. the songs and performances there of perpetually blow, not to mention its soul purpose is just an excuse to pad the show with musical numbers (as if it weren't long enough). but then the boss comes around and writes a beautiful song that so perfectly concludes a beautiful movie. who wouldn't want to see this performed at the oscars? oh right, the entire goddamn academy. FAIL.
the more i think about benjamin button the less i like it. i know i said the forrest gump comparisons didn't bother me at the time but i do drink a lot. that video that was put together just... wow.
i was really excited about slumdog until the backlash came, and then there was the inevitable backlash against the backlash and i got excited again, but now i'm pretty sure that, judging by what many of you and some friends i trust have concluded, it's going to be manipulative and contrived and fun but ultimately not worthy.
wall E is really the only thing to get excited about.
Yeah, it was a bad year in general. You can't win 'em all, I guess.
Mirroring what most have said except I can't believe that anyone thought a movie like The Dark Knight would ever get nominated for best picture. Sure, it was great... my favorite of the year, but I was pretty certain there would be no Best Pic for it. It's just not Oscar's Thing. If Ledger had lived, they probably would have snubbed him for actor too.
I agree with RK. How can you guys be so surprised by the TDK snub?
I don't see how The Dark Knight is any different than something like Gladiator, which I believe won Best Picture. The only difference is DK is alot better and more creative and made more money. Usually the Academy rewards movies that make alot of money even if they aren't very good. I thought for sure DK would get a Best Picture nod and maybe a nod for Nolan. To get shut out is very surprising to me.
Damn, what a bore...
So, if my hunch is right Revolutionary Road is really great, that would explain the snubb...
All the best pic nominees look boring...
TDK snubbed...whatever but it's pretty stupid when a huge critical and box office success don't make the cut, given that they get lower ratings each year.
I'm happy for the underdog actors. Jenkins, Shannon, Tomei...IT's cool Downy got the nod for Tropic Thunder.
And Herzog.
But I just won't waste my time watching the most boring oscars ceremony in ages.
Hopefully our xixax awards will be good for comfort.
besture, slumil
bestress, wins
bestor, mic
bestsuptress, tar
bestsuptor, he
bestrector, boy
bestorplay, w-e
bestadplay, slumil
bestani, w-e
bestaphy, CCBB
and the rest.
Certainly one of the most predictable set of noms I've seen. Should I even bother seeing "the reader"?
Quote from: w/o horse on January 22, 2009, 10:06:07 AM
Herzog's first Oscar nomination, right?
for such a weak movie!
what about to reprise?
robert downey jr. !!!
hahahahahahahahahahaha
That's the best. I can't take this award show seriously anymore, especially after crash won.
mtv movie awards have more integrity
I don't care either way about the Oscars. I just hope more of these films come to my neck of the woods, but I expected the Dark Knight to have been nominated for Best Picture. It was a blockbuster, yes, but did represent an agreement between audience and most critics as being great. The original Star Wars accomplished the same thing and was rewarded with a Best Picture nomination in 1977.
And considering few of the nominees are coming in with great fanfare of any kind, I expected it would have been nominated.
Other than that I don't give a shit. Let Hollywood congratulate itself again with a bad award show.
Quote from: Pozer on December 12, 2008, 04:35:52 PM
as much crap as we all will forever talk on them, we all will forever watch them. ALL of us. forever.
anyone who calls 2008 a shit year simply hasn't seen everything it has to offer. 2008 was ACE. this list might make you think otherwise, but that's just because it's wrong and shows a total lack of imagination on the academy's part. the best picture race is almost 100% cop-out.
- i was really hoping against hope the wrestler would sneak in despite not getting too many nods elsewhere, just because more people would have seen it... it's a real mistake to see it as just about a great performance. not to mention acknowledging the goodness of rourke and tomei but somehow leaving evan out.. and not considering the DIRECTOR that shaped all these great performances. even from non-actors. i wonder if the wrestler is just the victim of a late release. i know it's going to be remembered long after these five choices.
- i don't understand how you can nominate a movie 8 times and not give the director a nod. that's messed up.
- i've never cared about the best song category, but the lack of "the wrestler" there makes zero sense. not only are there TWO slumdogs in there, but the category has been shortened??? jesus. and "little person" got no love anywhere i don't think..
- i am glad everyone in doubt got nommed, though viola should've made room for evan.
- no one's talking about waltz with bashir's exclusion from animated film. i don't think anyone takes this category seriously. i've heard bolt and kung-fu panda are great, but every year with the exception of last year it's two kids movies and a pixar. it doesn't need to be a joke category.
- supp. actor is pretty much right on.
- i guess i should see this "frozen river"...
i think in general the academy was afraid to acknowledge such unconventionally good movies. animated/futuristic, comic-book/action, ...wrestling? that still doesn't compute to me.. so they stuck with what SEEMED important. historical, forrest gump, historical, historical... slumdog... this year's noms are a victim of tradition. thoughtless tradition.
Quote from: Pozer on January 22, 2009, 05:57:42 PM
Quote from: Pozer on December 12, 2008, 04:35:52 PM
as much crap as we all will forever talk on them, we all will forever watch them. ALL of us. forever.
I always hear that, but I didn't watch a second of the Golden Globe award show and have no plans to watch the Oscars either. When I was younger I was antagonistic to the Oscars, but I still cared about a few categories and who won so I was always checking in. Now none of it is of any interest to me.
Quote from: pete on January 22, 2009, 01:26:56 PM
Quote from: w/o horse on January 22, 2009, 10:06:07 AM
Herzog's first Oscar nomination, right?
for such a weak movie!
what about to reprise?
excuse me? so encounters is weak?
I mean, herzog lite is still way better than everything else. I still loved the movie, but literally it was just herzog going to a place and talking to people. no fevered dreams and no inner demons.
This is the third draft I've made of a goodbye letter to Xixax and I've finally erased all tinges of bitterness or trite renunciation. Including an Oscar rant in regards to this thread's attention.
Besides, whatevs. Thanks for good times.
Quote from: pete on January 22, 2009, 09:26:23 PM
I mean, herzog lite is still way better than everything else. I still loved the movie, but literally it was just herzog going to a place and talking to people. no fevered dreams and no inner demons.
i found the whole thing fascinating. never occured to me before the place would be filled with new agey hippies...and in this particular case, the images speak by themselves. but i do get your point. he should win. i liked man on wire too, but i was levitating with encounters....
WHERE'S THE PARANOIDS
Quote from: Cinephile on January 23, 2009, 12:39:51 AM
WHERE'S THE PARANOIDS
Didn't you read what others here said? Good films get snubbed at the Oscars :yabbse-grin:
Actually, the film was not released in the USA during 2008 (only Canada, Cuba, Spain and Argentina so far) so maybe we'll get nominated for next year :yabbse-rolleyes:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgoldderby.latimes.com%2Fawards_goldderby%2Fimages%2F2009%2F01%2F25%2Foscars_poster_academy_awards_1.jpg&hash=c578dda35e2374c9fd3e5f4428331a5f53d11f02)
Meh.
That reminds me of a recurring dream I have where I'm naked and encased in gold in front of 2000 people while millions more watch on live TV.
Academy chief promises 'truly different' Oscars
Sid Ganis warns nominees that show will take 'risks'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Promising an Oscar show that will be "truly different," Academy president Sid Ganis used the annual Nominees Luncheon to put this year's awards hopefuls on notice.
Teasingly withholding actual specifics, Ganis on Monday warned that "it's going to be a show that takes some risks." Speaking directly to the actors, he warned, "Your categories are being presented in a completely different way. Heads up."
Turning to the entire room full of 112 nominees gathered at the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom, he added, "Cinematographers, editors, composers. All of you guys. You're in for a big surprise."
In hopes of stemming a ratings decline, the Academy has enlisted a new team, headed by producer Laurence Mark and exec producer Bill Condon, to give the 81st annual Academy Awards a makeover. ABC will broadcast the show live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 22.
In an effort to build suspense, the producers are attempting to withhold details about the event, which will be hosted by Hugh Jackman. This year, for example, the names of the celebrity presenters are not being announced ahead of the broadcast in hopes of piquing viewers' interest.
Traditionally, the show's producer speaks at the luncheon, usually exhorting the eventual winners to avoid reading lists of thank yous. But while Mark and Condon mingled with the guests, they avoided the podium, leaving it to Ganis to make the annual appeal.
"If you insist on reading from a list, Larry and Bill just hope you're going to cry while you do it," he joked.
The luncheon, at which the nominees are presented certificates marking their nominations as well as commemorative sweatshirts, is one of the awards' seasons few non-competitive events.
And so, as the nominees gathered for a group portrait, best actor rivals Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke were virtually arm-in-arm, while best actress nominee Kate Winslet whispered to supporting actress nominee Marisa Tomei, who giggled in return.
While Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as well as Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman did not drop by for lunch, the other acting nominees were all front and center as the Oscar countdown continues.
Judd Apatow to create short film for Oscar show
Raunch-meister Judd Apatow will unleash a short film and live material during this year's Oscar telecast.
By Sandy Cohen, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Judd Apatow is coming to the Oscars — and he's bringing a new film.
The comedy writer-director-producer, whose screen credits include Knocked Up, will unveil fresh material on stage and on screen during the Oscar telecast on Feb. 22, said show producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark.
They said Apatow and his work will appear during a tribute to comedy.
"We're thrilled to say that our contemporary comedy master Judd Apatow is contributing both a film and live material to that part of the show," Condon said Wednesday.
"Judd was truly a prince to hop on and truly whip up special shooting for it," Mark added. "It's a big deal."
Condon and Mark have kept mostly mum on details of the show, but they have said that filmmakers of all stripes will participate. Last week they announced that Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann would create a production number featuring Oscar host Hugh Jackman. Capote director Bennett Miller is also contributing a film sequence to the telecast.
The Oscars will air live from the Kodak Theatre on ABC.
it might be something i ate, but i think this ceremony actually sickens me now. :shock:
Strangely enough, last night I had a nightmare about the oscars and when I woke up, I threw up.
Peter Gabriel Pissed At Oscar Producers And Won't Perform At Academy Awards
Source: Deadline Hollywood
EXCLUSIVE: I'm told that Peter Gabriel just pulled out of performing at the Academy Awards show. In a letter to the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, the co-writer and performer of Wall-E's "Down To Earth" says he doesn't think the nominated songs, and their writers and performers, are getting enough respect during this year's Oscars telecast. That's because the show's producers, Larry Mark and Bill Condon, have reduced the song segment to a medley of the three songs nominated for "achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Song)" -- "Down to Earth" from WALL-E (Walt Disney), with music by Gabriel and Thomas Newman and lyric by Gabriel; "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) with music by A.R. Rahman nd lyric by Gulzar; and "O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) with music and lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam. I'm told the producers have slotted 90 seconds in the medley for each song sung by its original performer. But Gabriel said in his letter that he was only being offered 65 seconds for his song. "I don't feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and I have decided to withdraw from performing," Gabriel informed AMPAS. "I fully respect and look forward to the producers' right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the filmmmaking process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team, and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created in part at their expense." I'm told that the medley is the brainchild of the producers in their attempt to get the Oscar show's running time down to 3 hours -- which, frankly, would be a miracle given that it usually runs more than 4 hours. No word yet on whom the producers will choose to sing in place of Gabriel.
UPDATE: Here is the text of Peter Gabriel's letter:
"I was delighted when "Down to Earth" was nominated for an Oscar. I was also pleased to have been asked to perform the song in the Oscar ceremony. However, in recent discussions with the Producers, it became clear that despite there being only three nominees, only 60-65 seconds was being offered, and that was also in a medley of the three songs. I don't feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and have decided to withdraw from performing.
I fully respect and look forward to the Producers' right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the film making process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created, in part, at their expense."
I still very much look forward to attending the ceremony."
That sucks. The people who run this academy are fucking idiots.
Also, I keep trying to understand how the fuck The Wrestler was not nominated for best song.
"Have you ever seen a one-legged Dog
making his way down the street?
Have you ever seen a one-armed man
Punching at nothing but the breeze?"
-Bruce Springsteen
"Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see
is a mosquito sucking on a mummy.
Forget it, little friend."
-Jack Handey
:bravo:
Quote from: 72teeth on February 13, 2009, 02:13:00 AM
"Have you ever seen a one-legged Dog
making his way down the street?
Have you ever seen a one-armed man
Punching at nothing but the breeze?"
-Bruce Springsteen
"Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see
is a mosquito sucking on a mummy.
Forget it, little friend."
-Jack Handey
HAHA
Hugh Jackman plans for `intimate' Oscars
LOS ANGELES – Hugh Jackman says he knows the Oscars ceremony isn't about him, but he'd better enjoy it all the same.
"Celebration is the key. I'm certainly going to have a good time. If I'm not going to have a good time, how the hell is anybody else?" said Jackman, who sounded up for the job in a phone interview Friday, less than two weeks before the Feb. 22 ceremony airing on ABC.
Academy Awards producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have said they plan to take the ceremony in a new direction. Asking the multitalented star of "Australia" and the "X-Men" films to host was their first apparent step.
The rest of the details have been under wraps, but Jackman, who thrice soared as host of the Tony Awards, dropped a few hints — including a more "intimate" look for the ceremony's home, the Kodak Theatre.
Jackman declined to give his favorites among the contenders, with one emotional exception: the late Heath Ledger, a best supporting actor nominee for "The Dark Knight." Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year at the age of 28.
"I can't hide the fact that I would really love for that honor to be bestowed upon him," Jackman said of his fellow Australian. "It would be fitting and I think he deserves it."
AP: How would you compare your Tony experience to that of the Oscars?
Jackman: The Oscars is obviously a very different beast. There's a lot of hype. There's so much anticipation. ... I chatted with Steve Martin on the phone who gave me some great tips. The first five or six minutes you're going to have possibly the best audience you've ever had in your life, because all of them know they're going be on camera at any moment, none of them have lost yet and they're all sort of generally ready for a good time. He said from that point on, just move it on quickly. Just be quick.
In terms of style, there's a quantum shift happening this year, and fingers crossed we get a lot of it right. ... There's an obvious amount of business that has to happen in the night. There's 24 awards; you can't change that. But I think Oscars could do a little more of the show in show biz. I think there's been a little too much business.
AP: The producers intend to try different things. Does that add to your excitement or trepidation?
Jackman: I think it's great. ... Obviously I'm not a standup comedian and generally there's been comedians who are actors as well (who) have been doing it for the last however many years. So there's not the same pressure. I don't think people expect me to come out and do seven minutes of bang-bang-bang jokes. ... They really just encourage me to do what I feel I do best. It's a night to have a feeling of celebration, of community.
The look of the theater is very different. It's more like the nightclub of your dreams. It's very intimate. ... It's got to be a lot closer. It's been a little austere in the past. You know, there's that stage, the host being up above the stalls, looking down at everybody. ... But this is a lot more intimate. It's still spectacular, being in the Kodak Theatre. But it's a real difference in the way things are laid out.
Anyone who's followed politics and/or baseball over the last couple years knows that Nate Silver is the new gold standard in statistical analysis, and he recently applied his savant-like talents to predicting this year's Oscars. Here's his picks, along with the percentage of likelihood put out by his statistical model, but you should also check out the article (http://nymag.com/movies/features/54335/) for more info on how he came about these results:
Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire (99.0%)
Best Director - Danny Boyle (99.7%)
Lead Actress - Kate Winslet (67.6%)
Lead Actor - Mickey Rourke (71.1%)
Supporting Actress - Taraji P. Henson (51.0%)
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger (85.8%)
Stephen Colbert also predicted the same nominees for the oscars and did it last year too.
Oscar Winners Leaked?
by Erik Davis; Cinematical
My good pal Kevin over at Moviefone just sent over a link to a blog (http://oscars2009leaked.blogspot.com/2009/02/oscars-winner-list-2009-leaked_17.html#comments) that's posting what they claim is a list of this year's Academy Award winners -- saying, "We don't know who leaked this, but thanks a bunch! Enjoy folks." Of course there's a very good chance it's a fake, but as Kevin noted in our AIM conversation: "I mean, it looks right... the fact that Best Supporting Actress is outta nowhere somehow lends it credibility." He's referring to Amy Adams, who this site says is the winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
But she's not the only surprise in the lot -- both screenplay awards seem a bit fishy, with Best Adapted going to The Reader and Original Screenplay going to In Bruges. Don't get me wrong, I think In Bruges is fantastic -- but will it win the Oscar? Doubt it. And what about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button winning Best Costume Design? As far as the big awards, they claim Slumdog Millionaire wins Best Picture and Best Director, while Mickey Rourke and Kate Winslet take top acting honors and Heath Ledger, of course, slides away with the Best Supporting Actor win. Those are all expected wins, though.
Check out their full list after the jump and let us know what you think. (Please note that in no way do we advise you to throw a bunch of money down on these picks. You'd be a giant moron if you did. Just sayin' ...)
Actor in a leading role: Mickey Rourke
Actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger
Actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet
Actress in a supporting role: Amy Adams
Animated Feature Film: Wall-E
Art Direction: The Dark Knight
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Costume Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Directing: Slumdog Millionaire
Documentary feature: Man on Wire
Documentary short: The Conscience of Nhem En
Film editing: Milk
Foreign language film: Departures
Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Music (Score): Defiance
Music (Song): Down to Earth (Wall-E)
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Short film (animated): Presto
Short film (live action): Auf Der Strecke (On The Line)
Sound editing: Wall-E
Sound mixing: The Dark Knight
Visual effects: Iron Man
Writing (Adapted screenplay): The Reader
Writing (Original screenplay): In Bruges
maybe it was leaked by the same jerk that said hathaway was going win the globe..
Mac, who's getting the honorary award this year?
Quote from: Fernando on February 19, 2009, 12:03:51 PM
Mac, who's getting the honorary award this year?
I've heard the posthumous award this year is being given to quality filmmaking.
Quote from: Stefen on February 19, 2009, 12:06:10 PM
Quote from: Fernando on February 19, 2009, 12:03:51 PM
Mac, who's getting the honorary award this year?
I've heard the posthumous award this year is being given to quality filmmaking.
:bravo:
Quote from: Fernando on February 19, 2009, 12:03:51 PM
maybe it was leaked by the same jerk that said hathaway was going win the globe..
It's bogus because the ballots were due Tuesday. They're still counting.
Quote from: Fernando on February 19, 2009, 12:03:51 PM
Mac, who's getting the honorary award this year?
Jerry Lewis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 81st Academy Awards, report the trades. The actor and comedian will receive the honorary Oscar statuette at the February 22 ceremony. Lewis, who made his screen debut with nightclub-act partner Dean Martin in 1949's My Friend Irma, began making local and national televised appeals on behalf of the newly founded Muscular Dystrophy Association during the early 1950s. He has been the organization's national chairman since 1952 and has spearheaded the annual Jerry Lewis Mda Labor Day Telethon, which has raised more than $2 billion, since 1966. Lewis starred alongside Martin in 16 films before establishing a solo career as a screen performer, director and producer with such films as The Bellboy, The Nutty Professor, The Disorderly Orderly and Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy.
REMINDER: Our chat room is the place for the best catty talk!
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 22, 2009, 01:09:59 AM
REMINDER: Our chat room is the place for the best catty talk!
hells yeah! i'll try and be on.
It has been said time and again by myself and countless others that The Dark Knight being shut out of the Best Picture race this year is an absolute crime. When people look back to 2008 in the future, The Dark Knight is the film which will be remembered. Not any of these contenders, no matter who wins. In fact, this is the first year in recent memory where I hadn't seen the majority of the nominees. Only the spectacularly underwhelming Benjamin Button. So yesterday I went to AMC's annual Best Picture Showcase and got myself caught up on the other nominees. Let me tell you; it's a mixed bag.
First up was Milk - Gus Van Sant's biopic of gay politician Harvey Milk in 1970s San Francisco. At the time the nominees were announced I predicted this could be the one to steal the prize. Having actually now seen it, I still believe it could win. It should win. It was undeniably my favorite of the five. The story of someone coming up so much prejudice and overcoming it, being accepted and yet somehow not becoming a part of the vilified establishment - that's quiet an achievement. Any yet perhaps a tad timely perhaps? This film really touched me, brought me to the verge of tears. Despite the assassination which ends the film, for the most part this film is a feel-good even when tackling such tricky subject matter. I loved this movie. I really, really hope it wins. Incidentally, Milk is nominated for eight nominees in total including one for Sean Penn as lead actor. It is also my prediction that he will win that one too, stealing from favorite Mickey Rourke.
The second film in AMC's program was The Reader. This is the film which took people most by surprised by being included as a nominee, and largely believed therefor to be the reason Dark Knight was not included on the list. The story deals with a teenager in post-WWII Germany who has an affair with an older woman (Kate Winslet). Later, it turns out the woman was a guard at Auchwitz and she is put on trial for her crimes. Honestly, there's nothing special about this movie. I don't dislike it at all, but it's only okay. My main complaint is that the initial start of the affair seems really forced and unbelievable - a huge fucking problem when that's what the rest of the film hangs on. However, Winslet more than earns her nod as a Leading (rather than Supporting) Actress. In total it is nominated for 5 awards. This ranks as my number 3 of the 5.
The middle film to be shown was The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I had absolutely no desire to sit through this mess a second time. I hate this movie. So instead, I went out for lunch. A lovely plate a liver and onions. Gorgeous glass of wine. Benjamin Button ranks as my number 5. Unbelievably, it is nominated for 13 awards in total. It is my prediction that it will go home empty handed.
Returning from a nice few hours out of the cinemas, I settled in to watch reigning favorite Slumdog Millionaire. I didn't really like it. It didn't hang together so well for me. I can't really explain it. Sure, the kids were cute, but it didn't affect me in the same way Milk did, despite the parallels in story. Plus Milk is based on a true story. And we all know the Academy voters love their true stories. Everyone knows Slumdog has already won pretty much every major award going, but I think it could suffer from voter fatigue come tonight. It's nominated for 10 awards in total. I think it will win roughly half of them, especially the bigger categories it's included in. But not Best Picture. Of the 5 nominees, this ranks as my number 4.
The final film to be nominated is Frost/Nixon. Like Benjamin Button, this is one film I had been looking forward to for a long time, and again was disappointing. But nowhere near as much. Frank Langella gives a larger than life performance as disgraced ex-President Nixon, but the true shining star of this movie is screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Queen), adapting from his own stage play. There are some great lines, and the film really does present the interviews as a series of boxing matches. I can honestly say this is the one nominee which truly kept me (and a large portion of my fellow audience) on the edge of my seat. This is my second favorite of the 5. It's nominated for 5 awards, but the outlook is not good. Fingers crossed it might take Adapted Screenplay if anything.
My ranking:
1.Milk
2.Frost/Nixon
3.The Reader
4.Slumdog Millionaire
5.The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 22, 2009, 01:09:59 AM
REMINDER: Our chat room is the place for the best catty talk!
ready when you are.
Mickey got fucking robbed!
This is the best I've ever done at guessing, however.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Christian Colson
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Sean Penn for Milk (2008/I)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)
Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Okuribito (2008)(Japan)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman, Sampooran Singh Gulzar("Jai Ho")
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A.R. Rahman
Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Chris Dickens
Best Achievement in Sound
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: The Dark Knight (2008) - Richard King
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: Smile Pinki (2008) - Megan Mylan
Best Documentary, Features
Winner: Man on Wire (2008) - James Marsh, Simon Chinn
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Best Short Film, Live Action
Winner: Spielzeugland (2007) - Jochen Alexander Freydank
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Anthony Dod Mantle
Best Achievement in Makeup
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - Greg Cannom
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: The Duchess (2008) - Michael O'Connor
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
Best Short Film, Animated
Winner: Maison en petits cubes, La (2008) - Kunio Katô
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: WALL·E (2008) - Andrew Stanton
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Simon Beaufoy
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: Milk (2008/I) - Dustin Lance Black
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Mac, where the hell were you? So much for promoting the chat and not showing up!
I'm very pleased with most results, except for Mickey. He fucking deserved it and Sean Penn is an ass. He was brilliant as Milk, but whatever.
Quote from: kal on February 23, 2009, 01:08:22 AM
Mac, where the hell were you? So much for promoting the chat and not showing up!
Friends showed up and had to play host. Sorry.
as much as i wanted to see mickey win, penn really deserved it so much as well and gave a great speech. the speeches were easily the best part of the night. probably because they were the only thing not created by the producers, who made so. many. terrible decisions. jackman did his job but there was really no personality there. just script. apatow barely tried with his video. the decision to cut the acting clips (which i've always enjoyed because they try to represent those defining moments) and replace them with boring, tedious speeches by other actors describing their performances (aside from de niro and a couple other exceptions) clinched it. worst oscar ceremony i've ever seen.
Can I just mention Danny Boyle's facial expressions when shown on camera? the man looked like a child molester
Quote from: Bethie on February 23, 2009, 02:04:52 AM
Can I just mention Danny Boyle's facial expressions when shown on camera? the man looked like a child molester
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HAHHAH! Proof!!!
Why the fuck was the camera floating around during the In Memoriam bit so you couldn't fucking see who was being honored? And having Queen Latifa sing over it all?! What the fuck!
Couple questions:
Was Seymore Philip Hoffman going to rob a bank afterwards?
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When did they announce The Pianist Part II?:
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liked:
- my girl Kate winning and her speech, awesome that she mentioned pete jackson.
- heath, ppl really seemed moved by it.
- great speeches from: the guys from man on wire, the japanese foregin film guys (i bet israel felt like mexico two years ago), the short doc lady was great too.
- de niro was the best of all actor presenters, saying how did sean got away with plating straight all this time, good speech by penn too.
- in memoriam, they included EWS when remembering sydney
- best presenters: joaquin stiller, steve martin (bring him back!), tina and hancock
- hottest: kate (duh!) and portman :inlove:
didn't:
- waaaaaaaaaay too many musical numbers
- actors awards new format
- in memoriam format
- mickey not winning, not saying penn didn't deserved it, I was just rooting for him. haven't seen neither film
- jackman=borefest, i like the guy and did his best but...INVALIDATED for future awards
Quote from: picolas on February 23, 2009, 01:24:09 AMthe decision to cut the acting clips (which i've always enjoyed because they try to represent those defining moments) and replace them with boring, tedious speeches by other actors describing their performances (aside from de niro and a couple other exceptions) clinched it.
Quote from: Fernando on February 23, 2009, 05:38:05 PM
didn't:
- actors awards new format
Although I did kinda miss the clips, I, for one, did enjoy the former winners presenting the nominations in a very personal manner; especially when you have legends like Eva Marie Saint and Sophia Loren doing it. The thing with the clips is, right after they are shown and they cut to the the face of the actor/actress, their reaction is always the same; either they don't like seeing themselves or they are baffled why that particular clip was shown to represent their nomination. With the way it was done last night, you can see the complete level of respect and appreciation on all the nominees' faces (some moved to tears) and it was a very poetic way for them to still feel like a winner. And that made it was more about the actors/actresses themselves rather than showing a clip to remind those who have seen the film or show those who have not why they are nominated.
I guess Javier Bardem and Daniel Day Lewis were busy to do the hand off from last year's winners to this year's. :yabbse-undecided:
Yeah... I was really looking forward to seeing DDL be one of the 5 presenters even though I kinda felt that he wouldn't. I liked hearing Momentum by Aimee Mann. It played right before one of the commercial breaks and it's the first time that one of my favorite songs from Magnolia has been played on tv/in a movie/in the grocery store/etc.
Ha, I was just about to post about Momentum too.
Michael Shannon managed to look like an even creepier version of Christopher Walken.
The former winners giving the pep talk was fucking stupid. It made me roll my eyes everytime. The Oscars are already pompous enough. Did we really need that? The amount of car waxing in those was fucking ridiculous.
I'd rather see clips of movies/performances.
Quote from: Fernando on February 23, 2009, 05:38:05 PM
- mickey not winning, not saying penn didn't deserved it, I was just rooting for him. haven't seen neither film
Yeah, no shit. I watched that fucking ceremony way longer than I should have just to see Rourke win that goddamn statue.
Penn gave such a giving, generous performance - and his speech pretty much exemplified it... but I was rooting for Rourke, as well.
Shame Michael Shannon didn't win. I know it really is irrelevant - doesn't negate his performance, Ledger's performance, or anyone else - but Shannon gave the best performance in that category (as ridiculous as it is to compare the two.)
Also, I'm currently too lazy to read through the last page of posts, and if anyone already addressed this I'm sorry for being redundant but...
The montage combining Best Picture nominees from this year and previous years thematically probably sounded like a good idea but, in execution, was fucking ridiculous. Really, it just made me root for Raging Bull.
Quote from: john on February 23, 2009, 11:01:02 PMThe montage combining Best Picture nominees from this year and previous years thematically probably sounded like a good idea but, in execution, was fucking ridiculous. Really, it just made me root for Raging Bull.
What was really strange was Revolutionary Road included in the Romantic Films montage. :shock:
Wow, I didn't even register than they included Revolutionary Road - poor form for numerous reasons.