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Chip R
01-15-2015, 08:57 AM
http://deadline.com/2015/01/oscar-nominations-2015-full-list-academy-award-nominees-1201350619/

redsmetz
01-15-2015, 09:25 AM
Here's the link for the Oscars website: http://oscar.go.com/

A couple of thoughts I have. I had not even heard of the film "Whiplash" that was nominated for Best Picture (as well as "Best Supporting Actor"). Also, Rory Kennedy, who was nominated for Best Documentary (Long) is the daughter of Robert Kennedy who was born six months after he was assassinated. And Glenn Campbell was nominated for Best Song from the documentary about his farewell tour and his dealing with Alzheimer's. Not sure I ever recall a documentary having a song nomination.

Steve Carrell was nominated for his role in Foxcatcher. I always felt he was snubbed for his performance in "Little Miss Sunshine." He's up against some good competition this year.

*BaseClogger*
01-15-2015, 10:39 AM
I had not even heard of the film "Whiplash" that was nominated for Best Picture (as well as "Best Supporting Actor").

You should pay closer attention. :)


Steve Carrell was nominated for his role in Foxcatcher. I always felt he was snubbed for his performance in "Little Miss Sunshine." He's up against some good competition this year.

I loved his performance in Little Miss Sunshine--and I'll be gravely disappointed if anybody wins any awards for Foxcatcher...

*BaseClogger*
01-15-2015, 10:43 AM
Robert Duvall's nomination for The Judge is a Rolling-Stone-picking-Songs-of-Innocence-as-the-2014-album-of-the-year level baby boomer troll job. Wonder how that happens?


Oscar voters are 94% white, 77% male and have a median age of 62.

Oh...

redsmetz
01-15-2015, 11:49 AM
You should pay closer attention. :)

Ouch! :-) I was very surprised I hadn't heard anything about it. It looks good, but will probably be one I'll have to watch on Netflix when it streams, since I doubt my wife will be interested in it.



I loved his performance in Little Miss Sunshine--and I'll be gravely disappointed if anybody wins any awards for Foxcatcher...

Yeah, I'm not suggesting Carrell should win (or will). There's a lot of very good nominations in that category. But it was a big oversight on "Little Miss Sunshine," particularly given that Arkin won it. I thought Steve Carrell's performance was better than his.

Dom Heffner
01-15-2015, 01:04 PM
Did Paul Lynde ever come out? Oh, different kind of out...sorry.

Razor Shines
01-15-2015, 02:41 PM
You should pay closer attention. :)



I loved his performance in Little Miss Sunshine--and I'll be gravely disappointed if anybody wins any awards for Foxcatcher...

That sounds serious. More serious than Foxcatcher.

Razor Shines
01-15-2015, 02:43 PM
And can we all just take time to celebrate the fact that Dick Poop finally got a nomination?


https://vine.co/v/ODLuWam60Wz

Dom Heffner
01-15-2015, 03:45 PM
And can we all just take time to celebrate the fact that Dick Poop finally got a nomination?


https://vine.co/v/ODLuWam60Wz

I heard her say that live this morning....that was great.

A wetnap is suggested. I would think anyway, not that I would know...

I did bring up Paul Lynde earlier, so...

757690
01-15-2015, 04:29 PM
There isn't a major category that isn't a disappointment, in my opinion.

Here are the major disappointments for me:

1. Lego Movie. I know, it's hard to get upset of a kids movie, but this is a very good movie, and more importantly, it's has amazing, ground breaking animation. I would consider nominating it for best picture. I can't understand how it didn't even get nominated for best animated movie.
2. Gone Girl. Easily one of the best movies of the year. Much better than American Sniper, but even if you don't think so, there was room for it since they can nominate as many as 10 films for best picture.
3. Life Itself. The Oscars hate Steve James, of Hoop Dreams fame. This time they had a chance to honor one of their royalty, Roger Ebert, but they would rather thumb their nose at James. What a disgrace.
4. The people involved in Selma. The Oscars proved they aren't racist by voting for 12 Years A Slave last year, so I guess they don't have to vote for non-whites for another 10 years.
5. FORCE MAJEURE. I am not a fan of foreign films (I hate subtitles, and dubbing even more) but this was a great movie, one of the most thought provocative I had seen in years.
6. Jake Gyllenhaal. Good movie. Outstanding performance.

I am glad Bennett Miller was nominated, he's one of my favorite directors. And I am glad Jennifer Aniston didn't get nominated. But overall, one of the most disappointing Oscar nominations in awhile.

dougdirt
01-15-2015, 06:42 PM
Best Picture

I've seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash.

I could go without seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel ever again. Not that it was bad. It just wasn't overly good either.

The Imitation Game, I saw over the weekend. Excellent acting, good story, but not something I'm thinking is something I want or need to see again.

The Theory of Everything, much like TGBH, it wasn't overly good. Solid movie that I would tell people to watch if they asked, but not something I see and tell people to go watch.

Whiplash was my favorite of the bunch. Miles Teller and JK Simmons did some great acting. The story was fantastic. Loved it.

Best Actor (lead)

I haven't seen them all, just three of them. Carell did a good job, but it didn't jump out as best performance material. Eddie Redmayne.... no. Not that it was bad, but just no. Cumberbatch was the best of the three. I'm hoping to see Birdman this weekend, so I may update this for Keaton if I get out.

Best Actress (lead)
I only saw one of the movies, but Felicity Jones did a pretty good job. But, it didn't jump out to me as Oscar worthy either.

Best Actor (supporting)

I saw performances by Duvall, Ruffalo and Simmons. Simmons gets the nod for me. Duvall was better than Ruffalo, but all three were very good.

Best Actress (supporting)
I only saw Knightley from this group. She had a strong performance. And she's real nice to look at. Still, wasn't Oscar worthy when I watched it, or what I feel, in my mind, is Oscar worthy.

Documentary (feature)

I only saw one, Finding Vivian Maier. I loved it, but will admit that I had a bias towards it because of the subject matter and being incredibly interested in it for years before it actually came out. I really loved it, but again, I know I'm extremely biased on it as well.

757690
01-15-2015, 07:03 PM
I could go without seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel ever again. Not that it was bad. It just wasn't overly good either.

I'm a fan of Wes Anderson, The Royal Tannebaums is one if my all time favorite films, and I could barely get through The Grand Budapest Hotel. I also haven't talked to anyone who liked it. I just don't understand the love for it.

Kurt Vonnegut once said, "you want to use a semicolon when you want to let people know you we went to college." I think you can say that you want to put The Grand Budapest Hotel on your best films of 2015 list when you want people to know you went to film school, or wished you went to film school.

nmculbreth
01-15-2015, 08:11 PM
I'm a fan of Wes Anderson, The Royal Tannebaums is one if my all time favorite films, and I could barely get through The Grand Budapest Hotel. I also haven't talked to anyone who liked it. I just don't understand the love for it.

Kurt Vonnegut once said, "you want to use a semicolon when you want to let people know you we went to college." I think you can say that you want to put The Grand Budapest Hotel on your best films of 2015 list when you want people to know you went to film school, or wished you went to film school.

I liked Grand Budapest Hotel. I thought it was more accessible than Anderson's more recent efforts (Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom) while doing all of the Wes Anderson-y things that I enjoy... It wasn't Royal Tenenbaums good, but I really enjoyed it.

marcshoe
01-15-2015, 09:46 PM
Having become a recluse, I haven't seen anything nominated for a major award (well, I saw the Lego movie, which got a song nomination), but I believe J.K. Simmons should be given an Oscar just because.

*BaseClogger*
01-15-2015, 09:58 PM
That sounds serious. More serious than Foxcatcher.

Now I'm embarrassed... :(

RedEye
01-15-2015, 10:05 PM
Very happy to see Timbuktu nominated in the foreign language films category. First time ever nomination for director Sissako (one of Africa's best) and for a Mauritanian film to make the cut.

Haven't seen enough of the other entries to really comment too much.

I loved Grand Budapest Hotel and really see it as a crowning effort in Anderson's recent return to form (Moonrise Kingdom is also excellent) after a bit of time in the wilderness.

I was also really glad that Gone Girl didn't make it. I am generally a Fincher fan, but I thought this movie really fell apart in the last act -- especially when Neil Patrick Harris showed up. Friends of mine have argued that it is satire, but I think that strains credulity. And even if it is a satire, there isn't much interesting going on in it beside clichés about the disintegration of modern marriage.

I agree with 757690 that Ava DuVernay is a pretty big snub for the director category. I was also surprised to see Bradley Cooper nominated for anything. I like the movies he is in, but I never think he's that strong in them.

RedTeamGo!
01-16-2015, 12:05 PM
I think you can say that you want to put The Grand Budapest Hotel on your best films of 2015 list when you want people to know you went to film school, or wished you went to film school.

Or, you know, they just really enjoyed the movie.

Dom Heffner
01-16-2015, 05:10 PM
Very happy to see Timbuktu nominated in the foreign language films category. First time ever nomination for director Sissako (one of Africa's best) and for a Mauritanian film to make the cut.

Haven't seen enough of the other entries to really comment too much.

I loved Grand Budapest Hotel and really see it as a crowning effort in Anderson's recent return to form (Moonrise Kingdom is also excellent) after a bit of time in the wilderness.

I was also really glad that Gone Girl didn't make it. I am generally a Fincher fan, but I thought this movie really fell apart in the last act -- especially when Neil Patrick Harris showed up. Friends of mine have argued that it is satire, but I think that strains credulity. And even if it is a satire, there isn't much interesting going on in it beside clichés about the disintegration of modern marriage.

I agree with 757690 that Ava DuVernay is a pretty big snub for the director category. I was also surprised to see Bradley Cooper nominated for anything. I like the movies he is in, but I never think he's that strong in them.

I got up from GOne Girl and told my wife....if its purpose was to simply entertain me, it succeeded. Anything beyond that I don't know what I just watched.

dabvu2498
01-16-2015, 09:28 PM
Or, you know, they just really enjoyed the movie.

That was me. And while I did take a Film Studies class, I'm not sure I actually retained anything.

Anyways, there were lines that literally made me snort. I literally howled a couple other times. Totally loved it.

And Fiennes was great, but the kid that played young Zero was out of this world. He should have been nominated.

westofyou
01-16-2015, 10:11 PM
I'm a film major

In short, the award shows are like life, ain't always fair and ain't always true to art as much as art+ commerce

Razor Shines
01-16-2015, 10:31 PM
On Tom Brokaw's "An American Story" radio thing he does today he talked about how happy he is for his friend Michael Keaton and hopes he wins an Oscar for "Birdland". He probably thinks it's a movie about hunting.

Razor Shines
01-18-2015, 11:04 AM
Never mind, let's cancel this whole charade and give all the awards to Whiplash.

dabvu2498
01-18-2015, 12:11 PM
Pulled an Imitation Game/Birdman double feature yesterday. I liked both a lot, but both also lacked just a little something. I can't quite put my finger on it. I don't get the nomination for Norton. He was good, but he's done "that character" before. Keaton was great, though.

Bob Sheed
01-19-2015, 10:10 AM
I know people always want to bash the awards.

But if it wasn't for the awards, there would be nothing for those working in the industry to strive for besides money.

dougdirt
01-19-2015, 02:30 PM
I know people always want to bash the awards.

But if it wasn't for the awards, there would be nothing for those working in the industry to strive for besides money.

Telling good stories?

Dom Heffner
01-19-2015, 08:03 PM
Never mind, let's cancel this whole charade and give all the awards to Whiplash.

Kid went to my wife's high school.

dougdirt
01-20-2015, 01:31 AM
Kid went to my wife's high school.

Your wife wasn't allowed to dance in high school?! Poor girl.

cincinnati chili
01-20-2015, 08:49 AM
I'm a film major

In short, the award shows are like life, ain't always fair and ain't always true to art as much as art+ commerceI totally see this. One thing I'll say for the Oscars - they almost never honor the best movies of the year, but they generally honor movies that I enjoyed (or would enjoy). Contrast this with the Grammys, which usually honor music that I find to be something less than good, let alone the "best."

Bob Sheed
01-20-2015, 05:07 PM
Telling good stories?

Nice dream.

Some artists have no use for the "starving" part though.

RedTeamGo!
01-21-2015, 04:26 PM
Nice dream.

Some artists have no use for the "starving" part though.

Boyhood was all about making a quick buck

Bob Sheed
01-21-2015, 04:33 PM
Boyhood was all about making a quick buck

Linkletter was hardly starving, even when he started the project.

Great concept, pretty good movie though. What are you saying?

RedTeamGo!
01-21-2015, 08:51 PM
Linkletter was hardly starving, even when he started the project.

Great concept, pretty good movie though. What are you saying?

That not all movie makers are in it to make a bunch of money, which is what I thought you were implying.

RedEye
01-21-2015, 08:55 PM
Boyhood was all about making a quick buck

Maybe I missed the context of this post -- but how is making a movie over 12 years "making a quick buck"?

RedTeamGo!
01-21-2015, 09:54 PM
Maybe I missed the context of this post -- but how is making a movie over 12 years "making a quick buck"?

It was sarcasm

RedEye
01-21-2015, 10:01 PM
It was sarcasm

Gotcha. So did you like Boyhood? I thought it was quite an achievement.

RedTeamGo!
01-22-2015, 10:47 AM
Gotcha. So did you like Boyhood? I thought it was quite an achievement.

Haven't seen it yet - looking forward to doing so. I have always liked Ethan Hawke.

RedEye
01-22-2015, 04:35 PM
Haven't seen it yet - looking forward to doing so. I have always liked Ethan Hawke.

I think if you like Linklater's other work, you will love it. You may not even need to like earlier Linklater, but knowing his style is helpful in that things in this film don't really happen in the same way as they do in other feature films. It is more about tonal ambience than actual events -- about following the maturation of a little boy into a man, and about the experience of doing so in a three-hour span. Sure there are events in the narrative, but they are loosely arranged and thematic, more about watching the character's reactions than about establishing clarity about his motivations or his overt personality traits.

Hawke is great -- very much like the character in the Before Sunrise trilogy, in many ways, though this guy is far less successful in life. The film manages to be deeply moving and well-nigh spiritual about the process of growing up without (for the most part) being too heavy handed. Patricia Arquette is amazing, too... and I thought Eller Coltrane was really solid, especially since when they cast him as a six year-old there is no way they could have known whether he would be any good at acting later on.

Bob Sheed
01-22-2015, 05:24 PM
That not all movie makers are in it to make a bunch of money, which is what I thought you were implying.

I was saying that if it wasn't for the accolades of the awards, then the only reason people would make movies would be to make money. Which isn't entirely accurate I suppose.

I guess the only thing left besides the money-makers would be the very low percentage of artists doing it for the yuks.

Quality would suffer greatly if there was nothing to shoot for except money, personal fulfillment, and yuks, that's what I was saying.

Without the awards and all the attention drawn to it, "high-fives" would be all anyone had to shoot for, from an accolades standpoint.

Coincidentally enough, I was paraphrasing a sentiment from Ethan Hawke himself in his last AMA.

dougdirt
01-22-2015, 05:36 PM
I was saying that if it wasn't for the accolades of the awards, then the only reason people would make movies would be to make money. Which isn't entirely accurate I suppose.

I guess the only thing left besides the money-makers would be the very low percentage of artists doing it for the yuks.

Quality would suffer greatly if there was nothing to shoot for except money, personal fulfillment, and yuks, that's what I was saying.

Without the awards and all the attention drawn to it, "high-fives" would be all anyone had to shoot for, from an accolades standpoint.

Coincidentally enough, I was paraphrasing a sentiment from Ethan Hawke himself in his last AMA.

Why would quality suffer? People strive for money. A lot. They do all kinds of insane things for it. People would continue to make quality work because it's what makes people money and people want money. Lots of it.

RedEye
01-22-2015, 07:54 PM
Ummm... people also make art because they like to make art and express themselves. Just sayin'. The money is nice too, of course. When you can get it.

westofyou
01-22-2015, 09:45 PM
Some of the most fabulous works in Hollywood occurred before award shows, sound or huge worldwide prestige. In the silent era

Film is an art that can packaged as commerce. But most films are labors of love that no one ever sees.

Bob Sheed
01-23-2015, 08:29 AM
Why would quality suffer? People strive for money. A lot. They do all kinds of insane things for it. People would continue to make quality work because it's what makes people money and people want money. Lots of it.

Someone making something for profit, versus someone making something for other reasons from artistic vision to accolades, can produce quite different results.

A strictly profit driven Hollywood, with a dash or two of "pet project" and no-budget "vision" would get you "pretty good, I guess." I don't know, maybe that's what we have now already. I don't think so though. Most of my enjoyment comes from lower budget indie films. And I feel the only reason I even know about them is because of the indie awards/filmings that at least gets them on the radar.

Some people primarily do it for money.
Some primarily because they want to be the best.
Some because they have to.

If you take away number two, you have something different.


Some of the most fabulous works in Hollywood occurred before award shows, sound or huge worldwide prestige. In the silent era

Film is an art that can packaged as commerce. But most films are labors of love that no one ever sees.

Historically, money and prestige go hand in hand. Take away the awards and the quality will drop. Will there always be good movies? I hope so. But anytime you take a chunk away from the motivation pie, the product will suffer. I'm not sure why there is even a question here.

dougdirt
01-23-2015, 08:39 AM
Someone making something for profit, versus someone making something for other reasons from artistic vision to accolades, can produce quite different results.

A strictly profit driven Hollywood, with a dash or two of "pet project" and no-budget "vision" would get you "pretty good, I guess." I don't know, maybe that's what we have now already. I don't think so though. Most of my enjoyment comes from lower budget indie films. And I feel the only reason I even know about them is because of the indie awards/filmings that at least gets them on the radar.

Some people primarily do it for money.
Some primarily because they want to be the best.
Some because they have to.

If you take away number two, you have something different.



Historically, money and prestige go hand in hand. Take away the awards and the quality will drop. Will there always be good movies? I hope so. But anytime you take a chunk away from the motivation pie, the product will suffer. I'm not sure why there is even a question here.

I don't know, I might be crazy, but I just don't see awards being something that people are truly striving/working for. Sure, you want to be recognized for your work, but I don't think it's why they are working.

*BaseClogger*
01-23-2015, 10:03 AM
I don't know, I might be crazy, but I just don't see awards being something that people are truly striving/working for. Sure, you want to be recognized for your work, but I don't think it's why they are working.

Then why are so many crummy biopics being made?

dougdirt
01-23-2015, 10:18 AM
Then why are so many crummy biopics being made?

Because people watch the crap out of them.

Bob Sheed
01-23-2015, 11:08 AM
I don't know, I might be crazy, but I just don't see awards being something that people are truly striving/working for. Sure, you want to be recognized for your work, but I don't think it's why they are working.

Many of course, strive to be the best. And the gold statue is one industry accepted representation of that.

I agree with you though. Big piles of cash are another industry accepted representation there too.

Leo wants a statue, no matter what he says, I'm fairly certain of that.

BuckeyeRed27
01-23-2015, 11:09 AM
I don't know, I might be crazy, but I just don't see awards being something that people are truly striving/working for. Sure, you want to be recognized for your work, but I don't think it's why they are working.

One leads to the other. Getting Oscar winner or Emmy winning (or even nominated) behind your name, demands a much higher pile of cash. That is why they care about the awards.

Bob Sheed
01-23-2015, 11:26 AM
One leads to the other. Getting Oscar winner or Emmy winning (or even nominated) behind your name, demands a much higher pile of cash. That is why they care about the awards.

Man, we're cynical here. :help:

BuckeyeRed27
01-23-2015, 01:41 PM
Man, we're cynical here. :help:

I guess it's cynical, but there is certainly a high level of truth to it.

RedTeamGo!
01-23-2015, 01:43 PM
Why would quality suffer?

We already are seeing why/how quality suffers at the cinema because of money.

Movie studios have figured out the formula to making money is by making a lot of remakes or adaptations of sci-fi/fantasy stories geared towards the teenage audience. As a result most of the "blockbuster" studio money goes towards stuff like The Avengers, The Hunger Games, Transformers 1 - infinity, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc. Comic book movies draw the largest audience because they can connect with the older demographic as well as the teenage. If they are capable of drawing a big enough crowd from the teenage demographic they will just keep pumping out sequels because the next generation will likely enjoy it just as much. We are officially in the age of regurgitated blockbusters. All the evidence you need to show this is supplied by Disney/Marvel below this post. If you want an original story you basically need to go the indie route, other than the few movies that are being made for the specific reason of winning awards (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Precious, etc).

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/comicsalliance.com/files/2014/10/CA_Supermovies_10-28-2014-21.jpg

dougdirt
01-23-2015, 04:18 PM
Which category does The Wedding Ringer fit into? Or The Gambler? Or Blackhat? Or Mortdecai? Or The Interview? Or Whiplash? Or Into the Woods? Or Birdman? Or The Boy Next Door? Or Big Eyes?

Razor Shines
01-23-2015, 04:58 PM
Which category does The Wedding Ringer fit into? Or The Gambler? Or Blackhat? Or Mortdecai? Or The Interview? Or Whiplash? Or Into the Woods? Or Birdman? Or The Boy Next Door? Or Big Eyes?

The Wedding Ringer fits nicely into the garbage, I'm sure. Haven't seen them but I'm gonna guess The Gambler and Blackhat could probably also be squeezed in there.

dougdirt
01-23-2015, 05:24 PM
The Wedding Ringer fits nicely into the garbage, I'm sure. Haven't seen them but I'm gonna guess The Gambler and Blackhat could probably also be squeezed in there.

And yet people are going to LOVE all three movies. I saw The Gambler. It was worth my time and $6. I'm going to be spending another $6 on Tuesday to see The Wedding Ringer too. Not everything needs to be Good Will Hunting to be enjoyable. I laughed by butt off at Dumb and Dumber 2. I loved Interstellar. Whiplash was the best movie I've seen in a while. I can't get enough of those Lifetime/Hallmark Channel sappy movies.

Movies are made for all kinds of reasons. Some are made for cheap laughs. I like those. Some are made to make you feel good at the end because the guy/girl got the girl/guy. I love those. Some are made to get you to think, or question things. Some of those are outstanding. Some are terrible. Some are made to scare you. Some are made to tell you a story from the past. Lots of movies get made for lots of reasons and they all have their audience.

RedTeamGo!
01-23-2015, 10:25 PM
The Wedding Ringer is the sequel to Hitch, right?

Razor Shines
01-23-2015, 10:27 PM
The Wedding Ringer is the sequel to Hitch, right?

I think you mean re-make, with a less fat white guy and a shorter black guy.

kaldaniels
01-23-2015, 11:03 PM
I can't get enough of those Lifetime/Hallmark Channel sappy movies.

Careful Doug. I'm sure there are some on here looking for a new signature.

dougdirt
01-24-2015, 10:31 AM
Careful Doug. I'm sure there are some on here looking for a new signature.

I've got no shame in that.

vaticanplum
01-25-2015, 10:20 AM
I don't think that everyone who makes movies is out to make money, but I do think that the overwhelming majority of films that get distribute at a level of widespread public consumption (+ award recognition) are filtered through a vast money-driven machine. That's not to say that some are not good, but quality is not the primary consideration.

That's not a knock, either. The amount of money it costs to make and market these films is not something that people or studios can afford to take lightly. And many people involved *have* been toiling away at movies and other artistic projects for years that you will never, ever have a chance to see. It's financially and emotionally draining and I don't begrudge people with true artistic inclinations who get exhausted and just want some stability. That is not a majority of hollywood, though. Most of the people who head straight for Hollywood really do just want money and fame.

dabvu2498
01-25-2015, 08:44 PM
Never mind, let's cancel this whole charade and give all the awards to Whiplash.

I have to go back to this and agree. I've had the "pleasure" of knowing quite a few men like Fletcher in my life and have probably been a bit of a "bad guy" myself, but JK Simmons is the first actor that made me feel that vile taste in my mouth like I've experienced around those kind of people.

kpresidente
01-27-2015, 06:30 PM
Money keeps the artsy-fartsy types from wallowing in their own pretentiousness. Moderation in all things, I say.

kpresidente
01-27-2015, 06:56 PM
I have to go back to this and agree. I've had the "pleasure" of knowing quite a few men like Fletcher in my life and have probably been a bit of a "bad guy" myself, but JK Simmons is the first actor that made me feel that vile taste in my mouth like I've experienced around those kind of people.

I liked him, and as I see it, he was redeemed at the end. Of course, they threw in the part about one of the former students killing themselves just to let you would know exactly how they feel about him, but that part felt tacked on and was never believable, so I just ignore it. But the single-minded pursuit of excellence and devotion to the craft should be admired, not condemned, and it's a broken culture engrossed in mediocrity that wants to paint his "type" as the villain.

dabvu2498
01-27-2015, 07:47 PM
I liked him, and as I see it, he was redeemed at the end. Of course, they threw in the part about one of the former students killing themselves just to let you would know exactly how they feel about him, but that part felt tacked on and was never believable, so I just ignore it. But the single-minded pursuit of excellence and devotion to the craft should be admired, not condemned, and it's a broken culture engrossed in mediocrity that wants to paint his "type" as the villain.

Nah. You can be single-minded and devoted to craft without the slurs and putting your hands on students. Fletcher was a bad guy. And not all the players that Fletcher admired had been "motivated" in such ways. Heck, Fletcher didn't even get the Charlie Parker/Jo Jones confrontation correct.


The real story of the cymbal, at least as it’s been told over and over again in biographies and in the press—most famously in Ross Russell’s 1973 Bird Lives!—reveals how Whiplash distorts the Parker legend to fit its twisted premise. Jones didn’t throw the cymbal at Parker’s head. He threw it at the floor around his feet, “gonging” him off. In other words, it was not an episode of physical abuse. Perhaps more importantly, according to the usual Parker lore, he wasn’t so much following the charts as flying off them, modulating into unusual keys, and demonstrating the kind of daring improvisation that would revolutionize the art form (though many versions of the story do say that he eventually lost his key). The humiliation of Jones’ gesture did help motivate Parker to keep practicing, but creative genius is more than discipline and how-fast-can-you-play athleticism.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/11/whiplash_charlie_parker_and_the_cymbal_what_the_mo vie_gets_wrong_about_genius.html

Fletcher's a bad dude. The fact that he got the results that he wanted in the end doesn't redeem him, as a human, at all.

cincinnati chili
02-08-2015, 01:11 PM
Finally saw Boyhood. Quite good. This could have been interesting just as a gimmick, but they managed to create something really special. Imagine what would have happened if the boy turned into a lousy actor.

marcshoe
02-09-2015, 11:42 PM
Whoever wins best actress needs to just give the trophy to the person who deserves it, Beyonce. Best actor too.

redsmetz
02-13-2015, 01:04 PM
This week I watch one of the foreign language nominees, a Polish film titled "Ida" about a young Catholic novice preparing to make her final vows as a nun. Her superior tells her she needs to go spend time with her only living relative, an aunt. The movie is set in 1962 Poland and deals with the war and its consequences. I heard the director on Fresh Aire this week and decided to catch it on Netflix. It's a very subdued movie, filmed in black & white. It could seem plodding to some, but I thought it moved along well enough. The actress who played the young nun actually had never acted before, but was found by an acquaintance of the director who wasn't satisfied with any of the actresses he'd auditioned. Again, I'd recommend it, although it's a fairly spare move.

klw
02-14-2015, 07:01 PM
Just saw "Grand Budapest Hotel" last weekend. I am surprised it was nominated for anything other than the Razzies. boy did I not enjoy that movie.

RFS62
02-19-2015, 01:17 AM
I really liked Grand Budapest Hotel, and I absolutely loved Birdman.

Haven't seen Whiplash yet, but my preconceived notion is that I'll like it.

It would take a lot to get me to vote for anything else other than Birdman for best actor, best picture, best director, and maybe best supporting actress.

It was magnificent.

dfs
02-19-2015, 03:10 AM
Just saw "Grand Budapest Hotel" last weekend. I am surprised it was nominated for anything other than the Razzies. boy did I not enjoy that movie.
I think it's the best film Wes Anderson has ever made and that he's got a great film in him.

I don't think gb was that great film, but I think it's on it's way.

And I thing rfs62 has very good taste. If you are only going to watch one of those films, birdman is the one to see.

And boyhood is going to win....

vaticanplum
02-19-2015, 12:30 PM
I think if you like Linklater's other work, you will love it. You may not even need to like earlier Linklater, but knowing his style is helpful in that things in this film don't really happen in the same way as they do in other feature films. It is more about tonal ambience than actual events -- about following the maturation of a little boy into a man, and about the experience of doing so in a three-hour span. Sure there are events in the narrative, but they are loosely arranged and thematic, more about watching the character's reactions than about establishing clarity about his motivations or his overt personality traits.

Hawke is great -- very much like the character in the Before Sunrise trilogy, in many ways, though this guy is far less successful in life. The film manages to be deeply moving and well-nigh spiritual about the process of growing up without (for the most part) being too heavy handed. Patricia Arquette is amazing, too... and I thought Eller Coltrane was really solid, especially since when they cast him as a six year-old there is no way they could have known whether he would be any good at acting later on.

I saw Boyhood last night. It's not even my favorite of Linklater's films, but I think it needs to be recognized for the achievement that it is. What he did with this movie is extraordinarily difficult, and I'm not even talking about logistics. He breaks just about every convention of storytelling (objectives, focused action, character arc, time and place continuity) and still pulls it off. You have to be extremely deliberate and careful to do all this and still end up with an engrossing story. That the movie still has, in my opinion, a clear message without at all feeling like it has a clear message is all that much more impressive.

WildcatFan
02-19-2015, 06:09 PM
I finally saw Boyhood, and I think I appreciate the ideas themselves but didn't think they made for a particularly interesting movie. The short scenes did make the almost 3 hour runtime feel quicker than that, though.

NebraskaRed
02-20-2015, 03:37 PM
I saw Boyhood last night. It's not even my favorite of Linklater's films, but I think it needs to be recognized for the achievement that it is. What he did with this movie is extraordinarily difficult, and I'm not even talking about logistics. He breaks just about every convention of storytelling (objectives, focused action, character arc, time and place continuity) and still pulls it off. You have to be extremely deliberate and careful to do all this and still end up with an engrossing story. That the movie still has, in my opinion, a clear message without at all feeling like it has a clear message is all that much more impressive.

I feel the same way. It's the best movie I saw last year,hands down. Instead of feeling gimmicky, I think the "gimmick" provides a sort of cumulative power to this movie that could not have been achieved had they used different actors to play the same character at different ages.

_Sir_Charles_
02-20-2015, 08:26 PM
Of the best picture nominees, I've seen American Sniper, Selma, Theory of Everything, Immitation Game and Whiplash. Tough choice there. I'm leaning towards Immitation Game, but the performances in Whiplash are hard to beat. That movie just blew me away. The only one I hope DOESN'T win is Selma. It was okay, but not in the class as the other 4 IMO.

JK Simmons for supporting actor should be a slam dunk.

Just my 2 cents.

757690
02-23-2015, 03:59 AM
My thoughts on the actual show:

1. Neil Patrick Harris should host every year until he dies, and then I wouldn’t mind a “Weekend At Bernie’s” attempt after that.
2. Hollywood redeemed itself for its “Selma” snub, by giving the song “Glory” a standing ovation, acknowledging that those black people sure are good at singing and dancing.
3. So it seems that the key to John Travolta pronouncing names right is wearing an even more noticeable hairpiece than usual.
4. Lady Gaga singing a medley from “The Sound of Music” was almost the highlight of the night. The only thing missing was Julie Andrews singing a medley of “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face” and “Born This Way.”
5. “Well, there’s always 2027.” - Richard Linklater at the end of the evening.

HeatherC1212
02-23-2015, 11:14 AM
Lady Gaga was OUTSTANDING last night. She blew me away with that medley and I'm someone who all ready knew she could sing (her acoustic stuff is amazing if you haven't heard any of it). I hope she sticks with being more 'normal' with her music for a while and gets rid of all the artsy garbage because she is insanely talented and deserves to be recognized for it. :)

RedTeamGo!
02-23-2015, 11:21 AM
I will never watch the Oscars again. That was an embarrassment last night.

Neil Patrick Harris should have been removed from the stage after he made fun of a woman literally 5 seconds after her commenting about her son committing suicide. I mean, I am sure he was told to make a joke about the dress by production before the suicide comment, but you can't take a step back and just not make a joke? Really?

BuckeyeRed27
02-23-2015, 01:42 PM
I will never watch the Oscars again. That was an embarrassment last night.

Neil Patrick Harris should have been removed from the stage after he made fun of a woman literally 5 seconds after her commenting about her son committing suicide. I mean, I am sure he was told to make a joke about the dress by production before the suicide comment, but you can't take a step back and just not make a joke? Really?

Isn't that kind of his job though as a host? You are coming off a pretty heavy moment and you have to keep things moving. That joke wasn't offensive or a personal attack on her or her movie or anything.

I didn't think NPH was great, but I think he is getting a lot more crap than he deserves. Some of his quips were pretty funny I thought. The brief case thing was stupid.

RedTeamGo!
02-23-2015, 01:55 PM
Isn't that kind of his job though as a host? You are coming off a pretty heavy moment and you have to keep things moving. That joke wasn't offensive or a personal attack on her or her movie or anything.

I didn't think NPH was great, but I think he is getting a lot more crap than he deserves. Some of his quips were pretty funny I thought. The brief case thing was stupid.

::Skip lame joke::
"We will be right back with the awards for..."
::commercial break::

I am not just lobbing all the blame on NPH, I thought the entire show was terrible. The in memorium was the final nail in the coffin (no pun intended). paintings instead of clips? really?

BuckeyeRed27
02-23-2015, 02:03 PM
::Skip lame joke::
"We will be right back with the awards for..."
::commercial break::

I am not just lobbing all the blame on NPH, I thought the entire show was terrible. The in memorium was the final nail in the coffin (no pun intended). paintings instead of clips? really?

I think in that instance if I recall they weren't going to commercial, which made the transition a little more neccessary.

I thought the paintings were cool, but I do wish for the bigger actors they would have included a 3-5 second clip, that did seem lacking.

Razor Shines
02-23-2015, 02:39 PM
I didn't think NPH was great, but I think he is getting a lot more crap than he deserves. Some of his quips were pretty funny I thought. The brief case thing was stupid.

I agree with this. I don't see why he's getting so much crap for "sucking", he was ok and I don't see why he's getting so much praise either, he was ok. Key and Peele need to host next year. That really needs to happen.

Sea Ray
02-23-2015, 02:51 PM
Ratings were horrible. Down 14% from last year


http://deadline.com/2015/02/oscar-ratings-2015-academy-awards-show-abc-1201379351/

BuckeyeRed27
02-23-2015, 03:09 PM
Ratings were horrible. Down 14% from last year


http://deadline.com/2015/02/oscar-ratings-2015-academy-awards-show-abc-1201379351/

That's a little bit surprising given that American Sniper was in there (although not a serious contender) and the weather on the East Coast is terrible. I guess to be fair the ratings for last years Oscars were the highest in like 15 or 20 years.

RedTeamGo!
02-23-2015, 03:11 PM
I do not think American Sniper really deserved to be nominated.

It was closer to being a Steven Seagal war movie than a Steven Spielberg war movie

Sea Ray
02-23-2015, 03:14 PM
That's a little bit surprising given that American Sniper was in there (although not a serious contender) and the weather on the East Coast is terrible. I guess to be fair the ratings for last years Oscars were the highest in like 15 or 20 years.

According to that article ratings were the lowest since 2009

Razor Shines
02-23-2015, 03:26 PM
I do not think American Sniper really deserved to be nominated.

It was close to being a Steven Seagal war movie than a Steven Spielberg war movie

I realize there's one side that thinks it should have been a shoe in for best picture, which clearly it wasn't, but there's another side who thinks it's what you said and it's really not that either. I know it's not that popular around here but I thought Bradley Cooper was great and the movie was good but there were a couple scenes that were Top Gun-ish.

RedTeamGo!
02-23-2015, 03:32 PM
I realize there's one side that thinks it should have been a shoe in for best picture, which clearly it wasn't, but there's another side who thinks it's what you said and it's really not that either. I know it's not that popular around here but I thought Bradley Cooper was great and the movie was good but there were a couple scenes that were Top Gun-ish.

I am not saying it was a Steven Seagal war movie, I am saying it was closer to that then the alternative.

The scene where he went door-to-door as the point man followed up by him interrogating Iraqis was just so ridiculous.

My friend's father is a retired high ranking army intelligence officer and said it was just completely unrealistic.

BuckeyeRed27
02-23-2015, 04:07 PM
According to that article ratings were the lowest since 2009

Yeah that is true. Oscar ratings tend to be in the high 30s to low 40s pretty much every year for the last 40 years. No one that made this show is going to be disappointed with the number, they just aren't going to be estatic about it.

757690
02-23-2015, 04:20 PM
Ratings were horrible. Down 14% from last year


http://deadline.com/2015/02/oscar-ratings-2015-academy-awards-show-abc-1201379351/

Ratings for the Oscars are mostly tied to the popularity of the movies nominated. This year, there was 1 $100M+ movie, American Sniper. Last year there were 4.

757690
02-23-2015, 04:27 PM
Isn't that kind of his job though as a host? You are coming off a pretty heavy moment and you have to keep things moving. That joke wasn't offensive or a personal attack on her or her movie or anything.

I didn't think NPH was great, but I think he is getting a lot more crap than he deserves. Some of his quips were pretty funny I thought. The brief case thing was stupid.

I don't understand the attacks on NPH. I think most hosts would have tried to say something to lighten the mood after that speech. I have even read many complaints that his asking Octavia Spencer to watch the briefcase was racist and offensive. Seriously???? That bit was actually very clever, but was just executed poorly. No need to make it a running joke.

I personally thought NPH was the best since Steve Martin hosted by himself many years ago. Hosting the Oscars is a near impossible task, since it's a very boring format to begin with, and you don't have much time to make it entertaining. I pretty much judge a host on their opening number, how well they make fun of Hollywood, and how well they keep things moving.

_Sir_Charles_
02-23-2015, 05:36 PM
I'll stick to watching the MOVIES. Screw the awards ceremonies.

Hoosier Red
02-23-2015, 05:44 PM
I don't understand the attacks on NPH. I think most hosts would have tried to say something to lighten the mood after that speech. I have even read many complaints that his asking Octavia Spencer to watch the briefcase was racist and offensive. Seriously???? That bit was actually very clever, but was just executed poorly. No need to make it a running joke.

I personally thought NPH was the best since Steve Martin hosted by himself many years ago. Hosting the Oscars is a near impossible task, since it's a very boring format to begin with, and you don't have much time to make it entertaining. I pretty much judge a host on their opening number, how well they make fun of Hollywood, and how well they keep things moving.

Agreed with all this.
Oddly enough, what made it NPH most endearing to me was his reaction to the jokes that bombed. I'm not sure why.

Ohayou
02-23-2015, 06:45 PM
It doesn't really matter either way about Harris himself. Rather, it's the whole mindset mentality about the writing that goes into the Oscars every year, year after year, that I just don't get.

I mean, really, why do they keep doing this? That is, writing the most gimmicky, routine, one-two jokes where the host has no other choice but to deliver in a mechanical fashion. It's such a painfully dated approach that plays like a nightly, low-rent Vegas act from the 70s - the kind of time filler standup shtick that runs during the 7 P.M. hour for senior citizens. There's tradition, and then there's just obsolete.

They need to stop trying to manufacture comedy and charm, or at least try not to be so obvious about it.

nmculbreth
02-23-2015, 07:54 PM
I don't think NPH did a particularly good job, but at the same time hosting the Oscars is a no-win proposition and don't think it's all that fair to blame him for the anemic nature of the show. The format is tired and dated and the show is so overly-choreographed that it sucks all the charm out of the moment.

More than anything I wish the show was more about the movies themselves, rather than being a vehicle for mediocre dance numbers and telegraphed banter between random celebrities.

RFS62
02-23-2015, 10:08 PM
Well, these kind of shows are doomed from the start to be uneven, even the best ones.

NPH didn't really bother me that much.

What did and does bother me will really rub a lot of people the wrong way. I thought Lady Gaga is just an average singer in the Sound of Music medley. Every singer on broadway could have blown her away.

vaticanplum
02-25-2015, 04:24 PM
Lady Gaga was OUTSTANDING last night. She blew me away with that medley and I'm someone who all ready knew she could sing (her acoustic stuff is amazing if you haven't heard any of it). I hope she sticks with being more 'normal' with her music for a while and gets rid of all the artsy garbage because she is insanely talented and deserves to be recognized for it. :)

The "artsy garbage" is what sets her apart from many other talented people and is really what she is known for.

I'm not Lady Gaga's biggest fan, but I think all of the visual and performance stuff she does hardly obscures her talent. You don't have to be about one or the other. Given her background and her style, I'm willing to bet she thinks most people's definition of "normal" is pretty boring.

Chip R
03-04-2015, 11:08 PM
They are talking about reducing the number of Best Picture nominees back down to 5.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/oscars-academy-weighing-return-to-five-best-112697783402.html

kaldaniels
03-04-2015, 11:12 PM
They are talking about reducing the number of Best Picture nominees back down to 5.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/oscars-academy-weighing-return-to-five-best-112697783402.html

I'm hardly an Oscar buff but 10 nominees really seemed weird and probably dilutes/complicates the voting. Go back to 5. Give out 5 honorable mention nominees if you must.

757690
03-08-2015, 11:55 PM
They are talking about reducing the number of Best Picture nominees back down to 5.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/oscars-academy-weighing-return-to-five-best-112697783402.html

It saddens me that the Acadamy is worried about ratings. It bolsters my arguement that the Oscars are not a night of prestige, but of marketing.

If they want to boost ratings, I'd recommend going back to 5 best movie nominations, but divide it up into two categories, drama and comedy. I'd also divide the acting and directing categories similarly, and get rid of some of the categories no one cares about, like best short, animated short, sound editing, etc..

Chip R
03-11-2015, 11:06 PM
It saddens me that the Acadamy is worried about ratings. It bolsters my arguement that the Oscars are not a night of prestige, but of marketing.

If they want to boost ratings, I'd recommend going back to 5 best movie nominations, but divide it up into two categories, drama and comedy. I'd also divide the acting and directing categories similarly, and get rid of some of the categories no one cares about, like best short, animated short, sound editing, etc..

Well, the Super Bowl always gets outstanding ratings but you can bet your bottom dollar the NFL is worried when the ratings drop. Just like the Oscars.

It shouldn't matter for either show but the Powers That Be panic when the ratings go down. People are funny that way. There's an old story out there about when Walter O'Malley owned the Dodgers. He's talking to one of his executives about how it's so awful that the Dodgers lost $2M that season. The executive left the room and saw another executive and told him it's so awful that the Dodgers lost $2m that year. The other executive smiled and told him that when O'Malley said the Dodgers lost $2M he really meant the Dodgers made $2M less than they did the year before.

I really think they worry too much about ratings. It's difficult to keep people glued to their seats for 3.5 hours. It's a little easier for a Super Bowl if the game is close but I don't think it matters so much who is hosting.