Oscar Nominations Thread

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

some random quotes from the msn.com write up:

 

"2) "The Reader" shocks the world. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress. Yet again, Hollywood proves that anything about the Holocaust gets recognition. Even if it sucks. "

 

"-- Bruce Springsteen was robbed for Best Song for "The Wrestler." Instead Hollywood rewarded Bollywood and two songs from "Slumdog Millionaire." Their track record of not understanding music remains perfect! "

 

...

 

And IMO to add to the song discussion...

 

Springsteen's understated stripped down song for the Wrestler perfectly matches the understated feel of Rourke's performance in the movie. Not getting to see him play it live at the broadcast sucks.

[Jingus 0]

Chicago's song was written specifically for the movie. Ditto Phantom.

By the same artists who wrote the original scores, right? For movies which were, otherwise, note-for-note copies of the Broadway originals. Well, not entirely. What if a song was altered for the movie version? How many notes, how many words would you have to change before it's kosher? I'm sorry, I don't see the distinction of why one song is worthy of consideration for an award of artistic merit and the other is not. What's the point? If a song is in a movie, and it hasn't been in a movie before, and it was specifically written for the script which the movie adapted into a cinematic property, and it's a great song... seriously, what's the justification here? Who's getting fucked over if Broadway musicals are allowed into this category?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I think you're the only person in the world that has this question Jingus.

 

If something doesn't exist. And they make a movie. And the song is created for that movie. It is an original song (which is the award title).

[Darthtiki 0]

I never read the comic book, so I don't care what they changed. Aside from TDK, I don't think I had more fun seeing a movie than Wanted this year. It was so refreshing to see an action movie that was happily rated R and was all about stuff getting fucked up.

 

Believe me, you don't want to read the book...3 words killer shit monster.

 

Also, I'm calling the shot now, either Fincher or Boyle will win directing while Milk wins BP.

[bob_barron 0]

I do see your point, but the Academy is about nominating the best achievements in movies, done for movies. It's Best Original Song, not Best Previously Heard Song.

 

Also, apparently no one noticed that Once shouldn't have been eligible:

 

(Thanks, wiki!)

 

There was a debate as to whether or not Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who were awarded the Oscar in 2008 for "Falling Slowly", were in fact eligible. "Falling Slowly" has been released on two other albums — The Swell Season, Hansard's solo debut, and The Cost, by Hansard's band The Frames. The Swell Season was released in August 2006, and The Cost in February 2007, before the release of Once. However, the AMPAS music committee determined that, in the course of the film's protracted production, the composers had "played the song in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the song's eligibility

 

From wiki, here's more fun with original song:

 

Songs that were published prior to a film's production having nothing to do with the film, such as "Unchained Melody" in the 1990 film Ghost and "I Will Always Love You" in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, cannot qualify. In addition, songs that rely on sampled or reworked material, such as "Gangsta's Paradise" in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, are also ineligible.

[Jingus 0]

Okay then, why does it have to be Best Original Song and not just Best Song? Or why not a Best Adapted song too? Especially since it's not like they'd be giving out awards to long-dead musicians, all these examples I'm talking about are ones where the actors in the movie did their own new original performances of the material. Yeah, Sondheim may have written Sweeney Todd years ago, but Johnny Depp didn't sing it until the movie version.

[bob_barron 0]

I think the answer is that you're the only one who cares, Jingus.

[dubq 0]

It's always been Best Original Song. Why would they change it? Best Original Song is supposed to be FOR the movie it's in. Inspired by it. It goes hand in hand. Anything outside of that would be about as dumb as nominating something like that Smashing Pumpkins song for Watchmen just because it worked with the editing of the first trailer.

 

A second category would work, like Best Adapted Song, but even still it's kind of wishy washy to be recognizing a song that really has nothing to do with the movie other than being picked for its soundtrack.

[Jingus 0]

I think the answer is that you're the only one who cares, Jingus.

So in other words, you don't have a real answer?

 

It's always been Best Original Song. Why would they change it? Best Original Song is supposed to be FOR the movie it's in. Inspired by it. It goes hand in hand. Anything outside of that would be about as dumb as nominating something like that Smashing Pumpkins song for Watchmen just because it worked with the editing of the first trailer.

 

A second category would work, like Best Adapted Song, but even still it's kind of wishy washy to be recognizing a song that really has nothing to do with the movie other than being picked for its soundtrack.

That... has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion here. I'm not talking about any random old song which is tossed into the movie playing in the background. I am talking, very specifically, about songs which had been written before, but were performed anew for the film. If a movie is adapted from a Shakespeare play, it's still able to win a Best Screenplay award, even if the dialogue hasn't been changed one tiny bit. So why is a new cover of an old song somehow considered to not be worth merit?

[Youth N Asia 0]

I am very uninterested in the Oscars this year. Rooting for Rourke and Ledger, but otherwise I don't care about any of the awards.

[bob_barron 0]

So in other words, you don't have a real answer?

 

So would this just cover musicals? Because really, one-two musicals get released a year if that. Would things like Kat Dennings singing in Charlie Barlett count? Or Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon singing in Hotel for Dogs?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I am very uninterested in the Oscars this year. Rooting for Rourke and Ledger, but otherwise I don't care about any of the awards.

 

This is exactly how I feel.

 

Since most people won't really care about Rourke (I mean...regular people that probably won't even see the movie but will watch the Oscars) Ledger's the main draw. They usually do that award really early in the show. We'll see if the epic battle between Slumdog and Button will keep people watching.

[bob_barron 0]

Reading the oral history of Ledger in EW, it sounds like Ledger hated all the Oscar stuff and wouldn't have wanted to be nominated or even win.

 

I just feel a snub coming, there has to be some upset.

[King Kamala 0]

OK Jingus, I've got a question. Let's say someone covers a Rolling Stones song for a movie. It's an exciting rearrangement, nearly unrecognizable from the original and it suits the movie perfectly. Does it to deserve to get nominated for Best Original Song? Not trying to sound snarky, I'm just curious.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Reading the oral history of Ledger in EW, it sounds like Ledger hated all the Oscar stuff and wouldn't have wanted to be nominated or even win.

 

I just feel a snub coming, there has to be some upset.

 

If they give that award to anyone else they might as well start holding the show on public access. Ledger is the only nomination keeping the building from being lit on fire.

[bob_barron 0]

Reading the oral history of Ledger in EW, it sounds like Ledger hated all the Oscar stuff and wouldn't have wanted to be nominated or even win.

 

I just feel a snub coming, there has to be some upset.

 

If they give that award to anyone else they might as well start holding the show on public access. Ledger is the only nomination keeping the building from being lit on fire.

 

I just picture a white faced Philip Seymour Hoffman being like: Hey, I didn't ask for this

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

That would almost be worth it.

 

...

 

Actually I picture Downey Jr. badmouthing DC comics and falling down drunk.

[Jingus 0]

So would this just cover musicals? Because really, one-two musicals get released a year if that. Would things like Kat Dennings singing in Charlie Barlett count? Or Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon singing in Hotel for Dogs?

Why not any song which is performed and recorded in a new version for the film? If, say, Elvis Costello does a really kickass cover of some Elvis Presley song as part of a movie, I don't see why that should be treated any different from scripts which are remade from old material.

 

If you can give me a really good reason why the rule should stay the way it is, I'll happily drop this and shut up, I'm feeling like Current Events debater here continuing the same argument ad infinitum. I just think that this is one of many cases where the Academy's rules for eligibility are flawed. (And I'm still mad their stupid double-standardy rules for the foreign films deadline will keep Let the Right One In out this year, and it'll almost certainly have been forgotten by the voters this same time next year.)

[King Kamala 0]

It's Best Original Song. Which implies it's not only composed but written for the movie.

[Jingus 0]

Yes, I am aware that's the category and the rule. I just think it's dumb to limit official recognition of artistic merit to only something which was originally composed for the film, if the actual recording and performance is new and only performed for the film. It's kinda like if they just had Best Original Screenplay and no Best Adapted.

[Gary Floyd 0]

While I liked "Benjamin Button", it doesn't deserve that many nominations. I do like that Taraji P. Hensen was nominated for best supporting actress, I thought she was great in that movie.

 

I'm not suprised that TDK was largely snubbed. I am miffed at "The Reader" getting that much love. Also, while the acting was great, "Doubt" just felt like mediocre Oscar bait made watchable by great performances. Also, does Meryl Streep really need another award nomination? Good to see Anne Hathaway nominated-doubt she'll win though.

 

If anyone was robbed, it was Darren Aronofsky. Really, as much as I loved TDK, I think that Darren deserved a best director nod more.

[King Kamala 0]

Yeah, well I don't disagree with you there now that you've explained it a bit more. I just don't think there's a wide enough variety of stuff to have a Best Adapted Song category and really, the Oscars are long enough as it is.

[bob_barron 0]

While I liked "Benjamin Button", it doesn't deserve that many nominations. I do like that Taraji P. Hensen was nominated for best supporting actress, I thought she was great in that movie.

 

I'm not suprised that TDK was largely snubbed. I am miffed at "The Reader" getting that much love. Also, while the acting was great, "Doubt" just felt like mediocre Oscar bait made watchable by great performances. Also, does Meryl Streep really need another award nomination?

 

That's how I felt about Doubt. I'm not that surprised TDK was snubbed, just that it was snubbed for, of all things, The Reader.

 

[dubq 0]

Somewhere, possible England, Ricky Gervais is having a laugh.

[Jingus 0]

I think they should just drop the "original" and allow adapted songs. Especially when you get years like this, with a grand total of two movies nominated in the category anyway. Wouldn't hurt anything to bump it up to a full roster of four or five.

 

I'm trying to watch The Reader now. ZShare is being a dildo, not loading properly and finally crashing. But I did manage to see the first forty minutes. There was a LOT of Kate Winslet naked, all over the place. I approve of this endeavour. The rest seems awfully mediocre. The kind of movie that thinks, having one character reading aloud from some classic book to another character who is emotionally moved by it, that somehow qualifies as some kind of deep or beautiful filmmaking. Yeesh. The flashback structure with Ralph Fiennes seems badly timed too, he'll vanish for so long that when he finally reappears it's jarring. "WTF, Voldemort's in this movie? ...oh yeah, he is."

 

Somewhere, possible England, Ricky Gervais is having a laugh.

Oh yeah. Especially if she wins. How disgusting yet appropriate would that be. "Congratulations, Hollywood, you literally fulfilled our scathing parody of your shallowness!"

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

If they give that award to anyone else they might as well start holding the show on public access. Ledger is the only nomination keeping the building from being lit on fire.

 

I don't know if you're over-exaggerating for effect or if you actually believe this, but there have been far greater snubs in the history of the Academy Awards than Ledger losing would be, and the show survived those with its "reputation" largely intact.

[bob_barron 0]

All I got from The Reader was that: If you date a Nazi war criminal, well don't!

[Gary Floyd 0]

If they give that award to anyone else they might as well start holding the show on public access. Ledger is the only nomination keeping the building from being lit on fire.

 

I don't know if you're over-exaggerating for effect or if you actually believe this, but there have been far greater snubs in the history of the Academy Awards than Ledger losing would be, and the show survived those with its "reputation" largely intact.

Example: Many Martin Schorsese movies. I loved "The Departed", and thought he deserved to win Best Director, but it all felt like the Academy saying "Sorry you didn't win all those other times Marty!"

[King Kamala 0]

Taxi Driver jobbing to Rocky for Best Picture is the worst snub that comes to mind and I'm a huge Rocky fan

[Jingus 0]

Ordinary People over Raging Bull, Dances With Wolves over Goodfellas, Chicago over Gangs of New York...