Gothamist: 77th Annual Oscar Nominations Announced...ZZZ

toyochin

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 00:17:48 -0500

The thing is, the Academy's all about giving the make-up Oscar usually (see: Russel Crow, Denzel Washington). I thought Giammati would get the nod since if only because he got dissed for American Splendor. Maybe next year, he can win the prize when he plays a black civil rights leader ("Ooh, he's going against type!") or does what Natalie Portman did and put on a thong.

Jay Smooth

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:20:42 -0500

whoa he didn't get an oscar nomination?? If i wasn't busy with this other protest movement I'd be up in arms! :) And I'm actually in the "Sideways is overrated" camp, but his performance was surely worthy of a nod.

anon

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 13:14:57 -0500

hollywood fears the indie, simple as that. making more appealing movies in cheaper, more creative ways threatens their paradigm. thing is, there are great hollywood-style movies to be made, if the whole mediocrity by committee thing can be overcome. it's a huge market, there's room for everyone. but corporate thuggery is de rigeur these days, and the studios have thus done all they can to squash the indie uprising of the 90s. they've done a pretty good job--sundance is as boring as the oscars this year. the fact that this was a record year for ticket sales makes me think bad thoughts about creeping cultural zombieism. also: did anybody else hate that doofy adult contemporary jazz music and the gallo-wine-commercial soft-focus cinematography in Sideways? argh!

toyochin

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:14:27 -0500

Thanks for the clarification, Jen. I knew that a country had to submit a film to be considered for Foreign Language, and I was wondering which country was going to nominate The Motorcycle Diaries. As it turns out, none of the above. I want to give a brick to Richard Linklater so he can throw it in the general direction of the Academy. I simply don't get the continual snubbing of semi-indie films.

zander106

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:06:53 -0500

Michael Moore took himself out of eligibility for Best Documentary in an effort to get his movie on television prior to the election. The rules for Best Documentary nominations are notoriously byzantine, and I don't know why exactly that would exclude it from consideration. As far as the pretty faces, it appears that Giamatti was snubbed for Clint Eastwood. Now at his age now, can you really say that Clint's still that attractive of a guy? Geoffrey Rush is also a guy who has often been nominated in the past, and he's definitely not a pretty face. My theory: Giamatti was snubbed because people at this point don't think him being neurotic is acting anymore. Note how Woody Allen was only nominated Best Actor once for Annie Hall.

Jen

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:04:11 -0500

Well, Michael Moore didn't submit his film for the documentary slot, hence the snub. He was hoping he'd get nominated for Best Picture. Also, The Motorcycle Diaries wasn't eligible for Best Foreign Film, because of its complex production/financing, it wasn't from a single country (instead, a consortium of different ones).

John

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:55:56 -0500

I haven't seen anyone mention Michael Moore's snub for feature documentary.

toyochin

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:51:39 -0500

Dirk, I consider Sideways a makeup nod for Election, just as Aviator is a makeup for decades of snubs. 25 years from now, I will be saying the same thing about whatever film Linklater gets an overdue nomination for. And they need to change the rules on the foreign language category. Motorcycle Diaries getting snubbed is pure traveshamockery.

Dirk

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:42:20 -0500

Sideways was completely overrated...Zzzz. Though it's no surprise that white, middle-aged male critics couldn't stop fawning over a movie about white, middle-age men having a mid-life crisis.

Jen

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:11:04 -0500

Okay, pretty faces in the acting categories.

MT

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:09:10 -0500

HA! Pretty faces? Two words: Peter Jackson. Okay maybe three since I can't say that name without immediately following it by 'schlump.'