Oscar nominations out

Avatar was an amazing technical feat, I would have given Cameron best director just to acknowledge his being able to pull it off. And I didn't even like Avatar that much. But whatever, I think there was a bit of Avatar backlash going on, Cameron can come across as a bit of a prick, and he won previously, so I understand how the cards were stacked against him.

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:34 AM, xxx said:

Lump, I'mma let you finish but here is my take on the Locker. Consider the character development. At the end, when he's playing with his son, and he says something like "when I was your age, I loved everything. I loved my bike, I loved Christmas, I loved climbing trees [etc.]." He pauses and then goes "By the time you get to my age, you're lucky to love one...maybe two things." That was one of those lines that kind of tickled the backside of my emotional center, especially considering the fact that I can't shake how weird my 30's feel and won't "straighten out." I could go on but I think that's the best example of why it just wasn't a "KABOOM DUDE WHOA!!!!" kind of film

I agree with that and that was certainly the best scene in the film. Too bad the next and final scene was so overdone, it felt straight out of Top Gun. My problem with Hurt Locker is people were saying it's a great war film and the best film of the current war and I just didn't feel it. I felt like I could "see through it" and see the script writer ticking boxes. For example, of course the cute little urchin is the one who ends up on the dissecting table as the human bomb. It just felt to me like some guy interviewed a bunch of soldiers, asking for their most shocking and dynamic stories, and then wove them together into something resembling a film. For all its "shaky cam" it didn't feel "realistic" to me at all. Maybe I'm just cynical in general about war films, I don't see how it's possible to communicate the so called "horrors of war" through film. In my opinion the best war films try to convey something about (what I imagine is) the surreality and absurdity of war, and I don't think Hurt Locker really did that.

Also I don't really agree with the film's hip tagline "war is a drug." To be honest, if the oscar had come down to choosing between Hurt Locker and Body of Lies, which was also a Middle Eastern war-on-terror-related flick, I would have chosen Body of Lies. Body of Lies had plenty of flaws and some cliche elements but at least it tried to address something fundamental about the nature of modern warfare, which is the weird disconnect between the west and east, drone warfare and the role played by technology, the way it makes things both more immediate and more distant/like a video game. Hurt Locker didn't touch any of that, it just came back to the whole "why men fight" thing, which to me is utterly boring.

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:34 AM, xxx said:

  On 3/9/2010 at 1:38 AM, lumpenprol said:

Hurt Locker was ok-ish but best picture or director? Come on. It was just a well made little action film that happened to be set during a current war, but it's not as though that gave it any added depth or weight. It's like giving "Point Break" the best picture/director oscar. At least Avatar pushed some boundaries. And I agree with Fred about Zoe Saldana, the fact that she wasn't nominated for best actress proves most people are still fundamentally unclear on what motion capture is.

Lump, I'mma let you finish but here is my take on the Locker. Consider the character development. At the end, when he's playing with his son, and he says something like "when I was your age, I loved everything. I loved my bike, I loved Christmas, I loved climbing trees [etc.]." He pauses and then goes "By the time you get to my age, you're lucky to love one...maybe two things." That was one of those lines that kind of tickled the backside of my emotional center, especially considering the fact that I can't shake how weird my 30's feel and won't "straighten out." I could go on but I think that's the best example of why it just wasn't a "KABOOM DUDE WHOA!!!!" kind of film

meh, everyone has opinions, but that "message" is in basic line with the cliche "ignorance is bliss" ... perhaps the feeling is far more significant than the idea

honestly I think Avatar is a lot more thought provoking then people understand. I don't mean that in a pretentious way, but I think Cameron has a unique ability of telling stories that appeal to a lot of different people. Everyone knows what it is, Dances with Wolves etc... but that movie didn't make 2.5 billion in the box office. Avatar is dirtiest mainstream representation of the human race I can think of. And what rings more true then a story of one human race fucking with another race. Our history is drenched with the type of characters we see in Avatar. They are of course simplistic stereotypes, lacking the type of depth you might find in the latest Clint Eastwood feature, but when has James Cameron ever made anything with much depth? His movies are pop-corn action flicks... which is an art in itself if you compare Avatar to the blockbuster "shit" as of late.

The Director of The Hurt Locker is one Hot 58 Year Old MILF ..

  On 3/9/2010 at 4:22 AM, Boxing Day said:

The Director of The Hurt Locker is one Hot 58 Year Old MILF ..

if you fucked her you might have the good fortune to get some of James Cameron's skin cells on your cock

  On 3/9/2010 at 1:38 AM, lumpenprol said:

And I agree with Fred about Zoe Saldana, the fact that she wasn't nominated for best actress proves most people are still fundamentally unclear on what motion capture is.

Cameron likes to call it 'performance capture', which is more apt as it captures more than motion. People still seem to think that the Avatar actors sat in a booth and just did the voices with some reference cameras for the animators. They leaped over the uncanny valley with the Na'vi, but I wonder if they could have done it if they created a completely digital version of a human. Wasn't most of Benjamin Button's head when he was older (young)completely animated, but I don't remember it being as expressive as the Na'Vi.

I think the awards people will need to consider these new performance captured characters and their actors for awards sooner rather than later.

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:26 AM, karmakramer said:

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:20 AM, Capsaicin said:

Where did they film the flying mountains in Avatar?

 

They filmed it in the hanger Howard Hughes built his famous Hercules.

that's pretty good real-time rendering. i thought it was a very crude representation, like non-textured wire models.

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:35 AM, lumpenprol said:

Avatar was an amazing technical feat, I would have given Cameron best director just to acknowledge his being able to pull it off. And I didn't even like Avatar that much. But whatever, I think there was a bit of Avatar backlash going on, Cameron can come across as a bit of a prick, and he won previously, so I understand how the cards were stacked against him.

Cameron said he would prefer it if Bigelow got the Best Director award, since he already has one, and have the Best Picture award go to Avatar since it would award all the hundreds of people who worked on it and pretty much had to invent a lot of things to get it done, when you think about it, it was a pretty massive project to tackle. Avatar was a bigger technical achievement in cinema than Hurt Locker, and stuff developed for Avatar is soon going to be commonplace in cinema.

  On 3/9/2010 at 7:34 AM, azatoth said:

 

Cameron likes to call it 'performance capture', which is more apt as it captures more than motion.

Heh, it is more apt, though sounds to me like they wanted to coin a new phrase to get some props. Sounds a bit plain compared to "bullet time," should have called it "muscle mastering" or something, lol.

  On 3/9/2010 at 7:34 AM, azatoth said:

I think the awards people will need to consider these new performance captured characters and their actors for awards sooner rather than later.

absolutely, I think they should add a "best actor/actress in digitized performance" and give the oscar not only to the actor but to the animation, modeling, and skinning/rigging teams supporting him/her. For example with Zoe Saldana while I believe the heart and soul of the performance were hers, I'm sure it was cleaned up quite a bit with some keyframing and that should be recognized.

  On 3/9/2010 at 7:34 AM, azatoth said:

Cameron said he would prefer it if Bigelow got the Best Director award, since he already has one, and have the Best Picture award go to Avatar since it would award all the hundreds of people who worked on it and pretty much had to invent a lot of things to get it done, when you think about it, it was a pretty massive project to tackle. Avatar was a bigger technical achievement in cinema than Hurt Locker, and stuff developed for Avatar is soon going to be commonplace in cinema.

Yeah, that works too, I didn't want to give it best picture as it wasn't necessarily the best film, but I understand and agree with his point.

  On 3/9/2010 at 8:24 AM, xxx said:

 

 

Spooky how we so often converge and diverge cyclically--it's just like a sine wave. I gotta call out the "realistic" critique because when he's doing things like unwinding fuse wires, gutting out the car dash to find components, etc., it felt just like the sick feeling I get in my stomach when I open up my analogue gear or even my computer. It's the "one false move and...." kind of thing but you strike me as a much less "nervous" guy than me so those scenes probably didn't rattle you and were thus boring. See, back to convergence.

Maybe, yeah I mean Bigelow is a strong action director, I've always felt that and Point Break is one of my guilty pleasures (as in Hot Fuzz, lol). I just don't think the film said anything meaningful about the current war(s) or human nature. It was just a flick with lots of action about a strange guy who rationalizes his death wish, that happened to be set during the Iraq war.

The joke was that Avatar was nominated for best original soundtrack.

But anyway, it didn't win, so in your face, Avatar.

avator

  On 3/9/2010 at 1:43 PM, Terpentintollwut said:

The joke was that Avatar was nominated for best original soundtrack.

 

But anyway, it didn't win, so in your face, Avatar.

Yeah, the soundtrack for Avatar was laughable. But don't forget that James Horner made the soundtrack for Commando. Commando!

i've found that most movie composers seem to repeat themselves over their careers more or less. horner and alan silvestri are the worst offenders. even john williams repeats himself.

did transformers 2 get something in the sound category?, it has the best sound design ever.

  On 3/9/2010 at 3:55 PM, GORDO said:

did transformers 2 get something in the sound category?, it has the best sound design ever.

But fucking LOUD!!

hurt locker got the sound oscars

I'm something of a sjw myself, so I appreciate the sentiment but this is just retarded.

https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-establishes-representation-and-inclusion-standards-oscarsr-eligibility

For the 96th Oscars (2024), a film must meet TWO out of FOUR of the following standards to be deemed eligible:

STANDARD A:  ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVES
To achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:

A1. Lead or significant supporting actors

At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
• Asian
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Black/African American
• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
• Middle Eastern/North African
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

A2. General ensemble cast

At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

A3. Main storyline/subject matter

The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

STANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAM
To achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below:

B1. Creative leadership and department heads

At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads—Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer—are from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

At least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group:
• Asian
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Black/African American
• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
• Middle Eastern/North African
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

B2. Other key roles

At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.

B3. Overall crew composition
At least 30% of the film’s crew is from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

STANDARD INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES
To achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below:

C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities

The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

The major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.

The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.

C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew)

The film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
 

STANDARD AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
To achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below:

D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution

The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams.
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group

• Asian
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Black/African American
• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
• Middle Eastern/North African
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity

• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing

All categories other than Best Picture will be held to their current eligibility requirements.  Films in the specialty feature categories (Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, International Feature Film) submitted for Best Picture/General Entry consideration will be addressed separately.

Academy Aperture 2025 is the next phase of the Academy’s equity and inclusion initiative furthering the organization’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion in the entertainment industry and increase representation within its membership and the greater film community.

Logical continuation (i suspect it's already been there for years for the eventual winners)

  On 9/10/2020 at 12:30 PM, Gocab said:

I'm something of a sjw myself, so I appreciate the sentiment but this is just retarded.

Sorry you fail SJW credentialing, you used the word "retarded." You gotta be cancelled now, sorry.

Shit.

  On 9/10/2020 at 12:30 PM, Gocab said:

I'm something of a sjw myself, so I appreciate the sentiment but this is just retarded.

Just wanna echo this before I go ahead and ask... so is Parasite the best winner ever?

eh, it was pretty nice. My favourite best picture winners are No Country for Old Men and the French Connection. Which is a very very bigoted opinion.

  On 9/10/2020 at 3:22 PM, Gocab said:

eh, it was pretty nice. My favourite best picture winners are No Country for Old Men and the French Connection. Which is a very very bigoted opinion.

I was thinking more in terms of these new Oscar rules.

I'm extra dumb today. 

  On 9/10/2020 at 4:50 PM, Gocab said:

I'm extra dumb today. 

you dummy, don't worry, there's always tomorrow...