Special Event: The Oscars
March 2, 2025 6:24 PM - Subscribe
Was just coming here to say how happy I am for Flow! My favorite movie of all of them!
posted by silverstatue at 7:04 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
posted by silverstatue at 7:04 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
The fire fighters were actually pretty funny.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:24 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:24 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
Sean Baker won! That's amazing
posted by Carillon at 7:36 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
posted by Carillon at 7:36 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
Has anyone seen Anora?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:45 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:45 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Coincidentally I watched Anora for the first time last night. I thought it was great, though I wouldn’t have thought of it as an Oscar sweeper. I suppose the alternative would have been Wicked sweeping, so I’m not unhappy with how things went.
posted by ejs at 7:55 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
posted by ejs at 7:55 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
I saw Anora in the theater and liked it a lot, it was different and much funnier than I had expected. Sean Baker's earlier movie The Florida Project is excellent.
posted by emd3737 at 8:13 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
posted by emd3737 at 8:13 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
I saw Anora in a chain theater in a medium-sized city in the USA South. It had a pretty wide distribution. Also, it was really terrific.
I think Conclave was my favorite this year, but IMO the "best" was probably either Anora or The Brutalist.
posted by jeoc at 8:14 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
I think Conclave was my favorite this year, but IMO the "best" was probably either Anora or The Brutalist.
posted by jeoc at 8:14 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
I saw Anora. It was fun, but - Best Picture? And beating Demi Moore for Best Actress? Really?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 PM on March 2 [6 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:20 PM on March 2 [6 favorites]
Sing Sing really was one of the best movies last year. Utterly transcendent, so full of hope. Even more so when I found out that it was based on a true story. Kinda bugs me that it didn't get nominated.
posted by ishmael at 8:57 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
posted by ishmael at 8:57 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
I liked Anora a lot as well, but I didn't think it was the Best Picture.
posted by ishmael at 8:58 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
posted by ishmael at 8:58 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Sing Sing was nominated for Best Picture.
posted by jimw at 8:59 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
posted by jimw at 8:59 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Anora was so good, really happy it won, it was certainly my favorite movie last year
posted by Carillon at 9:15 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]
posted by Carillon at 9:15 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]
I haven't seen Anora yet, but I like that an indie film won. I did see The Brutalist yesterday and was glad to see it win for cinematography and score, but didn't think it deserved Best Picture, and didn't think Adrien Brody should have won for his performance (or been allowed to keep talking).
The show itself was pretty good. Some funny stuff from Conan. His clowning of Drake was fantastic. Using the panel introductions for craft categories was good change-up from just doing it for acting categories.
posted by jimw at 9:15 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
The show itself was pretty good. Some funny stuff from Conan. His clowning of Drake was fantastic. Using the panel introductions for craft categories was good change-up from just doing it for acting categories.
posted by jimw at 9:15 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]
Man, Adrien Brody begging not to be played off and then taking advantage of the leniency was a bit off. You're taking up other people's time, get off the stage already.
Good to see the Anora people win. I haven't seen the movie but I'm always in favour of first-timers and new blood getting a shot.
Shame about Demi, though.
Jagger looked and moved amazing for 80+. I hope I feel half as good when I'm that age.
In Memoriam was a little odd. Can we not zoom in? It's TV, we don't need to see the chorus.
posted by madajb at 9:35 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]
Good to see the Anora people win. I haven't seen the movie but I'm always in favour of first-timers and new blood getting a shot.
Shame about Demi, though.
Jagger looked and moved amazing for 80+. I hope I feel half as good when I'm that age.
In Memoriam was a little odd. Can we not zoom in? It's TV, we don't need to see the chorus.
posted by madajb at 9:35 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]
It's interesting to see how different people who are all professional actors and actresses can be so different as presenters.
Some are natural and loose and some are just completely stiff while reciting from the teleprompter.
I get that public speaking is different from acting in front of a camera but man, I seen beginning toastmaster speeches with better delivery.
posted by madajb at 9:44 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Some are natural and loose and some are just completely stiff while reciting from the teleprompter.
I get that public speaking is different from acting in front of a camera but man, I seen beginning toastmaster speeches with better delivery.
posted by madajb at 9:44 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Sing Sing really was one of the best movies last year. Kinda bugs me that it didn't get nominated.
Huh? It got four nominations - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Song and Best Adapted Screenplay.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:14 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Huh? It got four nominations - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Song and Best Adapted Screenplay.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:14 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
Huh? It got four nominations - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Song and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Sorry, I meant for nominated for Best Picture.
The nominees for Best Picture were:
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
posted by ishmael at 10:26 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
Sorry, I meant for nominated for Best Picture.
The nominees for Best Picture were:
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
posted by ishmael at 10:26 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]
Sing Sing was nominated for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.
There was music, but not sure I remember an original song in the film.
posted by ishmael at 10:30 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
There was music, but not sure I remember an original song in the film.
posted by ishmael at 10:30 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]
I've seen a total of 17 of the nominated films (*). My "Best" of the lot:
Nickel Boys
I'm still here
Flow
Beautiful Men [even though I prefer Keppens' dark Wildbeest and Easter Eggs]
(*) Having avoided 'No other land' so far, because I can't take any more traumas at the moment.
posted by growabrain at 1:27 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Nickel Boys
I'm still here
Flow
Beautiful Men [even though I prefer Keppens' dark Wildbeest and Easter Eggs]
(*) Having avoided 'No other land' so far, because I can't take any more traumas at the moment.
posted by growabrain at 1:27 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Isabella Rossellini Used Fashion to Pay Tribute to David Lynch and Her Mother at the 2025 Oscars [Vogue]
posted by chavenet at 2:16 AM on March 3 [5 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 2:16 AM on March 3 [5 favorites]
So happy for Anora!
Anybody who's complaining that Madison beat Moore, probably hasn't seen both films, IMO.
posted by signal at 2:25 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Anybody who's complaining that Madison beat Moore, probably hasn't seen both films, IMO.
posted by signal at 2:25 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
> Huh? It got four nominations - Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Song and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Sorry, I meant for nominated for Best Picture.
Oh yeah, duh - sorry, I mis-spoke.
Anybody who's complaining that Madison beat Moore, probably hasn't seen both films, IMO.
I did see both films. I am still complaining.
But - okay, pitch it to me. Because I maybe just didn't "get" Anora overall. It was fun, but felt insubstantial, somehow - tell me what I'm missing?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:59 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
Sorry, I meant for nominated for Best Picture.
Oh yeah, duh - sorry, I mis-spoke.
Anybody who's complaining that Madison beat Moore, probably hasn't seen both films, IMO.
I did see both films. I am still complaining.
But - okay, pitch it to me. Because I maybe just didn't "get" Anora overall. It was fun, but felt insubstantial, somehow - tell me what I'm missing?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:59 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
We don’t usually watch the Oscars, largely because we just don’t get to watch many movies these days (and haven’t actually been to a theater since before covid), but we dropped in about halfway through because there wasn’t much else on.
When the Live Action Short Subject category came up, I was surprised that I had actually seen one of the nominees, I Am Not a Robot (you can find it on YouTube.) And when it won, I was pleased, as I thought it was a clever little film.
I’ve liked Mikey Madison since I first saw her on Better Things, so it was cool she won.
I am not generally a Conan fan (I just don’t think he’s very funny) but he definitely got off the best line of the night. When noting how well Anora was doing, he quipped “I guess Americans like when someone stands up to a powerful Russian.”
posted by Thorzdad at 5:10 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
When the Live Action Short Subject category came up, I was surprised that I had actually seen one of the nominees, I Am Not a Robot (you can find it on YouTube.) And when it won, I was pleased, as I thought it was a clever little film.
I’ve liked Mikey Madison since I first saw her on Better Things, so it was cool she won.
I am not generally a Conan fan (I just don’t think he’s very funny) but he definitely got off the best line of the night. When noting how well Anora was doing, he quipped “I guess Americans like when someone stands up to a powerful Russian.”
posted by Thorzdad at 5:10 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
Madison carries the whole movie with her expressions, her anger, her refusal to back down. The 28-minute long home invasion scene is amazing, IMO, because different men keep coming in saying 'what's the matter with you, how can you not control a young girl', but to those of us watching it was super clear who was driving the situation.
Plus, her interactions with Igor are incredible, so much said in just a few glances and some put downs.
Moore was ok in a fairly insubstantial movie, IMO. She emotes a lot and wears prothetics, but it's not really much of a role in the first place, no shade on her. Her role was the kind that would have won an oscar back before they opened up academy membership to non-white-straight-american-guys, namely "woman known for her beauty plays none-beauty". She was fine in it, but it didn't really have that much going for it in the first place.
posted by signal at 5:13 AM on March 3 [5 favorites]
Plus, her interactions with Igor are incredible, so much said in just a few glances and some put downs.
Moore was ok in a fairly insubstantial movie, IMO. She emotes a lot and wears prothetics, but it's not really much of a role in the first place, no shade on her. Her role was the kind that would have won an oscar back before they opened up academy membership to non-white-straight-american-guys, namely "woman known for her beauty plays none-beauty". She was fine in it, but it didn't really have that much going for it in the first place.
posted by signal at 5:13 AM on March 3 [5 favorites]
I haven't seen "Anora" so I shouldn't complain, but still feel sad that Demi Moore didn't get it. Kind of wishing a disgruntled fan sprayed the audience with a firehose of 36,000 gallons of fake blood in retribution...
Kieran Culkin totally deserved his though, he was fantastic in "A Real Pain".
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:33 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
Kieran Culkin totally deserved his though, he was fantastic in "A Real Pain".
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:33 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
Signal - my own opinion is a total 180 from yours. You do make a good pitch for the home invasion scene, though, but the arc of Anora as a whole is the film I felt seemed insubstantial: Anora gets caught up in a whim from a spoiled rich kid, is tough enough to not let them push her around too much, but ultimately ends the film right back where she started, the end.
Whereas in The Substance you get a funhouse mirror depiction of how aging people are devalued. I keep thinking of the scene where Elisabeth runs into another Substance patient in that diner:
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:37 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Whereas in The Substance you get a funhouse mirror depiction of how aging people are devalued. I keep thinking of the scene where Elisabeth runs into another Substance patient in that diner:
Man at Diner: It's long, isn't it?"It gets harder to remember that you still matter" is something many people struggle with as they age. Especially within a business that values youth and equates that youth with beauty, and holds it up as the Platonian Ideal way of being. I don't think that message is "insubstantial" at all.
Elisabeth Sparkle: Excuse me?
Man at Diner: Seven days.
Elisabeth Sparkle: [realising he is also using The Substance] Did you follow me here?
Man at Diner: I was just curious to find out how things were going for you. Each time you feel a little more lonely, don't you think?
Elisabeth Sparkle: I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine. Everything's fine.
Man at Diner: It gets harder each time, to remember that you still deserve... to exist! That this part of yourself is still worth something! That you still matter!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:37 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Nobody's brought this up here, so I will.
It felt like everyone got a stern talking to saying leave politics out of it. We had (the amazing) Daryl Hannah saying "Slav Ukraine" off-script, the short-feature documentarians criticizing both the Israeli government and Hamas (which, of course they would, given the film), and Conan giving a one-liner criticism of Russia capitulation at the 3-hour mark.
Not that I need the movie industry of all thing to help me understand the country and world, but it does have impact. The near silence was extremely notable. It kind of felt like Brody was going to speak specifically about current authoritarianism, but he kinda just danced around it (agonizingly slowly).
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:42 AM on March 3 [4 favorites]
It felt like everyone got a stern talking to saying leave politics out of it. We had (the amazing) Daryl Hannah saying "Slav Ukraine" off-script, the short-feature documentarians criticizing both the Israeli government and Hamas (which, of course they would, given the film), and Conan giving a one-liner criticism of Russia capitulation at the 3-hour mark.
Not that I need the movie industry of all thing to help me understand the country and world, but it does have impact. The near silence was extremely notable. It kind of felt like Brody was going to speak specifically about current authoritarianism, but he kinda just danced around it (agonizingly slowly).
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:42 AM on March 3 [4 favorites]
It felt like everyone got a stern talking to saying leave politics out of it. We had (the amazing) Daryl Hannah saying "Slav Ukraine" off-script, the short-feature documentarians criticizing both the Israeli government and Hamas (which, of course they would, given the film), and Conan giving a one-liner criticism of Russia capitulation at the 3-hour mark.
Those sound more like examples of people bringing politics into it. And there were other political statements throughout. They weren't blatant, but this was the Oscars, not a political rally - the artists in question had already made the political statements they wanted to make by making the movies they did.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:00 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
Those sound more like examples of people bringing politics into it. And there were other political statements throughout. They weren't blatant, but this was the Oscars, not a political rally - the artists in question had already made the political statements they wanted to make by making the movies they did.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:00 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
I would not put it past the current administration going after Hollywood celebrities out of spite. Kathy Griffin comes to mind.
posted by ishmael at 6:08 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
posted by ishmael at 6:08 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
EmpressCallipgyos: I see your point about the themes of The Substance (though IMO they're very shallow and repetitive and don't really have much insight), but I was specifically talking about the actresses performances, not the script.
I don't see that much in Moore's performance, other than the fact of her identity (not the character, the actress) and how they make her look so old, unappealing, etc. Again, not any shade on her, she's fine and I would have been happy for her if she won the oscar, even though I didn't like the movie.
I do see a lot of performance in Madison, they way she builds the character, how she reacts to everything going on around her, her accent, her expressions, etc.
posted by signal at 6:23 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
I don't see that much in Moore's performance, other than the fact of her identity (not the character, the actress) and how they make her look so old, unappealing, etc. Again, not any shade on her, she's fine and I would have been happy for her if she won the oscar, even though I didn't like the movie.
I do see a lot of performance in Madison, they way she builds the character, how she reacts to everything going on around her, her accent, her expressions, etc.
posted by signal at 6:23 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
I don't see that much in Moore's performance, other than the fact of her identity (not the character, the actress) and how they make her look so old, unappealing, etc.
Unless you're talking about how the character looked towards the end of the movie, I thought they chose Demi Moore because she does indeed look appealing, and that the character, despite being a beautiful woman used the Substance in an attempt to fit the ideals of the male producers and viewing public who tossed her over for younger actresses.
posted by fairmettle at 6:36 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
Unless you're talking about how the character looked towards the end of the movie, I thought they chose Demi Moore because she does indeed look appealing, and that the character, despite being a beautiful woman used the Substance in an attempt to fit the ideals of the male producers and viewing public who tossed her over for younger actresses.
posted by fairmettle at 6:36 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
They weren't blatant, but this was the Oscars, not a political rally
Relative to the Oscars in e.g. 2017, when we had the first version of the Clown Car administration, there was a marked change in what was (and wasn't) said.
posted by mcstayinskool at 6:37 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
Relative to the Oscars in e.g. 2017, when we had the first version of the Clown Car administration, there was a marked change in what was (and wasn't) said.
posted by mcstayinskool at 6:37 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]
fairmettle: Unless you're talking about how the character looked towards the end of the movie,
Yes, precisely.
posted by signal at 6:44 AM on March 3
Yes, precisely.
posted by signal at 6:44 AM on March 3
I have to agree with Empress... Anora was a fun movie and I thought everyone did a good job in it but... The Substance was something else. In a month, I will have forgotten everything about Anora but.. The Substance and Demi's performance are seared into my brain (for better or for worse!) forever.
posted by silverstatue at 6:54 AM on March 3 [4 favorites]
posted by silverstatue at 6:54 AM on March 3 [4 favorites]
I haven’t watched the Oscars in years, but my new roommate does and I love Conan, and also I was morbidly curious about Emilia Perez’s chances.
LOVED Conan, I’ve always been a fan but haven’t kept up with his work recently and I thought he was as good as ever, and the sandworm bit made me so nostalgic for watching his show in my teens.
Really great to see Flow win over Pixar, I think I would have been happy seeing any of the others win but Flow in particular feels like a possible harbinger of good things, considering the bleh state of major American animation right now.
If Emilia Perez had to win something I guess I’m glad it was Zoe Saldana for Supporting because her speech was so heartfelt, but my god those two people singing on stage for the other win made me cringe out of my skin.
I didn’t clock at the time but it’s really kind of a bummer that Michelle Trachtenberg didn’t make the In Memorium.
Shut up, Adrien Brody.
Finally: jesus christ Hulu you had one job. It’s not just that the feed dropped - it absolutely disappeared from the app, right before Best Actress. How are all these streamers still fucking up live events so much?
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:44 AM on March 3 [7 favorites]
LOVED Conan, I’ve always been a fan but haven’t kept up with his work recently and I thought he was as good as ever, and the sandworm bit made me so nostalgic for watching his show in my teens.
Really great to see Flow win over Pixar, I think I would have been happy seeing any of the others win but Flow in particular feels like a possible harbinger of good things, considering the bleh state of major American animation right now.
If Emilia Perez had to win something I guess I’m glad it was Zoe Saldana for Supporting because her speech was so heartfelt, but my god those two people singing on stage for the other win made me cringe out of my skin.
I didn’t clock at the time but it’s really kind of a bummer that Michelle Trachtenberg didn’t make the In Memorium.
Shut up, Adrien Brody.
Finally: jesus christ Hulu you had one job. It’s not just that the feed dropped - it absolutely disappeared from the app, right before Best Actress. How are all these streamers still fucking up live events so much?
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:44 AM on March 3 [7 favorites]
I didn't love Anora but, after the opening act, thought it was pretty good. And I will say a lot of scenes where so very busy but stayed easy to follow. Even a philistine like me can appreciate the cratfsmanship that went into making it so.
Adrien Brody's first Oscar win has the non-consensual Halle Berry kiss, his second has the entitlement-oozing "don't cut me off" power play, just so he can give the same thank yous everyone else also gives, only more loquaciously. I swear even just the part of his speech after he said he'd be brief was longer than anyone else's.
I don't see that much in Moore's performance, other than the fact of her identity (not the character, the actress) and how they make her look so old, unappealing, etc. Again, not any shade on her, she's fine and I would have been happy for her if she won the oscar, even though I didn't like the movie.
IMO she carried a compelling movie despite barely interacting with any other actors. It's an unusual and non-trivial ask for an actor. She had to express her intense fear, longing, discomfort, envy, etc. without the pillars most roles lean on to convey these emotions.
Obviously if you didn't like the movie it makes sense you don't appreciate the performance the same way, I thought it was remarkable.
posted by mark k at 8:04 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
Adrien Brody's first Oscar win has the non-consensual Halle Berry kiss, his second has the entitlement-oozing "don't cut me off" power play, just so he can give the same thank yous everyone else also gives, only more loquaciously. I swear even just the part of his speech after he said he'd be brief was longer than anyone else's.
I don't see that much in Moore's performance, other than the fact of her identity (not the character, the actress) and how they make her look so old, unappealing, etc. Again, not any shade on her, she's fine and I would have been happy for her if she won the oscar, even though I didn't like the movie.
IMO she carried a compelling movie despite barely interacting with any other actors. It's an unusual and non-trivial ask for an actor. She had to express her intense fear, longing, discomfort, envy, etc. without the pillars most roles lean on to convey these emotions.
Obviously if you didn't like the movie it makes sense you don't appreciate the performance the same way, I thought it was remarkable.
posted by mark k at 8:04 AM on March 3 [2 favorites]
Really great to see Flow win over Pixar, I think I would have been happy seeing any of the others win but Flow in particular feels like a possible harbinger of good things...
This was a big surprise for me. A lot of people around me - including an animator I know - was predicting/hoping for The Wild Robot, which also scored some earlier awards. Flow was a dark horse candidate.
If Emilia Perez had to win something I guess I’m glad it was Zoe Saldana for Supporting because her speech was so heartfelt....
The chances for most of Emilia Perez's awards tanked after some awful tweets from Carla Gascon were made public. Netflix dropped her from any of the campaign foobaz/junket stuff; even those dippy youtube videos a lot of entertainment channels do feature Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez instead, with nary a word of Gascon. Plus the film is just weird as hell; a part of me agrees that Saldana was absolutely deserving, but even if she was only a fraction as skilled she would still have deserved her Oscar just for having to go through that bizarre Busby Berkley number about vaginoplasty.
I would not put it past the current administration going after Hollywood celebrities out of spite.
I'm almost certain this is why he made himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center. The first year of his first administration there was a flurry of honorees who all said that they would boycott the ceremony if Trump was actually there; he chose to sit out all four of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies during his first term and I'm sure it gnawed at him, and that's why he was so quick to do something about the Kennedy Center during his first month. Now he's chairman of the Kennedy Center and so he gets to influence the board to pick honorees who like him.
Shut up, Adrien Brody.
In his defense the orchestra was a little too trigger-happy about playing people off; there were a couple of teams who came up to accept awards and about three times you had two people get their say and the third person got cut off by the orchestra just as they were walking up to the mic. It sucked.
....But yeah, Brody did abuse his influence and went on too long. I was watching at a theater and three women behind me were periodically muttering "shut up, Brody" the more he went on.
(Tangentially - that's how I know that politics was represented in people's speeches - the theater I was at had bingo cards at each of our seats, "a winner gets political in their speech" was the final row I needed for a bingo and I got a free pair of tickets, yay.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:48 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
This was a big surprise for me. A lot of people around me - including an animator I know - was predicting/hoping for The Wild Robot, which also scored some earlier awards. Flow was a dark horse candidate.
If Emilia Perez had to win something I guess I’m glad it was Zoe Saldana for Supporting because her speech was so heartfelt....
The chances for most of Emilia Perez's awards tanked after some awful tweets from Carla Gascon were made public. Netflix dropped her from any of the campaign foobaz/junket stuff; even those dippy youtube videos a lot of entertainment channels do feature Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez instead, with nary a word of Gascon. Plus the film is just weird as hell; a part of me agrees that Saldana was absolutely deserving, but even if she was only a fraction as skilled she would still have deserved her Oscar just for having to go through that bizarre Busby Berkley number about vaginoplasty.
I would not put it past the current administration going after Hollywood celebrities out of spite.
I'm almost certain this is why he made himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center. The first year of his first administration there was a flurry of honorees who all said that they would boycott the ceremony if Trump was actually there; he chose to sit out all four of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies during his first term and I'm sure it gnawed at him, and that's why he was so quick to do something about the Kennedy Center during his first month. Now he's chairman of the Kennedy Center and so he gets to influence the board to pick honorees who like him.
Shut up, Adrien Brody.
In his defense the orchestra was a little too trigger-happy about playing people off; there were a couple of teams who came up to accept awards and about three times you had two people get their say and the third person got cut off by the orchestra just as they were walking up to the mic. It sucked.
....But yeah, Brody did abuse his influence and went on too long. I was watching at a theater and three women behind me were periodically muttering "shut up, Brody" the more he went on.
(Tangentially - that's how I know that politics was represented in people's speeches - the theater I was at had bingo cards at each of our seats, "a winner gets political in their speech" was the final row I needed for a bingo and I got a free pair of tickets, yay.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:48 AM on March 3 [3 favorites]
I haven't seen Anora yet, but the trailer seemed to me like "straight dude writes a movie about how fun it is to be young stripper/sex worker." I have no idea if any of that is accurate, but that's the vibe it gave off -- very Mitchell & Webb's "My Shags as a W****"
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:12 AM on March 3
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:12 AM on March 3
I have seen it and FYI that assessment is completely wrong.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:52 AM on March 3 [7 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:52 AM on March 3 [7 favorites]
Also let's talk about how Adrien Brody SPIT OUT HIS GUM AND THREW IT AT HIS GF on his way to being absolutely unbearable onstage.
I thought it was particularly telling that none of the Emilia Perez winners mentioned trans rights.
posted by TwoStride at 11:54 AM on March 3 [6 favorites]
I thought it was particularly telling that none of the Emilia Perez winners mentioned trans rights.
posted by TwoStride at 11:54 AM on March 3 [6 favorites]
So glad Anora won. Best movie of 2024 for me. Here's hoping Hollywood finally puts some of that Marvel money back into greenlighting midbudget indie movies with well-written scripts again.
posted by lock robster at 12:06 PM on March 3 [4 favorites]
posted by lock robster at 12:06 PM on March 3 [4 favorites]
One stat that the nerds at r/Oscarrace brought up that I think is relevant to the Best Actress race is that this was a year where all of the winners had a high amount/percentage of screentime.
Lead Actor: Adrien Brody has the highest screentime ever for a Best Actor winner, with a whopping 2 hours and 8 minutes of screentime, and has the 49th highest screentime percentage.
Lead Actress: Mikey Madison has the third most highest screentime of a Best Actress winner ever with 1 hour, 48 minutes and 30 seconds of screentime, and has the 7th highest screentime percentage.
Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin has the eighth highest screentime ever for a Best Supporting Actor winner, with 58 minutes and 4 seconds of screentime, and has the highest screentime percentage ever.
Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña has the fourth highest screentime ever for a Best Supporting Actress winner, with 57 minutes and 50 seconds of screentime, and has the fifth highest screentime percentage
I think if Demi Moore's team had a time machine, they would go back and tell her to campaign for Supporting Actress. It's dumb, but both supporting roles were won by co-leads this year, (and Margaret Qualley was arguably a co-lead with Moore) so there's clearly no penalty to category fraud. Moore seems well-liked in the industry and my guess is she'd beat Saldana in that race.
posted by creepygirl at 12:15 PM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Lead Actor: Adrien Brody has the highest screentime ever for a Best Actor winner, with a whopping 2 hours and 8 minutes of screentime, and has the 49th highest screentime percentage.
Lead Actress: Mikey Madison has the third most highest screentime of a Best Actress winner ever with 1 hour, 48 minutes and 30 seconds of screentime, and has the 7th highest screentime percentage.
Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin has the eighth highest screentime ever for a Best Supporting Actor winner, with 58 minutes and 4 seconds of screentime, and has the highest screentime percentage ever.
Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña has the fourth highest screentime ever for a Best Supporting Actress winner, with 57 minutes and 50 seconds of screentime, and has the fifth highest screentime percentage
I think if Demi Moore's team had a time machine, they would go back and tell her to campaign for Supporting Actress. It's dumb, but both supporting roles were won by co-leads this year, (and Margaret Qualley was arguably a co-lead with Moore) so there's clearly no penalty to category fraud. Moore seems well-liked in the industry and my guess is she'd beat Saldana in that race.
posted by creepygirl at 12:15 PM on March 3 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I don't see in what way Culkin was 'supporting'. He was more of a protagonist than Eisenberg, who was more of a straight man.
posted by signal at 12:23 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
posted by signal at 12:23 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
And the loser is … politics: why was this year’s Oscars so reluctant?
posted by mcstayinskool at 12:29 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
posted by mcstayinskool at 12:29 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
I didn’t clock at the time but it’s really kind of a bummer that Michelle Trachtenberg didn’t make the In Memorium.
I think she made more of an impression as a TV actress. Looking at her films, they seem more like the kind of films that audiences like rather than the caliber of films the Academy respects.
posted by creepygirl at 12:40 PM on March 3
I think she made more of an impression as a TV actress. Looking at her films, they seem more like the kind of films that audiences like rather than the caliber of films the Academy respects.
posted by creepygirl at 12:40 PM on March 3
I don't know that anyone was explicitly warned against politics, but I feel like the very fact that they went with Conan O'Brien (he was fine) to host instead of a more current late-night host was setting the stage for Not Being Political.
I was surprised by how rare and begrudging the producers were about cutting to the audience during the opening monologue. I'm not a regular Oscars watcher, but isn't it expected for the celebs to gamely pretend to laugh?
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:29 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
I was surprised by how rare and begrudging the producers were about cutting to the audience during the opening monologue. I'm not a regular Oscars watcher, but isn't it expected for the celebs to gamely pretend to laugh?
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:29 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]
The win for Flow also showed why the Academy changed Best Animated Feature eligibility to allow animated Best International Feature nominees to be eligible for the former automatically.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:39 PM on March 3
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:39 PM on March 3
Tony Todd was also omitted from the In Memorium and he absolutely was a screen actor who deserved to be included.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:02 PM on March 3
posted by miss-lapin at 2:02 PM on March 3
I haven't seen Anora yet, but the trailer seemed to me like "straight dude writes a movie about how fun it is to be young stripper/sex worker." I have no idea if any of that is accurate
It is not
posted by The Gooch at 6:18 PM on March 3 [6 favorites]
It is not
posted by The Gooch at 6:18 PM on March 3 [6 favorites]
Yeah, I don't see in what way Culkin was 'supporting'. He was more of a protagonist than Eisenberg, who was more of a straight man.
I think you could make a case for either. It's kind of a two-hander.
But I think firstly that the movie is more from Eisenberg's point of view.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 4:05 AM on March 4
I think you could make a case for either. It's kind of a two-hander.
But I think firstly that the movie is more from Eisenberg's point of view.
A real pain ending
Also Eisenberg's is the one who has character growth, he comes to terms with his relationship and his identity as the "boring one", while Culkin's character ends the movie literally and metaphorically in the exact place he started.posted by TheophileEscargot at 4:05 AM on March 4
One stat that the nerds at r/Oscarrace brought up that I think is relevant to the Best Actress race is that this was a year where all of the winners had a high amount/percentage of screentime....
Interesting stats!
On the flip side, here are the least amounts of screentime that garnered an acting Oscar.
The record is 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
posted by fairmettle at 4:57 AM on March 4
Interesting stats!
On the flip side, here are the least amounts of screentime that garnered an acting Oscar.
The record is 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
Beatrice Straight won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar with 5:40 minutes of screentime in the 1976 movie Network.
posted by fairmettle at 4:57 AM on March 4
Yeah, I don't see in what way Culkin was 'supporting'.
So, I just earned something ....
I was going to guess that the filmmaker probably threw both Culkin and Eisenberg's hats in the ring as candidates for the Oscar, but the filmmaker chose to call Culkin a "supporting actor" so there wouldn't be any risk of the votes getting split between them if they were both Best Actor. But it sounds like the nominating process is a little more complicated than that.
So: at some point before Oscar season, the Academy puts out the call for nominees in each of the categories, along with a reminder of "here's all the actors from the eligible movies from this year" (they cap it at ten actors from each movie). Then each member sends back their own shortlist of the five nominees for Best Actor/ress and Best Supporting Actor/ress. The Academy does not say anything on that list about "Here's the leads and here are the supporting roles", though - that is decided by each of the members. So there might have been a bunch of actors who felt Culkin was more of a supporting role and put him at the top of their respective lists.
Also, the Academy uses ranked-choice voting - so if the first-choice votes between Culkin and Eisenberg for lead got split, there may have been a handful of people who had Culkin as their second choice for supporting, and that went into the mix as well.
Here's an article I found that gets into the math of it all, and here's the actual PDF from the Academy which discusses the rules (the rules about nominating actors is on page 7).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:01 AM on March 4 [2 favorites]
So, I just earned something ....
I was going to guess that the filmmaker probably threw both Culkin and Eisenberg's hats in the ring as candidates for the Oscar, but the filmmaker chose to call Culkin a "supporting actor" so there wouldn't be any risk of the votes getting split between them if they were both Best Actor. But it sounds like the nominating process is a little more complicated than that.
So: at some point before Oscar season, the Academy puts out the call for nominees in each of the categories, along with a reminder of "here's all the actors from the eligible movies from this year" (they cap it at ten actors from each movie). Then each member sends back their own shortlist of the five nominees for Best Actor/ress and Best Supporting Actor/ress. The Academy does not say anything on that list about "Here's the leads and here are the supporting roles", though - that is decided by each of the members. So there might have been a bunch of actors who felt Culkin was more of a supporting role and put him at the top of their respective lists.
Also, the Academy uses ranked-choice voting - so if the first-choice votes between Culkin and Eisenberg for lead got split, there may have been a handful of people who had Culkin as their second choice for supporting, and that went into the mix as well.
Here's an article I found that gets into the math of it all, and here's the actual PDF from the Academy which discusses the rules (the rules about nominating actors is on page 7).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:01 AM on March 4 [2 favorites]
So, not having seen Anora until last night, I'm not seeing how this was Oscar worthy. Mikey did a great job as an actress, but neither my wife or myself were really blown away by the film itself. If I think about it in the future at all, it will be because I'm perplexed it won an Oscar.
posted by Dr. Twist at 9:24 AM on March 5
posted by Dr. Twist at 9:24 AM on March 5
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by Carillon at 6:25 PM on March 2 [5 favorites]