2012 Awards Season (Oscars, Golden Globes, etc.)

[iv3rdawG]

So the qualifying date to be nominated for an Academy Award is almost here, Golden Globe nominations are announced on Thursday and there is still a month left and a lot of contenders haven't even been released yet. What are some of the films you're most looking forward to seeing? Who do you think will get snubbed this year? Who/what do you think are shoe-ins for nominations and maybe even wins? Let's talk about it

Right now I'd only consider films I have actually seen, so for actor I'd probably give it to Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) with Sean Penn (Milk), Frank Langella or Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), and Benicio del Toro (Che). Considering movies I haven't seen, maybe throw Brad Pitt in there too for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road. As for best picture I'd have to say The Wrestler and Milk are the two that I see getting nominations for sure. It's the same as for the actors, you could throw Revolutionary Road aswell as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon too. Who knows, maybe even the wild cards everyone has been talking about, The Dark Knight or WALL�E. It should be a great awards season.

[Relaxing Dragon]

I'm an Oscar man all the way, so these are all about them.

I still haven't seen some of the big contenders this year (The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, Che, Frost/Nixon, and The Curious Case of Benjamen Button), but for the most part I think I've seen it all.

Right now my shoe-in for Best Actor is Penn in Milk, he did an outstanding job. I also see Milk having a clear shot for a Best Picture nod, maybe a win (assuming the voters start feeling guilty about Prop 8 ).

Dark Knight's definitely getting a few (definitely some technical awards, since that's the safe zone for comic book movies at the Oscars), and when all is said and done, I'd be fine with a win for Ledger (there's little doubt he's getting a nomination, and I'd need to see who he's up against first, but right now it seems like a good bet). I'm also kind of hoping Nolan gets a Best Director shot, since then I could see it as a bit of a long overdue win for Memento (and a "Good Job" for The Prestige and TDK).

Unless Wall-E gets a Best Picture nod (hey, it could happen), then the Best Animated is already theirs. I kinda hope it goes for Best Picture, though. For one, as of right now it is my number one movie this year, and I fully think it deserves to win. Also, it gives Kung Fu Panda a shot for Best Animated, and I'm down with that all the way. A win-win for me (and in all honesty, it works out well for them. Even if Wall-E gets nominated but doesn't win, a Best Picture nod is better than a Best Animated win anytime).

Let The Right One In, despite being more than deserving of a Best Picture nod, should take Best Foreign Feature (if it doesn't then there's something seriously wrong going on).

I haven't seen The Changeling, but I'm secretly hoping for nothing for that one (that's just my Angelina Jolie bias talking, don't mind me).

That's all I've got for now...

[iv3rdawG]

Let The Right One In, despite being more than deserving of a Best Picture nod, should take Best Foreign Feature (if it doesn't then there's something seriously wrong going on).

Yeah there has a been a bit of a backlash there. Sweden submitted another film for that category. I really didn't care for it, so I'm not that upset. Not as upset as I was last year when the brilliant 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days wasn't even considered.

[Relaxing Dragon]

Let The Right One In, despite being more than deserving of a Best Picture nod, should take Best Foreign Feature (if it doesn't then there's something seriously wrong going on).

Yeah there has a been a bit of a backlash there. Sweden submitted another film for that category. I really didn't care for it, so I'm not that upset. Not as upset as I was last year when the brilliant 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days wasn't even considered.

Yeesh, not sure if that film will get anything now (I'm not entirely up to date on the nominee process right now, so I'm not sure of anything). That's just criminal. A sin, even (I think I've said this a few times: I'm one of the ones who completely fell head over heels in love with that movie).

[iv3rdawG]

Here's a list of the 67 foreign language films in the competition:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=49812

[Relaxing Dragon]

Here's a list of the 67 foreign language films in the competition:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=49812

Yeah, I check for a list soon after I posted the above (got a different link, but same list).

Still leads to a very epic *sigh*

[iv3rdawG]

Yeah, they really need to fix something with the foreign category. First with Pan's Labyrinth losing in 2007 and then 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days not even being nominated in 2008. And for you with Let the Right One In not even getting one either. It's pretty bad. Easily the worst put together category.

[kodiakthejuggler]

I'm just waiting for Wall-E to win every technical achievement Oscar there is, though The Dark Knight will definitely give it a run for its money. And hopefully they'll award Leger with a posthumous Oscar. I'm sure they'll also win plenty of Oscars for other stuff as well. It will probably get a best picture nod.

[gojikranz]

I haven't seen The Changeling, but I'm secretly hoping for nothing for that one (that's just my Angelina Jolie bias talking, don't mind me).

i liked changeling a good deal though i doubt it will get much hopefully a script nomination for straczynski.

otherwise i am woefully behind as usual on my "great films"  so i cant offer much speculation as of yet.

[Scrivener]

I've managed to miss/ignore the onset of Oscar season, so these two nuggets are not especially informed.  Merely my opinions.

First:  Sorry, Relaxing Dragon, but there's no way Wall-E gets a Best Picture nod.  The Best Animated Feature category was created specifically to prevent a repeat of the unspeakable, heretical disaster of an animated film being nominated for Best Picture (Beauty and the Beast, 1991).  It's not a question of merit.  The fix is in.

Second:  This is just a hunch, and it isn't wishful thinking, since I liked The Dark Knight ... but I don't think Heath Ledger gets an Oscar nomination.  The Academy does not like handing out acting nominations to action movies (unless it's to the Dignified Elder Actor in the cast, like Alec Guinness for Star Wars or Ian McKellen for The Fellowship of the Ring).  They also don't like being told that they're going to give out an acting nod to an action movie.  Last time that happened was when Sean Astin got Oscar buzz for The Return of the King, and they denied him.  I think the voters are going to get stubborn and send their votes elsewhere.  If they do, the uproar should be fun to watch.

[Relaxing Dragon]

First:  Sorry, Relaxing Dragon, but there's no way Wall-E gets a Best Picture nod.  The Best Animated Feature category was created specifically to prevent a repeat of the unspeakable, heretical disaster of an animated film being nominated for Best Picture (Beauty and the Beast, 1991).  It's not a question of merit.  The fix is in.

Yeah, inside me that's what I'm thinking will probably happen too. I only brought it up because I linked to some articles on imdb that Pixar was making an attempt for Best Picture with it. Odds are, it's going to wind up in Best Animated (which, if it does, is a complete lock for them). Maybe some technical awards as well, as kodiac said, though I'm not certain as to what a CG movie is allowed or not allowed to be nominated for in those categories.

Second:  This is just a hunch, and it isn't wishful thinking, since I liked The Dark Knight ... but I don't think Heath Ledger gets an Oscar nomination.  The Academy does not like handing out acting nominations to action movies (unless it's to the Dignified Elder Actor in the cast, like Alec Guinness for Star Wars or Ian McKellen for The Fellowship of the Ring).  They also don't like being told that they're going to give out an acting nod to an action movie.  Last time that happened was when Sean Astin got Oscar buzz for The Return of the King, and they denied him.  I think the voters are going to get stubborn and send their votes elsewhere.  If they do, the uproar should be fun to watch.

This is true, but I still think he's got a shot. For one, Ledger already got a nomination last year for acting, so he's got some precedent there. Plus, if certain others are to be believed, then the Best Supporting is more of a "Thanks for being in the industry" award than an actual merit from that year award (I don't think that, I'm just saying). And the Academy puts the more popular stuff on their lists all the time. I think that :edger's definitely got a good chance for a nod (now, a win is another matter. But a nomination, pretty certain on that one).

[gojikranz]

i think cause he died hes got a shot otherwise no way would they give it to an action movie.  it will be interesting to see.

[BBQ Platypus]

i think cause he died hes got a shot otherwise no way would they give it to an action movie.  it will be interesting to see.

I think he would've stood a pretty good chance of receiving a Johnny-Depp-in-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-type nomination, but I don't think he would've stood as much of a chance of winning.  His death, I think, balances things out.

When it comes to the Academy voters, I hope they ask themselves the questions "Of all these films, which one am I going to remember?  Which one will stick with us for a long time, as opposed to becoming the answer to a trivia question?"  In my opinion, The Dark Knight is the most memorable film I've seen this year.  Ten years from now, when people look back on the movies that came out this year, which movies will they think of?  Which is the one they will remember the most?  I think the answer to that question is The Dark Knight.

This year's crop of films that the Academy traditionally likes to give awards to is far weaker than last year's.  There are no films on the same level as There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men.  Then again, I've only seen the Clint Eastwood film and Australia, so I wouldn't know.  But I do know that none of them are as hyped-up or nigh-universally well-regarded as either of the two heavyweights from last year.  Milk is likely to get a nod and stands a good chance of contending, based solely on what I've heard about it.  Besides, it's a Gus Van Sant film.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also looks like it's got a strong chance of going places.

Ultimately, I don't know.  I'm not an expert, a professional critic, or a prognosticator.  But I certainly hope they at least don't dismiss the film entirely.

[GregMcduck]

Here's one award The Dark Knight won't win: the score!

http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117995767.html?nav=news&categoryid=1982&cs=1

The score for "The Dark Knight" has been disqualified by the executive committee of the Academy music branch.
Formal letters to that effect are expected to go out this week to composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, who collaborated on the music.

Their previous collaboration, on "Batman Begins," was similarly disqualified in 2005.

Sources inside the committee said that the big issue was the fact that five names were listed as composers on the music cue sheet, the official studio document that specifies every piece of music (along with its duration and copyright owner) in the film.

Zimmer said, in an interview with Variety prior to this week's Acad action, that listing multiple names on the cue sheet was a way of financially rewarding parts of the music team who helped make the overall work successful. (Performing-rights societies like ASCAP and BMI use the cue sheet to distribute royalties to composers.)

Zimmer, Howard and the other three individuals -- music editor Alex Gibson, ambient music designer Mel Wesson and composer Lorne Balfe -- reportedly signed an affidavit stating that the score was primarily the work of Zimmer and Howard.

That apparently wasn't enough for the majority of the committee, which was also supplied with documentation indicating that more than 60%, but less than 70%, of the score was credited to Zimmer and Howard.

The "Dark Knight" score -- and the whole issue of multiple-composer collaboration, which is on the rise in Hollywood these days -- has occupied about four hours of discussion over the past two executive committee meetings.

Some members sided with Zimmer and Howard; citing the originality and cutting-edge nature of the music, they urged others to keep the "Dark Knight" score eligible despite the cue-sheet issue.

Both Zimmer and Howard declined comment on the ruling. Both are seven-time nominees; Zimmer won for "The Lion King."

Now, I didn't think TDK's score was that special, but it's pretty arrogant for them to declare where art ceases past a certain number of participants. It's not exactly levers we're talking about here...

[dignan]

I have to admit I'm way behind this year on the Oscar buzz, and have yet to see any movies that (I think, anyway) have been bandied about as contenders. 

I do have a question though:  if Wall-E did manage a Best Picture nod, could it still be nominated for Best Animated Film as well?