You know the drill. Rifle off your queries and we’ll try to address a few during the podcast. PLEASE KEEP IT TO ONE QUESTION, and as always, try to keep it fresh.
You know the drill. Rifle off your queries and we’ll try to address a few during the podcast. PLEASE KEEP IT TO ONE QUESTION, and as always, try to keep it fresh.
Comments
43 responses to “Taking questions for Oscar Talk”
Do you think Amy Adams gets a chance at the supporting actress category as there will be a split between Leo and Steinfield? Plus, she is overdue so she will get more votes.
Who do you think will win in each categorie at the bfca?
Which 2011 films do you think will be better than they appear to most people?
Just for fun: which movie this year do you think would make for the best drinking game?
(For example, while watching Black Swan you take a drink everytime someone compares Nina’s White Swan to her Black Swan and two drinks anytime you see someone grab someone else’s crotch. Three drinks when it’s their own
Seriously, I haven’t seen this much crotch grabbing since middle school.)
What do you think of the atmosphere that comes out of this late stage of the awards season? Sasha Stone wrote a really interesting piece last year about how this is the part of the season where people even turn against the films they actually like or even love, like how Roger Ebert turned on Avatar after it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and Director, because they see a film or performance winning that they don’t think deserves to do so. I think the atmosphere is really toxic and really flies in the face of what we all care about in the first place: a love of film. I’m really interested to hear you and Anne’s thoughts on this if it wouldn’t be too much trouble. :-)
Do you and Anne think that there any possible surprise nominations that would essentially “seal the deal” for a Best Picture win?
In other words, how the Best Picture nod for “The Blind Side” all but assured Sandra Bullock’s already seemingly inevitable Actress win but the inverse of that situation.
If so, what would these nominations be?
What do you think the Oscar Ceremony will be like this year with Francaway?
Why do the ballots for the nominations for actors have to be so complicated? I hear that only the movies are on the ballots for actors and on a separate sheet, there is a list of actors.
Why does the academy insist on nominating actors that everyone knows will not win the award instead of nominating actually great performances — such as Jeff Bridges and Robert Duvall instead of Ryan gosling and Aaron eckhart. It’s like make it so there is only one person is sure to win and they fill the other slots with veterans that they just like to nominate.
Kris, earlier this week you said that by your predictions, you felt that Inception would be winning too many awards, even if all of them were from the arts & crafts categories.
With the current 10 nominees for best picture system, how likely do you think it’s for movies like Inception (as in without SAG support) to make a surprise victory based on unanimous support from the arts & crafts academy members, regardless of how “big” the frontrunners are perceived?
Kris, what was the decisive factor in changing your prediction for Best Picture from The King’s Speech to The Social Network? Do you have any lingering doubts?
Does Danny Cohen’s ASC nomination suggest a cinematography nomination by the Academy? If not, why not? What are your general feelings about the way The King’s Speech was shot?
Fast forwarding to the future….
Every year there seems to be a film that gets an immense amount of early awards hype, and then falls flat with audiences and critics upon release (Hereafter in 2010, Nine in 2009, Blindness in 2008, etc.). Which highly anticipated upcoming release do you predict will suffer the same fate this year?
What are your opinions on Toy Story 3’s “Not since. . . ” campaign?
Name three locks (or highly likely) at this point as well as what you think will be the three most competitive categories.
If it’s still a race between Bening and Portman do you think that Bening gets any kind of sympathy from voters for losing twice before to a young actress? (ie: Is it possible Oscar politics might tip things in Benings favor because of her illustrious career and her *clears throat* age?)
How is The King’s Speech doing? What can it do at this point to win Best Picture?
Given all the focus on “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” or “True Grit,” is there any scenario where “Black Swan” could sneak in with it’s love it/hate it nature and win Best Picture? I know it’s unlikely, but the box office has been surprisingly robust and the guild support has been substantial.
Love Julian Stark’s question (#6).
My question: last year’s Big 5 were probably The Hurt Locker, Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, & Up in the Air. They were a strong, clear 5.
This year, there seems to be 7-8 strengths: The Social Network, The King’s Speech, The Fighter, Black Swan, True Grit, Inception, Toy Story 3, The Kids are All Right.
Which year has had “better” Oscar contenders? 2009 or 2010?
Is The Social Network too glib to win Best Picture or David Fincher a Best Director Oscar? This is coming off of Fincher’s recent comments regarding critical over-praise and apparent glibness of The Social Network (“on Social Network, I didn’t really agree with the critics’ praise. It interested me that Social Network was about friendships that dissolved through this thing that promised friendships, but I didn’t think we were ripping the lid off anything.”). It was also in that recent W Magazine interview David Fincher made the distinction between how he divides his work into films and movies: “by his definition, a movie is overtly commercial, engineered for the sole pleasure of the audience. A film is conceived for the public and filmmakers: It is more audacious, more daring.” He said The Social Network is “a little glib to be a film.” And continued on to say: “Let’s hope we strove to get at something interesting, but Social Network is not earth-shattering. Zodiac was about murders that changed America. After the Zodiac killings in California, the Summer of Love was over. Suddenly, there was no more weed or pussy. People were hog-tied and died. No one died during the creation of Facebook. By my estimation, the person who made out the worst in the creation of Facebook still made more than 30 million dollars. And no one was killed.”
Why is it that a film like The Social Network is getting all this praise while at the same time not really being criticized for the liberties Fincher and Sorkin take with the story. I remember even a well-received film like The Insider, which for me, is a similar achievement, was criticized for some of its fabrications and yet TSN is being called the film to define a generation w/ many citing the fact that facebook was basically started because of a break-up as an important thematic point. So i wonder, why do some films get away with this, but others don’t? Sorry for the long question. Hope it’s clear
In regards to the Globes, how much of a shot does Alice in Wonderland Have against Kids Are All Right? HFPA usually likes movies that bring in the money. Alice in Wonderland certainly did that. Kids Are All Right seems to have lost some steam.
What film outside of the eleven front runners has the best chance at a surprise best picture nomination?
Do you think, with the support of the British voting branch, that Manville could pop up as a surprise in the supporting category the way BAFTA placed her? It reminds me of how Kate Winslet’s placement at BAFTA sort of was the only hint among a sea of questions that she would end up being nominated in lead for that performance.
Do you think there is a film that could come out of nowhere and have a few major nominations that no one expects, like The Reader did a couple of years ago?
Maybe The Ghost Writer, Another Year, The Way Back or something else?
Do these results of the top seven in the Visual Effects category show significant number one support for Hereafter and Scott Pilgrim that could push either one or both of these films into a nomination in this now expanded category?
Which Foreign Language Film contenders have you seen so far, and what are your thoughts regarding that race? Any frontrunners that you can think of?
This is kind of a strange one but I’m curious about it.
You, Anne, Sasha Stone, and some of the other Oscar bloggers seem to watch the contenders and your other favorites multiple times before the year is over. Most people, myself included, seem to only see our favorites one, and possibly two, times within the year. I know some critics like Pauline Kael never watched a single movie again, even her favorites. I’m not sure what my question is, but I guess I am curious to hear some commentary about such a philosophy. I do feel the best films improve on multiple viewings, but I’m not always anxious to return to them until a year or so has past. How often does your opinion on a film change after a third or fourth viewing? Do you believe “re-watchability” is an essential factor in your favorite films?
(I hope this one wasn’t already asked…)
What films from this Oscar season do you think will benefit from being viewed via screeners? Put another way, what films from this year do you think play well on the small screen (well enough to up their Oscar nomination chances)?
In 2007, BFCA/GG/SAG/BAFTA all had different Supporting Actress winners. Any chance we’ll see that happen this year, and if so, where can we see who has the edge?
Any ideas why The Town is playing so well this season? I only saw it recently and was surprised by how cliche it was — “one last heist before I go clean,” the good girl vs. the bad girl, the hot tempered friend who has to be sacrificed so the hero can get another chance… What’s it doing in this conversation? Is it about box office and star power?
Maxim: Funny you bring the drinking game thing up, because I just played a drinking game with some friends for Changeling. Any time Angelina Jolie says something to the effect of “I want my son back!” or “That’s not my son!”, you take a drink. Suffice to say, we were all drunk and out of alcohol pretty quickly.
We get to call movies like “Norbit” or “Click” Oscar Nominees because of the Make Up. Do you think that this year we are going to have that too?
It makes me cringe.
What about Hilary Swank’s chances for a nom? Do you think her SAG nomination is an indication to her stronger chances than the likes of Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Lesley Manville and Halle Berry? I think her possible inclusion is so important for the best actress race because I think if Swank gets in, Annette Bening will win the Oscar over Natalie Portman.
I still don’t understand why everyone is claiming the social network competition is between the king’s speech or even the fighter? When you look at the critics and the awards, black swan and inception are getting much more recognition. Also these two films have popular and arguably over-due directors behind it, while the other two are rarely mentioned when discussing their films. And many have said winning the best picture is more based on the directors. I’m just curious why is the competition between the king’s speech, the fighter and the social network, while it really should be the black swan, inception and the social network? ( I really doubt anything other than the social network will win, but i think those two films are the only ones that can pull off a surprise win)
It seems like every year, a major contender produces an out-of-left-field acting nomination (such as Alan Alda for “The Aviator”, or arguably Jeremy Renner last year). If you were to pick one for this year (maybe Justin Timberlake, or Vincent Cassel), which would it be? Or do you think Mila Kunis fits the bill?
Do you think Black Swan might not get as many nominations as everyone is predicting?
After the DGA nom, is there any way Tom Hooper will not get a Best Director Oscar nomination? Is it just wishful thinking on my part that the Coens will replace him come nomination morning?
is the cobol job, the prologue featured on the dvd of inception, eligible for a best animated short?
Hi Kris and Anne,
I’m sensing some real potential for some surprises in the acting categories. Maybe because all the precurors just seem too unanimous to be believed. Plenty of folks with no pre-Oscar love have sneaked in and maybe we are in for a record number of those.
Who might surprise us Oscar morning? Mark Wahlberg? Sam Rockwell? Julianne Moore? Olivia Williams?
Turning back the clock for exactly one year: What frontrunners do you expect for next year’s Oscar race?
Back to the future: What is your explanation why those movies, which you considered as frontrunners, have not gained the required momentum?
We talked about this a little in the DGA doc post, but you and Anne should talk up the documentary category.
Who’s gonna get nominated for Best Documentary? And will great titles like Exit Through the Gift Shop be edged out for easier fair?
When people talk about the academy not being receptive to “Black Swan” in regards to the best picture race, Do you think people thought the same thing about “The Silence of the Lambs”?
Thanks again everyone.