It's that time of year again, beloveds!
Yesterday the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards were announced. Click here for a wonderful ballot that includes nominees in every category as well as trailers for most nominations.
The Sassistas! were surprised that:
- Kathryn Bigelow was not nominated for "Best Director" for "Zero Dark Thirty".
- Ben Affleck was not nominated for "Best Director" for "Argo".
- Benh Zeitlin was nominated for "Best Director" for "Beasts of the Southern Wild".
- "Beasts of the Southern Wild" was nominated for "Best Picture".
- Quentin Tarentino was not nominated for "Best Director" for "Django Unchained".
- John Hawke was not nominated for "Best Actor" for "The Sessions".
- Please add your own surprises in the sass stream . . . .
Perhaps our most delighted surprise is that "Mondays at Racine" was nominated for "Best Short Documentary". The Sassistas! met the subjects of this beautiful short at SILVERDOCS last June. Click here to visit the website and watch the trailer.
Today it's all things Oscar-noms in the sassosphere! Dish away!
"Truth in Advertising," con't. -- the posters for the Best Picture nominees:
http://imgur.com/a/8hTHw#qstob
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 04:46 AM
Although I liked "Argo", I don't think Ben Affleck's direction was worthy of an Oscar nomination. Thought his direction of "The Town" and "Gone, Baby, Gone" was much better, but all the pundits seemed so incensed.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 04:48 AM
I like this assessment of the Oscar nominations from A.O. Scott, the New York Times film critic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/movies/awardsseason/lincoln-and-other-serious-films-top-oscar-nominee-list.html?hpw&_r=0
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 04:53 AM
Good morning, Flann. Haven't seen many of the nominees this year. I usually try to see at least all of the best picture nominees. Maybe I'll catch a film a week for awhile.
I did think Anne Hathaway's scene in which she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" in Les Mis was just hauntingly beautiful.
I also saw Lincoln. Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones are all amazing at 'becoming' the character they play - so much so that often I begin to perceive them as the character and not as the actor. In Lincoln, I came away from the film wanting to find a biography of Thaddeus Stevens - such was Tommy Lee Jones performance.
What films has everyone else seen - I need some recommendations for the weeks ahead!
Posted by: treesta | January 11, 2013 at 04:57 AM
Mornin', treesta -- I would definitely see "Beasts of the Southern Wild" though I liked it better than Matissta, and if that little girl nominated for Best Actress (Quvenzhane Wallis) hadn't been in it, I don't think it would have been much of anything. Think of it as a fantasy, though, an allegory and just go with it.
We haven't yet seen "Lincoln", "Les Miserables" or "Zero Dark Thirty" -- goodness we've only seen "Argo" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" of the nominees for Best Picture.
I want to see "The Impossible" for which Naomi Watts was nominated for Best Actress.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 05:05 AM
Was just skimming through the web and came across this:
http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/oscars-2013-nominees-snubs-and-surprises-1357800511-slideshow/
Posted by: treesta | January 11, 2013 at 05:09 AM
One slide in that yahoo slide show says Zero Dark Thirty is 'just shy of being a flat out masterpiece'.
It also said Emmanuelle Riva gave 'one of the finest performances of the year' in Amour. I'll have to see if it's playing at the E Street Theater.
Posted by: treesta | January 11, 2013 at 05:14 AM
The last time a film got Best Picture without its director also being nominated was "Driving Miss Daisy". So I think there's a very slim chance that "Argo", "Les Miserables" or "Zero Dark Thirty" will win Best Picture.
I think "Lincoln" is the film to beat.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 05:26 AM
A HUGE snub is that "John Carter" didn't receive ONE SINGLE NOMINATION.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 07:29 AM
I was going to comment that this seems to be the year for Lincoln, but then remembered the movie: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter".
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 07:39 AM
Emmanuelle Riva of "Amour" is the oldest nominee ever at 85, while Quvenzhané Wallis of "The Beasts of the Southern Wild" is the youngest. "Amour" is on our list to see.
As Flann mentioned, we have a lot of films to see.
I can also tell Flann is very excited. Look how many comments she's made already.
Posted by: Matissta | January 11, 2013 at 08:14 AM
Although I haven't seen "Silver Linings Playbook", many feel that Jennifer Lawrence was snubbed. I'd like to see that movie as well.
Posted by: Matissta | January 11, 2013 at 08:18 AM
The posters for the best nominees is pretty funny. And they're well-done.
Posted by: Matissta | January 11, 2013 at 08:27 AM
Btw, I know it's all things Oscar but I'm going to break the trend for a moment. I'm looking forward to the Golden Globes on Sunday night.
Posted by: Matissta | January 11, 2013 at 08:29 AM
Flann just told me that Jennifer Lawrence WAS nominated & I confirmed she's right. My mistake.
It's well-deserved from what I've heard.
Posted by: Matissta | January 11, 2013 at 10:48 AM
We've only seen Lincoln and loved it. I would go again and I don't hardly ever do that. I hope to see some of the others before the Academy Awards show, but I do think that Lincoln will be the movie to beat this year.
We're dragging a bit in Cheyenne this morning. Our oldest son played with Tony Furtado in Denver last night and 10 relatives and friends drove down from Cheyenne to catch the show. It was so much fun ... like he had his own fan club! We didn't get to bed until almost 2:00 AM. Fortunately, a relaxed day today for me, where I'm hoping to catch-up on laundry and reading. And it's SNOWING! It's not supposed to amount to much, they say, but we've got the first inch or two on the ground. Add shoveling to the "to do" list.
Posted by: PEACEsista | January 11, 2013 at 11:37 AM
I'm going to see Zero Dark Thirty at some point even though I HATED HATED HATED the Hurt Locker, you can ask my mom, I was yelling at the TV I straight hated that movie so much...it is definitely my least favorite movie ever, it was poorly researched, poorly executed garbage. The only accurate scene was the cereal scene. I think I yelled at the Oscars too, the fact that it won so many awards was an embarrassing statement about our nation's lack of awareness about the realities of combat.
Also, I saw Django Unchained, I have no idea why it is nominated for so many awards. It was somewhat entertaining, but was exactly what I expected it to be. Very predictable Tarantino.
Posted by: Peter | January 11, 2013 at 04:08 PM
Ooops! I killed the sass!
Thank you for providing the link to "Mondays at Racine." I had no idea what to expect when I clicked it, but it touched my heart very deeply ... and it was only the trailer! I can only imagine the power of the whole documentary.
Posted by: PEACEsista | January 11, 2013 at 04:09 PM
I'm between classes in Vermont:
I will not see Zero Dark Thirty as I think it is CIA propaganda used to falsely justify torture.
I saw Django Unchained and agree with Peter. Flight was great. I loved Lincoln.
Posted by: Justista | January 11, 2013 at 04:26 PM
Code thingy for last comment: "despotic"
Posted by: Justista | January 11, 2013 at 04:26 PM
PEACE: "Mondays at Racine" is only about 30 minutes long, and packs a tremendous emotional wallop. Thanks for watching the trailer.
Just so I am clear, Peter: you didn't like "The Hurt Locker"?
Justista: I thought "Flight" was terrific, too. Denzel Washington is very deserving of his acting nomination.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 05:33 PM
No, I didn't like The Hunger Games...I absolutely despise The Hurt Locker...so does every Iraq war veteran I have ever talked to about it. That movie is like a slap in the face.
Posted by: Peter | January 11, 2013 at 06:11 PM
I didn't mean to make light of your dislike of 'The Hurt Locker", Peter. Your vehemence about the film reminds me of my vehemence about movies like "The Avengers" and "Battleship" -- movies that cost a hundred million and make a billion. There are too many very good filmmakers running up their credit cards to make the film they have dreamt about since they were kids. I see so many of these jaw-dropping and artful films at SILVERDOCS, for example, and feel fortunate to see them, knowing so few will.
From an editing (both film and sound) and cinematography viewpoint, I thought "The Hurt Locker" was stunning. I watched a couple of scenes in slow motion just to count the camera angles and to try and figure out how many cameras were capturing the scene. It is technically brilliant to me, but I hear how much you despise its message.
I am very curious about "Zero Dark Thirty" and can't wait to see it. I hope you will let us know what you think.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 06:20 PM
Keep in mind that on Academy Award weekend, the Sassistas! will post our predictions -- you can, too.
We'll also be sassing in live during the show.
We'll probably also be sassing in live during the Golden Globes on Sunday night. We're so looking forward to seeing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as hosts.
Posted by: Flannista | January 11, 2013 at 06:26 PM
Just saw "The Impossible" starring Naomi Watts. All I can say is:
NO MORE BEACH VACATIONS, ONLY MOUNTAINS!
Posted by: babysis | January 11, 2013 at 09:42 PM