2016 Oscars thread

[Dick Whitman]

The awards are a few months away, but all the entries are in, now that it's January.

An interesting list of contenders here, for Best Picture:

2016 Oscar Predictions - Best Picture

There should be a riot if either "The Martian" (emotionally empty and falls apart in the third act) or "Mad Max: Fury Road" (essentially a two-hour music video) is selected over "The Force Awakens" as the token blockbuster.

 

[bigpern23]

The awards are a few months away, but all the entries are in, now that it's January.

An interesting list of contenders here, for Best Picture:

2016 Oscar Predictions - Best Picture

There should be a riot if either "The Martian" (emotionally empty and falls apart in the third act) or "Mad Max: Fury Road" (essentially a two-hour music video) is selected over "The Force Awakens" as the token blockbuster.

I enjoyed both The Martian and Fury Road, but I agree that Star Wars was better.

I've seen very few of the contenders. Ex Machina might be the movie that has stayed with me the most this year, but I doubt it sniffs any Academy love. I'm hoping The Revenant is as good as it looks.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I enjoyed both The Martian and Fury Road, but I agree that Star Wars was better.

I enjoyed them both, too, and I certainly liked "The Martian" as an ode to problem-solving. I posted some of my issues with it on the movie thread, mostly that it lacked heart, which it tried (and failed) to generate desperately in the third act. Once they decide to turn that ship around, it's just a standard-issue blockbuster.

 

[bigpern23]

I enjoyed them both, too, and I certainly liked "The Martian" as an ode to problem-solving. I posted some of my issues with it on the movie thread, mostly that it lacked heart, which it tried (and failed) to generate desperately in the third act. Once they decide to turn that ship around, it's just a standard-issue blockbuster.

I agree. I think the lack of heart owes to two things: A) They jumped right into the story with the crew in danger, rather than giving us any establishment of Damon's relationship with the rest of the crew (Chastain, in particular). I think they could have spent 10 minutes with the crew on Mars before disaster strikes so that the audience can feel the bonds between the actors. Damon's flirtation with Chastain in the third act seemed woefully out of place since it hadn't really been established while they were still on Mars. 2) They don't inform the crew of Damon's survival until the third act, so whatever emotions and feelings they were going to have don't show up until nearly the end of the film. It's almost like the writers suddenly realized, "Oh crap, we need someone to care whether he gets home or dies!"

Also, I hated the soundtrack, which was so out of place that it was distracting. It wasn't an interesting juxtaposition with the visuals (such as Ludwig Van in "A Clockwork Orange") and it wasn't established credibly in the film why Chastain, who was born in 1977 and more likely grew up on grunge music and alt rock, loves disco so much. It was just such an odd choice.

That said, it was a fun ride and Damon was very good. I would give the film a solid B, but wouldn't rate it as Oscar-worthy.

 

[dooley_womack1]

6

 

[heyabbott]

THe Danish Girl seems like reverse engineering to get an Oscar

 

[Ace]

THe Danish Girl seems like reverse engineering to get an Oscar

Eddie Redmayne just sort of creeps me out. I don't care if he's wearing a dress.

 

[TigerVols]

I think The Big Short will be the Big Winner.

 

[Ace]

I think The Big Short will be the Big Winner.

Good movie. Cleverly done. Bale has a shot at Best Actor/Supporting Actor. Not a lot of Best Actress potential, though.

 

[JackReacher]

Mad Max might have been my favorite movie of 2015.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Mad Max might have been my favorite movie of 2015.

It looks cool. The people talk cool. The imagery is fantastic.

Tremendous music video. Best since "Thriller."

 

[nietsroob17]

I saw "Room" with my wife last Friday. She read the book a couple of times and wanted to see the film adaptation. It's about a 17-year-old girl who gets abducted and is forced into a tool shed, with her only means of escape being a code that only her captor knows. Early along in the 5 or 6 years she's there, she gives birth to a boy that was the product of the unwilling relationship.

While the genre of movie is not my cup of tea, it was a very good movie led by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, her 9-year-old co-star -- both of whom could easily get Oscar noms, in addition to the film itself and the screenwriting.

 

[JackReacher]

It looks cool. The people talk cool. The imagery is fantastic.

Tremendous music video. Best since "Thriller."

Yeah. Zippy chance it gets any Oscar love, and it probably shouldn't. But that was one entertaining movie. Sorry, film. This is an Oscar thread after all.

 

[qtlaw]

I agree. I think the lack of heart owes to two things: A) They jumped right into the story with the crew in danger, rather than giving us any establishment of Damon's relationship with the rest of the crew (Chastain, in particular). I think they could have spent 10 minutes with the crew on Mars before disaster strikes so that the audience can feel the bonds between the actors. Damon's flirtation with Chastain in the third act seemed woefully out of place since it hadn't really been established while they were still on Mars. 2) They don't inform the crew of Damon's survival until the third act, so whatever emotions and feelings they were going to have don't show up until nearly the end of the film. It's almost like the writers suddenly realized, "Oh crap, we need someone to care whether he gets home or dies!"

Also, I hated the soundtrack, which was so out of place that it was distracting. It wasn't an interesting juxtaposition with the visuals (such as Ludwig Van in "A Clockwork Orange") and it wasn't established credibly in the film why Chastain, who was born in 1977 and more likely grew up on grunge music and alt rock, loves disco so much. It was just such an odd choice.

That said, it was a fun ride and Damon was very good. I would give the film a solid B, but wouldn't rate it as Oscar-worthy.

These arise because that's how the book was written.

 

[Dick Whitman]

These arise because that's how the book was written.

Then they have changed it from the book.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Then they have changed it from the book.

Very little was changed from the book. It follows it pretty closely. As far as I remember, the beginning of both the book and movie were pretty much the same. I believe the book starts with the dude doing a blog on Mars right after he got back into his headquarters after being stranded. He tells what happened. Can't remember if the movie starts with him talking on the video log, or simply begins with the scene of him being stranded. But book and movie are almost exact in that part.

 

[qtlaw]

Then they have changed it from the book.

I meant the criticisms would require changes from the book; the script followed it almost verbatim.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I meant the criticisms would require changes from the book; the script followed it almost verbatim.

I understand what you mean. And I think that if a book is flawed, then you change it for the movie. It's not an excuse.

 

[Alma]

It looks cool. The people talk cool. The imagery is fantastic.

Tremendous music video. Best since "Thriller."

Yeah, you're the Philistine on this one. Sorry.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Yeah, you're the Philistine on this one. Sorry.

I like it well enough. I just think that it insists upon itself.