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This is a comments thread about Blog Post: Oscar Nominations 2023 by Scott Bettencourt
 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 9:51 AM   
 By:   Yavar Moradi   (Member)

"His is not even the first posthumous original score nomination, as Victor Young (Around the World in 80 Days) and Alfred Newman (Airport) passed away before their final nominations."

Don't forget Bernard Herrmann who received TWO posthumous nominations with Taxi Driver and Obsession (and likely lost because his vote was split)! At least the British Academy awarded him for Taxi Driver.

Yavar

 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 10:53 AM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

"His is not even the first posthumous original score nomination, as Victor Young (Around the World in 80 Days) and Alfred Newman (Airport) passed away before their final nominations."

Don't forget Bernard Herrmann who received TWO posthumous nominations with Taxi Driver and Obsession (and likely lost because his vote was split)! At least the British Academy awarded him for Taxi Driver.

Yavar


Having been a Herrmann devotee for nearly 50 years, it's a little embarrassing that I didn't think of him too (I even saw Obsession in its original release).

 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 12:28 PM   
 By:   Yavar Moradi   (Member)

Don't sweat it. We all have brain farts and make mistakes. smile

And I want to strongly agree with you in regards to these comments lower down your article:

The biggest surprise is the lack of Greta Gerwig for Barbie, and my biggest nomination-related annoyance of the day is the complaints about the “snubs” for Gerwig (as director) and Margot Robbie (as actress). Along with doing record-breaking business, Barbie earned eight nominations including Picture, Adapted Screenplay and two of its performances. As I told a co-worker “We should all be as snubbed as Barbie.” And this for a musical fantasy comedy about a doll, not exactly traditional Oscar bait. And Gerwig and Robbie were indeed both nominated, for Adapted Screenplay and Picture, respectively. And seven of Barbie’s nominees were women, as were directors of three of the ten Best Picture nominees (Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, Past Lives), which I assume is a record. But people will always need something to complain about, because the Academy always “screws up.” Not that the Academy doesn’t make mistakes -- it’s just usually not the ones people complain the loudest about. End of rant.

So yeah... I thought Robbie was very very good as Barbie (her moment with the old lady at the bus stop was the most genuinely touching part of the film, for me), but I don't think she was better than the five women who did get a Best Actress nomination.

And those folks crying on every social media platform about the sexism of nominating Gosling for Best Supporting Actor seemingly overlook two very important things:

1. America Ferrara got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Barbie, even though her role was quite a bit smaller. But yeah, way to totally ignore the Latina in the room, white people.

2. I'm sorry, call me sexist if you like (but my super-feminist wife agrees with me on this 100%):
Ryan Gosling was by far the most memorable and Oscar-worthy element in the entire film. He was a big surprise (so many people complained about him being miscast and too old for the role -- if anyone did that with a woman they'd be called sexist!) and he literally stole every single scene he was in, even though Robbie was excellent.

If Barbie only ends up winning a single Oscar, I hope it's Gosling. Even though he's a white male and his character supports the patriarchy. Sorry, not sorry.

All that said, I do think Gerwig deserved a nomination for her direction (which was fantastic) more than her writing (which, while clever in many ways, still struck me as trite Feminism 101 which pulled its punches too many times, especially with its depiction of the buffoonish/cartoonish Will Ferrell-led Board of Mattel, easily the worst part of the movie).

Yavar

 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 12:49 PM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

I'd argue that Gerwig's direction included casting Will Ferrell in that part - and though he was fine, his casting emphasizes the cliched nature of that part of the film compared to the rest of it. (Maybe J.K. Simmons instead?)

Gosling was indeed spectacular.

I'm happy that Whoopi Goldberg has spoken out against the "snubbing" argument, though I worry if I actually read the quotes I'll be embarrassed to agree with her. She can definitely put her foot in it at times.

The last time I was really annoyed like this over the annual Oscar backlash was the "Oscars So White" of 2015, when pretty much the only high-profile performances by Black actors were Will Smith in Concussion and Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation - first-rate performances, but who besides me even saw those movies? The Academy can't honor great work in films that don't actually exist.

 
 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 12:52 PM   
 By:   Ado   (Member)

Yeah Scott, agreed, I thing Whoopi is right on this, even if she is flawed sometimes. I think the whole error is this idea that being either a unique type or gender in a job, or a project being financially successful does not really necessarily earn you any nominations or awards, nor should it. And you are NOT being violated or being mistreated in that case if you are not nominated or awarded.

 
 Posted:   Jan 25, 2024 - 12:54 PM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

It particularly galls me that people speak of Gerwig and Robbie as if they're being ignored WHEN THEY'RE BOTH NOMINATED! (just not for Directing or Acting).

 
 
 Posted:   Jan 28, 2024 - 7:10 AM   
 By:   FSMandgold   (Member)

Guess we can add Bernard Herrmann to the posthumous nominees, and a double one no less. Tribute voting didn't work either then, at least no more than the recognition for Goldsmith’s The Omen.

 
 
 Posted:   Jan 28, 2024 - 1:46 PM   
 By:   joan hue   (Member)

It particularly galls me that people speak of Gerwig and Robbie as if they're being ignored WHEN THEY'RE BOTH NOMINATED! (just not for Directing or Acting).

I never thought that Robbie should be nominated for acting. The other current nominees were better. The movie got nominated for Best adapted screenplay so that does give Gerwig a nomination. The movie also got nominated for best costumes and production design, so neither of those awards would involve Robbie. She has no noms.

 
 Posted:   Jan 28, 2024 - 11:08 PM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

Robbie is one of the four producers who received a Best Picture nomination for BARBIE.

Her husband, Tom Ackerley, is one of the other three.

As someone in a "snub" discussion on-line pointed out, you can't really talk about snubs if you're not going to point out which nominee deserved it less than the snubbed one.

Personally, I thought BARBIE was better directed than KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, but I'm in the minority in this regard. But Gerwig still didn't make my top five.

Though there were few films that came anywhere close to being favorites for me, I thought it was a pretty strong year for movies. And even though I didn't love FLOWER MOON, I don't begrudge Lily Gladstone's likely win (though I personally would vote for Carey Mulligan).

 
 
 Posted:   Jan 29, 2024 - 6:41 AM   
 By:   joan hue   (Member)

though I personally would vote for Carey Mulligan).

I totally agree with you. Mulligan was superb. Also, since Robbie was a producer, I guess you could call that a nomination for her.

 
 Posted:   Jan 29, 2024 - 7:35 AM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

Best motion picture of the year

"American Fiction" Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers
"Anatomy of a Fall" Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers
"Barbie" David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers
"The Holdovers" Mark Johnson, Producer
"Killers of the Flower Moon" Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers
"Maestro" Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
"Oppenheimer" Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers
"Past Lives" David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers
"Poor Things" Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers
"The Zone of Interest" James Wilson, Producer

 
 
 Posted:   Mar 10, 2024 - 10:31 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

The "In Memoriam" segment this year was particularly ham-handed. One struggled to read the names of the deceased because the screen was in long-shot much of the time, most of the photos were shown at an angle, and more time was spent on showing the singers (and now, dancers) than the deceased. The dancers partially blocked the screen showing the photos.

We've come a long way from when the "In Memoriam" was a catalog of photos accompanied by some suitably somber music, to where it is now a singing and dancing extravaganza. The only place to go now is to make it more upbeat. Maybe they should have put the "In Memoriam" behind the "I'm Just Ken" production number.

 
 Posted:   Mar 10, 2024 - 10:46 PM   
 By:   Scott Bettencourt   (Member)

They really do make an effort to include more names in recent years, but it does drive me nuts when the camerawork makes it so hard to see the names if you're not seeing it live in the theater.

 
 
 Posted:   Mar 11, 2024 - 4:39 PM   
 By:   joan hue   (Member)

I agree with Scott and Bob. In Memoriam was awful. Just show pictures with a film score playing. No dancers, singers, etc. On the other hand, I really did enjoy most of the show. I loved it when previous winners from supporting actors and main actors came out and addressed each nominee. That was touching. I did not like any of the nominated songs. I thought 4 of the 5 songs did not deserve being call songs. Jimmy Kimmel did make me laugh a few times.

I should add Rita Moreno was amazing.

 
 
 Posted:   Mar 11, 2024 - 11:53 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

I thought 4 of the 5 songs did not deserve being called songs.


Which one of the nominated songs did you find worthy, Joan?

 
 
 Posted:   Mar 12, 2024 - 8:23 AM   
 By:   joan hue   (Member)

I could at least stomach I'm Just Ken as I heard a bit of a melody, but I didn't really like it all the much. It was slightly better than the other 4 pieces that were stupidly referred to as "songs."

 
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