Academy Awards 2012

[El Unicornio, mang]

Nominations are in:

http://www.imdb.com/oscars/nominations/

Bit disappointed that 'Drive' only managed a best sound editing nomination. Although I've only seen one of the nine best picture nominations (Tree of Life) and none of the actor/actress films so can't really say for sure whether it deserved a place or not.

[buntyman]

I watched Hugo on DVD last night. An hour in and I was bored stiff. Maybe it was a bit more entertaining in 3D but I doubt it would have made much difference to my enjoyment of it.

[Small Man Big Horse]

It's a fairly weak list, but that's no real surprise (though I've yet to see The Artist, and hear it's wonderful). It's a real shame that Brendan Gleeson didn't get nominated for The Guard, though, and that Submarine didn't pick up a nod for best screenplay or anything like that.

[vrailaine]

I think Hugo is largely a 3D spectacle so I don't know if you can judge the direction or whatever without watching it in that format. Strong strong chance of best director.

Nice to see the tree of life actually get nominations

The help is some pile of shite, kinda hope it wins a few.

Weird that that guy got a best actor nomination ahead of those other guys.

Hopefully Woody Allen gets an Oscar.

Take Shelter has been criminally ignored by most of everyone.

[Harpo Speaks]

Managed to correctly predict 8 of the BP nominees, ELAIC was the one I missed. I understand it's garnered some scathing criticism from certain quarters.

Take Shelter has been criminally ignored by most of everyone.

Indeed. I'm pleased to see Oldman get the nod for Tinker Tailor though.

Animation category looks really weak this year.

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

Of the Best Picture nominees, I've only seen Moneyball and The Tree Of Life. I loved them both but Tree Of Life edges it for me, just for the sheer ambition of it. I'm really pleased to see it in there. Pitt's Best Actor nod should be for it instead of Moneyball.

As usual, it's the glaring omissions that stand out for me. We Need To Talk About Kevin was easily one of the films of the year for me. They could have at least given it an editing nod or something. I'm not arsed about Drive being overlooked though, I liked it but it didn't live up to the hype for me. Wouldn't put it in my top ten of the year.

I also don't understand the love for Bridesmaids. I thought it was a just-about-passable comedy. Nothing special.

Even though I'm not that interested in who ends up winning what, I do find the whole awards season circus quite fascinating, it's like a yearly electoral race for movie nerds.

[BlodwynPig]

Best Picture: Ray Mango

Best Director: Ralph Biancchi (For Ray Mango)

Best Male Actor: Boss Jester in Art for Arty Sachs

Best Female Actor: Candice Fir in Ray Mango

[Small Man Big Horse]

I also don't understand the love for Bridesmaids. I thought it was a just-about-passable comedy. Nothing special.

I'm watching it now and struggling not to quit, there's been the odd funny moment but most of it is pretty painful viewing, the fact that it was nominated for Best Screenplay is shocking really.

Even though I'm not that interested in who ends up winning what, I do find the whole awards season circus quite fascinating, it's like a yearly electoral race for movie nerds.

Ditto. When I first started becoming a film nerd in my teens I took it all quite seriously, but it's all but become a joke these days. I've just found a list of all of the Best Picture winners, and it seems that it all started to go horribly wrong from about 1980 onwards: http://www.tif.ro/movies/oscar/lista.htm

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

Ditto. When I first started becoming a film nerd in my teens I took it all quite seriously, but it's all but become a joke these days. I've just found a list of all of the Best Picture winners, and it seems that it all started to go horribly wrong from about 1980 onwards: http://www.tif.ro/movies/oscar/lista.htm

Hmmm... this is just a rough estimate, but I think the last time my favourite film of a given year corresponded with the Best Picture winner was The Deer Hunter in 1978. Two years before my birth.

[Nobody Soup]

I always like how by the time the award ceremony has rolled around I'm making all sorts of predictions like I'm very informed when I have in fact seen almost none of the films.

[buntyman]

I think Hugo is largely a 3D spectacle so I don't know if you can judge the direction or whatever without watching it in that format. Strong strong chance of best director.

I watched a review copy that a woman in my office got given by a friend of hers on the baftas jury so if the main attraction is the 3D effect, it's not going to be seen in the best light for awards voting.

[Harpo Speaks]

I don't like the way winning Best Picture seems to taint a film in the eyes of some people, I suppose it's just a natural reaction to something they feel is overpraised, but the backlash always feels slightly disproportionate.

I always like how by the time the award ceremony has rolled around I'm making all sorts of predictions like I'm very informed when I have in fact seen almost none of the films.

It's a problem when a lot of the films are released around a similar time in order to coincide with awards season, particularly as we get things slightly later already. War Horse is still in cinemas, The Descendants comes out on Friday, and ELAIC isn't out until the 17th of February for example.

Anyone seen many of the Documentary nominations? I haven't seen any, but having seen it recently, it's a shame The Interrupters didn't make it.

[Harpo Speaks]

They could have at least given it an editing nod or something.

Or sound design, it uses sound in a very effective way.

[Funcrusher]

Anyone seen many of the Documentary nominations? I haven't seen any, but having seen it recently, it's a shame The Interrupters didn't make it.

Only seen Pina, which is good. Not sure any of the others have been shown over here. The Interrupters should definitely have made the list.

[Hank Venture]

Have not seen one movie on that list, except for Drive, but sound editing hardly counts.

[SavageHedgehog]

So Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has been nominated despite mixed to poor reviews, and not much public enthusiasm either, much like The Reader a couple of years ago. I guess the Oscars are the one place where some things really are "too big to fail".

[BlodwynPig]

Has no one seen Ray Mango - missed out folks, missed out.

[packageholiday]

Anyone seen many of the Documentary nominations? I haven't seen any, but having seen it recently, it's a shame The Interrupters didn't make it.

Senna's a big omission here, surely. I also loved Bobby Fischer Against the World. Not seen any of the nominated films, mind.

[phes]

Senna was a really entertaining film to watch but as a documentary it kinda felt like a few people rimming the fuck out of him for their own purposes. It was a bit gaggy at points.

[non capisco]

Senna's a big omission here, surely. I also loved Bobby Fischer Against the World. Not seen any of the nominated films, mind.

I'd have put Project Nim up there as well.

[Famous Mortimer]

Re: Bridesmaids, I felt the same way as SMBH. The improv scenes were pretty awful, most of the time - they just made the film flabby and took away from the decent jokes (of which there are a few). My female friends like it more than me, but none of them are as wild on it as the reviews would suggest.

[danyulx]

Proof if proof's needed that the Oscars are voted for by imbeciles who wouldn't know a good film or a good performance if it fucked them -

* The year David Thewlis wasn't even nominated for his performance in 'Naked': Tom Hanks won Best Actor for 'Forest Gump'.

* The year Björk wasn't even nominated for her performance in 'Dancer in the Dark': Julia Roberts won for 'Erin Brockovich'.

* Last year, when 'Enter the Void' didn't get a single nomination - not even in any obscure, technical or foreign categories - when it in fact should've won every single award there was, including best film and Gaspar Noé should've received a premature life-time achievement award when they were at it: 'The King's Speech' won everything.

I would like to make a statement, even though it'll be clearly erroneous, I'll swiftly be proven wrong: NO BRILLIANT FILM OR BRILLIANT ACTOR HAS EVER WON AN OSCAR - OR HAVEN'T FOR THE THE LAST THIRTY YEARS AT LEAST. AND THEY NEVER WILL. EVERY FILM AND ACTOR THAT HAS EVER WON AN OSCAR WERE ALL SHIT AT WORST, AND MEDIOCRE-TO-QUITE GOOD AT BEST.

I haven't seen it yet - I will soon - but I'd place a good bet on 'The Artist' being merely "quite good" at best and nothing more.. usually the case when The Oscars gets its knickers in a twist over a 'foreign' or 'arty' film anyway. And I'd place an even better bet on it winning The Oscar this year then cue a wave of "silent films" getting tossed out by the studios in quick succession.. and no one going to see them, them all flopping, then that's that little fad all swiftly forgotten about.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I would like to make a statement, even though it'll be clearly erroneous, I'll swiftly be proven wrong: NO BRILLIANT FILM OR BRILLIANT ACTOR HAS EVER WON AND OSCAR - OR HAVEN'T FOR THE THE LAST THIRTY YEARS AT LEAST. AND THEY NEVER WILL. EVERY FILM AND ACTOR THAT HAS EVER WON AN OSCAR WERE ALL SHIT AT WORST, AND MEDIOCRE-TO-QUITE GOOD AT BEST.

Platoon, Schindler's List, Unforgiven, Silence of the Lambs and LOTR (not a big fan myself, but can't deny it's brilliance) are the only truly great films I can see in the list of best pictures since 1982 (contrast this with the 1970s where almost every winner was incredible). There are some really terrible decisions: Amadeus, Dances With Wolves beating Goodfellas, Forrest Gump beating Pulp Fiction and Shawshank, The English Patient beating Fargo and Shine, Titanic beating LA Confidential, Shakespeare in Love beating The Thin Red Line, American Beauty beating The Insider, Crash beating...everything else it was up against.

The best actor/actress winners are generally fine though, except when Kevin Spacey won over Russell Crowe.

[Famous Mortimer]

I would like to make a statement, even though it'll be clearly erroneous, I'll swiftly be proven wrong: NO BRILLIANT FILM OR BRILLIANT ACTOR HAS EVER WON AND OSCAR - OR HAVEN'T FOR THE THE LAST THIRTY YEARS AT LEAST. AND THEY NEVER WILL. EVERY FILM AND ACTOR THAT HAS EVER WON AN OSCAR WERE ALL SHIT AT WORST, AND MEDIOCRE-TO-QUITE GOOD AT BEST.

I think "Silence of the Lambs" deserved every Oscar it got, and I really, really like that film. I'll bet your tastes vary, though.

That's a much better idea for a thread than discussing the limp lot of nominees this year.

[danyulx]

'Silence of the Lambs' is a quite good film, at best. I'd happily watch it on telly whilst eating my dinner if fuck all was happening on SkyNews or something. It isn't brilliant though.. just an alright film. No complaints or anything. Which - to me - sums up almost all films that win Oscars.

'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' should've won instead. Now we're talking.

[danyulx]

I'm very glad - and quite surprised - to see 'The Tree of Life' nominated this year though. Not a film beyond criticism by any means but at least it was aiming at something above and beyond the usual drivel.. I've only seen it the once so far and was at least half-convinced it was a brilliant piece of work, perhaps even Malick's best since 'Days of Heaven'.

It hasn't got a chance in hell mind you.

Did Mallick actually turn up for the Oscars when 'The Thin Red Line' was nominated?

[El Unicornio, mang]

It isn't brilliant though.

It is!

[danyulx]

The thirty seconds or so with The Fall's song 'Hip Priest' on the soundtrack was the only thirty seconds of that entire film anywhere approaching "brilliance". The remainder of the running time: not bad.

Plus, though not a bad performance and it fitted the film I suppose, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lectur is one of the least convincing, rubbish serial killers I've ever seen on screen, fictional or otherwise. A pantomime villain. Here's what a real bloody serial killer is like, in general: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVSddhJYwi4

I suppose he won the Oscar for Best Actor too.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I preferred Brian Cox's Lecter. It's not about his character for me though, it's about Jodie Foster vs. Buffalo Bill.

[rjd2]

I preferred Brian Cox's Lecter.

I think most do, don't they?