2023 Academy Awards Discussion

[phantom13]

The 94th Academy award nominations will be announced on Jan 24th US time and the awards are on March 12th.

Nominees for the majors below

BEST PICTURE
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”
Todd Field, “Tár”
Ruben Ostlund, “Triangle of Sadness”

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, “Tár”
Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

BEST ACTOR
Austin Butler, “Elvis”
Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
Bill Nighy, “Living”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Hong Chau, “The Whale”
Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

CINEMATOGRAPHY
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
“Elvis”
“Empire of Light”
“Tár”

EDITING
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Elvis”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Tár”
“Top Gun: Maverick”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
“Living”
“Top Gun: Maverick”
“Women Talking”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“The Fabelmans”
“Tár”
“Triangle of Sadness”

 

[phantom13]

That's a fair point too, but I'm one of those people who honestly doesn't give a crap about the ratings or what the general (American) public might think, it ideally wouldn't be about that, if it was a small untelevised event purely based on 'merit' that merely published their results I'd be fine with that. It might not be what drew us to the Oscars in the first place, but I'd always rather integrity over (an increasingly desperate) broader relevance.

I think there has to be a balance.

In all likelihood the "best" movie of the year is likely some indie thing made in some country most of us didnt even know made films but the whole "if a tree falls in the forest" metaphor.

 

[crafty_bernardo]

I think the issue with the Riseborough nom is that it takes away from another recognition (eg Viola Davis for the Woman King etc) and its pretty clear that Riseboroughs campaign was not based on the quality of her work (especially given no one has seen it) but for her connections and Hollywood friends.

Ultimately it really seems like the sort of thing that has happened forever but this version of it was laughable.

Well that's false. Because Riseborough is a talented actress and To Leslie is another great performance. Which is why she was campaigned in the first place.

 

[phantom13]

Well that's false. Because Riseborough is a talented actress and To Leslie is another great performance. Which is why she was campaigned in the first place.

Which aspect is false?

 

[crafty_bernardo]

Which aspect is false?

You said her nomination wasnt based on her work.


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[phantom13]

You said her nomination wasnt based on her work.


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I said im not sure it could be based on her work given almost no one has seen it.

The campaign was from a handful of extremely influential people who have seemingly exerted influence on academy voters.

Ive not seen the film so i couldnt possibly say shes good or bad or anything in between, the whole point of the investigation is because it seems thats true of most of the voters who gave her the nod for a nomination without having actually seen her perfomance.

 

[phantom13]

Depending where you read the info there are somewhere around 10,000 voting academy members. Given To Leslie grossed $40,000 at the time the nominations voting closed (which equates to somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 tickets sold) it seems almost certain that most of the voting members would not have seen the film and thus her performance (which might be absolutely wonderful) and would have been nominating her based on the campaign and her very well known connections alot more than the actual work.

 

[crafty_bernardo]

There’s not much difference in how she was nominated in. One was through word of mouth vs others spending thousands of dollars campaigning.


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[phantom13]

There’s not much difference in how she was nominated in. One was through word of mouth vs others spending thousands of dollars campaigning.


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There is if no one saw the movie though. Thats why the investigation is happening.

No one is suggesting that every academy voter has seen every movie but generally the big 3 (picture, actor, actress) get full coverage, especially as there is often overlap.

The fact the academy is doing an investigation suggests there is absolutely concern about her nomination, i dont think its ever happened before has it?

 

[Frank Bunn]

Depending where you read the info there are somewhere around 10,000 voting academy members. Given To Leslie grossed $40,000 at the time the nominations voting closed (which equates to somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 tickets sold) it seems almost certain that most of the voting members would not have seen the film and thus her performance (which might be absolutely wonderful) and would have been nominating her based on the campaign and her very well known connections alot more than the actual work.

This article says there are different voting branches for each category at the Academy Awards. Members vote in their own fields. For example, the actors' branch votes to nominate in the acting awards, the directors vote for Best Director nominees etc. I think this process renders the nominations subject to greater lobbying influence as it requires less members to achieve the nomination.

 

[phantom13]

This article says there are different voting branches for each category at the Academy Awards. Members vote in their own fields. For example, the actors' branch votes to nominate in the acting awards, the directors vote for Best Director nominees etc. I think this process renders the nominations subject to greater lobbying influence as it requires less members to achieve the nomination.

It seems that is correct.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/awards/oscars/oscars-2023-controversy-andrea-riseboroughs-nomination-scandal-and-the-alisters-who-got-her-there/news-story/5cb9c401b771d76c8491b114907787a1

Just to be clear I’m not commenting on the quality of her performance, I haven’t seen the film and truthfully unless she wins I likely won’t see the film.

 

[vast]

I wanna know how Michelle Williams got nominated for The Fabelmans. Thats the real controversy imo.

Generally I think she is great, I even like her in the venom movies but she wasnt good in thiis film at all.

 

[phantom13]

I wanna know how Michelle Williams got nominated for The Fabelmans. Thats the real controversy imo.

Generally I think she is great, I even like her in the venom movies but she wasnt good in thiis film at all.

It’s a Spielberg film and she’s a… 5 time nominee?

I haven’t seen The Fablemans to be fair but from what I’ve read it’s more confusing she’s campaigned for and got nominated for lead actress instead of supporting.

 

[vast]

It’s a Spielberg film and she’s a… 5 time nominee?

I haven’t seen The Fablemans to be fair but from what I’ve read it’s more confusing she’s campaigned for and got nominated for lead actress instead of supporting.

Yeah she isnt a lead but there isnt a female lead in the movie if that makes sense so maybe she gets into that category by the two sweetest words in the in the english language.

 

[Kong]

I agree with you, vast; I rate her acting in everything else I’ve seen. Even Dawson’s Creek, with that terrible writing.

But in The Fabelmans, she was just… odd? And not in an interesting way.

 

[vast]

I agree with you, vast; I rate her acting in everything else I’ve seen. Even Dawson’s Creek, with that terrible writing.

But in The Fabelmans, she was just… odd? And not in an interesting way.

She was odd. I said in my review that it was like she was in a SNL skit impersonating Judy Garland.

 

[spinynorman]

Apartment for Sale from Tar was robbed of a Best Song nomination.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Just staggered Elvis is winning awards and Butler who was good but not best actor worthy. Just as Malek wasn’t worthy.

 

[#23 Hill]

I see All Quite on the Western Front won the BAFTA for Best Picture. I get the impression it'd be impressively staged, but ultimately just another war movie, which is why I haven't bothered to watch it.

 

[Forward Press]

EEAAO swept everything at the Screen Actors Guild - this could be ominous.

Also great that they mentioned the lack of Asian representation in Hollywood too, it's worthy of discussion as part of the #oscarssowhite debate. Esteemed Asian actors and actresses and films take ages to get proper recognition and even today good luck making a box office success with Asian leads. The Departed won best film as a near identical remake of a Hong Kong film, as a stand out example...

 

[rumply]

 

[Roobs321]

Cate's been getting around lately hey. She was cool in that Aussie slang vid for Variety, then danced in the new Sparks video which is a fair banger.

 

[phantom13]

EEAAO seems to be gaining momentum, gotta be odds on for best picture now and seems to be getting some love for acting catagories too.

Supporting actor is a lock, best picture it’s probably a mild favourite over banshees and best actress is between yeoh and blanchett.

Long shot for Supporting actress which Bassett seems to have sewn up.

 

[Roobs321]

EEAAO is 100% certain, the momentum is insurmountable. I've never seen a bigger upset in BP than what it would take to do here. I remember Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Moonlight, Parasite, Braveheart, Coda etc. but this is very much like Slumdog or Artist, it ain't to be stopped, and shows no signs of doing so. I called it a guild or two ago.

Supporting Actress is one of the most open exciting categories on the night. Chau and Hsu aren't really expected to win but the other three are highly competitive.

But you are correct that Supporting actor is locked and best actress is a 50:50 showdown.

 

[phantom13]

EEAAO is 100% certain, the momentum is insurmountable. I've never seen a bigger upset in BP than what it would take to do here. I remember Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Moonlight, Parasite, Braveheart, Coda etc. but this is very much like Slumdog or Artist, it ain't to be stopped, and shows no signs of doing so. I called it a guild or two ago.

Supporting Actress is one of the most open exciting categories on the night. Chau and Hsu aren't really expected to win but the other three are highly competitive.

But you are correct that Supporting actor is locked and best actress is a 50:50 showdown.

The only reason I think it’s not 100% is the whole Oscar’s so white. Could still see a big old voting block not being a fan of it (I preface this by saying I still haven’t seen Banshees and I’m not commenting on it being better or worse, purely the politics of the voting block)

 

[Roobs321]

The only reason I think it’s not 100% is the whole Oscar’s so white. Could still see a big old voting block not being a fan of it (I preface this by saying I still haven’t seen Banshees and I’m not commenting on it being better or worse, purely the politics of the voting block)

Yeah I get that, I'm personally far from a fan of the film myself and did wonder whether (race aside) the film's style just wouldn't be as much to the taste of older voters, but the awards performance (particularly in the USA) has dispelled that doubt. It is set to be the most prominent winner sweep we've seen since the 5 nom era, backlash has never really taken hold. I've accepted it and moved on. There isn't really a viable contender either, Banshees, Tar, Maverick, AQOTWF and Fabelmans aren't going to get it done. Like Gladiator and Silence of the Lambs it was a very early release as well so it has weathered much of the storm that could come its way and outlasted them all.