EPISODE 409: OSCAR NOMINATIONS

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4 Responses

  1. Tony says:

    Always worth noting that under the preferential Oscar voting system, branch members only really get one vote that counts (at most) at the nomination stage and this is one less sinister explanation for snubs/surprises when films/performances/achievements appear in the nominations for most other film awards (where voters usually get 5 picks that count in each category) and then don’t get in come Oscar time (Selma, Gone Girl, Lego Movie etc.) or you get a surprise like Laura Dern. Perfectly possible under current Academy voting rules to appear on a majority (or even all) ballots and not get in if you’re not getting enough number 1 votes or being placed above other popular achievements. Personally I’d love to see branch members get 5 picks that count at the nomination stage so it encourages/favours members who watch more movies/want to make a greater effort and would give a truer reflection of what they really think are the 5 best achievements in each category.

  2. Ray (@RaySquirrel) says:

    Let me pose a question. Should the “Best Director” category be divided by gender? I was thinking about this not because I am some (as David mentioned and as recent fashion has popularized) “social justice warrior.” I was thinking it after watching “The Babadook” and was thinking about how it needs some recognition. This along with the controversy around Ava DuVernay’s snubb had me thinking that maybe there should be a dual category for directing. Some might insist that there is nothing gender specific to directing as there is to acting, but is there really? Last year Jared Leto, who is a man (last time I checked), won the Oscar for best supporting actor for playing a transsexual. Felicity Huffman was nominated for playing a male-to-female transsexual in Transamerica in 2005. As societies notions of gender become more ambiguous our reasons for deliniating any kind of artistic achievement based on gender becomes arbitrary. (Pretty much like awarding any kind of artistic achievement but that is another discussion.)

    • Tony says:

      No, I think you simply need more women getting the oppotunity to direct movies. Again, don’t really see it as overt sexism or ‘snubbing’ from the director’s branch in regards to DuVernay when she was the only female director with a realistic chance of getting in and they only got one vote that counted at the nomination stage. I think it’s rather insulting to women to have gender splits or that if you have a more equal representation of females in the Academy they’d vote along gender lines rather than purely on merit. Although I can understand them keeping the gender splits in the acting categories when apart from Best Picture they’re probably the only categories most of the general public/TV audience have any interest in.

      • Tony says:

        DuVernay is in good company in having a film directed by her get in for Best Picture before receiving a Best Director nomination. Happened with Spielberg for Jaws (first nominated for Close Enconters), Scorsese with Taxi Driver (first nominated for Raging Bull) and Nolan with Inception (still never been nominated for director).

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