Saturday, January 03, 2009

New York Times Oscar Ballots

Manohla, Stephen and A.O. pick their five favorites in the top 8 categories... I love that there's so much disagreement. Diversity always makes it more interesting (are you listening endless critics organizations?). The NYT trinity is basing their choices on New York City releases so at least two choices: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, on my Best Picture list last year, and Reprise, on my best picture list this year, are not eligible for Oscar consideration.



Both A.O. Scott and Manohla enter bizarro world for a few choices. Scott picks Jeff Bridges as a "best" supporting actor for Iron Man? I am a huge Bridges fan and the movie was fun but that has to be one of the great actor's worst turns. Manohla cheekily (at least I hope it's cheekily) offers up Werner Herzog as Best Actor for narrating Encounters at the End of the World.

There's only four points of total agreement: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) and Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) both deserve Best Actress nominations (will both make it to Oscar's shortlist?), Eddie Marsan as Supporting Actor for Happy-Go-Lucky, and The Class for Best Adapted Screenplay.

36 comments:

Andy Scott said...

Kit Kittredge?

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed by all the love for "The Edge if Heaven". Great film, no doubt. Germany submitted it for Best Foreign Language Film last year though, so it can't be eligible, right?

Pivo said...

More bizarro than Asia Argento in two of the worst films of 200...7??? Impossible.

NATHANIEL R said...

the rule goes like so...

if a film is submitted by its home country one year and is NOT nominated for foreign language film and then opens in regular release the very next year (not two years later) in LA it is then eligible for all categories EXCEPT foreign film.

However if it is nominated for foreign film and sees release the following year it is not eligible.

confusing but true.

an excellent year to understand all this is 2002/2003.

HERO (china) and CITY OF GOD (brazil) were both submitted for foreign language consideration for the 2002 Oscars. Hero was nominated and City of God was not.

City of God got a proper release in early 2003 and academy members, presumably angry that it didn't get the foreign language spot, nominated in in multiple categories for the 2003 awards. It was eligible since it had failed to get the nom in 2002 but then had the normal qualifying release the very next year.

HERO, waited two years to open after its nominations and was no longer eligible. Here's the confusing part. Had it been ignored in foreign film (like City of God) If would STILL have been ineligible for other awards since it waited 2 years for release.

This is why REPRISE (norway) is not eligible in any categories this year. It was submitted and ignored in 2006. It came out a year too late for a second chance consideration.

Scott said...

Happy to see the love for Hoffman & Morton, and Roussillon.

Clearly for this set it was a very French year.

Anonymous said...

FYC :

Best Supporting Actress :
Roni Elkabetz - La visite de la fanfare

Best Supporting Actress :
Lena Olin - The Reader

Anonymous said...

Thanks for explaining. :)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the Bridges and Herzog noms are strange.

No In Bruges at all? Waaah!

Nice to see all three had noms somewhere for A Christmas Tale. I saw that film before it closed here on Thursday night, and really really enjoyed it. Deneuve is still a goddess. I couldn't help thinking at one point that the Vuillards made RGM's Buchmans look sane! Thanks, Nathaniel, for recommending this so highly; otherwise I might have passed over it in the December crush.

RahulB said...

Those foreign film rules don't seem fair...I think...seems really confusing either way.

What if it's nominated and then released the next year...I don't see why it should be disqualified for the other categories.

Deborah said...

I can't believe anyone would pick Bridges for Iron Man. What a wretched role.

OTOH, I'm so glad Emile Hirsch was singled out for Milk. His was my favorite supporting performance.

Anonymous said...

If it's nominated then released the following year, it is ineligible. So The Counterfeiters, for example, is not eligible this year.

Anonymous said...

Amalric best supporting actor?? I didn't like his performance at all!! But then again, I didn't like Jim Broadbent's perf in Iris and he won an Oscar...



Jim

RJ said...

AO Scott seems to have lost his mind . . .

adam k. said...

I guess the thinking is that if it was nominated a for foreign film, it's likely that it would've been nominated in other categories, too? Many nominated titles are released normally here the year of their nomination.

Plus it's just weird to have the same film nominated for things in different years.

adam k. said...

I kind of understand the reasoning, despite how convoluted it seems. For one thing, it SHOULD dissuade studios from sitting on films for 2 years before releasing them. One would think.

Anonymous said...

Question for Nathaniel… or any educated cinephile:

Do you think THE FALL warrants accolades for its dazzling art direction? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was mostly on-location shooting (all around the world). So, is this more a MARIE ANTOINETTE situation or are the freshly constructed/designed sets of DARK KNIGHT, INDIANA JONES 4, and BENJAMIN BUTTON more deserving?

Anonymous said...

I know this might be a weird question, but will you consider "I love tha pussy" from "Tropic Thunder" for your awards?
Paul

Mr. Movie Geek said...

Extremely glad to see two mentions for Richard Jenkins and one for Hiam Abbass. The Visitor was a great film.

Anonymous said...

Lmao, one of them even wants to nominate "Tell no one"

That shit is two years old.

Michael B. said...

National Society of Film Critic Winners:

BEST PICTURE:
“Waltz with Bashir,” directed by Ari Folman

BEST DIRECTOR:
Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

BEST ACTOR:
Sean Penn, “Milk”

BEST ACTRESS:
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Hanna Schygulla, “The Edge of Heaven”

BEST SCREENPLAY:
“Happy-Go-Lucky,” written by Mike Leigh

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
“Man on Wire,” directed by James Marsh

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM:
“Razzle Dazzle,” directed by Ken Jacobs
--------------------

This is amazing news for Sally Hawkins and Sean Penn because over the last 6 years (2002-2007) the NSFC has correctly picked the Best Actor and Best Actress winners 10 out of 12 times. Incorectly choosing Diane Lane and Julie Christie.

Anonymous said...

Question. If Persepolis had been snubbed in Animated Category, it could have possibly be nominated this year?

And I think Eddie Marsan will get nominated over Patel.

DL said...

Strange that Manohla Dargis would pick 4 of the ladies of Synecdoche, New York to fill out her Best Supporting Actress ballot and leave out the cast's most invaluable member (that'd be Dianne Wiest, if you ask me.)

Also glad to see two mentions for Emile Hirsch in Milk -- very undervalued.

gabrieloak said...

Edge of Heaven is eligible this year but do you expect most AMPAS watchers will have seen it? Fat chance.

Over at Awards Daily there is a ballot that will be weighted similar to the Oscar ballot if you vote. Why not pick your favorites--they don't have to be the Oscar favorites.

I was able to vote for The Edge of Heaven for my second choice for Best Film.

adam k. said...

Will Mike Leigh be the lone director again?

NYFCC and NSFC together are kind of hard to ignore. Particularly when no one else is standing out as "lone director" material. For example, neither Demme nor Aronofsky has managed a single directing award. Ditto for their films in best picture. I think it's either Leigh, Stanton (yeah I said it) or no one, i.e. Ron Howard.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 7:09

No, because Persepolis was actually released in 2007 - the only way it was eligible for animated film was because of that release.

Marsan's win at NSFC is awesome. Sally Hawkins' run is amazing and any doubters for her oscar nod should be silenced. Marsan could become a contender as well.

Anonymous said...

Look at Sally Hawkins' win! The critics awards are so her bitch this year. Wooot! Get that Oscar nomination!

The love for "Happy-Go-Lucky" is awesome here (Hawkins, MARSAN?!?, Leigh, screenplay), but I wished they'd gone all the way and give it picture too.

Hanna Schygulla? Now I feel bad for never hearing this woman's name in my life. Guess she's this year's Luminita Gheorghiu.

Marshall said...

A.O. Scott has lost his mind.

NATHANIEL R said...

YH Hanna Schygulla is actually a movie star. She was an important figure in the 70s & 80s (Rainer Werner Fassbinder's muse)... so this might be a sentimental pick in some ways (i can't guess how deserving she is since I missed that particular movie)

i agree it would have been cool to see HGL win best picture too but critics awards almost never go that sweepy ;)

Glenn Dunks said...

And this stuff with foreign film is why these one week qualifiers are terrible. If 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days hadn't have been given one last year it would be eligible this year and you can guarantee SOMETHING would've been done about that. Best Screenplay for instance.

Peter said...

I guess Manohla liked Synecdoche, NY.

Anonymous said...

Nathaniel, you should definitely see it. Not necessarily because of Hanna Schygulla's performance, but simply because it's a beautiful film. In my opinion, Fatih Akin is definitely one of the most interesting European directors right now, I simply love his work.

NATHANIEL R said...

anna -- i loved HEAD ON so yeah, i shoulda seen this one too.

Anonymous said...

I love the love for The Last Mistress. Asia Argento was perfection in a difficult role. Does The Class have any chance in the adapted category at the big show?


And why in hell does Scott love Cadillac Records so much?

ohnochriso said...

I am surprised to see so much love for Cadillac Records. Wasn't that movie roundly panned? The previews look kind of atrocious.

sophomorecritic said...

Daghis has the most retarded list i've ever seen

Anonymous said...

Seems like the popular vote is for best picture is Slumdog http://www.pikkee.com/outfit_tasks/gallery/3?page=2 But I think Milk deserves it, don't you?