Awards Season 2015

[domino harvey]

There will always be a yearly Awards Season thread to continue tracking the fallout from this year, so there will always be somewhere to discuss these developments

[Feego]

The irony of this movement's call for a boycott is that it may result in the best ratings the Oscars have had in years, if for no other reason than to see how Chris Rock addresses it.

[gcgiles1dollarbin]

Didn't mean to irritate folks or belabor points by posting about the Rampling interview. Apologies.

[hearthesilence]

Rampling has already backtracked and said her comments were misconstrued. Also, Michael Caine's comments were apparently taken out of context where prior to his widely reported comment, he basically made the point that Idris Elba gave one of the best performances of the year and "surely he must be nominated."

edit: and now Julie Delpy has apologized too.

[aox]

This probably deserves its own thread, as it allegedly transcends the Oscars and is a "Hollywood" problem. Just my $.02

[Luke M]

Not sure if there was any serious doubt but Chris Rock is still hosting the Oscars.

[YnEoS]

FiveThirtyEight’s Guide To Predicting The Oscars

[Ribs]

PGAs give Best Picture to The Big Short.

[captveg]

That'll make the Oscars that much more unpredictable

[thirtyframesasecond]

Rampling has already backtracked and said her comments were misconstrued. Also, Michael Caine's comments were apparently taken out of context where prior to his widely reported comment, he basically made the point that Idris Elba gave one of the best performances of the year and "surely he must be nominated."

edit: and now Julie Delpy has apologized too.

Caine's an odd one. Born in Rotherhithe, a real working class part of London, but his politics are well to the right. Even this week he was saying he wants the UK out of the EU (and I'm sure he's expressed his dislike of the British tax system).

[Altair]

It's hardly that surprising - working-class small 'c' conservatives have been around (and remarked) upon for a long, long time (and the largest part of UKIP's electoral base).

[hearthesilence]

Is this something that coincided with Margaret Thatcher's rise to power? Just curious as I always associated the rise of blue collar/working class conservatives in America with Reagan's rise to power.

[MichaelB]

Is this something that coincided with Margaret Thatcher's rise to power? Just curious as I always associated the rise of blue collar/working class conservatives in America with Reagan's rise to power.

I can't speak for America, but one of the best-known British sitcom characters, Alf Garnett, was created in 1965 - and he's still the mental image that many of my compatriots would summon to mind if they were asked to visualise a working-class conservative.

[Shrew]

And for the US, see Archie Bunker.

[Jeff]

PGAs give Best Picture to The Big Short.

Which I think makes it the favorite to take the Academy Award for Best Picture. There isn't any overlap for the voting bodies of the Academy Awards with the Golden Globes or the Broadcast Film Critics, but there is a lot of overlap with the guilds. It's a topical issue movie with a political slant that jibes with most of the voting membership, has a starry ensemble cast, and is produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B group, which is well-liked by the industry (see also: Twelve Years A Slave).

[captveg]

The Big Short is also likely to play well at home on screeners, since it has elements that break the fourth wall and directly address the viewer. A film like The Revenant has the opposite effect - it's a film that may leave many watching on a DVD checking their email or Facebook status.

[flyonthewall2983]

Nature called and I missed 5-7 minutes of it at the theater. Didn't feel like I missed that much.

[Luke M]

If The Big Short wins, would that make it this year's Crash?

[domino harvey]

I haven't seen it yet but it doesn't strike me as a film anyone is passionate about, but with the consensus voting, that may not be necessary

[criterion10]

If The Big Short wins, would that make it this year's Crash?

Nah, The Big Short isn't a bad film, whereas Crash is. If anything, it's a well-made and entertaining film about an important topic, and it's greatest sin is that it could have been great. I'll certainly take it winning over most of the other contenders (i.e. Spotlight, The Martian), even though it will probably go down as a lesser, more forgettable Best Picture winner.

[hearthesilence]

This would be the third film Brad Pitt's produced that's won Best Picture (though he wasn't awarded an Oscar for The Departed, only Graham King). Not really a fan of The Big Short, but still pretty amazing what he's done with his clout over the past decade, he may be the best producer working within the studio system right now.

[captveg]

This would be the third film Brad Pitt's produced that's won Best Picture (though he wasn't awarded an Oscar for The Departed, only Graham King). Not really a fan of The Big Short, but still pretty amazing what he's done with his clout over the past decade, he may be the best producer working within the studio system right now.

It's what makes his deal with Netflix so compelling. He could really elevate their feature film prestige.

[Feego]

What do you think the odds are of Mad Max winning Best Picture? George Miller seems to be the front-runner right now for Best Director, and the DGA's are often a good indicator of what will go on to win BP. I know the Academy is not kind toward sci-fi, but in a year like this it seems like it could be a major contender.

[hearthesilence]

I preferred the first two Max Max movies, but that would actually be a saving grace for me, if Mad Max swept all the majors it was nominated for.

[captveg]

If Mad Max gets a decent amount of #1 placements and is #2 to the voters who go with Revenant, Spotlight and Big Short #1 I think it has a decent shot, and nothing would please me more. (It would kinda be like 1995 when Braveheart won, only with arguably a stronger film to most film fans). But this feels like a year that will see a Picture/Director split, with Miller winning and one of those other three winning Picture.