2018 Oscar Nominations Thread (post and whinge about them here)

[TheGingerBreadMan]

ErikJ972 - Thanks for the article, it was an interesting read. I will agree that Dixon's redemption arc is unfair and doesn't seem right, but it doesn't bother me to the point where it lessens my enjoyment of the film. We live in a world where people like him often do end up their own "redemption arcs" and don't get what they deserve. His actions can never be excused, though I think that there is something valuable in the fact that he becomes so invested in finding the rapist throughout the second half of the film.

[GeorgeandDot]

Disappointed by the absence of The Florida Project for Best Picture and Michael Stuhlbarg, and Armie Hammer for Best Supporting Actor.

I'm rooting for The Shape of Water. It's unapologetically cliche and for some weird reason I absolutely loved it. I'm also hoping for Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird for Best Picture too. If any of those three win, I'll be happy. I loved Three Billboards, but only because of Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. The writing was all over the place and I found it to be a total campfest. At least Mcdonagh was able to back off on the misogyny just a bit for this film, but the racial stuff was a bit tone deaf considering that none of the leads are black and Rockwell's character is totally redeemed even though we never hear from the people he apparently tortured. It's just the most straight white "bro" movie I've seen in a long time, even if the lead is a woman. It just feels like a mess. Meanwhile, I think The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, and Call Me By Your Name could be classics.

[MichelleCraig]

I was surprised to see THE POST getting a Best Picture nomination over I, TONYA. 

THE POST was serviceable Spielberg (which says a lot), but I, TONYA is the better film...IMO.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

MichelleCraig said: "I was surprised to see THE POST getting a Best Picture nomination over I, TONYA.

THE POST was serviceable Spielberg (which says a lot), but I, TONYA is the better film...IMO."

 

Agreed. I, Tonya was much more well-written and better acted than The Post. I found The Post to mostly be a snooze-fest, while I, Tonya was absolutely riveting.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

GeorgeandDot said: "Disappointed by the absence of The Florida Project for Best Picture and Michael Stuhlbarg, and Armie Hammer for Best Supporting Actor.

I'm rooting for The Shape of Water. It's unapologetically cliche and for some weird reason I absolutely loved it. I'm also hoping for Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird for Best Picture too. If any of those three win, I'll be happy. I loved Three Billboards, but only because of Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. The writing was all over the place and I found it to be a total campfest. At least Mcdonagh was able to back off on the misogyny just a bit for this film, but the racial stuff was a bit tone deaf considering that none of the leads are black and Rockwell's character is totally redeemed even though we never hear from the people he apparently tortured. It's just the most straight white "bro" movie I've seen in a long time, even if the lead is a woman. It just feels like a mess. Meanwhile, I think The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, and Call Me By Your Name could be classics."

I think you just spoke my language. 

I wanted to like I, Tonya more than I actually did. I think getting the nominations it received should be an award in of itself because I would not have nominated it for anything except for Janney but I'd have her 4th or 5th in my rankings if I was able to control who all five nominees were.

[spiderdj82]

I posted in the other Oscars thread but I too think "I, Tonya" should have gotten the nomination over "The Post."    But, "Shape of Water" is still my favorite so far.   I am seeing "Call By Your Name" tonight so we shall see. 

[GeorgeandDot]

I found I, Tonya to be a really brilliant look at how the media and just people in general treat women in the spotlight. Hang the wife for the stupidity of the husband. Also, Margot Robbie gave my favorite lead actress performance of the year. I really liked I, Tonya more than I though I would.

Also, just why the f*** is The Darkest Hour nominated for Best Picture? It's just such an ordinary movie. I don't understand why it made the cut over The Florida Project, I,Tonya, The Big Sick, and Mudbound.

[TheQuibbler]

Unrelated to any discussion thus far, but I just realized The Lego Batman Movie was released within this time frame and would have liked to see it receive a Best Animated Feature nomination over The Boss Baby or Ferdinand. 

[javero]

I haven't seen a single Best Picture nominee yet.  I'll probably check out Darkest Hour and Dunkirk later this week.  The other contenders don't pique my interest.

ETA: I dl'd Get Out last night thanks to HBO.  I get the comparisons with Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Stepford Wives, Meet The Fockers, and The Skin I Live In but each of those movies was better than Get Out IMHO.  It was an entertaining B+ movie that suffered slightly from schizophrenia.  Not bad at all...just not great.  The ending was risible.  

[Call_me_jorge]

My picks:
Best Picture: Call Me By Your Name
Best Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Best Actor: Timothee Chalamet
Best Actress: Margot Robbie
Original Screenplay: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Adapted Screenplay: James Ivory, Cmbyn
Animated Feature: Coco
Original Song: Myster of Love, Cmbyn Sufjan Stevens
Supporting Actor: Richard Jenkins
Supporting Actress: Laurie Metcalf

These aren’t my predictions, just what I’d prefer to see win.

[TheQuibbler]

GeorgeandDot said: "Also, just why the f*** is The Darkest Hour nominated for Best Picture? It's just such an ordinary movie. I don't understand why it made the cut over The Florida Project, I,Tonya, The Big Sick, and Mudbound."

Surprised about this as well. It's a perfectly fine film and I think Oldman is terrific in it, but any of the films you listed are more exciting and moving than Darkest Hour. Especially The Florida Project, which knocked me flat. 

[spiderdj82]

I finally saw "Call Me By Your Name" last Thursday and..............it was okay.   I had issues with the first hour and a half and I didn't like the movie that much at all.  Then the last 45 min or so, I thought it finally hit it's stride and I started to really like it.   I would give it a 2 1/2 - 3 out of 5 stars personally if I had to rate it. 

[henrikegerman]

The Florida Project certainly deserved more attention.

But while I was surprised how well Phantom Thread did on nomination day, I've since seen the film and have completely changed my position.  I was bowled over by it and now consider it the year's best film.  Now for me it's the no nominations for Anderson's screenplay and Vicky Krieps's extraordinary performance that are remarkable.

[carnzee]

henrikegerman said: "The Florida Project certainly deserved more attention.

But while I was surprised how well Phantom Thread did on nomination day, I've since seen the film and have completely changed my position. I was bowled over by it and now consider it the year's best film. Now for me it's the no nominations for Anderson's screenplay and Vicky Krieps's extraordinary performance that are remarkable."

Glad you enjoyed it, Henrik. I thought everything about it was impeccable, but I left wondering what the point of it was. Being familiar with PTA I knew I might not understand it.  What did it mean to you?

[henrikegerman]

Carnzee, not trying to identify one singular unifying point to Phantom Thread.
All I can say is that I ultimately loved it the most as a movie about the games necessary to keep a volatile, precarious and impossible-to-walk-away-from relationship alive.  
Not unlike Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in this key respect.
 

SPOILER:

Who knows if one day Reynolds and or Alma will insist they stop with their particularly, ahem, toxic roleplaying?
Will it go the way of George and Martha's baby? 
If so, then what?

[GeorgeandDot]

Finally saw The Post and hated it. What a dry film. The only thing good about it was Meryl Streep who can make just about anything compelling. The movie just became a game of "Oh, look, that's so and so as so and so..."

[spiderdj82]

Yeah, wasn't a big fan either 

[Someone in a Tree2]

For Henrik and Carnzee re PHANTOM THREAD:

I admired the film, and think very highly of the women's performances (NOT a fan of Day Lewis's predictable display of neuroses, but it didn't kill my enjoyment of the film). I thought the design was dazzling, the score superb. It was the script that kept falling flat for me. So many loose ends that never amounted to anything. Just one example: Day Lewis goes on at length about having stitched secret mementos into the hems of his garments since childhood; yet there is no payoff for this juicy red herring in the long playing out of the main relationship-- why not? If the whole point of the film was to explore a case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (google it), that wasn't nearly enough reward for me after 2 hours of abuse.

[henrikegerman]

Someone, I'll focus on where we agree.  The score is extraordinarily good, managing somehow to impress in the moment without distracting in any way from the action.  Krieps is amazing!

And Manville is giving one of those remarkable chilling woman watching from the sidelines (or is she?) while continually on edge supporting performances - think Moorehead in The Magnificent Ambersons, Anderson in Rebecca, Lansbury in Manchurian Candidate, Hershey in Portrait of a Lady, Linney in The House of Mirth.

[Someone in a Tree2]

^ You're right-- on  those points we agree. 

About those hem mementos...?

[carnzee]

henrikegerman said:

And Manville is giving one of those remarkable chilling woman watching from the sidelines (or is she?) while continually on edge supporting performances - think Moorehead in The Magnificent Ambersons, Anderson in Rebecca, Lansbury in Manchurian Candidate, Hershey in Portrait of a Lady, Linney in The House of Mirth."

Interestingly, Rebecca was one of PTA's influences when writing this film. 

Someone: I'm not sure that the sewing secret mementos in the dresses was some sort of Chekovs Gun that needed a pay off. I think it just showed his attention to detail. I'm not sure though.

I ( SPOILER) don't think this is about Munchausen by proxy, because that is about getting sympathy and attention for yourself, and that doesn't appear to be Alma's motivation for poisoning him. She wants him to be reliant on her.

[henrikegerman]

re: the secret messages in the lining, Reynolds shares this practice with Alma, yet Alma betrays his trust by removing the memento ("Never Cursed" from the princess's wedding dress.   This may not be the huge payoff one might expect.  However, it advances Alma's resolve to preserve her own spirit, shows her growing will and contempt for ritual as she offers a secret rebellion concurrent with her poisoning of Reynolds's tea. 

She not only violates his body but his spirit by removing the phantom panel.   At the end, Reynolds is on to Alma's toxicology but she still has at least one secret misdeed, the removal of the message.  How would Reynolds respond if he knew?

Carnzee, I agree that there is a Muchhausen proxy theme in the poisoning.  Alma wants Reynolds's dependence on her precisely because it will bring her his sympathy and attention, what she once had from him but always has to fight to restore.

[TheQuibbler]

For anyone interested in the documentary categories, Strong Island, Icarus, The Last Men in Aleppo and Heroin(e) (Documentary - Short Subject) are available to stream on Netflix and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is on Amazon Prime. I'd say they're all worth a watch. 

[Mister Matt]

Just watched The Post and after reading the comments here about it, I expected to be bored.  I really enjoyed it.  I didn't find it dry or boring at all.  I do think Hanks was miscast and don't really get his nomination, but of those films I've seen, I'm okay with its nomination for Best Picture.  Darkest Hour...not so much.  Phantom Thread is the only BP nom I haven't yet seen.

[henrikegerman]

Was at a party last night where someone said that Holly Hunter hadn't been nominated for The Big Sick.  I didn't even realize that she hadn't been and was quite shocked to know that she hadn't.  I like all the nominated performances but still find Hunter's omission sad.