Movie Award Season 2018 Oscars and Precursors

Has anyone here seen Three Billboards? It got slammed hard on the NPR podcasts Code Switch and Pop Culture Happy Hour. I was curious if people here found it racially problematic.
 
I saw it last night. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I read some critiques. I don't agree with all of it, but I did find parts of it problematic. Apart from that, I wasn't a big fan of the style, dialogue, or characterizations (though I hear they're more accurate than we think).
 
I found this article interesting regarding Greta Gerwig and her direction in Lady Bird.

Lady Bird: Why Greta Gerwig Deserves a Nomination, and Our Masculine Conception of Good Directing

I think the following passage is why I believe Gerwig more than deserves a nomination.

The order of events is something that might make sense in a Pedro Almodovar or Wes Anderson film, yet Gerwig’s filmmaking possesses none of Almodovar’s stylized zaniness or Anderson’s diorama artifice. She plays it straight. Gerwig juxtaposes moments like this throughout the film, certainly sometimes for a laugh, but never with hint of irony or remove. Over the Brion track, what follows is a deceptively breezy montage that, in just a few minutes, amusingly introduces us to over a dozen significant characters and another 15 relationships. This accomplishment from an exposition standpoint is mind boggling, but it is thoroughly entertaining and more importantly visually introduces us to major conflicts — the cause of unspoken tension with her best friend, Lady Bird’s uneasy relationship with religion, and many more — that resonate and deepen as the film unspools.

This is Howard Hawks-level work. Gerwig is driving 200mph around hairpin turns, humming a song and making it look and feel like a stroll in the park. “Lady Bird” is every inch as painstakingly planned out and precise in its complexity as “Dunkirk,” but without an inch of the directorial flex. To say this is mostly Gerwig’s incredible script is to ignore the tradition — from Billy Wilder to Noah Baumbach — of directors who constantly rewrite until they find unique ways to balance dramatic truth and comedy. For them, the script is like sheet music for the song playing in their head, which are tuned so every note is perfected before being taken to collaborators who must be conducted to play the same piece of music.
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CassAgain said:
Has anyone here seen Three Billboards? It got slammed hard on the NPR podcasts Code Switch and Pop Culture Happy Hour. I was curious if people here found it racially problematic.
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VIETgrlTerifa said:
I saw it last night. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I read some critiques. I don't agree with all of it, but I did find parts of it problematic. Apart from that, I wasn't a big fan of the style, dialogue, or characterizations (though I hear they're more accurate than we think).
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I saw it shortly after it came out because the trailer was interesting. Some good things, but some things bothered me a lot. Racism was not one of them though.

There were several illogical things, like (for example) a cop beats up someone but nothing is done to him. There is a major fire which Frances McD's character extinguished with something small (I don't remember the details) without serious injuries. Her character does things that are clearly illegal (like arson) but there is no investigation. There is violence that didn't need to be there, and how did a burnt man survive after being burned, then beaten up?

Anyway, these unrealistic things go on and on. The movie does create suspense and interest. I was glued to the chair, waiting to see what happens next. Then it suddenly ended in a dud.

Overall I felt the movie was Overrated. The acting- by Frances, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson- elevated it substantially, but I was not as impressed with it as some seem to be. I will grant that while watching it in the theatre, there was not much time to think. It had a nice pace, but looking back I couldn't help noticing the flaws (actually some of them were too obvious to go unnoticed while the movie was in progress).
 
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Directors Guild of America announced it nominations:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/2018/01/11/dga-nominations/

GUILLERMO del TORO
The Shape of Water

(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. del Toro’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: J. Miles Dale
  • Production Manager: Dennis Chapman
  • First Assistant Director: Pierre Henry
  • Second Assistant Director: Tyler Delben
This is Mr. del Toro’s first DGA Award nomination

GRETA GERWIG
Lady Bird

(A24)

Ms. Gerwig’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Managers: Lila Yacoub, Danielle Blumstein, Jamin O’Brien (New York Crew)
  • First Assistant Directors: Jonas Spaccarotelli, Cedric Vara (New York Crew)
  • Second Assistant Director: Brendan Lee, Dana Zolli (New York Crew)
  • Second Second Assistant Directors: Lillian Awa, Teri Barber
This is Ms. Gerwig’s first DGA Award nomination.

MARTIN McDONAGH

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. McDonagh’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Bergen Swanson
  • Assistant Unit Production Manager: Peggy Robinson
  • First Assistant Director: Peter Kohn
  • Second Assistant Director: Paula Case
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Spencer Taylor
This is Mr. McDonagh’s first DGA Award nomination.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Dunkirk
(Warner Bros.)

Mr. Nolan’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Managers: David Witz, Christine Raspillere (France Unit), Chris Brock (UK Unit), Nicky Tüske (Netherlands Unit)
  • First Assistant Directors: Nilo Otero, William Pruss (France Unit), Willem Quarles van Ufford (Netherlands Unit)
  • Second Assistant Director: Eric Lasko, Nicolas Baldino (France Unit), Alexis Chelli (France Unit), Clément Comet (France Unit)
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Alina Gatti
This is Mr. Nolan’s fourth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for Inception in 2010, for The Dark Knight in 2008, and for Memento in 2001.

JORDAN PEELE

Get Out

(Universal Pictures)
Mr. Peele’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Managers: Marcei A. Brown, Rick A. Osako (Fairhope Unit)
  • First Assistant Director: Gerard DiNardi
  • Second Assistant Directors: Ram Paul Silbey, Marc Newland (Fairhope Unit), Jack McKenna (New York Unit)
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Maggie Ballard
  • Location Manager: Kurt Enger (New York Unit)
This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Peele. He is also nominated in the First-Time Feature Film category for Get Out.

The nominees for OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR FOR 2017 are (in alphabetical order):

GEREMY JASPER

Patti Cake$

(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. Jasper’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Sara Blechman
  • First Assistant Director: Inna Braude
  • Second Assistant Director: Natasha Rivera
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Lucas Isabella
  • Additional Second Second Assistant Director: Alice Johnson
This is Mr. Jasper’s first DGA Award nomination.

WILLIAM OLDROYD

Lady Macbeth

(Roadside Attractions)

Mr. Oldroyd’s Directorial Team:

  • Production Manager: Robert K. Harm
  • Unit Manager: Eugene Galbrath
  • First Assistant Director: George Every
  • Second Assistant Director: Richard Stanley Jan Harris
This is Mr. Oldroyd’s first DGA Award nomination.

JORDAN PEELE

Get Out

(Universal Pictures)

Mr. Peele’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Managers: Marcei A. Brown, Rick A. Osako (Fairhope Unit)
  • First Assistant Director: Gerard DiNardi
  • Second Assistant Directors: Ram Paul Silbey, Marc Newland (Fairhope Unit), Jack McKenna (New York Unit)
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Maggie Ballard
  • Location Manager: Kurt Enger (New York Unit)
This is one of two DGA Award nominations this year for Mr. Peele. He is also nominated in the Feature Film category for Get Out.

TAYLOR SHERIDAN

Wind River

(Acacia Entertainment)

Mr. Sheridan’s Directorial Team:

  • Unit Production Manager: Christopher H. Warner
  • First Assistant Director: Nicholas Harvard
  • Second Assistant Director: Jason Altieri
  • Second Second Assistant Director: Kristina Massie
This is Mr. Sheridan’s first DGA Award nomination.

AARON SORKIN

Molly’s Game

(STX Entertainment)

Mr. Sorkin’s Directorial Team:

Unit Production Managers: Lyn Lucibello-Brancatella, Stuart M. Besser, Michael Beugg (Los Angeles Unit)

  • Assistant Unit Production Manager: Bart Lipton (Los Angeles Unit)
  • First Assistant Director: Walter Gasparovic
  • Second Assistant Directors: Penny Charter, Travis Rehwaldt (New York Unit), Paula Case (Los Angeles Unit)
  • Second Second Assistant Directors: Conor Griff (New York Unit), Drew Ritson (New York Unit), Bryan Snodgrass (Los Angeles Unit)
  • Location Manager: Dena Ghieth (New York Unit)
 
Reading the Critics Choice nominations, it always bugs me when some categories have 7 nominees, while others have 6. Like, there's 6 nominees for lead actress, and supporting actor, yet 7 nominees for best actor and supporting actress? They couldn't make them even?
 
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Maybe there's some sort of rule that is like it's top 6 unless the 7th one is like within 2-3 votes of the 6th one, then it gets expanded. I know the Emmys have rules like that.
 
I just feel like they could maybe then make include a 7th in the other categories (even if it wasn't that close) just to even things out.

I feel like it just comes across as 'there's not as many good portrayals in these categories'.
 
The [Broadcast] Critics' Choice Awards is trying my patience. I love awards and films (it's like how some love beauty pageants) but man is this award show boring.
 
This must be the time in the Oscar season when things go from unpredictable to very predictable. :yawn:

ETA: I don't think I'm watching this award show again. It was basically the Golden Globes in terms of results except for The Shape of Water winning Best Film.
 
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Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks were not nominated for SAG awards, but Margo Robbie was. Stunning!

I have not seen I, Tonya yet, but it baffles me that someone playing Tonya would be better than the nuanced performance of Meryl Streep in The Post.

BTW I don't find the Oscars that interesting anymore. There are so many different awards that by Oscar time there is very little suspense about the winners. Of course last year they made it more 'interesting' by announcing the wrong film for Best Picture. :)
 
There's the odd time that things aren't perfectly clear. Like the year Sean Penn's role in Milk (IMO rightfully) won over Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. A lot of people thought it was going to go to Mickey (who had won a lot of critic awards, and the Globe).

Or a lot of people thinking Sylvester Stallone was going to win the Oscar for Creed, though it went to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies (who lost both the Globe and the SAG).

Though it seems Allison Janney is the frontrunner for supporting actress for I, Tonya, Laurie Metcalf has been winning a TON of awards for Lady Bird - basically every individual critic award (except, ironically, the Critic's Choice) that she's been up for, and basically every film festival award. I don't think it's a runaway.

I think a few of the categories this year aren't 100% clear cut, but there are frontrunners.
 
Vash01 said:
Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks were not nominated for SAG awards, but Margo Robbie was. Stunning!

I have not seen I, Tonya yet, but it baffles me that someone playing Tonya would be better than the nuanced performance of Meryl Streep in The Post.

BTW I don't find the Oscars that interesting anymore. There are so many different awards that by Oscar time there is very little suspense about the winners. Of course last year they made it more 'interesting' by announcing the wrong film for Best Picture. :)
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This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I feel like in the last few years (since Devil Wears Prada/Mamma Mia!), most roles that Meryl Streep has done seems like her being "Meryl Streep" and not playing a character. Even during "The Iron Lady", I wasn't convinced that she was really pulling off Margaret Thatcher.
 
I agree with you. I also think Streep has given some great performances but I think they're overshadowed by the fact that they're not as good as Streep in the 80s and 90s AND she gets nominated so many times. I think Streep has pulled off some good performances but since they weren't always the strongest in the year, some have resented her Oscar nominations when they could have gone to someone else who gave just as good or an even better performance. I'd give Streep the Oscar for The Iron Lady just because I don't think anybody else nominated gave as good of a performance. I probably would have chosen Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia but she wasn't nominated and I think Lars Von Trier rightfully problematic for many.
 
I still personally feel that Viola Davis should have won in 2012 for The Help but I think a case could probably be made for Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs as well. Side note, how has Glenn Close never won an Oscar? She's amazing.

I find modern Meryl Streep very overrated. I really don't think she's been as good in anything since The Devil Wears Prada as she was in The Devil Wears Prada. I'm always just so aware that I am watching 3 Time Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep. Which isn't a problem I have watching her earlier work. It feels like she gets Oscar nominated just for being in a movie and it's a little bit annoying. I know I'm exaggerating, she at least gets Oscar buzz on a seemingly annual basis.
 
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