Oppenheimer wins 7 Oscars (Best Picture) (film & awards)

[Comrade Funk]

This was a good comeback year for the Oscars. I think/hope last year was the nadir for film in general.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I knew that 'Everything Everywhere' would do well, but I did not expect it to sweep all the awards it did. I think the Jamie Lee Curtis win was the most surprising of all. It kind of sucks that she had to be up against her co-star, Hsu, though. I'm fine with it though.

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

[T'Chenka]

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

The narrative of the Animated Feature race the entire year was "Turning Red is very good but something will probably come along and beat it". Then once Pinocchio debuted at a film festival, critics started praising the hell out of it. It's not just that Pinocchio is very good, but it's a stop-motion feature with puppets and sets and basically all kinds of art tech stuff that the industry loves.

From there, Pinocchio won almost all of the awards for Animated Feature at the smaller awards ceremonies that lead up to the Oscars. Everybody was predicting it to win the Oscar since November or December. The only minor speed bump was when Puss In Boots 2 debuted to great reviews. Pinocchio continued to win awards after that though.

Unless a movie is literally pro-Chinese government, I think the Oscars would focus more on cultural and ethnic diversity being highlighted, and view it as a good thing, not a negative.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

Pixar already has won that award way too often lol, sometimes not really deserving the win like in 2009, 2012, 2020 and arguably 2015 and 2019 too. I like Pixar a lot but there are tons of good animation studios and animation films out there that didn't get the credit they deserve because Pixar often was a lock for the award.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

7 out of the 8 "above the line" categories - the "biggest" and "most important" awards - were won by A24 Studios films. It won Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and all 4 acting awards. Only Adapted Screenplay was won by a different studio, MGM.

As a massive fan of A24 Studios, this makes me happy.

i'm an A24 sucker as well, and even for years now before they were cool like in 2015 i was already a fan.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

Pixar already has won that award way too often lol, sometimes not really deserving the win like in 2009, 2012, 2020 and arguably 2015 and 2019 too. I like Pixar a lot but there are tons of good animation studios and animation films out there that didn't get the credit they deserve because Pixar often was a lock for the award.

I guess I just can't help but assume that Pixar is always a favorite to win.

[Mr. Smith]

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

Pixar already has won that award way too often lol, sometimes not really deserving the win like in 2009, 2012, 2020 and arguably 2015 and 2019 too. I like Pixar a lot but there are tons of good animation studios and animation films out there that didn't get the credit they deserve because Pixar often was a lock for the award.

Up was more than deserving. As was Inside Out in 2015.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

I am also surprised that 'Turning Red' didn't win for Best Animated Feature. Maybe the Academy didn't want to make the ceremony too China-centric.

Pixar already has won that award way too often lol, sometimes not really deserving the win like in 2009, 2012, 2020 and arguably 2015 and 2019 too. I like Pixar a lot but there are tons of good animation studios and animation films out there that didn't get the credit they deserve because Pixar often was a lock for the award.

Up was more than deserving. As was Inside Out in 2015.

My winners

2001: Monsters Inc. (Shrek won, tho thats a good one too)
2002: Lilo & Stitch (Spirited Away won, tho thats very good too)
2003: Finding Nemo
2004: The Incredibles
2005: Howl's Moving Castle (haven't seen the winner which was Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit)
2006: / (Only have seen Cars, Happy Feet won)
2007: Ratatouille (I have to watch Persepolis yet, which I expect to be good)
2008: WALL-E (I haven't seen Bolt yet)
2009: The Secret of Kells (I haven't seen Coraline and the Princess and the Frog yet, Up won)
2010: Toy Story 3
2011: - have seen none (Rango won)
2012: Wreck-It-Ralph (Brave won)
2013: Frozen
2014: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Big Hero 6 won, also liked Song of the Sea a lot)
2015: Inside Out
2016: Moana (Zootopia won, i liked La tortue rouge too, haven't seen Kubo and the Two Strings)
2017: Coco (haven't seen The Breadwinner and Loving Vincent)
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (haven't seen Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs and Mirai)
2019: J'ai perdu mon corps (Toy Story 4 won but haven't seen that)
2020: WolfWalkers (Soul won which I also liked)
2021: Luca (Encanto won, haven't seen The Mitchells vs. The Machines)
2022: Have seen none (Del Toro's Pinocchio won)

a Pixar film will almost always be deserving technically, but that's the issue, so many films are deserving and only Pixar gets credit.

Admittely Pixar seems to run into less competition in some years than other studios, so 2015 is out of ones i've seen still Inside Out. Or 2021 where Luca and Encanto are almost tied for me, and i'd expect the latter to grow on a rewatch.

Some years seem to be awful for the category (like 2006), others great (like 2009, 2014).

[T'Chenka]

LMAO

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

LMAO

I love how even his own fans are trashing him in the comments.

[T'Chenka]

For anybody wondering about the Oscars for the 2023 films (ceremony is 2024), there are a lot movies people are talking about. Three of them seem to be standing out above the others so far as movies that are VERY likely to be in the 10 Best Picture nominees. The rule was changed starting with the CODA season so that there are always 10 nominated films. No more, no less.

1.
Killers Of The Flower Moon
director Martin Scorsese
( Apple Studios = limited theaters and then Apple+ streaming )
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro

2.
Dune Part II
director Denis Villeneuve
( theaters and then VOD / bluray / etc )
Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and many more

3.
Past Lives
director Celine Song
( Sundance Film Festival January 2023, then theaters )
Greta Lee, Yoo Teo, John Magaro
this has been seen by a bunch of people and it has EXTREMELY good reviews

The lineup for Best Picture this year will probably be those 3 films plus 7 others.

[Progressive Pessimist]

'Dune Part II' is probably the only movie I am really anticipating this year. The first was very well done but was much more about setting up this sequel. Splitting it in two parts was a very smart move to adapt a notoriously previously thought of as unadapatable property as best as possible.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I wasn't a big fan of Dune. The characters were kept at arm's length and I hated the dark cinematography.
When it ended I really didn't care whether a second part would ever materialize or not and I still don't.

[John Dule]

LMAO

Shapiro's opinions on film are almost as terrible as his opinions on politics, but he's right about most of those films being forgettable. Aside from EEAAO, Parasite, and Birdman, the Oscar winners of the past fifteen years have fallen out of favor pretty rapidly. The Academy tries to award the "safe" and "crowd-pleasing" options, but in the process they ignore the fact that the actual "best" picture of any given year is typically experimental, innovative, unique, and a deviation from the norm. In the end, the "safe" picks please no one. Audiences forget about them within a few years, and it's the edgy and outside-the-box films that wind up making a lasting impact on pop culture.

It isn't always easy to see which films will be widely remembered in a few decades-- but sometimes it's obvious. Plenty of movies come along that clearly revolutionize the industry's storytelling (Pulp Fiction) or technology (Star Wars) or both (Citizen Kane), and they almost always go ignored at the Oscars. I'm sure Green Book was a fine film, but I sincerely doubt it was the most creative or boundary-pushing film of 2018.

[T'Chenka]

We're about 100 days away from the next Oscars. Who's winning the big prize?

Oppenheimer is the favourite to win (Best Director --> Best Picture)

If something beats it, it'll be the Original Screenplay or Adapted Screenplay winner. Especially if they also win an acting Oscar. The best guesses I suppose would be...

1 - Oppenheimer
(Director and Actor)

2 - Maestro
(Screenplay and Actor or Actress)

3 - American Fiction
(Adapted Screenplay and Actor)

4 - The Holdovers
(Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress)

5 - Barbie
(Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor)

6 - Killers Of The Flower Moon
(Adapted Screenplay and Actress)

1 is a lot more likely than 2 3 and 4, which are more likely than 5, which is a lot more likely than 6.

Poor Things is a strong contender to win Actress (Emma Stone), but I don't think it would win Screenplay or Director (and therefore wouldn't win Picture).

Anatomy Of A Fall, The Color Purple, The Zone Of Interest, Past Lives should be in the Best Picture conversation, but not as potential winners.

[T'Chenka]

Golden Globes nominations will be announced on Monday December 11th. Less than 2 weeks. Then the season really picks up and begins.

[Comrade Funk]

Predictions

Best Picture - Oppenheimer
Best Actor - Cillian Murphy
Best Actress - Lily Gladstone
Best Director - Christopher Nolan
Best Original Screenplay - The Holdovers/David Hemingson

[Comrade Funk]

May/December getting rave reviews

[Mr. Smith]

LMAO

Shapiro's opinions on film are almost as terrible as his opinions on politics, but he's right about most of those films being forgettable. Aside from EEAAO, Parasite, and Birdman, the Oscar winners of the past fifteen years have fallen out of favor pretty rapidly. The Academy tries to award the "safe" and "crowd-pleasing" options, but in the process they ignore the fact that the actual "best" picture of any given year is typically experimental, innovative, unique, and a deviation from the norm. In the end, the "safe" picks please no one. Audiences forget about them within a few years, and it's the edgy and outside-the-box films that wind up making a lasting impact on pop culture.

It isn't always easy to see which films will be widely remembered in a few decades-- but sometimes it's obvious. Plenty of movies come along that clearly revolutionize the industry's storytelling (Pulp Fiction) or technology (Star Wars) or both (Citizen Kane), and they almost always go ignored at the Oscars. I'm sure Green Book was a fine film, but I sincerely doubt it was the most creative or boundary-pushing film of 2018.

The Shape of Water isn't forgettable at all, and definitely not a "safe" choice.

[T'Chenka]

NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW AWARDS 2023

TOP 10 FILMS
Killers Of The Flower Moon (WINNER)
Oppenheimer
The Holdovers
Poor Things
Maestro
Barbie
Past Lives
The Iron Claw
The Boy And The Heron
Ferrari

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Holdovers

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Poor Things

BEST ACTRESS
Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

BEST ACTOR
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

INTERNATIONAL FILM
Anatomy Of A Fall (WINNER)
The Zone Of Interest
Fallen Leaves
The Teachers' Lounge
La Chimera
Tótem

DOCUMENTARY
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (WINNER)
20 Days In Mariupol
The Eternal Memory
The Pigeon Tunnel
A Still Small Voice
32 Sounds

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS
All Of Us Strangers
A Thousand And One
BlackBerry
Scrapper
Showing Up
Theater Camp
Earth Mama
Flora And Son
The Persian Version
All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Celine Song (Past Lives)

BEST ENSEMBLE
The Iron Claw

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Teyana Taylor (A Thousand And One)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Rodrigo Prieto (Killers Of The Flower Moon and Barbie)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN STUNT ARTISTRY
John Wick: Chapter 4

[T'Chenka]

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE AWARDS 2023

TOP 10 FILMS
Oppenheimer
Killers Of The Flower Moon
The Holdovers
Poor Things
Maestro
Barbie
American Fiction
Past Lives
May December
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

[T'Chenka]

May/December getting rave reviews

It's definitely in the top 15 for Best Picture, at least, at this time. It's probably on the outside looking in though, between 11 and 15. We'll see how things develop. Let's see how well it does with the Golden Globes (Monday) and Critics Choice (Wednesday) nominations.

[T'Chenka]

GOLDEN GLOBES AWARDS 2023


BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)
Oppenheimer
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Past Lives
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Zone Of Interest

BEST PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Poor Things
Barbie
The Holdovers
American Fiction
May December
Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese (Killers Of The Flower Moon)
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Celine Song (Past Lives)
Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)
Bradley Cooper (Maestro)
Greta Gerwig (Barbie)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Barbie
Poor Things
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Past Lives
Anatomy Of A Fall
Oppenheimer

BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)
Carey Mulligan (Maestro)
Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla)
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy Of A Fall)
Greta Lee (Past Lives)
Annette Benning (Nyad)

BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Emma Stone (Poor Things)
Natalie Portman (May December)
Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple)
Margot Robbie (Barbie)
Jennifer Lawrence (No Hard Feelings)
Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves)

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
Bradley Cooper (Maestro)
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers Of The Flower Moon)
Colman Domingo (Rustin)
Andrew Scott (All Of Us Strangers)
Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)

BEST ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)
Matt Damon (Air)
Timothee Chalamet (Wonka)
Joaquin Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid)
Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)
Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)
Jodie Foster (Nyad)
Julianne Moore (May December)
Rosamund Pike (Saltburn)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)
Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)
Ryan Gosling (Barbie)
Robert de Niro (Killers Of The Flower Moon)
Charles Melton (May December)
Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Anatomy Of A Fall
Past Lives
The Zone Of Interest
Fallen Leaves
Society Of The Snow
Io Capitano

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The Boy And The Heron
Elemental
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Suzume
Wish

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)
Killers Of The Flower Moon (Robbie Robertson)
Poor Things (Jerskin Fendrix)
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)
The Boy And The Heron (Joe Hisaishi)
The Zone Of Interest (Mica Levi)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"I’m Just Ken" - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt (Barbie)
"What Was I Made For" - Billie Eilish (Barbie)
"Dance The Night" - Dua Lipa (Barbie)
Peaches - Jack Black (The Super Mario Bros Movie)
"Road To Freedom" - Lenny Kravitz (Rustin)
"Addicted To Romance" - Bruce Springsteen (She Came To Me)

CINEMATIC AND BOX OFFICE ACHIEVEMENT
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 3
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One

[Comrade Funk]

May December kind of scared me lol

[wnwnwn]

Oppenheimer was a good film, but I feel like director would have done it better. At least Nolan could put a historic drama on the spotlight, even if marketed as the genius bio it wasn't.
'Guilty by Suspicion' was a better film on the Red Scare, but it was released at the wrong time.