I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS sucked.
Meryl Streep gets nominated just for showing up.
So does Scorsese.
Interesting that THE INVISIBLE WOMAN was nominated for Best Costume Design.
Surprised that James Gandolfini didn’t get nominated. Only possible explanation: not enough screeners went out.
Maybe Robert Redford should have put himself up for Best Supporting Actor.
The Academy was not charmed by SAVING MR. BANKS. Or AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY... no matter how many screeners went out.
THE LONE RANGER actually got a nomination (for make up).
Doesn’t the Academy love Tom Hanks anymore? This may be the first time since VOLUNTEERS he wasn’t nominated.
Scarlett Johansson was not nominated for HER but is nominated for Billboard Magazine radio personality of the Year.
I love that June Squibb was nominated for NEBRASKA. Sorry Bruce, she steals the movie.
When CAPTAIN PHILLIPS gets nominated for Best Picture but its star and director doesn't get any love, don’t write acceptance speeches.
MONSTER UNIVERSITY wasn’t nominated. The Academy dare snub Pixar?
Thrilled that 20 FEET FROM STARDOM was nominated for Best Doc. Go see that movie if you haven’t already.
I still say AMERICAN HUSTLE is over-rated.
At least Seth MacFarlane isn’t hosting.
Paul Greengrass was robbed!
ReplyDeleteThe Lone Ranger also got in for Best Visual Effects. Doesn't matter though because Gravity has the lock there.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Gravity made it into the Best Film/Director category. It's Final Destination: Space.
ReplyDeleteNever understood that bird on top of Tonto's head. Maybe the comedy sequel could use a duck.
ReplyDelete"Argo" - like "Captain Phillips" - wasn't nominated for Best Director and Best Actor. Guess which award it did win anyway? Maybe one of the producers should write a speech, just in case.
ReplyDeleteUM...JOAQUIN PHOENIX?!?!?!!??! How was he not nominated??? HER is arguably the best film of 2013!
ReplyDeleteAmerican Hustle is overrated. The acting itself is fine, but I put the plot/story in the same category of the technically brilliant but empty Raging Bull. I end up not caring about what happens; nor do I care about any of the characters; therefore, I do not care about what happens to any of the characters. Way too much reliance on sound track period music and a big mistake grafting 21st century sexuality on the late 70s: no woman dressed THAT sexy in the late 70s and that disco dancing scene is straight out of today. The funny thing about disco is that it was a solitary, masturbatory dance - couples did not bump and grind. - Jeff Clem, whose computer makes him sign in under Anonymous for reasons he doesn't understand.
ReplyDeleteOf the "6 Major Awards) nice to see Cate Blnchett and Sally Hawkins get noms for their work in "Blue Jasmine" Not just because they were both very good in that film but because they're in a film that came out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in July! This is the only film that came out before September to get any major notice.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that "American Hustle" is very overrated. It's also very disappointing (to me anyway) because it was the film I was looking most forward to see in December. A great and talented cast with a director who's been producing some smart films recently and they produced a pretty mediocre film. The story was disjointed, performances uneven and the ending was pretty damn predictable. It's my guess, if it wasn't for the nostalgic feel, the 70's fashion, look and music, this film would be barely noticed by critics and public alike. It's a lot of flash with very little substance.
ReplyDeleteAnother bunch of forgettable songs! (Where oh where are you Randy Newman?) Ordinary Love will probably win so Bono can reprise his Globes speech. The telecast needs another Shirley Bassey moment. Can anyone coax Doris Day to com on and sing Que Sera Sera?
ReplyDeleteWe now live in a world where Jonah Hill has 2 Oscar nominations. This year, he stole it from Will Forte.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say all the songs are forgettable. I thought Idina Menzel's performance with "Let It Go" was very memorable. I just think this "slap a song on the end credits so we can get an Oscar nom" that most modern films do is very lazy. If the song isn't prominent or used in the film, than I don't think it should be considered.
ReplyDeleteI will be very curious to see if they include Roger Ebert in this year's In Memoriam segment. They refused in Gene Siskel's case on the basis that he wasn't part of the industry (and I cheered when Whoopi Goldberg added him herself), but it's harder to say that about Ebert, who worked so tirelessly to promote even very obscure movies and directors he loved and who wrote a couple of produced screenplays as well.
ReplyDeletewg
Actually, Hanks doesn't have a nomination since "Cast Away," more than a dozen years ago.
ReplyDeleteWendy, well, Roger Ebert did write the screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls so the Academy could use that to say he was in the industry. They could list him as Writer or Writer/Critic.
ReplyDeleteKen, the real story is the Oscar nomination for "Bad Grandpa." The Academy couldn't snub the fine work of Johnny Knoxville forever.
ReplyDeleteKen, you kid, but I wouldn't be surprised if Oprah does start her own movie academy so she can get nominated and win. After all, she started O magazine and was hilariously its cover star every single month.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wikipedia, she was so despondent when Bride of Chucky beat Beloved on opening weekend, she comfort ate a ton of Mac & Cheese. Quick, buy shares in Kraft. Sales are gonna go through the roof tonight!
Regarding the "science oven" in American Husle. I loved that reference. If I remember the period where ABSCAM went down, microwave waves were already becomming a part of American culture Although they were not as common as they are today, as far as I know, people knew about them.
ReplyDeleteI was sad to learn of Roger Ebert's passing. Thanks to the internet I, based in Australia, was able to read a critic in Chicago. He was the only critic I ever read.
ReplyDeleteI hope he gets a mention.
Oprah had a magazine upon which she graced every cover???? Bwahahahahaha :-D
Ken, you and the Academy are very wrong about "Inside Llewyn Davis".
ReplyDeleteKen, you and the Academy are very right about "Inside Llewyn Davis". What was even more telling was no nominations for its music.
ReplyDelete"This year, he [Hill] stole it from Will Forte."
ReplyDeleteNo, he stole it from Hanks. The snubbing of MR. BANKS will be looked back on as a major shame and disgrace.
And how could they not nominate Thelma for cutting the fastest three-hour movie ever made?
Jackass got a nom!
ReplyDeleteDale, Ebert will be honored in some way, shape, or form. He was a giant in the business.
ReplyDeleteDisagree about June Squibb, though her nomination was no surprise. It's a one-note performance of a one-note role, but she had the best, most crowd-pleasing lines, so she got in.
ReplyDeleteMy snub pick? Julie Delpy for actress in "Before Sunset". She gave quite a few new layers to a character we saw her play twice before.
ReplyDeleteDale, the Oprah magazine ("O Magazine") is still a consistent seller. I see it next to the gossip and homemaking magazines everytime I'm in the grocery checkout lane.
I'm disappointed RUSH didn't get any nominations. I thought it was one of the best films of the year. Brilliant direction by Ron Howard, stunning editing and cinematography, and outstanding performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. I think it's easily Howard's best film to date.
ReplyDeleteI just read this hilarious piece over on the Esquire website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/oscar-nominations-oprah-snubbing-011614
Nothing for The Great And Powerful O her ownself? This cannot end well for Hollywood.
Snubbing Oprah is not a good idea. There will be vengeance. I'm not kidding here. When the walls of the Dolby Theater start bleeding halfway through the annual tribute to Dead Movie Stars, and when Joan Fontaine and Peter O'Toole both rise from the dead and walk across the stage, don't say I didn't warn you.
Thank you. :-)
ReplyDeleteWas that thank you to me, Dale?
ReplyDeleteIf so, you're welcome!
Regarding the lament for no good songs this year, I happened to come across this clever Randy Newman parody for '12 Years A Slave'...
ReplyDeletehttps://soundcloud.com/ericdsnider/randy-newmans-title-song-1
One can only hope that Bad Grandpa brings home the Oscar.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if the Good Wife producers wrote back to encourage the budding screenwriter. More likely they will send back "on advice of counsel, we cannot read unsolicited manuscripts." Because, sure as shooting, if the young man writes something as vague as "she comes into court in a blue dress" and any character ever is shown in a courtroom in a blue dress, the parents will claim plagiarism.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Oprah's magazine has been successful. Rosie O'Donnell tried the same stunt ("I'm going to launch a magazine, name it after myself, slap my face on the cover of every issue, and fill it with photos and stories about fascinating, wonderful me!"), but her's was short-lived.
ReplyDeleteHi Hamid.
ReplyDeleteIt was for Liggie and Mike who both answered my post. :-)
The June Squibb nomination was to be expected, I think, and good on her, but let's be honest, the flat delivery, the lack of any kind of nuance, was a reflection of an actress without a lot of depth or training and not the masterful study of a country woman. She was what she was. And that's fine, but as jbryant said, it was a one-note performance. It reminded me of Celeste Holm's turn in "Gentleman's Agreement," about which Kazan wrote that "...she got an Oscar because she had Moss Hart's wittiest lines." Squibb had some fun lines, but I don't think she'll be as lucky as Holm was. You never know, though. That's what makes the Academy Awards so much fun.
ReplyDeleteThe O'Scar goes to....
ReplyDeleteO'Donnell's magazine had formerly been McCall's. She tried to turn it into a more socially conscious magazine, but ran into strong conflicts with longtime McCall's readers (whose subscriptions carried over to "Rosie"), who were more interested in fashion tips and recipes than in articles discussing abortion rights and the pros and cons of gay adoption.
ReplyDeleteKen, thanks for giving a shout-out to "20 Feet from Stardom." I loved that film; the women's performances are simply exhilarating. I, too, hope it wins for Best Documentary.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Canda's comment about "what was even more telling was no nominations for its music." for "Inside Llewyn Davis". Actually, the songs for "Inside Llewyn Davis" would have been ineligible anyway, since they're all traditional or previously recorded folk songs that weren't specifically written for the movie. Even "Please Mr. Kennedy" was loosely adapted from an earlier song with the same title, meaning it wouldn't been able to get nominated.
ReplyDeleteBoy, some commentators here sure have a 'bone up their butt" over Oprah... I can see the initial attack, but multiple attacks by the same person. I wonder what she ever did to you personally. I could care less whether she received a nom or not.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I felt there were more deserving performances than hers in "The Butler" this year... If anyone got snubbed for that film, it was Forrest Whitaker.
I agree, songs attached to the end credits should not be considered for 'best song' nominations.
Seth MacFarlane was better last year than Ellen DeGeneres will be. He has edge and she's vanilla, IMO.
ReplyDeletePaul Greengrass made out fine, IMO. It was a crowded field and a best pic nom is great. Plus he got screenplay and editing
I think Oprah took the news pretty well.
I was able to see all the documentaries nominated and although The Square and Dirty Wars definitely deserve it I was really disappointed that Blackfish was snubbed.
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