The Oscar List Rant

[trinityvixen]

Should be a short rant again this year because again I have not seen even one-half of the films nominated. But I'll do my best:

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

Frankly, no matter how good Philip Seymour Hoffman might be in Capote, there's no way the film will carry to win the prize. Munich I feel comfortable with saying is not the issue-movie to take the statue, nor is Crash. I have seen the latter film, and I think Crash, while provacative at points, is too utterly predictable and too experimental to really touch at the issues of racism both overt and subtle. Which leaves Brokeback Mountain and Good Night, and Good Luck. Despite the hype for Brokeback, I think the scary real-life connection of Good Night, and Good Luck makes it the better draw. Also, in a category utterly dominated by independent films, Good Night, and Good Luck is the more independent of the two, and the less controversial. Oscar likes controversy--Hello, Michael Moore, have an Oscar--but I doubt they'll push it that far.

Director:
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller, Capote
Paul Haggis, Crash
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Steven Spielberg, Munich

Not even a question but Ang Lee's got this one. Clooney is a first-timer, as is Paul Haggis, so they get the 'honor just to be nominated' non-award. Spielberg's been past his prime a while now, and, again, Capote hasn't gotten enough attention to the way it was crafted to make waves. Instead, Ang Lee has gotten oodles of directorial kudos for Brokeback Mountain, to the point that the already poignant story supposedly would lose most of its steam were it not for the decisions made by director and cinematographer (so let's hope they both win).

Actor: (enough of this 'leading role' bs)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

I'm amazed Terrence Howard got a nom for a film that looked and sounded like the most debasing, degrading thing ever, and not for his character (which, if it were, would make the nom make more sense, 'cause of pathos). Heath Ledger was supposed to be fantastic in Brokeback, and Joaquin Phoenix has an Oscar tradition of rewarding imitations in his favor with Walk the Line, but I don't think either cowboy will win. Instead, it's up to the other two imitations of real people, and in this I am taking a wild stab in the dark and saying it will go to Hoffman. I would prefer it to go to David Strathairn as I find his acting style less grating and self-aggrandizing than Hoffman's, but it hasn't made the same splash. Score one for Capote.

Actress:
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Keira Knightly, Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron, North Country
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

MY BLINDING HATRED MAKES ME OUTRAGED AT NEARLY HALF THIS LIST. One, Charlize doesn't deserve and Oscar for chasing a role in a movie 'guaranteed' to get her an Oscar. I can't stand it when there aren't enough good roles written for women in modern cinema so they toss the Oscar noms at people who made supposedbly Oscar-calibre movies because they have extras to go around.

If Keira Knightly wins for Pride & Prejudice, I buy a DVD gun and slice her to pieces with my A&E boxset. That strumpet can sit on her ass with her undeserved Oscar nom and piss me off for that much, but so help me if she wins...

Ahem. Reese annoys me, but my real reason for turning her aside is the fact that Walk the Line didn't find anything extraordinary to do with her, nor was she that extraordinary. Maybe I should see more than the trailer to make that claim, but I doubt it. When you're in a pic with someone who so absorbs the lead character, it's hard to measure up--she'll be overlooked, trust me. I can't even recognize the film Judi Dench was in, but past wins will hurt her, and Felicity Huffman's Transamerica role really is too ground-breaking to be ignored. THAT is the kind of role we should be opening for women in film, one that lets them explore beyond the background prejudices against 'women in men's roles' or 'finding happiness with or without men.'

Supporting Actor:
George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

A History of Violence got one acting nom? Go figure. Must be the story then. It won't win, nor will Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man. George Clooney's role in Syriana hardly seemed to read as notable, so he's out, and between Matt Dillon, lost among the ensemble in Crash and Jake Gyllenhaal, well, there isn't a competition. I personally loathed Matt Dillon's character in Crash, but I think he did a good job with it. I doubt it matches up, though, so Brokeback's got this one in the bag.

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, Junebug
Catherine Keener, Capote
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Not even a competition. See my rant above for why North Country should and will win NOTHING. See notes above for why, against Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener probably doesn't stand much of a chance. Amy Adams is who again? Yeah, that leaves Rachel Weisz to challenge Michelle Williams, and, much as I hated her stupid face forever from the three minutes of Dawson's Creek that I subjected myself to, Michelle's got it. This is a disturbing trend, former trash-TV stars winning Oscars. Wake me up when the Power Rangers accept the award for best ensemble cast, will you?

Other things worth mentioning: oh look, almost no big-blockbuster movies got anything. They get token items (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory being nominated for costuming makes me giggle; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for art direction makes me go "huh?"), but they are largely ignored. Shame. No offense to the indies, but people don't want to go to the movies for 'thinking' pictures all the goddamned time. If this indepedent takeover holds sway, I'm never going to see any movie before May or after August in the theaters--for real, I think the only movie I saw in the fall was Harry Potter.

Go Wallace and Gromit for best animated film! Woo for not hearing of a single one of the foreign films for N years running! As long as Pride & Prejudice doesn't give Keira Knightly an Oscar, I don't really care what else anything wins, and I mean that.

Comments

[anomilygrace.livejournal.com]

While I join in your screaming rage at Keira Knightley getting an Oscar nomination for Pride and Prejudice. I don't agree with the dismissal of Reese Witherspoon. She did a fantastic job with a role that COULD have faded into the woodwork - it's such a typical female role - the lover, the nurse, the supporter - but she took it beyond that and did a fantastic acting job. She more than stood up against Joachim Phoenix who (as always) did a phenomenal job. I'd be happy if she received the Oscar, though I think it's going to Felicity Huffman given all the press for her job in Transamerica. (And it probably should, but I haven't seen the movie, and I'm sick of the pathos claim to awards)

Also, as someone who HATED Ray because I thought Jamie Foxx's performance was imitative at best, I think Joachim Phoenix deserves an Oscar far more than Foxx. But again, I agree with you on calling it for Hoffman. (With a possibility of Ledger)

And now that this is so incredibly long, I really should have just posted it in my journal. Ah well, long comment, here we go!

[teneda.livejournal.com]

MY BLINDING HATRED MAKES ME OUTRAGED AT NEARLY HALF THIS LIST. One, Charlize doesn't deserve and Oscar for chasing a role in a movie 'guaranteed' to get her an Oscar. I can't stand it when there aren't enough good roles written for women in modern cinema so they toss the Oscar noms at people who made supposedbly Oscar-calibre movies because they have extras to go around.

Yeah totally, we ALL know Charlize Theron should have been nominated (and won) for her outfits in Aeon Flux.

>.>





<.<


*ducks*

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

What is up with people's hatred of Keira Knightley, and why does it matter that someone was on a crappy TV show before they were nominated for an Oscar? Joseph Gordon-Levitt was on 3rd Rock From the Sun and I think he deserves heaps of recognition for Brick (although 3rd Rock is undoubtedly less awful than Dawson's Creek).

Just wondering. People keep saying they loathe Keira Knightley, and last time I checked, she was just an actress in a bunch of movies. Pardon the possible sexism, but is this some sort of girl thing? The people I see hate her most often are other women.

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

And yes, go Wallace and Gromit. Corpse Bride was not terrible, but it was paper-thin compared to W&G.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think it's going to Felicity Huffman given all the press for her job in Transamerica. (And it probably should, but I haven't seen the movie, and I'm sick of the pathos claim to awards)

See, I don't have a problem going to a unique, different portrayal by an actress, but I would have a problem if it were given to a pathos-ridden blah-blah rah-rah film like North Country to either of the women nominated. Felicity Huffman's role is different. I will reserve further judgment against Reese Witherspoon for now. It is quite possible that she's managed a degree of ability heretofore unseen in any of her other work (which seems to be a theme with most of the people nominated from Brokeback Mountain, actually, seeing as I don't recall ever being wowed by Jake Gyllenhaal especially, let alone Heath Ledger or Michelle Williams).

Also, as someone who HATED Ray because I thought Jamie Foxx's performance was imitative at best, I think Joachim Phoenix deserves an Oscar far more than Foxx. But again, I agree with you on calling it for Hoffman. (With a possibility of Ledger)

I really am indifferent to biopics. The one--one--biopic I was remotely interested in seeing was Good Night, and Good Luck because it was as much a political and professional examination as a personal one. I have not seen Ray, and to be honest, have no desire to. But at least I'm not biased--I have no interest in seeing Walk the Line either. Is it just me, or do all biopics read like extended versions of VH1's "Behind the Music"?

And now that this is so incredibly long, I really should have just posted it in my journal.

have you seen some of my journal comments? I routinely run over the max character limits. Feel free to use the space!

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

Eh, forget the main awards. That Joss Whedon doesn't have a nomination for best original screenplay invalidates the entire proceedings.

The other award that caught my attention was best original song...all for the same lousy independent movies. Is it just me, or has that category become completely unrelated to the quality of the song?

Re: Best Picture--I expect it'll still go to Brokeback Mountain. Good Night and Good Luck just wasn't that good of a movie absent the politics.

Oh, and finally...is this the first year in recent memory where every Best Picture nominee had a serious left-wing slant or background issue? Usually the majority do, but this year they all do.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

If by left-wing, you mean independent, then yes.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Too true. And I'm not pleased that "Corpse Bride" is being touted as better than "Nightmare Before Christmas." Honestly, I liked Nightmare better, I think.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Doesn't matter to me either way, so long as she doesn't win

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

I think Helena Bonham Carter's performance as the Corpse Bride was sweet and charming, but the rest of the film is certainly lesser than Nightmare.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I can agree with that. I think I liked Nightmare more because it was much more fun, over all. Corpse Bride was more dramatic, perhaps, but it lacked some of the easy-going spooky goodness by making such a point of the crossover between living and dead people (as opposed to the incongruity of every citizen in Halloween Town being perfectly normal).

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

If we go by the relatively accurate SAG prediction system, then the winners (for applicable categories) will be:

Crash for Best Movie
PSH for Best Male Actor
Reese Witherspoon for Best Female Actor
Rachel Weisz for Best Supporting Female Actor
Paul Giamatti for Best Supporting Male Actor


And despite how it looked Hustle & Flow (and Terence Howard in it) was very good...until the last 10 minutes, where everything falls apart.

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

No, I don't mean independent. There were plenty of independent films as good if not better than the ones nominated in 2005, but apparently a movie needs to have a left-wing socio-political issue behind it to get a Best Picture nomination:

Brokeback Mountain-homophobic treatment of gays by society
Good Night and Good Luck-Republican senators are evil, and communists were a figment of the imagination.
Crash-Aren't racists horrible? But sometimes they save people of the opposite race anyways.
Capote-Not a left-wing issue but a biopic of a leftist.
Munich-Israel is bad. Really bad. And we'll throw in a transparent attack on American foreign policy while we're at it.

And unlike most conservatives, I agree with the politics behind 2 of the movies (Brokeback Mountain and Crash) and just think Good Night and Good Luck wasn't nuanced enough.

In contrast, 2004's most successful independent movie, Passion of the Christ, got maybe one minor technical nomination. And of course 2005's most successful indie movie, Star Wars Episode 3, got nothing (though the Academy probably doesn't consider it indie enough...it did show in theaters outside of NYC and LA.) To the extent the Academy is biased towards indie films, it's only towards left-leaning indie films. Epics about human society, good and evil, the nature of government, etc., need not apply. Nor movies that, you know, entertain. And I think that's a really sad fact about today's Hollywood.

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

Heath Ledger was fantastic in Brokeback. The entire film was <3 . I'm rooting for Heath and Jake.

As for Kiera...... Dear GOD, no. Just NO.
I have nothing against her personally, I'm sure she's a lovely lass, but she was just in no way suited for the role of Lizzie, in what was a mostly forgettable and unnecessary adaptation. >_____< .

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

I don't hate Kiera, I quite liked her in Bend It Like Beckham, but she is just not the greatest of actresses. Definitely not good enough to take on Lizzie Bennett, and not even remotely believable as a Regency woman, which is why I am outraged at her nomination for the latest (unnecessary) adaptation of P&P.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It's possible that it's latent jealousy--certainly, I wouldn't mind getting to make movies with Johnny Depp (But UGH kissing Orlando Bloom) or Clive Owen (okay, kissing him is fine, mandatory even)--but mostly, it's because I don't think she's a fantastic actress. I think she plays the same role in everything--the spunky cute innocent girl--and it's not very good. It's just annoying at this point in time.

Why I loathe her of late is solely because of Pride & Prejudice. They interviewed cast members of the new adaptation while playing the BBC version on A&E, and it disgusts me to think of Keira as Lizzie. She kept yammering on about Elizabeth being some modern girl (not true, she was just smarter than most her peers, which if that is determined to be 'modern,' I am doubly glad to be alive now), et al. She's like that about a lot of her roles, trying to make them sound like amazing characters who are perfect and should be revered (if you listen to her talk on the King Arthur discussions, you want to hit her for constantly interjecting that Guinevere was as good a warrior as any of the knights, rah rah girl with noodly-arms power!).

Which means she completely misses the point. Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most beloved characters in literature because she is not perfect. She makes mistaken assumptions, is gullible when she's flattered, and it takes a serious swallowing of her pride to find happiness, which is not easy. Keira Knightly, on the other hand, is the perfect barbie-muppet substitute (and wow, I can't believe I've never realized how much she physically resembles a barbie-muppet, skinny and mouthy like she is) for the fangirls who just want to get the rich boy (who, it should be noted, ought to have been handsome, another thing Pride & Prejudice mucked up, but Pride and Prejudice (1995) got right).

Basically, the movie's trailers, casting, and unnecessariness offend me, and I really don't want Keira to win for it. If she pulls off a stunner in another movie, acts out of character, you can consider her for an Oscar. But until she grows some tits and a backbone, she ought to stay away from my literary heroines, thank you.

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

Well, normally I would scoff at the prospect of Hollywood doing justice to any sort of literature but since you are one of the lucky few to have an ideal adaptation made already, then I guess that argument holds no water.

I guess in general I just try to ignore what celebrities say (they're generally dumb) and judge the work. It sounds like you haven't seen it and maybe just because she says all that nonsense the movie isn't that bad. Personally I think the Academy has a lot of things wrong with it, but usually they nominate the right people, so I have to think there's some sort of merit in her performance. Even if the right people get the wrong nomination, it's "making up" for another one (i.e. Giamatti nominated for Cinderella Man and not Sideways) and Keira doesn't have anything like that. Hopefully her nomination means she did something right.

But maybe I'm just a little bit annoyed that Naomi Watts didn't get a nomination for Kong...she was the best part of that movie, I thought.