Oscars 2025

JP Liz V1

I'm delighted Sebastian Stan and Monica Barbaro got nominated

Shelga

Kneecap tweeting “fcuk the Oscars” after not getting a nomination was fairly pathetic I thought 🙄

George White

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123027176#Comment_123027176

Yes, it's like a film written by Aid*n Comerford (and just as funny).

Gascon is also I found bland as ****.

If we wanted to honour a trans/cross-dressing film, give it to I Saw the TV Glow.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089802#Comment_123089802

Really? You're bamboozled by Emilia Perez being nominated for so many awards?

You know damn well why it's nominated for so many awards, it's got a transgender person in the lead role and it features gender transition as part of the plot.It doesn't matter if the film is **** or not it's being nominated for that reason so they can stick it to MAGA, conservatives etc and go on a spree of virtue signalling in the build up to the awards.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123092529#Comment_123092529

Hollywood walking themselves into legitimate criticism, well I never.

George White

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123092529#Comment_123092529

Except if they really wanted to nominate a good trans film, they could have picked I Saw the TV Glow. Which is the film all the TRAs wanted nominated. It is actually a brilliant film, disquieting and memorable.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123093658#Comment_123093658

Yes, but neither of the 2 lead actors in I Saw the TV glow are transgender women.As a result it doesn't tick quite so many boxes for virtue signalling for the Hollywood crowd.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089544#Comment_123089544

People say this every year. I personally think Sawshank and Forrest are overrated.

Either way 2024 was a great year for film and this notion that films were better years ago is just not true.

johnny_ultimate

The irony with Emilia Perez is that it's actually a conservative's dream of a "Mexican" and trans film, given all the retograde stereotypes, tone-deaf writing and bizarre ideas it indulges in. The film has been crucified by many Spanish speaking, Mexican / Latin American and LGBT critics and viewers alike (though has its defenders too within those groups). In a year that gave us extraordinary trans artists' work in the likes of I Saw The TV Glow and Crossing, it is particularly frustrating seeing this film suck all the oxygen out of the room. Even within Netflix's own film slate… I haven't seen Will & Harper, but I know that's been much better received (though probably locked out of most conversations as it's a doc).

I do give Gascon credit where it's due at least for doing her best with the material and, going by interviews, reigning in some of Audiard's even worse instincts and ideas.

But beyond the representational nightmare that is the film, it's just so badly made - it should be nowhere near some of the categories it scored nominations in. It's clearly trying to be a campy social satire of sorts but misses every tonal and thematic mark it shoots at. Bad films are rewarded in the Oscars all the time, but this one is truly next-level awful IMO. Almost certainly the most embarassing Oscar barnstormer since Crash (and it isn't that long since Green Book).

Anyway: watch Nickel Boys. It's fantastic.

George White

Yes, it's about as convincingly Mexican (it was all shot in France) as Carry On Abroad and the movie of Are You Being Served? were convincingly Spanish, or whatever Morecambe and Wise film where the lads go to Central America.

thereiver

I.m glad that Cynthia got the nomination I have not seen wicked yet but looking at gifs on Tumblr Cynthia and ariania look as if they have a great relationship like a couple in love . The set design on wicked is fantastic . I.m glad demi Moore got a nomination. She still looks great .women over 50 tend to be forgotten by Hollywood .

JP Liz V1

This is Ralph Fiennes first nomination, with so many memorable top notch performances, I hope he wins, like for all his career

For me Ralph, Demi, Jeremy and Monica for the acting wins

JohnFalstaff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123095245#Comment_123095245

This is Fiennes third nomination. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for his role in Schindler's List and for Best Actor in 1996 for The English Patient.

Ash.J.Williams

Are kneecappies the new swifties?

murpho999

Just in relation to awards season. How is that all these apparent separate bodies such as US academy ,British Academy, Screen Actors Guild, Foreign Press Association etc basically agree and come up with pretty much the same nominees every year? Doesn't make sense to me.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123095321#Comment_123095321

Whoops my bad, who beat him for SL that year?

Decuc500

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123095456#Comment_123095456

What doesn't make sense to me is that the same film will win multiple technical awards like cinematography, editing, sound etc It's usually the same film that wins best film/director. I never buy the idea of the best film winner also necessarily having the best technical achievements.

There must be loads of films with better cinematography and sound design that never get a look in as voters seem to award the same film in all categories.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123095456#Comment_123095456

Substantial crossover in the voting body of these organisations is certainly one of the main reasons. There's always politics - personal, commercial, actually political - behind it too.

Money is another big one - studios throw significant resources behind particular titles to get the titles in front of members' eyes (screenings, advertising etc…).

An offshoot of that is lobbying. There was a good example of this when Andrea Riseborough made the cut for a barely seen indie film To Leslie thanks to celebrities lobbying for her. The late David Lynch famously made headlines for his (sadly unsuccessful) one-man, one-cow campaign for Laura Dern for Inland Empire.

And of course there's always a feedback loop. Academy voters only have a finite amount of time (and many of them aren't the most engaged cinephiles, to put it kindly) so won't watch everything eligible, so will likely gravitate towards the buzziest titles, creating that loop where the films most people have seen will have a greater chance of getting nominated. Given there's basically a six-month 'awards season' cycle flamed by trade publications and the likes, in many ways the fact there is a nominations race at all influences the race.

Man Vs ManUre

I think Furiosa shuda been in the list for Best Film, with Hemsworth named for best support. That movie was way better than Fury Road.

JohnFalstaff

The Oscars carry a sheen of respectability, but in reality they are just a glossier version of the IFTA's and the same caveats apply.

Most of the people voting won't even have watched all the films nominated. And everyone ultimately votes for their friends, or the film they heard was supposed to be good.

JP Liz V1

I wonder can Academy members vote for themselves or relatives if nominated

George White

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123096184#Comment_123096184

I remember an interview from c.1981-1982, with Roddy McDowall talking about his academy membership, where he, a noted cineaste confessed that he was one of the few who actually did watch everything.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089544#Comment_123089544

Shawshank and Gump are fine but in scheme of things not particularly notable. Anora and The Brutalist are two I'm looking forward to seeing, Wicked I really enjoyed. I loved the Nickel Boys as a book too so I'd actually say it's far better than plenty of years TBH.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123093700#Comment_123093700

one of the main actors is non-binary and has changed their name in the last few days to 'Jack Haven'

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123096184#Comment_123096184

What makes me feel very cynical is that you hear of films being released later in the year to be in with a better chance of nomination, do the people in the academy have that little of an attention span that they wouldn't be able to remember a good film from earlier in the year?

Hamsterchops

Best Actress / Demi Moore 🤞

She's been a long time waiting, and personally speaking I think she deserves best actress for her performance in The Substance.

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123096477#Comment_123096477

Shawshank is one of the finest movies ever made, its a masterpiece.

Forrest Gump is a very good film, and has lasted the test of time.

Pulp Fiction is Tarentinos best, its a masterpiece.

Hard to believe those films are 30 years old.

People say this every year. I personally think Sawshank and Forrest are overrated.

Either way 2024 was a great year for film and this notion that films were better years ago is just not true.

We also Leon, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Crow, Interview with the Vampire, Quiz Show and many other films released in 1994. Some great comedies like Dumb and Dumber, The Mask and Ace Ventura.

Name me a few films in 2024 that would be in their league ??

flasher0030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123097656#Comment_123097656

1994 was a good year for Jim Carrey

johnny_ultimate

There’s never a bad year for film, just variances in how many of them are in multiplexes. And the Oscars rarely reflect the most interesting things happening in cinema (though I’d say Nickel Boys and Anora were among the best of the last 12 months, and a few other heavily nominated ones were at least interesting or worth watching).

La Chimera, All We Imagine As Light, Hundreds of Beavers, Chime, I Saw The TV Glow, Perfect Days, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat… just a few of the great films last year.

Even outside the smaller and independent releases, films like Challengers, Furiosa and The Iron Claw spring to mind as classic crowdpleasers. And Anora and Hundreds of Beavers are great cinema comedies - had a great time watching those with a crowd.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123098264#Comment_123098264

Yep I also think limiting ourselves to Hollywood in terms of the great stuff from the year is a bit silly. You could equally have made the claim in the 90s that we weren't getting a similar run that happened during the award seasons in the 60s/70s. But it's always more to do with rose tinted glasses IMHO.

I do think a valid criticism that applies to the Oscars is that it's often the most conservative for nominations and even winners. Other awards tend to have the more interesting selections. I am somewhat surprised that The Substance is up for best picture for that reason. 😂