Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Academy actually did something right this year! Twice!

By s. Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Oscars have done a number of terrible things today - including awarding two nominations to Passengers -  but it doesn't matter.

I had only two Oscar dreams today. And they both came true.

Bravo, Academy. Bravo for not awarding Amy Adams for doing practically nothing. Still, it would have been better if her movie didn't score 8 (undeserved) nominations nor that the nomination for Best Actress went to Meryl Streep for her Globes tirade (no one actually thinks it's just because of the performance, right?) but her missing out is glorious. Of course I cannot truly enjoy it because I keep seeing people whining about this 'snub'.

Spare me the pity party - she has FIVE nominations. Five. Charlize Theron has 2. Ralph Fiennes has 2. Gary Oldman has 1. Ed Harris has 4. Ed Harris has one less nomination than this woman. During 40 years of his career. And if he won for either of his nominated performances, no one would complain. Because he is deserving. What if she won for American Hustle, huh?

If there is one performance I truly loved in 2016 - yes, I truly love only one - to the point it would make me rewatch the movie (and that movie sucks) - it's Michael Shannon in Nocturnal Animals. We saw HFPA make another ridiculous decision by giving not just a nomination but a win to Kick Ass so Shannon actually getting nominated is a fantastic surprise. Shannon is of course not winning, but it's still nice he got nominated. His performance carries that film and I cannot wait to watch his scenes again. Shannon is one of those actors who never gives bad performances. He is consistently amazing. And Man of Steel doesn't count because I'm convinced he just consciously went full on camp because he knew what a disaster the film is going to be anyways.

I have no favorites in this race - Jackie is the movie I admired and Shannon's is the performance I love but there is no chance he is winning. I didn't love any of 2016 Oscar movies like I loved Gravity, Birdman or Fury Road, to just name my winners of the recent years. In 2016 no actress was as fierce as Theron as Furiosa and no one was as breathtaking as Fassbender in Shame. I'm not rooting for anyone in particular but seeing those surprises made me so happy because it's so rare when the Academy actually surprises in a fun way.

And I haven't seen his movie but fuck, yeah Viggo Mortensen, baby!

25 comments:

  1. I just wanted Hailee Steinfeld in the Best Actress race. My second favorite performance of the year, period, after Casey Affleck.

    I don't totally get your beef with Adams, who I find to be incredibly talented (see: Drop Dead Gorgeous, Junebug, Doubt, The Master, American Hustle). Even still, I was not particularly taken with her work in Arrival, though the movie itself damn near perfect for me (see: my review).

    Also, I would've though Annette Bening would've made it in there. Fucking Meryl Streep.

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    1. How many actors get a nomination every time they deserve it and more? She has taken the spot from others in the past. She doesn't deserve 'snub' outcries now.

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    1. Anonymous! Where have you been all my life?

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    2. Obviously it was a boarding school for highly gifted where it learned manners.

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  3. As much as I like Amy Adams, the film's concept, script and look drowned out everyone's performances. Anyone else could be playing her role, and I think the results would still be the same.

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    1. Exactly this. And I think so many other actresses would do a better job which is true for every Adams performance maybe except Enchanted and Doubt

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  4. F--k it, I loved Amy Adams in Arrival (but American Hustle? Eh...). I'm too old to give a f--k about 'snubs', as I'm sure she can find solace doing the backstroke in her money bin. Same for Reynolds and his toothy sword swallowing.

    I need more Michael Shannon in my life, and am dying a slow death that the hillbilly Hell I live in never got to sniff the fingers of Nocturnal Animals. But we've got The Bye Bye Man, so...I guess everything evens out in the end.

    Viggo! That's another flick I need to see. I dig this dude so much.

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    1. NAnimals is mediocre but Shannon makes it a must watch. It's worth seeing just for him as everything else is really hard to get through

      I haven't seen Viggo's flick either gonna need to...cram it somewhere between all the Ed's movies.

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  5. Hiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssssssssssss I love Amy Adams and she deserves every single Oscar nomination she got. *divapose*

    I'm so on board with Michael Shannon though. I actually which Aaron Taylor-Johnson would've gotten in to over Lucas Hedges (because wtf is that?) But Shannon had such a fantasic year. Shannon for all the Oscars. lol

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    1. Yes her revolutionary work of wearing dresses and jewelry in American Hustle is one of the most influential things in American cinema :D

      Imagine Shannon Oscar speech. That'd be something

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  6. I love Amy Adams. She deserves her praise. Besides, I'm just happy Isabelle Huppert finally got nominated as I hope she wins.

    BTW, I heard about Jared getting that Razzie nod as I imagined you screaming in rage and I was like.... "oh shit.... RUN!!!"

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    1. Eh, I knew he was getting Razzie nominated as soon as it became popular to hate him for a lot of people, so around the time Squad got released. But since Ben also got nominated it only shows how silly the Razzies are.

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    2. I don't think Ben deserves a Razzie nod. In fact, I thought he was pretty good as Batman.

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    3. I loved his Batman, it was amazing he managed to do something like this in such a mess of a movie

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  7. I don't think I ever expected Ryan Reynolds' begging, pleading and *cough* god only knows what else he did to the Academy, but I AM salty that Suicide Squad got a nomination in the only category Deadpool might have had a shot for!

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    1. Well with Passengers scoring 2 noms I'm not even that stunned at Suicide Squad getting in, but Deadpool would be a far more deserving nominee there for sure

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  8. Could you imagine how spectacular it would be for Michael Shannon to win just to hear his magnificent political tirade on stage? It would be beyond epic. No words. I haven't seen NA yet, but don't bet on Ali just because of #OscarsSoWhite...he didn't win at the Globes...which means nothing actually...but you never know!

    Also, can we reflect on Gary Oldman having only a single nomination? I can't wrap my head around that.

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    1. Globes have truly shown their worth with this whole Kick Ass fiasco, my God :D

      This is the kind of shit I am talking about. Instead of people writing articles about what disgrace it is that truly legendary, exceptional actors are not getting nominations they focus their efforts on this overrated actress.

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  9. You really think Arrival didn't deserve any awards? Like FX or cinematography? I agree Adams isn't exactly vibrant and anyone could have played that role but I thought she was fine. Not award-worthy though.

    With you on Shannon. Guy constantly hits it out of the park. I actually quite liked Nocturnal Animals though.

    And you gotta see Captain Fantastic!! Viggo is the MAN!! ;D

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    1. Eh, not really, not that FX or cinematography weren't good but not nom worthy. Score would be but it wasn't eligible

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  10. if viggo would win that oscar, all my teenage dreams would come true.

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    1. That would be soc cool, he is always so good!

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  11. Omg, your joke about Reynolds haha. And I'm so happy for Mortensen. He's a great actor, and so underrated. It's true he hasn't been quite lucky with his career during many years, but I thought he and Ed Harris should have been nominated for A history of violence.

    And I feel the same as you about the Oscars this year... and I'm really happy for Shannon too. And his speech will probably be quite crazy. Oh and my heart aches just by reading Ralph Fiennes and Gary Oldman have only that poor number of nominations... but there you go, those are the Academy Awards.

    I don't dislike Amy Adams as much as you do, but I don't find anything exceptional about her. Though I haven't seen Arrival yet. But Jessica Chastain, for instance, has only been nominated twice and she could have been nominated many more times, everything she does, she nails it.

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