All Purpose Academy Awards 2014 Thread

[Guest themetfairy]

Here Are Your Nominees

[Ceetar]

I was so bad at seeing movies in 2013. If I watch I'm just going to root for American Hustle for everything since that's the one I saw.

[Vic Sage]

I've only seen 3 of the best picture nominees so far (GRAVITY, HER, AMERICAN HUSTLE). Of that small group, i was most impressed with GRAVITY. While i appreciated HER (particularly Johannson's vocal performance -- when is that going to be a category?), i did find it meandering after a time, even though ultimately moving and worthwhile. I'm just not a big Joaquin Phoenix fan. But i did like Amy Adams more in this than in AMERICAN HUSTLE, which i think is entirely overrated. The performances are fun, in a cartoony, garish way, and its entertaining enough, more or less, but its mostly about hair... bad hair. I was not moved or particularly interested in any of it. And that the low-level scumbags figure out a way to get over on the high-level scumbags doesn't give me quite the uplift one might think. But Bale is certainly incredible (once again). But GRAVITY was masterful in every aspect; the beautiful cinematography and design, the stellar performances, the taut direction, the powerful themes... its all there.

I definitely want to see WOLF OF WALL ST and have some interest in NEBRASKA, too, but no interest at all in CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, PHILOMENA, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, or 12 YEARS A SLAVE, . Well, I might catch up with SLAVE on cable, but the other 3 would require a "desert island"-type situation.

[Guest themetfairy]

My one sure fire pick is Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor.

I skipped Captain Phillips in the theaters, but will catch it on On Demand when it comes out next week.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I've seen American Hustle and Gravity. Loved Gravity, was mildly entertained by American Hustle. (I agree with Vic, it's very much overrated.)

Of the others, I definitely would like to see 12 Years a Slave and Nebraska. And I'm kinda curious about Her. I may eventually watch Wolf of Wall Street but after The Departed I've had more than enough of Martin Scorsese. (Although I liked Hugo a lot.)

I knew Meryl Streep would be nominated for August: Osage County. I haven't seen the movie, but it was a completely predictable choice. I think I'll be rooting for Sandra Bullock in that category.

[Guest themetfairy]

The Wolf of Wall Street is way more entertaining than The Departed.

Cate Blanchett is my choice for Best Actress - her performance in Blue Jasmine was fabulous.

[Vic Sage]

Blanchett is always fabulous; she's one of the best around. But i hated JASMINE with a white hot passion. Woody has always had an inclination to populate his films with awful people, but this one may have set a new standard.

[Ceetar]

no Catching Fire? Rigged I say.

Looking back, there were like 7-10 movies I really did intend on seeing. Oh well, I guess I'll go download them.

[Guest sharpie]

Nebraska and Philomena the only nominated ones I've seen. Might see 12 Years a Slave and/or Her this weekend.

Nebraska I liked less than I thought I would. Dern was great but the nominated actress playing his wife bugged me. It was also really predictable.

Philomena, which was mrs. sharpie's choice, was a lot better than I thought. Actually, quite moving.

[Guest themetfairy]

Philomena is a lovely film.

12 Years a Slave is imperfect, but nonetheless impressive. Definitely worth seeing.

[Vic Sage]

[u:1emw1h6e]Multiple nominees:[/u:1emw1h6e]

AMERICAN HUSTLE - 10
GRAVITY - 10
12 YEARS A SLAVE - 9
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS -6
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB - 6
NEBRASKA - 6
HER - 5
WOLF OF WALL ST - 5
PHILOMENA - 4
---------------------
BLUE JASMINE - 3
HOBBIT - 3
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY - 2
DESPICABLE ME 2 - 2
FROZEN - 2
GRANDMASTER - 2
GREAT GATSBY - 2
INSIDE LlEWYN DAVIS -2
LONE RANGER - 2
LONE SURVIVOR - 2

[Benjamin Grimm]

I didn't see the movie, so I don't know if it was any good, but I kinda was expecting some nominations for Lee Daniels' The Butler (despite its stupid name).

[Guest themetfairy]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I didn't see the movie, so I don't know if it was any good, but I kinda was expecting some nominations for Lee Daniels' The Butler (despite its stupid name).

I didn't see that either. But I was talking about the nominations in the supermarket this morning, and the cashier was incensed that The Butler had been shut out.

[Vic Sage]

Hell, I don't blame her... even JACKASS got 1 nomination!
They couldn't find something to nominate in this self-congratulatory self-flagellation of feel-good middle-brow liberalism?
That's not the Hollywood i remember.

[ashie62]

themetfairy wrote: My one sure fire pick is Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor. I skipped Captain Phillips in the theaters, but will catch it on On Demand when it comes out next week.

I was thinking this also about Leto also...but...as a longshot relative unknown Michael Fassbender was awesome..Check him out in a 2008 British indie backwoods horror "Eden Lake" The guy is possessed..

[Edgy MD]

Are either of Gatsby's nominations for Second Spitter's work?

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I just don't watch movies anymore.

[Vic Sage]

...a longshot relative unknown...

Unknown? Michael Fassbender was Magneto!

[Guest sharpie]

Saw 12 Years a Slave and Captain Phillips over the weekend to bring my total to four of the nine. My order so far:

1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Philomena
3. Nebraska
4. Captain Phillips

It's really not even close. 12 Years a Slave is a very impressive movie. The others were all fine. Captain Phillips was good for that kind of movie, that is to say not the kind of movie I really care about.

[Guest themetfairy]

The Oscar-Nominated Short Films Will Be Readily Available Starting January 31st

[Vic Sage]

what's been a neat benefit of new technologies is the development of actual distribution channels for shorts in recent years. in ye olden tymes, there was never a way to see these films, except sometimes movie theaters showed pre-feature shorts and cartoons. Later, the animated shorts would get compiled and released briefly in art houses. then video evolved, and more access. then cable tv and their specialty channels came along, hungry for interstitial programming, so more access. Now, VOD and digital downloads on all different platforms make these films available to everybody.

[Guest themetfairy]

Sunday is the big night. Here are my picks -

Best Film - 12 Years a Slave
Best Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett
Best Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

I'm splitting Best Film and Best Director; Gravity is a technological marvel, but 12 Years a Slave tells a more compelling story. Jared Leto is my one sure bet - I will be in shock if he doesn't win for his incredible performance in Dallas Buyers Club. Best Actor is a huge tossup - I could see it going to any of the nominees.

I plan on hunkering down with D-Dad and a bottle of champagne and watching the festivities during our umpteenth winter storm.

[Vic Sage]

I plan on hunkering down with D-Dad

whoah, too much information. wait, what do you mean by "hunkering"? Oh. never mind, then.

[seawolf17]

FB friend:

Only in LA. [Last night after softball] Teammate: Hey are we going to be able to field a team next week? A lot of people aren't going to be coming. Me: Why? What's going on Sunday? [Teammate looks at me like I have three heads] Teammate: the Oscars?! [My face says 'Are you effing serious?' Fade to black]

[Benjamin Grimm]

I didn't know until about two days ago that this was Oscar weekend. I love movies, but don't much care about the Oscars.

[Vic Sage]

i used to make such a fuss; big viewing party with my friends, an oscar pool, yyybbb. At some point, it just stopped. i don't miss the party, but i still have a family-wide oscar pool.

[Guest themetfairy]

Best Picture Choices of Several Mets

If these guys were part of the Academy, Captain Phillips would win Best Picture.

[Guest Carnac the Metnificent]

A: Gravity












Q: What is the biggest obstacle for Bartolo Colon to overcome this season?













A: Twelve Years a Slave








Q: What did Ron Hodges think it was like to be a backup catcher for the Mets?

[metirish]

A bore fest really, Ellen wasn't all that polished and her early dig at Liza was awkward to say the least, Samsung was the big winner.

I did like Leto's speech, but then I see on twitter some commentators not all that happy because he didn't mention transgender by name , apparently there was a lot expected from his speech, seems a bit much to me.

[Frayed Knot]

Eva Marie Saint - a one-time hot blonde with ties to Alfred Hitchcock (and an Oscar), turns 90 this year, claims (and looks) to have had no work done, and looks terrific.
Kim Novak - also once a hot blonde with ties to Hitchcock, is 81, has obviously had a ton of work done, and looks and talks like a train wreck.