Yalizta isn't indigenous.
Saw "Green Book" last night. A bigoted, violent goomba brings humanity into the life of an uptight, gay black musician in 1962 America, while putting him in touch with his neglected ethnic touchstones of fried chicken(!), Little Richard, etc.
Hmm...what's not to like? White filmmakers, white perspective, cartoon characters - oh, we forgot - It's a Farrelly Brother(s) movie!
Thought we were beyond "racial savior" movie mentality, whether it's white savior in "Green Book" or black savior in "The Upside." (Then again, "Crazy Rich Asians" had their own sub-sect Asian savior issues...)
5
Where is Eighth Grade?
Three Identical Strangers?
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Whatever. I’m pulling for Can You Ever Forgive Me and The Favourite.
1
Him: Let's go see a movie tonight.
Her: Okay. I heard "Roma" was good.
Him: It's not in movie theaters, only on cable.
Her: But I heard "Roma" was good.
Him: It's not in English.
Her: But I heard "Roma" was good.
Him: It's not in color; it's black and white.
Her: But I heard "Roma" was good.
Him: It begins with a guy waving his junk at the audience.
Her: I'm going to sleep.
2
In the words of Bogart: “We’ll always have Cannes”.
Ok, not quite, but we will also have Toronto, Berlin and Venice. For true cinephiles, the Oscars are a bit of a joke...and especially now that its selections are based on a neurotic political calculation/quota system.
Movies are supposed to be fun, remember?
8
@Sarah
Movies reflect their times, more so during awards events which inevitably morph into political events. Hollywood skews left, politically, therefore each year the political aspirations, gripes and manifestos of leftists find a huge audience of not entirely unwitting co-conspirators. The Academy Awards are like prime time on MSNBC, but better-dressed and way better-looking.
3
I never before realised that foreign language films can qualify for the best picture. This is making me really confused, the fact that they can qualify but are so rarely chosen means that generally the academy thinks that the American pictures in the best picture categories are better than all the foreign movies? In this case it means that Roma is already thought better of all the other movies in the foreign language category?
Just my opinion: Cold War is the best movie I’ve seen in quite some time and I think is better than Roma
4
It's a very bad year when cultural jockeying for position results in someone thinking "Black Panther" deserves a Best Picture Oscar.
20
@Spike
It all makes sense if you think of each nomination as a protest against you-know-who.
2
Black Panther? ... was nominated for best picture? That's great! Let's celebrate! Production was splendid! Sound dramatic! Costume original! Nice storyline! Everything was nice. Wait, no nominations for acting? or directing? You mean to tell me that the actors acting in the movie did not make this a great movie nor the director? Maybe, if we had some white actors acting playing the role of black people in Africa then the actors and actresses would have been more appreciated, huh? The Oscars tried to shed the movie interest of only white interest aspect of the Oscars, but missed the mark again by awarding the producer Kevin Feige, but not the director or any of the actors. That's shameful.
5
The most important movie in my lifetime was Peter Jackson's "They Shall Not Grow old." What this brilliant director achieved is nothing short of the really amazing amazing, Using grainy, creaky World War One newsreel footage from Britain's Imperial War Museums, cleaning it up and breathing new life into it by using naturalistic colorization, and employing forensic lip readers, and voice actors to narrate -- as accurately as possible -- what the lads were actually saying to one another on the battlefield and in those horrific, rodent-infested trenches. It segues from straight-from-the-vaults, twitchy black-and-white into washed-out color that matched the desolateness of the Western Front -- all this with the added surprise of an enhancing 3D format And yet, to my disbelief, not one mention of Jackson's brilliance, artistry, relentless research was made by the Oscar Committee. True, Warner Bros did not release the film the way it should have been -- in multiple theaters -- just a few Fathom Events showings in December with repeats this month. This is only conjecture, but I am sure that the suits at Warners did not trust American audiences to respond to primitive, 100-year old newsreel the way British audiences did -- not only with overwhelming fascination but with gratitude for such a feat. Seek it out, please!
16
Yep. Everyone's a critic.
4
As for The Favourite? My view is that it was overwrought , overacted and probably ruined for me by the PBS series Victoria which is tempered and thought provoking. No doubt the directors took liberties with history but I found Favourite didn't hold my interest beyond the halfway mark. A Star is Born was kind of fun watching Lady Gaga who even without the fancy get-up can sell a song just as well wearing beat up Levis. Roma deserves a second look, very fascinating.
RBG is never boring. I've yet to see the other nominees.
1
The only film worth consideration as Best Picture this year is if Beale Street Could Talk. The rest of the lot are marginal at best.
1
"Yalitza Aparicio, who plays the lead role in “Roma,” received a best actress nomination..."
I saw the film, and whatever Yalitza Aparicio was doing, it bears litttle relationship to acting. I've seen more compelling performances in documentaries. I can't help but suspect that the Academy is gaslighting us with this nomination.
15
@Ed L.
She depicted types of women I've observed at various times in my life, very accurately, and without embellishment.
7
@CS
I'm not convinced that she's not a domestic in real life, so where's the acting? I've seen mannequins with more range. Isn't "embellishment" the very crux of the performing arts? Who wants to watch a housemaid going through her motions for two hours?
2
I saw Roma on the big screen at the Seattle Cinerama in December. So, it does have traditional ticket sales, and it both looked and sounded spectacular.
7
Very pleased to see Bing Liu’s Minding the Gap nominated for best documentary. I know nothing about skateboarding (an element of the film — not the focus) but was awed by the sequences of the three young men on their boards. Heartfelt, moving, revelatory, beautiful. I think it will be airing on the PBS POV series or you can stream it on Hulu. I liked WYBMN and RBG, but Liu’s movie beats both for me.
4
I hope Wilkes Defoe wins. This selfless, brilliant actor was a triumph in “At Eternity’s Gate.” There would be no movie without him. He is the movie.
3
I have been a long time student of cinema. The medium captivates me as no other does and I love all of the Arts.
I still watch the Academy Awards after all these years. I
know that they're picks are subjective as all opinions are
yet I respect many of the award choices they have given
and also have not agreed on some - and that is fine.
I am, for myself, in this day of race relations, women's
rights, politics in general, am doing my best to watch and
study each film for its own artistic contributions. I
attempt to keep it as pure and leave the "politics'
out of it.
The crop of Best Pictures, which is eight films, to my mind
cover a wide range of language, mood, theme, period. Also,
for me, I am glad I can see a high caliber movie on a
streaming service. Why not ?
It is never possible that the picks will please everyone's
tastes and opinions. Yet for this cinema lover, the quality
of movie making worldwide covers a huge sphere of
choices and I feel is a young medium breaking new ground
on so many levels.
I will watch the Oscars that acknowledge these dedicated
professionals that enrich each film as a finished project
for us to view and take away what only each of us as
unique individuals can.
As they say , it is what it is. Onward to the cinematic
art of 2019 and I for one, am grateful for the medium.
8
Roma is a beautiful movie and Yalitza Aparicio is over the top amazing with two of the most powerful scenes I have seen in a movie in a long time. I am going to watch it again tonight. Thank you Netflix.
9
In regards to Oscar diversity - don't forget that Bohemian Rhapsody is largely focused on the life story of a gay Indian man, portrayed by an Egyptian actor.
10
Egyptian-American (Rami Malek was born in Egypt but mainly grew up and resides in Los Angeles. He was amazing in the role. And very humble and generous in praising his collaborators at a Q&A following a screening I attended.
2
I think tonight I'll stay homa,
And watch, on Netflix, "Roma."
7
@Bridgman
Sure, if you want to be induced into a coma.
7
@Jay Orchard
It is true that some people would prefer movies with car crashes and sexy scenes.
2
@Bridgman : If you're a man, don't bother. The movie is not kind to men, it's about 2 women who've been deserted by awful, uncaring men. Thx Hollywood for nominating it....not.
3
How IN THE WORLD did Lynne Ramsay's fantastic You Were Never Really Here get snubbed for:
Best Original Score: Jonny Greenwood,
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix
Best Cinematography (!!!?)
I think this tells us everything we need to know about the legitimacy of Oscars voting these days.
5
For those who complain that "Roma" was boring, or snipe about PC being behind "Green Book" or "Black Panther," and for those who whine that the movie they like best was snubbed, remember this:
The Oscars is simply a reflection of the personal opinion of Academy members. It is not determined by the scientific method.
It is subjective--just as your opinion is subjective.
But, their opinion is the only one that counts.
17
@CS Unfortunately, most people will watch "Roma" on a small screen, rather than in a movie theater. I was lucky enough to see it at a Cinerama theater, and that made a huge difference. "Roma" is gorgeous on a big screen - superb acting, cinematography, and directing. There wasn't really an overarching plot, and much of its beauty is lost on a small screen.
4
@Raye
I saw it on a small screen.
The plot, cinematography and acting were very beautiful.
"The nerve that is dying needs thunder to rouse it."
---Everson
4
@Raye
There was acting in "Roma"? I thought it was a documentary. Regardless, plot is paramount. That's why "Roma" fails. In the end, so pointless.
4
The article states, "Even so, the acting categories were less inclusive, with one black actor and one black actress among the 20 nominees."
2 of 20 is indeed small, just one in 10. However, it is worth remembering that African Americans are a relatively small percent of the US population. In the 2010 census, African Americans were 12.1 percent of the US population, just a little less than one in 8.
I don't know what percent of movie actors and actresses are black, but in proportion to their percentage of the general population, you would expect that among 20 acting nominees, 2.4 would be black - pretty close to actual percent.
17
@Robert
Re your last paragraph....it means nothing.
I haven't seen every one of the films that have received nominations in different categories, but I was shocked that Timothee Chalamet did not receive a nomination for best actor. His performance in "Beautiful Boy" was way beyond outstanding.
8
I'd vote across the board for 'Black Panther', the only movie out of the entire bunch I saw.
After reading a plot summary for 'Roma', I'm even more convinced of the Academy's irrelevance.
Thank goodness the Academy we have now didn't exist the past—they'd have nominated Warhol's 'Empire' for Best Picture and Best Director, and Best Actor too!
1
Black Panther was not even the best Marvel movie of the year, much the best of its type. It was a decent movie but nothing out of the ordinary compared to any of the better Marvel movies. Wonder Woman was considerably better and was great just as a movie in general much less in the genre alone and wasn't even given a nom for picture or direction, that was something to complain about as is Bradley Cooper not getting a directing nom which is crazily utterly absurd. A Star Is Born, Blackkklansman and others deserve win over Black Panther.
Oscars are starting to feel like they are run by hipsters and ones randomly pandering in incoherent ways in recent years.
9
Roma did not rely on a traditional plot. It is a great work of cinematic art. And I also think the Academy Awards are irrelevant. What is the connection?
1
@Person
I walked out of Wonder Woman halfway in—the original Superman (1979) was a better origin story.
Oh well, at least a couple of films that people actually went to see got nominated.
1
This is exemplary of the mythical notion that past winners have generally been box office flops. That simply isn’t true for the vast majority of Oscar nominees and winners.
5
I hope Richard E Grant wins for "Can You Ever Forgive me?" He is always wonderful, and in especially fine form in this movie.
10
It is an outrage that Three identical Strangers and Won't You Be My Neighbor did not join RBG and Free Solo in the Best Documentary category.
15
Black Panther got nomimated for two reasons. First, it portrays black people in an entirely positive light. Second, Hollywood is absolutely desperate to portray itself as not racist at the awards. Interestingly though, "not racist" only applies to films with black people in them. You won't see similar awards for Hispanics, or Asians, or Indians, or or or. Such is the unequal nature of political correctness.
26
oh? and Roma was what exactly?
7
@Byrd
No. Art direction, sets, costumes are fantastic, of a whole, and beautiful. Actors were all Excellent, and gorgeous, which matters. Story - as good or better yet as any super hero movie. Music, excellent. Direction, excellent. The problem? It's a genre that isn't taken seriously.
6
Problem? The goal of the movie and it's target audience was obvious and insulting to artists struggling to get their stories told.
Oh Boy, it's almost time for the 4 hour Hollywood commercial.
I have to say I can't believe any white men were nominated for anything. After all they are the devil incarnate.
Personally, I'd like to see Oprah as the permanent host and she could put Oscar's under everybody's seat.
"You get an Oscar, and you get an Oscar, and etc, etc, etc...
16
@zigful26 Actually Richard Grant, a white man, was nominated for Can You Ever Forgive Me (though he plays a flaming gay, so maybe that negates said devilosity).
6
I stopped watching the Oscars awhile back when every winner began thanking their dog-sitter and accountant.
And while I love foreign and/or offbeat films, Roma just laid there like the family dog’s poop.
12
totally mystified by Roma, one of the most boring movies in history. we stopped watching after 30 minutes.
23
@Nancy I gather it's to do with guilt over the immigration crisis and our treatment of our southern neighbors.
8
@Nancy
Yes, it really needed some gratuitous violence and at least one car chase would have helped.
12
@Nancy
I lasted till just past the one-hour mark, then I actually yelled at the screen, embarrassed that I had been duped so thoroughly into watching this cinematic version of paint drying, s-l-o-w-l-y.
6
If you were to see all 2019 nominees for best screenplay (both original and adapted) in one place, you would see 18 men and 2 women.
We're working on the racial disparities, at long last. But the representation of women in feature films (as opposed to TV, where things have somewhat improved) has gotten virtually nowhere.
Glass ceiling, old boys club: It hasn't changed. If you're sick of what feature films offer, it may have something to do with "same old same old": The absence of women's voices as the creators that they can be - and not just in "women's movies." FILM. All genres, all subjects.
We can't just point fingers at the organizations that give out awards. The fault lies in the industry itself, top to bottom, with very few exceptions.
10
@Dawn I'd cry over gender politics in Hollywood but I have stacks of screenplays that will probably never seen the light of the day. Not all males are hyper-connected with the keys to success, sorry to disabuse you.
9
@Dawn
Waaaaaaa, I want what I want when I want it. Waaaaaa.
6
@Dawn There are two crucial fields where Hollywood has always treated women equally: screenwriting and editing.
2
The theme of this year's Oscar nominations seems to me to be race, as exemplified by the nominations for Black Panther, and two movies about racism in this country (BalcKkKlansman and Green Book). It would also explain why Roma received 10 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director - it was filmed in black and white.
14
@Jay Orchard
Thanks, you made me laugh.
1
Blackkklansman was genuinely great and deserving though.
I kind of agree about the others though. Black Panther was fine but I didn't see how it distinguished itself so much even in the genre alone and it wasn't even my favorite Marvel of the year and not even close to Wonder Woman (and they wouldn't even give that best pic, even with expanded choices, or best director).
If anyone got robbed for best director it was Bradley Cooper who quite possibly should have won and yet wasn't even nominated. If he couldn't even get a nom, not sure why the author thought Black Panther got robbed for best director. First Man didn't even get anything.
And how on Earth did Black Panther get production design and effects over Aquaman, which had some of the most mind blowing effects and interesting visuals I've seen in years! How can a movie that everyone raved about being one of the most spectacular and creative looks in years not get noms for that stuff? Even people who hate those sorts of movies said they were thrilled to see it just for that, even people who never say things like that.
Last year was odd too with LaLaLand winning basically every major award that makes a movie a movie and yet somehow didn't win best picture. Didn't make any sense. How could it not win?
Oscars are seeming like a partially incoherent hipster's dream the last number of years.
2
@Jay Orchard
Oh irony....I hope.
I liked Roma very much although perhaps not as much as some of their most arduous supporters, However Yelitza Aparicio nominated to best actress is really a stretch. She is basically in the movie as anybody that happens to be in a photograph. She is well casted for the role but there is not much acting.
14
@Bruce
How dare you doubt the Academy!!!
Just remember one thing and it will cure you forever from watching this nonsense.
Kevin Coster 1 directing Oscar
Mel Gibson 1 directing Oscar
Stanley Kubrick NADA.
I would also add Clint to the mix. Without question the most over ratted Actor/Director in Hollywood history.
He has pretty much made the same movie over and over. Basically, Clint playing a grumpy old man that hates everyone but then he does on nice thing and the music swells.
11
@zigful26
Eastwood couldn't direct a wet paper bag—perhaps a direct result of too many movies with orangutans.
6
Yeah, your stereotype of Eastwood-directed movies really fits The Changeling, Sully, Letters from Iwo Jima, Mystic River...
7
I don't get "The Favourite". The best actor nomination should have gone to the house. It was great.
While the human performers did fine there was no story there. It was like watching people at work argue. You know a bit about them but not enough to care about how the argument turns out.
8
Leave No Trace. there is no mention anywhere in the awards selections: direction? acting? screenplay? nothing? academy, you must be kidding. i thought Leave No Trace was the best movie i saw last year. but maybe it's subject is about something too close to our national obsession and just too real for these times we are living now. the acting, all around, is beautiful. 2018's best picture in my estimation.
8
The Favourite was simply a mean spirited and depressing movie. Why on earth would the academy adore it?
8
@Mixiplix, it is a British costume drama, with plummy accents, juicy roles for the main actors and a tenuous link to history. Catnip to the aging Anglophiles in the Academy.
9
The film was directed by a Greek, and English is his second (or third?) language. So hardly Anglophile.
5
@Mixiplix
They adored Ordinary People, too. And that film was depressing as heck.
1
I think that this year yields a good crop of movies. Personally, I wouldn't have liked to see Bohemian Rhapsody in the top billing and I would have liked to see John David Washington, Beautiful Boy, and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" earn some more love. However, when it comes to the Oscars, I know that my opinion is not THE opinion. Just as I get annoyed that more commercial flicks are nominated for larger awards, I'm sure that many people are annoyed that not enough accessible movies are nominated.
3
I'm disappointed that Crazy Rich Asians received no nominations, or even mention as a notable "snub.".
11
Just by way of correction, Roma had a limited theatrical release. It did not have a box office total of "zero."
4
@ES As per the story: OFFICIALLY zero, since Netflix doesn't record box office. No correction needed. The story is correct.
3
Netflix may be entitled to keep its own records (obviously), but since when does the studio get to decide what the “official” box office futures are? Box office figures are reported by cinema operators.
Where is “Leave No Trace” the best film of 2018???
4
Roma: a very overrated and dull film.
27
Black Panther was a good movie, but, really, Oscar worthy? Isn't that like getting a Nobel Prize for showing up?
37
@QED, BP covered emotional/character territory superhero (and most movies) don’t—how do African-Americans reconcile the damage wrought by slavery and their differences to shape a better future for themselves—and everyone? It also showed that yes, movies with Afro-centric themes and casts can be blockbusters worldwide. As well, it raised the bar substantially for superhero movies beyond the usual Eurocentric male themes of what-makes-a-hero and what is real heroism. It was a brilliant adaptation of tough, could have been campy material, so, yes, it is Oscar-worthy.
1
A star is born is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Why is Gaga nominated? She was awful. Hopefully Olivia Colman will win for her amazing performance as Queen Anne.
16
Hold up! Transformers didn't get nominated for best picture?? No robot representation?!? #OscarsSoAnalogue
22
I hate the expression "SJW," but outside of recognition of sheer talent like Grant and Close it sure seems to apply to the Oscars, bending over backwards since the #Oscarsowhite controversy to give acclaim to glorified Twilight Zone episodes like Get Out and dazzling yet essentially 'Batman meets The Lion King' The Black Panther (and tired, racial lesson-bait like The Green Book and Black KkKlansman with Denzel's charisma-less son - where was Lee's win for Malcolm X?). Add the pandering to the mere box office of the stale A Star Is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody, and the Oscars credibility just keeps plummeting.
22
@steveconn, funny how so, so many white fanboys threw tantrums when the way-overrated The Dark Knight wasn’t nominated, yet BP is slammed for being Batman+Lion King.
1
Rami Malek brilliant.
12
ROMA??!!! OMG! It was a tedious snoozer of self-indulgent Fellini referencing, a thundering bore.
It was a shock to see it win Best Picture at the Globes.
I’m Hispanic. I take grea pride when Hispanic talent is honored and feted, but this was nothing but a cliche about a married man leaving his wife and a maid getting pregnant by an indifferent lothario. Barely touched on the social issues of the day as claimed but for one activist march seen through the window of a furniture store.
Three minutes plus for a shot of a car parking in the car port? Really? Endless tracking shots. Film your own kitchen sink and laundry spinning for six minutes for a real thrill.
That said give it best cinematography. But stop there. It’ll win because the Academy will give it as a token to the immigrant crisis and the hubris ridden director will get up and deliver an impassioned speech about human rights before repairing to the Vanity Fair party and drink the finest champagne anywhere to be found.
I may skip the ceremony. It’s become so obvious. The annual “gay” award (I’m gay too by the way) is the Best Screenplay Award. Usually it goes to a gay person. I now call it the gay award. Tick off those boxes PC Academy.
Yawn. Yes i think I’ll pass on the imcestuois orgy this year.
I’ll be filming the grass growing on my front lawn - maybe I can be a contender next year myself. Of course I’ll do it in black and white. Artistic enough to leave no room for doubt.
49
@René Pedraza hilarious - very well written. Maybe you should try your hand at screenwriting. Personally I liked Roma a little more, but I do see what you're getting at..
7
@Doug Thomson I did! Wrote a brilliant screenplay about my mother's life, Pura del Prado, a Cuban poet during Castro's revolution: The Other Shore.
I met the late Jonathan Demme at Meryl Streep's Lifetime Achievement Gala celebrated at Lincoln Center for the Film Society; we had a long conversation about it. I discovered he loved all things Cuba and kindly gave me his contact information to send him a copy.
I did and to my astonishment, he wrote back, a month later, a lovely letter (email) that I kept. From his notes it was obvious he had read it through. I was so moved, even hopeful. Demme told me he would make it himself if not that he didn't do other writer's work then. He had just wrapped Rachel Getting Married and was working on his second of three brilliant docs on Neil Young.
Nonetheless, I felt as if I had been anointed by Hollywood's Pope. He encouraged me to keep fighting to have it made. After working in tiny roles with five Academy Award winners, I thought I'd try to get it made. One of those "took ten years" films I figured. Ten years came and went, but no production came of it.
Yet I know, my bones' marrow, had I got it done, had the Goddess Fortuna smiled upon me, my movie would leave Roma in the dust.
My Armani tuxedo and Ferragamo slippers remain gathering dust in my closet, waiting for an alternate universe where Trump is a bum sititng in his puddle in the Bowery, as I sit among my beloved heroes, hearing my name called as a nominee. Dreams!
17
@Rene Pedraza Del Prado
What a story! I hope your movie gets made, or maybe you should do a screen play about you trying to get it made.
2
Oh Oscars! Why is Mahershala Ali "supporting" in a movie where he was the lead? Sort of like Dev Patel being "supporting" in the movie Lion (hint - Dev Patel was the lion). And why was Chadwick Boseman not even nominated (hint - he was the black panther)? And why Adam Driver and not John David Washington who carried the movie and was the Blackkklasman? Sigh......
6
@jen I'm disappointed with John David Washington's snub as well. But on the point of Mahershala Ali being supporting, the studio decides which award the actor should get, not the Oscars. They simply nominate based on considerations they have received, and in this case Green Book said Ali was a supporting member (likely to ensure a better chance of him winning).
5
@jen The studio determines into which category an actor's performance is slotted. The Academy has nothing to do with it.
3
@HKGuy Actually, the acting branch may nominate how they like; the studios simply push their actors in the direction of one category or another, in hopes of increasing their chances of a win (usually a lead role masquerading as supporting). See Kate Winslet in 2008, whom TWC pushed hard for supporting to ensure a nomination (she was also in high consideration for lead in Revolutionary Road), but whom the acting branch nominated for lead actress anyway.
Re: "which officially has North American ticket sales of zero,..." No so. It was shown in theaters for a limited time.
4
After the fiasco of the shape of water, no wonder the viewers have lost faith to the awards...
10
Counting the number of people of colour and women who are nominated seems respectively racist and sexist. Surely the point of trying to address previous biases and prejudices was to render them a thing of the past and to normalise true meritocracy?
19
@Ralph
Thanks, Ralph. I thought of writing something similar, but it's gruesome trying to bring this into the discussion. I love the Times, but it is obsessed with counting these things. I can see the point, but where or how does that stop?
5
How did "First Reformed" not get nominated yet "Vice" did? That seems verging on criminal.
Sakura Ando from "Shoplifters" certain deserved a nomination for best actress.
I'm very happy Willem Dafoe received a nomination for his role, he certainly deserves to win it.
6
@MattNg I thought the lead actor in "Shoplifters" deserved a nomination. Actually, I thought the film as a whole deserved more than the "best foreign film" nomination. I thought it was the best movie I saw last year.
4
I like to watch the Oscars to see the behind the scenes people, the sound mixers and film editors, the short animation and short doc awards, folks who are “real,” also hair and make-up, I think it is something that makes the broadcast unique, hate to see those awards packaged and not live, might be my last viewing. Does everything have to be “perfection” What I find boring are the long thank you speeches, naming agents and assistants, studios and on and on, cut those and you would have a better show.
13
No "Three Identical Strangers?" Entirely compelling documentary.
8
Did few people in the US see 'Cold War'? Surprising it has so few nominations and for lesser awards as well.
2
If "The Favorite" wins Best Picture, expect to see these future movie titles:
"Can't Lose!"
"The Shoo-in"
"Sure to Beat All"
"Hands Down Winner"
"Most Loved"
"Unquestioned Victory"
"In Your Face!"
"Numero Uno" and "Ichiban" (Best Foreign Film category)
5
I saw ROMA on Netflix. Two hours of my life I will never get back. Housekeepers wandering aimlessly, a family neglecting their dog kept in the garage and a would be martial arts bio-dad twirling a curtain rod in the buff.
THIS is Oscar material?
27
@Walter, correct.
"Netflix bloat" or "Amazon bloat" is a brand new phenomena in which the streaming studios attempt to stretch what is two episodes' worth of drama into six, eight or 10 episodes. Or, as you have pointed out, Roma was 15 minutes worth of material stretched into 120.
Roma got knocked up by her boyfriend? Duh. Who didn't see that coming?
By the end of some of the current crop of mystery thrillers I have completely lost track of who was killed to start with, and after seeing the victim for all of 30 seconds in episode 1, why I even should care? By the end of 10 hours I could care less whether the crime was ever solved.
2
@RABNDE
1) SPOILER ALERT! I haven't seen the movie yet!
2) Thanks for saving 2 hours of my life! :)
2
So the white actor from BlackKKlansmen gets nominated for best actor no less, but John David Washington doesn't get a crumb?
Viggo Mortensen is nominated for best actor for The Green Book, but Mahershala Ali is stuck with a supporting actor nomination?
Sounds about right.
2
@AB The filmmakers made that decision, probably to give Ali a better chance for an Oscar. Remember the led actress from Fences doing the same last year and winning?
2
@AB Washington has the charisma of a cashier, another actor handed his career by a famous parent (see also Dakota Johnson).
3
@AB, and Michael B. Jordan gets nothing even though his performance gave Black Panther much of its drive and emotional impact.
1
I just hope that whoever emcees the Oscars will explicitly mention during the performance that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered at the direct order of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. That’s the only way this story gets the attention it (still!) deserves - though quite convenient that MBS story has disappeared from the headlines.
Maybe the Coen brothers will make a movie about it?
5
@Brad Smith Would rather not see the murder played for dark laughs a la the Coen method (remember the Fargo woodchipper?).
1
I’m so tired of leading African American actors who have leading rolls being reduced to supporting actor nominations ...I will next watch....it’s like a bandaid
1
Well, at least Mahershala Ali (deservedly) won for his supporting role in "Moonlight".
Most likely he had input into what category his nomination came under, although his role in "Green Book" can be considered a "co-lead" in the 'two-hander' that this film essentially is.
I read that what Hollywood loves the most is movie about themselves. That's why movies like la la land does so well. I don't see why a star is born is a snub where the movie was already made TWICE before, where movies like Roma is a surprise. Roma is the best movie i have seen in years and it is so refreshing and from a perspective that is so under represented in Hollywood.
4
Black Panther nomination gives the academy the opportunity to try and repair their reputation for overlooking the talents of black actors while simultaneously elevating the superhero film genre. Bravo on the former, shame on the latter. Too bad this movie wasn't so spectacular or deserving of the honor, imho.
8
... so the Academy should let the film with black actors win, even though it wasn’t spectacular or deserving, just as a reparative gesture for past snubs?
This pretty much summarizes everything that is wrong with American culture right now.
18
@Ned A film like The Dark Knight - a sweeping, intricate crime drama- was far more deserving of a Best Picture nom than Black Panther, but I guess the Ledger nom and win was supposed to cover all.
6
@steveconn, for all its great performances and characters, TDK was way too dependent on twists-for-twists-sake and reversals that made little plot sense.
1
Roma really got some very good nods at this Oscar. Hope it wins at least a few for which it is nominated. Loved the movie.
20
Have seen all of the best actress nominees, and they're all deserving (and in a couple cases far better than their material). Still, the best performance by an actress that I saw in 2018 was Trine Dyrholm as Nico in the little seen Nico, 1988. Have seen few actresses so completely inhabit a role.If you come across it, check it out. Difficult movie about a difficult person but a superb performance.
2
Citing "The Favourite" as gay-positive for its "depiction of a lesbian love triangle" is really a stretch. Yes, there are three women who have shifting and unstable physical relationships with each other, but love has little to do with those relationships-- rather, they are by turns about power, exploitation, manipulation, cruelty and gaining advantage over one's rival and enemy. Not exactly a gay-positive plotline. Perhaps Rachel Weisz, who plays one of the women, said it best when she described the film as 'a funnier, sex-driven 'All About Eve'"---another excellent film, but also most definitely not a love story.
13
@gmgwat I don't know what it was, but despite its high production values found it very boring and at end of movie found myself regretting not having followed my initial instinct and left after 15 minutes.
Alfred Hitchcock never received Best Director for: North by Northwest, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder,Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much or for any other film he directed. Only one of his films, Rebecca, got Best Picture, but that was his first film after coming to Hollywood and he did not have a producers credit. Late in his life Hollywood awarded him a Lifetime achievement award, probably after realizing that through out his career they had dissed arguably the greatest director of English language cinema.
Mel Gibson got Best Director for Braveheart. Explain to me why I should watch or even care about the Academy Awards?
54
@DavidD
Why? For the same reason you stop and gape at a train wreck.
"“A Star Is Born” falls short of expectations." Whose expectations? A lot of people, myself included, felt it was a hopelessly overrated remake of a remake of a remake.
38
@HKGuy exactly! i'm happy other people enjoy it but i have zero interest, and i'm sick of hearing about it already (and i'm a gaga fan). surprised it received as many noms as it did.
6
@AC I've been a gaga fan since before "Poker Face," and the sad fact is that Cooper's frantic cross-cuts covered up the fact that she expressed three emotions: embarrassed, surly and teary.
1
Roma's (deserved) nominations will likely signal the death knell for many movie theaters as we have experienced them in the past since we were able to watch it on Netflix, even before it got to most screens. Maybe some theaters will be able to hang on a while longer with superhero movies for teenagers and children's films. I once saw four movies a week In theaters but only saw two in all of last year and walked out of one. After all, who wants to pay $10 to sit in an audience with a bunch of people talking like they were in their own living rooms and constantly checking their iPhones like they were surgeons on call?
28
Yes and not only are people acting like they are in their living rooms at home when they’re at the movies, but even in other public places. Most places nowadays should come with theatre curtains that raise when you enter them: subway trains, fast food restaurants...etc. because you will have drama no matter where you go nowadays.
10
@james haynes i still go out to the theaters bc i love movies, but yes i agree with you - too many incidents of other movie goers who think theyre at home and cant behave with respect. (i know several people who refuse to go out to the movies anymore.) and tix in nyc are close to $20 now.
10
@james haynes saw Roma here in Seattle- twice!- in 70mm, and it was fantastic.
10
I saw Roma in 70mm in a theatre and paid to get in. It initially opened in November 2018 in theaters across the US, played in 7 cities in late December and January in 70mm and is still playing here and there in 65mm digital 'scope. These are not free showings. How could it have "ticket sales of zero"?
9
Saw it in theater in DC
First showing in the AM on a Saturday - theatre was packed...
Netflix showed have, however, left it exclusive to theaters for at least a few weeks.
2
It must be playing in more than 7 cities, because our local non-profit Amherst Cinema has been showing it for the last month. OK, it's a college town, and the room is small--but they're selling out.
4
I am deeply disappointed that Glenn Close and Saorise Ronan, my two favorite performances of the year, were not nominated in the best actress category.
@Rebecca Hogan ~ Glenn Close was nominated for Best Actress.
13
@Rebecca Hogan
Glenn was nominated.
5
@Rebecca Hogan
Check again, I think you'll be half-glad you did
5
I grew up in Hollywood where the Oscars were truly THE event of the year. Back then we equated the Academy Awards with glamour yet it also remained the ultimate recognition of a craft well done. The movies we loved were those that moved us, that we will always remember, that we will watch again and again—"Gone with the Wind," "The Sound of Music," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"—you get the picture. So I'm wondering what is the value of receiving an Oscar today? Best Actress winners Halle Berry (2002) and Gweneth Paltrow (1999) never topped their winning roles ever again. And it seems that we remember Adrian Brody (2003 Best Actor) best for smooching Halle Berry when he received his golden statue, not his acting chops. The legends—Daniel Day Lewis, Gary Oldman, Tom Hanks—don't need an Oscar to be adored and admired. Today Hollywood no longer carries that allure because social media broke down the walls between the entertainment elite and the rest of us. Hollywood traded the magic ... for money. Bottom line: an Oscar win generates more sales. I'll probably still watch the Oscars this year (mostly for the fashion) but I won't be afraid to miss a moment like I have in the past and may even switch over to Netflix when the glitz begins to burn out.
12
@Pamela It was the same in the past. Louise Ranier won back-to-back Best Actress and never made another movie. Plenty of actors in the '30s and '40s won Oscars and quickly faded.
8
@Pamela I agree. This aging Baby Boomer remembers when going to the movies was an Event, even the not so great pictures. The big movie palaces or even the local downtown movie houses offered newsreels. cartoons and short subjects before the main feature. Movies in some ways were cherished more as there were no VCRs,DVDs or streaming services. Road Show attractions were a Big Deal : Gone With The Wind,Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady, The Sound Of Music. Doctor Zhivago, several others. The moviegoing experience was far more exciting and fun back then.
12
@mikeo26
Agreed! But the biggest difference between Then and Now -- is that people behaved themselves when inside a movie theater out of common courtesy. There were no Cell Phones, no ongoing conversations, and people left crying babies and babbling toddlers at home. That was the era when people got a babysitter for their kids out of courtesy and consideration for the movie experience of others -- imagine that! That was a whole different era! And movie theaters sponsored Saturday matinees specifically designed for children, so that anyone going knew the event understood at the outset that the event was primarily *for* the enjoyment of children!
Because of the general disruptive behavior of the public at large inside movie theaters nowadays, I don't go at all unless the movies I want to see are screened at Alamo Drafthouse -- which up front warns the audience of its Zero Tolerance policy for talkers, texters, etc.-- and backs up that policy by exiting out offenders.
12
Some really weird nominations here: two foreign-language Best Director nominations and three foreign-language Cinematography nominations. Is the Academy growing more accepting of quality work presented in a language other than English?! Beyond that, no directing nod for Bradley Cooper, Peter Farrelly and "Bohemian Rhapsody"'s He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named pretty much eliminates those movies from Best Picture consideration ("Argo" notwithstanding). Also, no nominations for Nicole Kidman, Justin Hurwitz (the lauded composer of "First Man"'s score), "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", "Three Identical Strangers" and the special effects designers on "Black Panther". No one could have expected nominations for Clint Eastwood ("The Mule") or Carey Mulligan ("Wild Life")- no publicity=no "buzz"=no attention- but considering that these were the two best performances of the year it will have to be noted that whoever wins the Oscar for Lead Actor and Lead Actress will not be the person who deserves to.
10
Just two thoughts: 1) Since "A Star Is Born" was shorted by receiving only eight nominations, I'm hoping that the 56th remake of the film is already in pre-production. 2) Have the Razzy nominations been announced yet, and has the Creature from the Mar-a-Lagoon received a nomination for worst performance as a president of a fractured country?
34
@Thomas Hughes "the 56th remake" LOL
3
In spite of the half-hearted nod to the 800-pound gorilla called Netflix, this list of feeble nominations demonstrates why Netflix is the last hope of preventing the entire genre of film from extinction.
Movie theatres are the new churches.
8
@Sequel
Nope, not tax-exempt yet.
3
The number of people watching the Oscar broadcast is plummeting. Maybe if ABC would allow the broadcast to be streamed live I would watch. Just like if more of the best picture nominees were available for streaming I would have seen a few. Bohemian Rhapsody dropped this morning. Roma and The Favorite are still not. Why watch the Oscars?
3
@Peter Caldwell Roma has been streaming on Netflix for a month already. Check it out!
2
@Peter Caldwell
What ruins the broadcast for me is the many commercial interruptions and now it’s been announced that whole categories will be shown DURING commercials! Many of us ARE interested in the very important aspects of filmmaking other than the big actor/actress/director categories, such as editing, sound design, and special effects and treating the professionals of those categories as if the movie could be made without them is a disgrace. In some years, the Academy uses those categories to illuminate the lesser-known aspects of filmmaking with little vignettes explaining what they do and how they make the movie what it is but god forbid home-viewers are educated over entertained.
I’d love a straight live stream of the whole show with maybe a sustained commercial break at each hour mark or a sponsor banner running in the corner. Forcing us all into a mid-20th Century television format and eliminating whole categories from broadcast in the age of live stream is what’s killing the show. NBC learned the hard way with the 2012 London Olympics. No one wanted to see an 8-hour delayed broadcast of Matt Lauer’s boorish take and complete ignorance of the history being celebrated in the opening ceremony (“just google Sir Tim Berners Lee”?!) when a straight live stream without the inane chatter was what we all wanted and knew was possible.
7
The glaring absence of First Reformed from this list speaks volumes about what type of cinema the academy favors... regardless of the performances involved.
8
Paul Schrader got a screenplay nomination. Ethan Hawke however was absent.
4
Put British people in costumes and watch the Academy and Critics swoon. Wash, rinse, repeat.
13
@TMDJS; Assuming you're referring to "The Favourite," the movie is primarily a satire permeated with a contemporary sensibility and, hence, nothing like the kind of conventional prestige-movie you're disparaging.
43
@TMDJS I haven't seen all the movies, but I have seen "The Favourite." I thought the production values were excellent (lush sets. costumes, cinematography), acting excellent, but overall found it disappointing and boring and wished I'd followed my initial instinct and left after the first 15 minutes.
It reminded me of that movie a couple of years ago -- "Budapest Hotel" or "Hotel Budapest"or something "hotel" -- like made by a smart alecky film student who'd just inherited a lot of money from his great aunt.
7
I beg to differ on your comment on Grand Budapest! One of the greatest movies of all time! Try seeing it again!
1
My husband and I used to be avid moviegoers. Then we became avid viewers of movies that were streamed on Netflix, Pay- per-View, and Amazon Prime and we stopped going to the movie theater. But the last two years we have gotten all the drama and comedy we need from cable news shows devoted to the follies of the Trump administration. Somehow we have not missed feature length films. Have we missed something?
11
@Barbara, 2017 was one of the best years in recent memory for filmmaking. My husband and I usually watch at home, but there were sooo many outstanding films which would be vastly diminished on a TV screen, e.g. the enchanting 'Shape of Water'. No to mention the joy of the communal experience of seeing an excellent film. (And we get to view them in a lovely little local theater. No cineplex for us.) You are definitely missing out.
15
@Barbara Yes, absolutely. Perhaps, try breaking the "at home" habit by seeing some of the nominated films soon which will be resurrected in theaters. "The Wife" is incredible. Many great choices.
5
@Marathonwoman: Thank you. I agree with you completely.
2
Avengers was a much better movie than Black Panther. Hollywood gives “bonus points” to movies that address social issues they deem important. Kind of reminds me of writing papers in college. I knew what I needed to write about in order to get a better grade than I deserved. I could put less effort into it and get a better outcome.
39
@Kev, yeah, a typical superhero FX world-domination battle is so, so, so much more original and moving than African-Americans fighting to decide which future they should choose—opening up to the world or seeking revenge on it? But then, superhero movies aren’t good unless they deal with typical white male issues, no?
1
For the most part over the last few years, the Oscars have become a grab-bag of current political issues. Outside of one or two films where are the well made entertaining films, Hollywood? Or is the future of film on...Netflix? Amazon? HBO?
5
@marrtyy
The Oscars have always been about the current issues. I don’t understand why this fact is still so surprising. Just look over the many decades of winners back to the ‘20s and the time periods in which they won. I mentioned in my earlier comment the year 1946 and how the issue of soldiers returning home from WWII addressed in “The Best Years of Our Lives” overshadowed the movies that year that have since been shown to be far superior. Talk about “current political issues” for 1946! Or is it only a problem now because we’re no longer just telling stories about white men at war?
3
@left coast finch
You must be joking. You're cherry picking with "Best". But what year in film history do you see so many films that are basic soapboxes for political issues? Racism. Gender identification. The far right. The president. Male dominated society. Mass incarceration? And I could go on. I mean that's not entertainment. That's the nightly news.
1
I would have nixed the forgettable Mary Poppins returns from nominations. Except for the well deserved nod to Best Costume Design.
4
Further proof we do not live in a fair and just universe when The Rider is snubbed for best picture and Chloe Zhao for best director. Then again, the Academy didn’t even shortlist Zama for best foreign language feature last year so I don’t know what I was expecting.
6
@Jill Zama was perhaps the most boring 2 hours I've ever spent. Hope it was better for the actors at least.
It's sad that Mary Poppins Returns has not garnered better recognition for its achievements. The industry has little to no appreciation for musicals on the screen anymore. Going ga-ga over La La Land and meh to Mary Poppins Returns makes no sense. Many of these currently celebrated films will fade away but Mary Poppins Returns will become a true classic.
1
@Steve C.
LA LA was a complete waste. Mary was OK but it could not decide if it wanted to be new or an homage to the first film and that is what dragged it off the pedestal.
3
It always baffles me how a picture can have multiple nominations without one for its director. In the case of "A Star Is Born". Lady Gaga's and Sam Elliott's performances were shaped by the director, as were other categories such as editing and cinematography. Do the Academy voters think a movie just comes together by magic? His snub is ridiculous, especially in the face of its eight nominations.
22
@Conan what if the best picture nomination was the mistake? That would fit with not getting the best picture nomination... ;)
3
@Conan:In theory you're correct but in the case of "A Star is Born" it's those other eight nominations I object to.
5
This was a good remake,but I cannot see how it's Oscar worthy. It's good and that's it. The Favourite is the best film this year, period and if there's any justice, Olivia Colman will win the Oscar for Best Actress. Sorry Close fans. I Like Glenn, but Colman was better.
7
One omission from all categories I was happy about - "Sorry to Bother You". But I was perplexed by the omission of both "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and "Three Identical Strangers" in the Best Doc category.
23
Good Lord. The Academy is having another 'Titanic' moment, falling all over itself to nominate the popular mediocrity that is 'A Star Is Born'. Perhaps - perhaps - only deserving for Lady Gaga's performance. Was anyone listening to that pathetic script? Those horrendous songs that throngs were cheering for in the concert scenes??? If I wore a watch, I'd have been looking at it after the first half hour. Couldn't wait for it to end!
54
@Marathonwoman
Agree entirely. The naturalism in the first act of ASIB was subtle and affecting. Once the star-maker machinery kicked in, the film devolved into cliche.
14
@Marathonwoman I mean Lady gaga is good also the shocking factor she was a famous singer so people assuming she wouldn't be good. Is it oscar good like on the same level as the other nomination in my humble opinion no.
1
@Marathonwoman
Agree. And "Shallow" reminds me of the Bo Burnham riff on popular music, "...repeat stuff, repeat stuff, repeat stuff."
5
Glenn Close is already in the record books. Seven nominations without a win...yet. Hope she wins. Btw Deborah Kerr had 6 nominations for Best Actress without a win and Thelma Ritter had 6 nominations for Best Supporting Actress and alas, never won.
26
@billy pullen Close is amazing in The Wife -- I highly recommend.
5
@billy pullen: Peter O'Toole: Eight nominations without a win. Richard Burton: Seven nominations without a win. Edward G. Robinson: No nominations EVER.
5
@Kerry
She was good but the film was not great.
But I hope it will be her year after many nominations.
2
Is Roma as boring as Moonlight? Then it might have a chance!
31
@Observor Roma is much MORE boring than Moonlight.
22
Thank you. I thought Moonlight was awful.
4
@Observor Lol, it's true, two very challenging but beautiful films.
4
Do you know any millennials that watch the Oscars?
2
@JD I do!
7
Disappointed that Timothee Chalamet ("Beautiful Boy") was snubbed for best supporting actor. Incredible performance that the Academy should have recognized.
17
@Chelsea Rosen: Lucas Hedges gave a better performance in much the same role in "Ben is Back." He wasn't nominated either.
1
I'm glad Timothy was overlooked. Note that he WAS the beautiful boy, thus this was a lead so it would have been category fraud, not that this is not the case don't now, as green book star in supporting is also a co lead. Ali does not have a supporting role in that film. It's about him, the pianist for God's sake. And as much as I loved them, the same can be said about the two wonderful performances from The Favourite, in the supporting actress category. They are leads.
3
@stu freeman
I have not seen Ben is Back but I will definitely check it out!
The snubbing of First Reformed and Ethan Hawke's riveting performance is an embarrassment. One of the most intelligent and thought-provoking films of last year.
77
Amen (no pun intended).
It's absurd "Vice" gets a nomination yet "First Reformed" gets passed over.
5
Won't ever truly understand why the Oscars, Grammys etc are front-page news. Does the media really think it's that important or is there so much money being spent in promotion that nobody cares to say no?
It's insider stuff, self-celebrating, crassly promotional, overtly political. There's no such thing as the best anything in film or music objectively; it's not sport. Then again it has nothing to do with Trump so maybe it's refreshing.
34
@James You nailed it in your last sentence. Although.....if he’d gotten that Emmy.....he might never have run for president.....
6
@James there is a best movie. It's "the bomb". What do i refer to?...
Very glad for Willem Defoe and Yalitza Aparicio! A shame that Ethan Hawke and First Reformed weren't included, such a powerful film.
59
@PG Yup. First Reformed was one of the best films of last year, and Hawke's performance should have been recognized.
32
Just one hope. That Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the presenters.
55
@JoeG Just keep her safely escorted from her home to the Supreme Court and back for the next two years and don't risk her in any unnecessary stunts.
6
Mary Queen of Scots!! Saoirse Ronan AND Margot Robbie, David Tennant for supporting. they was robbed.
10
@Melinda Maybe because the Favorite stuck to historical facts, and Mary Queen of Scots did not...
2
@stuckincali
The Favourite was much more fantastical and metaphorical than Mary Queen of Scots, though it is believed that the meeting between the two Queens never happened.
Even the director of the Favourite admitted that much of it was invented— the rabbits, the love affairs are more based on gossip, where is the Queen’s husband? —he died after some of the events depicted but is never shown and Queen Anne was devoted to him. The Favourite is in fact a brilliant comedic rethinking of history.
9
Its totally beyond me how a great and historic film such as "Roma" can be compared to "A Star Is Born" when competing for best film of the year. Both films are so very different how can one even be compared to the other. Ultimately the Academy, whoever they may be, will determine the winner and the loser, yes, second place and after are all losers because that's the way it all works. In a car race, the fastest car wins, in the movies, on the other hand, its an opinion by a collective group of people with their individual biases and prejudices that determines the winners and the losers.
22
@Robert Perez, you seem to be missing the point of the Oscars or any awards event. The nominations aren't comparing movies, they are honoring the merits of different movies. It's like the apples vs. oranges comparison - they are different but those differences make them each valuable. It's not a car race at all.
15
There are three films I was hoping the voting members would have seen and remembered with enough fondness to have nominated. 'Lean on Pete', 'Leave No Trace', and '8th Grade'. I loved each of these films for different reasons, but, I feel in time they will be looked upon as 'classics' in their own right.
20
@David ~ The best performance by an actress in any film last year was turned in by Elsie Fisher in "Eighth Grade", hands down.
4
I'm so happy for Roma's nominations! And also for Black Panther. Wakanda forever! <3
23
Lady Gaga's debut role in a major motion picture landed her a nomination just goes to show her all-rounded talent is no joke. 'A Star Is Born' was such an incredible remake and she brought so much life into her role as Ally, she deserves the best actress award.
15
@Wayne C. Yeah, I pray she finally has some success in life (note sarcasm).
2
I watched the excellent film "The Big Chill" on TCM this weekend. Glenn Close was one of the cast members. As I was watching it, I thought "Why hasn't this woman won an Oscar yet????!!!!" I hope she finally gets her due and wins.
69
@susan She will always be Cruella De Vil to me, haha! Shocking she has never won an Oscar.
7
@susan
Agreed. Her performance in The Wife was a master class in how to act on film. Great finesse.
17
@susan A lot of the time she had been up against Meryl Streep, who could win votes for ringing a doorbell...
21
Swap out Daveed Diggs for Bradley Cooper and you have a pretty good list.
10
The fact that "Black KkKLansman" received a best picture nomination is proof that the category is no longer about "best picture" at all. It's now often used to reward subject matter. Spike Lee turned what should have been a compelling story into a cartoon, complete with dialogue that appeared to be written by a high school freshman in a creative writing course. As a card-carrying liberal, I'm loathe to accuse Hollywood of the "bias" those on the right love to paint it with. But the glowing reviews of this movie and its nomination for best picture are clearly the results of the subject matter, the director, and the current political climate that makes us all want to poke racists in the eye. If it were about the quality of the film, this one wouldn't have made it anywhere near the best picture category.
55
@Mojo The picture was ok at best, and I agree about the writing. Even within Lee's own works this would rank toward the middle.
12
@Mojo,
Nope, this one one of the best films I've seen.
14
@Mojo Alternately hilarious, gripping and moving. BlacKkKlansman was my favorite film of the year.
21
The Oscar nominations encapsulates the expression 'Tinsel Town': not much substance and a few crumbs thrown to movies deserving far more nominations. And why three films virtually ignored save for 'First Reformed' getting an Original Screenplay nod? 'The Rider' and 'Lean On Pete' towered over most films released in 2018. Ethan Hawk's MIA in the Best Actor category is shocking. I'm not surprised though. Remember the nominations in 2006? "Crash' beat 'Brokeback Mountain' for Best Picture. I rest my case.
22
@mikeo26
As AV Club says, the Oscars are best viewed as a “snapshot of the year” rather than the definitive list of history’s greatest films.
The 1946 win of “The Best Years of Our Lives” is a great example. A film made in the year America returned home victorious from World War II, not every soldier was able to easily return and the movie obviously moved the Academy that year in its ability to capture the mood of the times. AV Club argues that “Children of Paradise” better stands the test of time and I’d argue that even “It’s a Wonderful Life” better transcends ages than the winner but if I put myself back into the world of 1946, I can totally see why “The Best Years of Our Lives” won and I’m okay with that, grateful even for the historical specificity.
The win of “Crash” makes sense to me still because of the then and still increasingly relevant intersection of race and class two years after 9/11. I agree, “Brokeback Mountain” was essentially tied with it but, along with Paul Haggis’s unconventional techniques, the greater swath of issues explored in “Crash” make it the better choice for that year.
Obviously, it’s all opinion but I encourage film lovers to see the Oscars more along the lines of snapshots of what’s happening each year rather than definitive lists of what is actually the “Best” forevermore.
https://www.avclub.com/do-the-wrong-thing-90-years-90-movies-that-should-hav-1823328066
11
@left coast finch
Great comment, thank you!
Children of Paradise transfixed me when I saw it for the first time on a tiny TV in 1968. It still does.
5
Beautifully put. The list of nominees and past winners is much more interesting to consider using a sociological lens, rather than an artistic one.
5
I saw Roma in theaters.... Netflix did release a small number of reels. In fact our theater is now about to show it in 70mm - I saw it before they received the 70 mm copy, wish I had held out, that would be amazing! It seems like this should be corrected.
19
@Zoe Flangan Here's what's in the article: “Roma” has played in a smattering of theaters in North America, but major chains have refused to show the film because Netflix made it available online in short order.
2
@Zoe Flangan saw Roma in 70mm here in Seattle- twice!- it is fantastic.
3
Bohemian Rhapsody by far served the purpose of great film for me. I was riveted. in contrast, during Roma, I kept asking myself, "What's the point?"
30
@ChristineMcM
Doubtless, the Times is irked by the nod to Bohemian Rhapsody, as their critics were unimpressed at the time.
I loved that film, even thought it did adhere strictly to the musical biopic formula.
12
@ChristineMcM
Couldn't disagree more. "Roma" is the best movie I've seen in years. The point was to honestly depict the life of a marginalized woman, an indigenous servant. Not merely to depict this life honestly but to convey this life on an almost epic, transforming what was in essence a domestic drama into something large and meaningful.
In contrast, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a paint-by-the-numbers biopic.
104
I loved every minute of Bohemian Rhapsody - it is the music of teen years but most of all I enjoyed the portrayal of Freddie Mercury. I did not much about him and his character fascinated me. We saw Roma at home (this whole snob thing about movie theaters is absurd - it favors people in big cities that have access to said theaters. Because of Netflix, we, who live behind the moon as we say here, can see films at the same time as everyone else and be part of the discussion. It is more democratic in my opinion) and also loved it - there was just something about it. Perhaps it makes more sense to people who know Mexico a little (beyond Cancun) - I liked the fact that it was about everyday life and not so everyday life during that time. Just a story - mentioning high drama and historical events - but just in passing. I very much enjoyed Ms Aparicio - she is the star that is born! Viva Oaxaca (my favorite place)!
28
This is the worst slate I have ever seen.
It seems as if "political correctness"has taken over.
67
@Mike The Oscars are too political without a doubt.
8
@Mike because of all the women in the Best Director category and all the people of color with the acting nominations?
68
Black Panther, as is the case with essentially all super hero movies, didn’t exactly scream “best picture” to me, but what do I know? And I haven’t seen Roma. Still, kowtowing to Twitter outrage is all the rage, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he were right.
2
The film snob in me feels that no superhero movie deserves a best picture nod. Nevertheless, I'm happy for the enormously beloved Black Panther.
20
Have you ever seen the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy? That might change your mind.
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lol. of course we have. sorry that you can't see how supremely unique black panther is. it had more depth than any action movie that's ever been made... but then to know that you'd actually need to read books, follow the news or actually know black people. there were many layers to that movie. it wasn't just a black pride movie. I'm sorry you can't understand that.
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@gdf I liked it but it was essentially Batman meets The Lion King. Once the dust cleared it essentially was a black pride movie, no more, no less.
“Green Book” and/or “Bohemian Rhapsody” - yes.
Melissa McCarthy - you deserve Best Actress - finally!
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@MIMA Her movie attempted to justify theft and forgery. No thanks.
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@stuckincali
The movie tells the story of an individual -- her motivations, actions, and the consequences. It doesn't attempt to justify anything.
Why view it as polemical?
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@MIMA It was a fine, restrained turn for her, but it really should go to Close. Richard Grant however definitely deserves the Best Supporting nod for the McCarthy film.
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“If Beale Street Could Talk” was robbed.
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@Sophia Bates Didn't even open in 2018, did it?
@steveconn, it opened in a limited run on Xmas Day, 2018
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The trailer for "Roma" should receive an award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg
After seeing "Y Tu Mama Tambien" many years ago, then as a science and cinematography nerd, Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron is a gift to filmgoers.
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I really enjoy film and I like Cuarón‘s work, however I watched Roma about 3/4 in and found it beautiful but profoundly dull. (I realize part was of that was intentional) Perhaps it’s just me.
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@Kenji Takabayashi it's not just you. It was like watching paint dry. Beautiful paint.
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@Kenji Takabayashi
It's difficult to understand how one can fully judge a film if one does not finish it. Cuaron is a uniquely skilled film maker - in the sphere of Fellini, Jean Renoir & Ozu. Thank god Netflix recognized this and made his work so available.
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I found it riveting throughout.
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How in the world did the Morgan Neville's film about Mister Rogers, "Won't You Be My Neighbor," not make the short list for Best Documentary?
I can't remember crying so much in public as I did during one powerful scene in that sublime film.
THAT is the movie that American needs now, as its critical raves and box office gross attest. What a pity the Academy didn't appreciate its excellence.
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I adored the movie too, and with you all the way about the most heartfelt, sincere tears.
His message “Won’t you be my neighbor?” is so far from many today!
MIMA
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@RD Not to mention the omission of "Three Identical Strangers," one of the most fascinating, disturbing and narratively clever documentaries I've seen since James Marsh's "Man on Wire" (2008).
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@RD Indeed, both "Won't You Be My Neighbor" and "Three Identical Strangers" were my favorite two films of 2018, which I think was a relatively weak year. Both were extremely moving and well crafted. The other fictional films in the "Best Film" category came up short for me--no classics in the making, nor will I see any of them ever again. However, I look forward to re-viewing these two docs.
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Roma had a theatrical release for at least a week before it was shown on Netflix. I understood a release in New York and Los Angeles was an eligibility requirement for Academy Awards consideration. So Roma had at least a small box office gross, no?
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@Michael Yes, I work at a movie theater and know for a fact it did have box office grosses. A simple search will show a few millions in box office gross.
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@Luis It has been brought to my attention that Netflix didn't release domestic box office figures, so it has no "official" gross.
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I definitely paid money to see it in Philadelphia, where it continues to play.
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