THE DANISH GIRL | 11.27.15 | Focus | final domestic gross: $11,114,018

[Jake Gittes]

The main issue with Oscar bait movies is that they tend to take interesting, distinctive stories and people and then give them the bland, broad, formulaic treatment that makes all of them feel virtually the same. It's not ambitious or creative filmmaking, it's cinematic tap water, just checking off boxes and making viewers feel good about themselves. 

Edited September 2, 2015 by Jake Gittes

[Spidey Freak]

Cinematic Tap Water is gonna be the name of my retro grunge band.

[Joel M]

My definition of oscar bait: A movie that it's success depends 100% on how relevant it will be in the oscar race. Basically mainstream movies with medium to low budgets who are getting made so they can be nominated or win as many oscars as possible. Their financial success depends on that. The have to sell it to award voters and the so called tastemakers of the press, and those will in turn sell it to the mainstream. That's why they go limited release-gradual expansion-hitting wide release around the time of nomination anouncement. If Wild or Dallas Buyers Club or August Osage County can get at least be the "also-run" in the oscar race they will have enough free press and oscar hype to at least make back their budgets, if they are a conteder they can go even higher depending on how much they connect with the mainstream, but even if they don't they 're pretty much covered, because enough people will see them out of curiosity. If they don't even make the race they will die in limited release. But their budgets are small enough for studios to be willing to take the risk.

 

A movie like Revenant or The Martian who needs to make more than 200M WW at the boxoffice to not be a complete financial disaster is clearly hoping to connect with the mainstream first and foremost. Awards are nice but they are mostly an afterthought.

[Cmasterclay]

This thread proves that the term "Oscar bait" needs to be retired ASAP. Not because this movie looks good (it certainly doesn't, IMO), but because it ruins any potential for smart discussion of a movie's flaws and just retreats into everyone calling whichever late-season release they don't like "Oscar bait." By most traditional definition, Selma was as "Oscar bait" as it gets- a big-time biopic about a famous person with relevant social themes and a starry cast- and that movie fucking rocked. Same applies to Lincoln. They were able to triumph over being Oscar bait with subversion, intelligence, and craft, but people spent months labeling them as such and sucking all the air out of the room. If Imitation Game and Theory of Everything had been able to do the same, the same principle would apply to them, but they didn't. Just looking at this season, really, what could be described as Oscar bait? Miles Ahead is a traditionalist biopic about a musical legend with a baity lead part, but I have no doubt that the movie has the potential to be awesome and Cheadle has the potential to crush it. Suffragette is a socially relevant historical drama with a starry cast, about as biopic as it gets, but the trailer rocked and it looked quite good. Steve Jobs apparently is kinetic as hell and has a subversive structure and style, but it's also an awards-seeking biopic about a very famous guy, so is that "Oscar bait?" Everything from Black Mass (starry gangster true story with big dramatic monologues and a physical transformation!) to Everest (sad human survival drama!) to the Revenant (true story with a capital a Artiste director!) can be called Oscar bait, but that doesn't make them less compelling. The problem with the word Oscar bait is that it gives free reign for the types who think all intelligent dramas are for pretentious squares and that the Academy should only award movies like Jurassic World to use a word that paints all these movies with a broad strokes and enhances their unearned credibility. It hurts smart discourse. Here's a better way to describe Danish Girl: maudlin, traditionalist, cliche-ridden, artificial schlock. And is it desperate for awards attention? Absolutely. But Oscar-bait as a concept really hurts discourse over the last four months here. 

[kayumanggi]

Welcome to the Oscars thread. lol

[filmlover]

I think the "Oscar Bait" phrase only works when it's applied to movies that clearly had awards aspirations and ended up failing big time in all of its goals (see: J. Edgar). If the movie is able to stand on its own when taken away from the overall awards picture, then it is largely irrelevant.

 

I think this looks good btw. Between this, The Theory of Everything, and the impending box office success of Fantastic Beasts..., it's Eddie Redmayne's world and we're just living in it.

[The Futurist]

The main issue with Oscar bait movies is that they tend to take interesting, distinctive stories and people and then give them the bland, broad, formulaic treatment that makes all of them feel virtually the same. It's not ambitious or creative filmmaking, it's cinematic tap water, just checking off boxes and making viewers feel good about themselves. 

 

Mind Construct on your part, if you really think that is the thought process of people who makes the so called "oscar movies" then you are sorely mistaken.

 

Doing movies and second guessing the intentions of people who make movies are two VERY different things.

[Jake Gittes]

Did I say anything about their intentions? I was talking about the results. 

[Jack Nevada]

I think it looks fine. That's my take on the trailer.

[TLK]

Tarantino is a dick but his recent observation about Oscarbait movies is correct. There is very little value to these movies outside of being oscarbait. Even Paul Haggis said that Crash, the baitiest of them all, shouldn't have won Best Picture over Brokeback Mountain.

[RobinHood26]

I think it looks good and Eddie seems to fucking kill it. If by Oscar bait you mean a movie that looks extremely well crafted and happens to be a serious  dramatic story than yes it is. 

[MinaTakla]

Reviews are in for Beasts of No Nation and this has a great shot a Best Pic nom/win.

Yes as crazy as this sounds the film has a lot going for it. 

[Spidey Freak]

 If by Oscar bait you mean a movie that looks extremely well crafted and happens to be a serious  dramatic story than yes it is. 

 

That's not what we mean. By Oscar bait we mean a competent but blandly crafted movie milking a phoned in performance based on the life of a marginalized pioneer (not played by an actor who is a member of that marginalized group of course) and reducing the intricacies and complexities of that person's life to fit by the numbers beats. 

 

Reviews are in for Beasts of No Nation and this has a great shot a Best Pic nom/win.

Yes as crazy as this sounds the film has a lot going for it. 

 

I don't see why you think it sounds crazy. Baity bait film gets nomnom for sure.

[TStechnij]

That's not what we mean. By Oscar bait we mean a competent but blandly crafted movie milking a phoned in performance based on the life of a marginalized pioneer (not played by an actor who is a member of that marginalized group of course) and reducing the intricacies and complexities of that person's life to fit by the numbers beats.

I don't see why you think it sounds crazy. Baity bait film gets nomnom for sure.

Beasts of No Nation is certainly not baity.

In fact, on paper it seems like Oscar poison.

[Spidey Freak]

Beasts of No Nation is certainly not baity.

In fact, on paper it seems like Oscar poison.

 

Sorry, I misread Mina's post and thought he or she was saying BoNN was getting poor reviews, increasing the chances of The Danish Girl's nomination. I agree, Beasts would definitely be the unexpected nomination and a shock victory.

[Halba]

its certainly certified fresh bait LOL

 

[MinaTakla]

WOHOO!! OSCAHHHH

RAVES at Venice just in!! Vikander stole the show - Eddie shines as well! Best picture nom in the bag!! Win? Good shot!

 

Alessandra Magliaroalemagliaro 25s25 seconds August Venice, Veneto

# Venezia72 applause for #TheDanishGirl with #EddieRedmayne that deserves second consecutive Oscar

Lorenzo Ciorcalo @rotovisor 1m1 minute ago

#Venezia72 #TheDanishGirl Lavish and subtle. Redmayne thrills, Vikander shines. The movie breaths with her. Best work by Hooper.

M. Jattoni Dall'AsénJattoniDallAsen 2m2 minutes ago Venice, Veneto

Excellent #AliciaVikander who applies to the Coppa Volpi for #TheDanishGirl to # Venezia72

Andrea CurcioneVeniceMaster 1M1 minute August Venice, Veneto

# Venezia72 "The Danish Girl" - 2. Redmayne for Volpi Cup. But I do not know if the male or female.

Elisa Panetto @Miss_Twin_Peaks 50s51 seconds ago

#TheDanishGirl no words, only tears.

Robbie Collin @robbiereviews 42s42 seconds ago

The Danish Girl (Hooper): Cried myself into a human raisin. Redmayne great, Vikander secret weapon. Beautiful, great and awardsy #Venezia72

Patrik Linderholm @thePatalo 32s32 seconds ago

THE DANISH GIRL: Tom Hooper beautifully caputers this important voyage of a transgender woman. Superb acting troughout. #Venezia72

Marco ValerioValerioMark 54s54 seconds August

Also this year Venice took the Oscar contender right. Hugs and applause. #TheDanishGirl # Venezia72

M. Jattoni Dall'Asén @JattoniDallAsen 38s39 seconds ago Venice, Veneto

Great #AliciaVikander in #TheDanishGirl! She's a candidate for Volpi Cup for Best Actress #VeniceFilmFestival

Andrej BoscoCriticaSoviet 53s54 seconds August

#TheDanishGirl: Calligraphic and emphatic cheatsheet of identity and hierarchy sessuali.Stucchevole, as always, Eddie Redmayne. # # Venezia72 72MIAC

Ed Frankl ‏@Ed_Frankl 44s44 seconds ago

The Danish Girl is clumsy as it goes for overly-sincere prestige pic, but I did like it - Vikander overshadows Redmayne

Viktor Jerner @ViktorJerner 2m2 minutes ago

Guy Lodge ‏@GuyLodge 1m1 minute ago

THE DANISH GIRL: HooperVision is still a thing, now with added Hammershøi. Decorous, petal-scented, skin-deep. Vikander outclasses Redmayne.

Beatrice Behn ‏@DansLeCinema 44s44 seconds ago

#TheDanishGirl is Trans* Brokeback Mountain. Shiny, well made, emotional and a mainstream breakthrough for trans people in film. #Venezia72

Luke nineteenthlucaottocento 48s48 seconds August

#TheDanishGirl: A beautiful period film with some great moments some redundancy in the middle and an extraordinary #EddieRedmayne

Beatrice Behn ‏@DansLeCinema 35s35 seconds ago

The Danish Girl: Alicia #Vikander outshines #Redmayne who seems a little bland and stuck in cliché female gestures. #Venezia72

@PWellinski

The Danish Girl - very convincing and touching reconstruction of early 20th century transgender man. Hoopers off-centre images are spot on. #venezia7

Lorenzo Ciorcalo ‏@rotovisor 1m1 minute ago

#Venezia72 #TheDanishGirl Campaigning Vikander for Supporting would be a major fraud. She's Lead. Unquestionably.

CineVue ‏@CineVue 1m1 minute ago

Hooper's 'The Danish Girl' is so Oscar-ready the acceptance speeches are included as a post-credits sting. (@drjonty) #Venezia72

CineVue ‏@CineVue 2m2 minutes ago

'The Danish Girl's' transgender agenda is laudable but it's also monotonously tasteful. (@drjonty) #Venezia72

Damon Wise ‏@yo_damo 1m1 minute ago

Surprised to find myself enjoying The Danish Girl very much. Well played by Redmayne and Vikander especially. #Venice2015

gunnar rehlin ‏@GunnarRehlin 3m3 minutes ago

Liked The Danish Girl. Very emotional.

Angus MacKinnon ‏@AngusM1966 6m6 minutes ago Venice, Veneto

After all build up The Danish Girl left me a bit flat. Fascinating story told too slowly but beautifully shot

Sara Prian ‏@Sary_Cult 51s52 seconds ago

Anyway Alicia Vikander did the role of her life #TheDanishGirl what a performance #Venezia72

Last edited by DirkDiggler; Today at 

04:27 AM

.

[kayumanggi]

Vikander will beat Redmayne for the Best Actress category. lol

[AJG]

WOHOO!! OSCAHHHH

RAVES at Venice just in!! Vikander stole the show - Eddie shines as well! Best picture nom in the bag!! Win? Good shot!

 

Alessandra Magliaroalemagliaro 25s25 seconds August Venice, Veneto

# Venezia72 applause for #TheDanishGirl with #EddieRedmayne that deserves second consecutive Oscar

Lorenzo Ciorcalo @rotovisor 1m1 minute ago

#Venezia72 #TheDanishGirl Lavish and subtle. Redmayne thrills, Vikander shines. The movie breaths with her. Best work by Hooper.

M. Jattoni Dall'AsénJattoniDallAsen 2m2 minutes ago Venice, Veneto

Excellent #AliciaVikander who applies to the Coppa Volpi for #TheDanishGirl to # Venezia72

Andrea CurcioneVeniceMaster 1M1 minute August Venice, Veneto

# Venezia72 "The Danish Girl" - 2. Redmayne for Volpi Cup. But I do not know if the male or female.

Elisa Panetto @Miss_Twin_Peaks 50s51 seconds ago

#TheDanishGirl no words, only tears.

Robbie Collin @robbiereviews 42s42 seconds ago

The Danish Girl (Hooper): Cried myself into a human raisin. Redmayne great, Vikander secret weapon. Beautiful, great and awardsy #Venezia72

Patrik Linderholm @thePatalo 32s32 seconds ago

THE DANISH GIRL: Tom Hooper beautifully caputers this important voyage of a transgender woman. Superb acting troughout. #Venezia72

Marco ValerioValerioMark 54s54 seconds August

Also this year Venice took the Oscar contender right. Hugs and applause. #TheDanishGirl # Venezia72

M. Jattoni Dall'Asén @JattoniDallAsen 38s39 seconds ago Venice, Veneto

Great #AliciaVikander in #TheDanishGirl! She's a candidate for Volpi Cup for Best Actress #VeniceFilmFestival

Andrej BoscoCriticaSoviet 53s54 seconds August

#TheDanishGirl: Calligraphic and emphatic cheatsheet of identity and hierarchy sessuali.Stucchevole, as always, Eddie Redmayne. # # Venezia72 72MIAC

Ed Frankl ‏@Ed_Frankl 44s44 seconds ago

The Danish Girl is clumsy as it goes for overly-sincere prestige pic, but I did like it - Vikander overshadows Redmayne

Viktor Jerner @ViktorJerner 2m2 minutes ago

Mixed feelings about THE DANISH GIRL right now, but overall very good. Beautiful performances & cinematography out of this world. #Venezia72

Guy Lodge ‏@GuyLodge 1m1 minute ago

THE DANISH GIRL: HooperVision is still a thing, now with added Hammershøi. Decorous, petal-scented, skin-deep. Vikander outclasses Redmayne.

Beatrice Behn ‏@DansLeCinema 44s44 seconds ago

#TheDanishGirl is Trans* Brokeback Mountain. Shiny, well made, emotional and a mainstream breakthrough for trans people in film. #Venezia72

Luke nineteenthlucaottocento 48s48 seconds August

#TheDanishGirl: A beautiful period film with some great moments some redundancy in the middle and an extraordinary #EddieRedmayne

Beatrice Behn ‏@DansLeCinema 35s35 seconds ago

The Danish Girl: Alicia #Vikander outshines #Redmayne who seems a little bland and stuck in cliché female gestures. #Venezia72

@PWellinski

The Danish Girl - very convincing and touching reconstruction of early 20th century transgender man. Hoopers off-centre images are spot on. #venezia7

Lorenzo Ciorcalo ‏@rotovisor 1m1 minute ago

#Venezia72 #TheDanishGirl Campaigning Vikander for Supporting would be a major fraud. She's Lead. Unquestionably.

CineVue ‏@CineVue 1m1 minute ago

Hooper's 'The Danish Girl' is so Oscar-ready the acceptance speeches are included as a post-credits sting. (@drjonty) #Venezia72

CineVue ‏@CineVue 2m2 minutes ago

'The Danish Girl's' transgender agenda is laudable but it's also monotonously tasteful. (@drjonty) #Venezia72

Damon Wise ‏@yo_damo 1m1 minute ago

Surprised to find myself enjoying The Danish Girl very much. Well played by Redmayne and Vikander especially. #Venice2015

gunnar rehlin ‏@GunnarRehlin 3m3 minutes ago

Liked The Danish Girl. Very emotional.

Angus MacKinnon ‏@AngusM1966 6m6 minutes ago Venice, Veneto

After all build up The Danish Girl left me a bit flat. Fascinating story told too slowly but beautifully shot

Sara Prian ‏@Sary_Cult 51s52 seconds ago

Anyway Alicia Vikander did the role of her life #TheDanishGirl what a performance #Venezia72

Last edited by DirkDiggler; Today at 04:27 AM.

Looks like it's shaping up to be another "meh" movie carried by good acting, that everybody will forget it exists two weeks after the Oscars (that's IF it gets nominated, I just saw a 2 star review on the Guardian) These Oscar movies and Dramas rarely manage stay with me, Wolf of Wall Street, Cap Phillips and Her managed to, but I always end up watching most Oscar movies just once before forgetting I ever saw them, and society seems to never talk about them ever again. I've not heard anybody talk about Boyhood, The Imitation Game, and Theory of Everything in months, I've not heard anyone talk about The Artist in years.

[kayumanggi]

Or maybe those who would usually talk about this kind of movies are not the people you regularly talk to.