87TH ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY DISCUSSION THREAD AAAHHH! | Discuss It Live Here

[Sam]

I feel at this point people (not here, just talking in general) are just raring to rage at something.

You're rubbing off on us.

[CoolioD1]

Carrells, Reese's, Streep's, and Emma's noms felt manufactured. And again, its not necssarily about the actor, but the style always chosen. All these performances are shouty, preachy, whiny.

there's no way you've seen foxcatcher or wild if you think that's the case.

[Empire]

there's no way you've seen foxcatcher or wild if you think that's the case.

Or Whiplash. JK Simmons didn't shout once.

[filmlover]

I didn't like Steve Carell's performance in Foxcatcher (although I'm happy to see him as a nominee) but in no way was Reese's nomination "manufactured." She likely would've been the default winner had Moore not been in the race.

[Dementeleus]

they still deserved looks, especially Coon.

 

How do you know they didn't receive serious consideration? There's only five slots. As you say, the Academy tends to like performances adapting real-life people, but again, usually the acting races are pretty competitive fields. Over-the-top performances also aren't necessarily bad.... that just comes down to preference.

[BadAtGender]

But the most successful of the nominees did win, so once again it does seem they basically just give it to the highest grossing. I feel like aside from a small passionate faction in the Academy, most of them have next to no respect for the category and pay it no attention most years. Hence why they just vote for what's popular or a brand name (used to be Pixar now it seems to be WDA). It's like an award they just want to get out of the way without having to spend any time actually judging.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant, mostly. By dint of not caring they end up picking the populist choice more often than not.

 

I don't think that it's quite a kneejerk vote for WDAS, though. Had LEGO gotten a nom, it almost certainly would have won. While I don't think the animation branch actually nominated the films they did because of that, it was weirdly cognizant of them to do so, given how it fared in other awards. (Critics and audiences loved it, industry professionals less so.) By snubbing it, they did focus the nominations on the actual animation craft rather than the writing.

 

This might actually be a change, truth be told. For instance, if we apply similar criteria to previous years, I can't see something like DM2 getting a nomination.

[filmlover]

Also, the original title for Gone Girl: Bitches Be Trippin', Yo

 

I like it. Should've gone with that title, Gillian Flynn!

[AndyLL]

Except Annie Hall beating SW and Cuckoo's Nest beating Jaws.

 

Agreed although Cuckoo's Nest was fantastic.

 

And Alpha's right ( likely by mistake ) Eddy Murphy hasn't been funny in a long time.

 

I'd vote for Tina & Amy but if they muzzle them then it would be pointless.

[4815162342]

I feel at this point people (not here, just talking in general) are just raring to rage at something.

Nah, just the dying of the light.

[Dementeleus]

Nah, just the dying of the light.

 

Except for Fox News, which rages against the dying of the white.

 

#BadPunMondays

[Jandrew]

How do you know they didn't receive serious consideration? There's only five slots. As you say, the Academy tends to like performances adapting real-life people, but again, usually the acting races are pretty competitive fields. Over-the-top performances also aren't necessarily bad.... that just comes down to preference.

 

That wasn't me that said that, and I know competition is tough, but I don't feel the actors are looked at as well as they should. To me its more "okay, we got Birdman in stuff, who acts in that so we can pull them out?" That's me. I do admire the awards, I want to be in them, and they do have deserving actors and actresses year in and year out, but at the same time a lot feels fluffed, manufactured, undeserving, and lazy. Like Talkie said, it's not necessarily a popularity contest, but at times feels like a PR contest. Yes yes, you can say the same about every awards show, but not every awards show is the Oscars. 

 

The Kids Choice, Teen Choice, MTV Movie, BET, ABC, 123, etc are not on the same level of prestige and power, so things should be handled better. But if people and voters want a bunch of JLaw's and Bale's and Streep's shouting in accents and producing tears which anyone could've done, from the same movies, vs Bullocks and Woodley's and Hanks' and McCounaughey's playing it straight and playing the character to the tee, then go ahead. I'm just a mere mortal from South Carolina, what say do I have? I can still be bothered by it though.

[Dementeleus]

This one's for you, Jandrew: "Hatin' Ass Spurrier Takes on the Oscars" (courtesy of the awesome Spencer Hall at EDSBS)

 

Not all bad for that Neil Patrick Harris guy, though. Bomb like that in Los Angeles and they'll still hire you as Alabama's offensive coordinator.

 

J.K. Simmons told everyone to call their daddy and yet Mark Richt hasn't even texted me yet.

 

I'd say Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking could play quarterback at Florida but he's capable of a decent rollout.

 

Oregon knows what it's like to win for the best clothes every year and lose the big one, Wes Anderson.

 

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2015/2/23/8090323/hatin-ass-spurrier-sweeps-the-oscars

[The47th]

Looking at The Hollywood Reporter's reviews from last night and last year...they were way too hard on Ellen, and they've been way too forgiving with this year's show, considering it basically got worse in every single aspect.

 

Ellen definitely didn't live up to her potential, but she did deliver some solid jokes and memorable appearances, and that's not mentioning that the group selfie is shaping up to become a classic moment in the history of the ceremony.

 

Neil just wasn't given any decent material to defend on stage. We knew he is an incredible performer, and he showed that off with the opening number. But after that, we only had the Birdman gag. Every other appearance was either unmemorable or downright wrong, like the magic trick. We know of his passion for magic, but someone in the production team should have known that the trick of the prediction feels way too uninspired and pointless to whoever that isn't in that room and can't make sure that nobody manipulates the box. It's painfully obvious that a trick like that would not work on TV.

 

For me, the winners were the ones who had to carry on the show, particularly Patricia Arquette and John Legend and Common.

[Dementeleus]

That wasn't me that said that, and I know competition is tough, but I don't feel the actors are looked at as well as they should. To me its more "okay, we got Birdman in stuff, who acts in that so we can pull them out?" That's me. I do admire the awards, I want to be in them, and they do have deserving actors and actresses year in and year out, but at the same time a lot feels fluffed, manufactured, undeserving, and lazy. Like Talkie said, it's not necessarily a popularity contest, but at times feels like a PR contest. Yes yes, you can say the same about every awards show, but not every awards show is the Oscars. 

 

The Kids Choice, Teen Choice, MTV Movie, BET, ABC, 123, etc are not on the same level of prestige and power, so things should be handled better. But if people and voters want a bunch of JLaw's and Bale's and Streep's shouting in accents and producing tears which anyone could've done, from the same movies, vs Bullocks and Woodley's and Hanks' and McCounaughey's playing it straight and playing the character to the tee, then go ahead. I'm just a mere mortal from South Carolina, what say do I have? I can still be bothered by it though.

 

But what this boils down to is you're not sure about how/why 6,000 different Academy members pick the actors, but you're pretty sure it's this one way. And that they should agree with your preferred acting style.

[Dementeleus]

As a random aside, could Travolta have been any creepier if he tried?

[Hatebox]

nominees that year

 

1. The Thin Red Line

2. Elizabeth

3. Shakespeare in Love

4. Saving Private Ryan

5. Life is Beautiful

 

I'm sure Baumer agrees that The Thin Red Line should have won.

[filmlover]

As a random aside, could Travolta have been any creepier if he tried?

Nope. He couldn't have come across as creepier than that.

[CoolioD1]

John Travolta should definitely present at least 4 awards next year.

[Jandrew]

But what this boils down to is you're not sure about how/why 6,000 different Academy members pick the actors, but you're pretty sure it's this one way. And that they should agree with your preferred acting style.

 

Come on Tele, I know it's not as simple as it looks. They even put a disclaimer at the end of the show.  

 

Again, if they want all the over-dramatized drama, they can have it, but I can still smh at it. At least it doesn't change much in the grand scheme of things. 

[Alpha]

John Travolta should definitely present at least 4 awards next year.

Why not all of them?