Official 2020 Oscar Nominations Thread (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

DEAKINS!

https://oscar.go.com/news/winners/1917-is-the-2020-oscar-winner-for-cinematography

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I wish I wrote thinkpieces. What a job!

 

[andySu]

Why wasn't Terminator Dark Fate not nominated for sound editing and best Atmos sound mix as its the best one I heard so far. Just my 2 pence

 

[Tino]

Why wasn't Terminator Dark Fate not nominated for sound editing and best Atmos sound mix as its the best one I heard so far. Just my 2 pence

Because five other nominees were chosen by the Academy that they felt were more worthy and also because there is no such thing as “Best Atmos Sound Mix.”

 

[JohnRice]

DEAKINS!

https://oscar.go.com/news/winners/1917-is-the-2020-oscar-winner-for-cinematography

I'll always be steaming that it took 13 noms and wasn't until 2018 that he won. In a lot of ways, at least for the sheer mass of outstanding production, he's probably the greatest cinematographer of all time. Now, I realize that will bring on screams about how Freddie Young did this and that and Guy Green did that and the other and Gordon Willis, etc. etc. My argument remains, the sheer staggering volume of great work Deakins has produced year in and year out... for decades. Nobody can touch it.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

The audience standing and applauding the Parasite win at the end was a bit weird because it's Hollywood celebrating it's own obsolescence. Seriously, if Hollywood is now really going to genuinely include international films for Best Picture overall, this is going to be a regular occurrence. Parasite has more story, soul and originality than 5 Hollywood films put together. And that's just the tip of the iceberg from passionate filmmakers worldwide who have so much more to say or do to blast through to get attention. And if you go back in time, think of all the 'foreign' films that were superior to the Best Picture wins of the past? This could just be an anomaly as Hollywood steps back and regains its senses or tries to reclaim top position, but more likely, and welcome-ly, it will be an open trend going forward.

I had Parasite as my second favorite (under JoJo Rabbit), but glad I didn't have any bets down because I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood would pull through for the self-congratulating BP. The director win tipped the outcome, though. Genuinely deserved.

 

[ScottH]

I seriously doubt that is going to happen. Parasite imo will absolutely stand the test of time.

You think? I feel like there is not much of a rewatchability factor with it as a lot of the entertainment value of it is with the intrigue of not knowing what will happen. As much as I liked the movie I can honestly say I have no interest in ever watching it again. On the other hand, 'Once Upon a Time In Hollywood' I have already watched 3 times and would welcome more viewings.

 

[Malcolm R]

, but glad I didn't have any bets down because I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood would pull through for the self-congratulating BP.

I'm kind of surprised that OUATIH didn't get any recognition beyond Pitt.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The audience standing and applauding the Parasite win at the end was a bit weird because it's Hollywood celebrating it's own obsolescence. Seriously, if Hollywood is now really going to genuinely include international films for Best Picture overall, this is going to be a regular occurrence. Parasite has more story, soul and originality than 5 Hollywood films put together. And that's just the tip of the iceberg from passionate filmmakers worldwide who have so much more to say or do to blast through to get attention. And if you go back in time, think of all the 'foreign' films that were superior to the Best Picture wins of the past? This could just be an anomaly as Hollywood steps back and regains its senses or tries to reclaim top position, but more likely, and welcome-ly, it will be an open trend going forward.

I had Parasite as my second favorite (under JoJo Rabbit), but glad I didn't have any bets down because I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood would pull through for the self-congratulating BP. The director win tipped the outcome, though. Genuinely deserved.

That remains to be seen by me. When I finally watch this movie, I hope I'm not disappointed because of all the praise it's received.

 

[ScottH]

The fact that practically every critic was openly rooting for Parasite to win and there is zero critical backlash to its win says a lot about its endurance. Whenever a Crash or Shakespeare or Green Book wins, there are a lot of "It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham" think pieces.

I think it just became "cool" to root for a Korean film and given today's climate people are probably afraid to say anything negative about it winning.

 

[Patrick_S]

I've definitely had problems with it in the past -- especially when the cameras focus more on the singer than the people being remembered -- but I thought this year's segment was excellent. Billie Eilish wouldn't have been my choice ahead of time, but I thought her mournful rendition of "Yesterday" was perfect. And unlike some performers past, she avoided overindulging in vocal acrobatics and kept the focus on the names rather than herself.

I thought the segment was poorly done.

First, Yesterday is a terrible song for a segment that is suppose to celebrate the life of those who have died. Look at the lyrics, it's all about the self pity of the narrator.

Secondly, picking a short song like Yesterday constrains the production values of the segment. You can only add so much with instrumental intros and exits and singing very slowly. Someone commented on the doubling up on the pictures instead of giving each person a solo shot on screen. They thought it might have been because of the late additions, no is was because the song forced them to do this because there simply was not enough time.

I would much rather they simply ditch having a live performer singing a known song, created the video portion of the segment and then just write an instrumental music melody to fit the segment.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I thought the segment was poorly done.

First, Yesterday is a terrible song for a segment that is suppose to celebrate the life of those who have died. Look at the lyrics, it's all about the self pity of the narrator.

Secondly, picking a short song like Yesterday constrains the production values of the segment. You can only add so much with instrumental intros and exits and singing very slowly. Someone commented on the doubling up on the pictures instead of giving each person a solo shot on screen. They thought it might have been because of the late additions, no is was because the song forced them to do this because there simply was not enough time.

I would much rather they simply ditch having a live performer singing a known song, created the video portion of the segment and then just write an instrumental music melody to fit the segment.

Though, I enjoyed the segment more than you did, but you made some excellent points.

 

[bujaki]

The audience standing and applauding the Parasite win at the end was a bit weird because it's Hollywood celebrating it's own obsolescence. Seriously, if Hollywood is now really going to genuinely include international films for Best Picture overall, this is going to be a regular occurrence. Parasite has more story, soul and originality than 5 Hollywood films put together. And that's just the tip of the iceberg from passionate filmmakers worldwide who have so much more to say or do to blast through to get attention. And if you go back in time, think of all the 'foreign' films that were superior to the Best Picture wins of the past? This could just be an anomaly as Hollywood steps back and regains its senses or tries to reclaim top position, but more likely, and welcome-ly, it will be an open trend going forward.

I had Parasite as my second favorite (under JoJo Rabbit), but glad I didn't have any bets down because I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood would pull through for the self-congratulating BP. The director win tipped the outcome, though. Genuinely deserved.

To your point: Grand Illusion was nominated for BP along with You Can't Take It with You. Guess which one took home the trophy. And guess which one endures as one of the all time greats. Not the Capra by a long stretch.

 

[Tino]

You think? I feel like there is not much of a rewatchability factor with it as a lot of the entertainment value of it is with the intrigue of not knowing what will happen. As much as I liked the movie I can honestly say I have no interest in ever watching it again.

Right. You have no interest. It’s subjective That’s the point.

@Hanson above said it best.

“The fact that practically every critic was openly rooting for Parasite to win and there is zero critical backlash to its win says a lot about its endurance. Whenever a Crash or Shakespeare or Green Book wins, there are a lot of "It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham" think pieces.”

 

[Tino]

I think it just became "cool" to root for a Korean film and given today's climate people are probably afraid to say anything negative about it winning.

Parasite being a Korean film had nothing to do with its acclaim. If the film was in set in Rome spoken in ancient Latin it still would have been just as tremendous imo.

 

[Hanson]

I think it just became "cool" to root for a Korean film and given today's climate people are probably afraid to say anything negative about it winning.

So the film is Korean, so it's actually not good, it's just virtue signaling. Gotcha.

 

[Malcolm R]

I would much rather they simply ditch having a live performer singing a known song, created the video portion of the segment and then just write an instrumental music melody to fit the segment.

I think they added the live singer in an attempt to override the applause-o-meter that the segment had turned into over the years, with big name actors and directors getting a wave of applause, with crickets for lesser-knowns. Though I notice that was creeping back into the segment this year.

They always used to just show the pics with the orchestra playing. But I imagine the friends and family of those who passed didn't enjoy the popularity contest projected onto the segment by the varying degrees of applause, as if some names are more worthy of recognition than others.

 

[Chris Will]

Although the Academy was and should be admonished for the lack of diversity in the nominations, ...

What does everyone want the Academy members to do, honestly? I think we all want them to award the films they feel deserve to be honored so, how do you force diversity? If you fill out your ballot based on what you truly feel are the best selections of the year but, your ballot isn't diverse, should you be forced to change your vote just to satisfy political correctness? Also, aren't some of these elite Hollywood folks the members that do the voting, so they are getting mad at themselves?

How can diversity be encourage while still honoring what they view as the best of the year, without artificially requiring a certain number of diverse picks per category just to check off boxes?

If you had asked me to put together a list of what I viewed as the best films, actors, scores, etc. of the year before the nominations were announced; my list would have looked very similar because I agreed with most. Maybe a few changes here and there like "Knives Out" instead of "Joker" for BP, "Jojo Rabbit" and "Knives Out" instead of "Joker" and "Marriage Story" for score. None of that would have helped diversity and my score picks would have made it worse. Am I a horribly insensitive bad person because my picks are not diverse enough? Is my opinion invalid because what I liked the best lacks diversity? I can't help it, these are the things that resonated the most with me this year. Should I be required to change some things on my ballot to help diversify the show, even if I don't think those choices represent the best of the year?

What do people really want the Academy to do?

 

[MartinP.]

And stop bashing Green Book. I wanted it to win. I've watched it a few times. And though I don't care for Shakespeare in Love, a lot of people do. And a lot of those people are women.

 

[TravisR]

And stop bashing Green Book. I wanted it to win. I've watched it a few times. And though I don't care for Shakespeare in Love, a lot of people do. And a lot of those people are women.

I'm not bashing Green Book, I'm just noting that there's a big difference between last year's winner and this year's.