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felipe wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:01 pm How was Cold War even nominated for Best Director? I didn't think it had such a strong campaign. Does it mean that most people voted for it or can it be that just a few people voted for it but placed it high on their lists?

The way the Oscar nominations work is that the voters in each category fill out their ballots listing their choices ranked from 1 - 5. In the first round only the number one choices are counted, anything that didn't get a number one vote is eliminated. They have a magic number for a nomination, any films with that number of first choice placings gets automatically nominated. The film with the lowest total number one choices is eliminated and those ballots redistributed based on the number 2 ranking. It carries on like this until there are 5 nominees. So Cold War had to have a certain amount of number one votes to make it to the final five.

rawlinson wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:55 pm

felipe wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:01 pm How was Cold War even nominated for Best Director? I didn't think it had such a strong campaign. Does it mean that most people voted for it or can it be that just a few people voted for it but placed it high on their lists?

The way the Oscar nominations work is that the voters in each category fill out their ballots listing their choices ranked from 1 - 5. In the first round only the number one choices are counted, anything that didn't get a number one vote is eliminated. They have a magic number for a nomination, any films with that number of first choice placings gets automatically nominated. The film with the lowest total number one choices is eliminated and those ballots redistributed based on the number 2 ranking. It carries on like this until there are 5 nominees. So Cold War had to have a certain amount of number one votes to make it to the final five.

Also take into consideration that it’s not the entire category choosing the nominees, but it’s the specific branches. So the directors are voting for the Directing nominees, actors vote for acting nominees, costume designers vote for costumes, etc (except for Foreign Language and Documentary, which are voted through committees).

EDIT: Also consider the time and availability of screeners. And, not that I’m saying this is the sole factor, but it is a potential factor - when you are watching multiple movies that hit 2 hours or more, and then you get one that is 88 mins, you tend to think, “Thank God!” Fortunately, COLD WAR is also well made (hence it received 3 nominations).

Cold War apparently received a hefty push from Amazon and was their awards player for the year after Beautiful Boy tanked, so this is also an example of effective campaigning from a studio

Brian C wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:10 pm Just try turning on private browsing or a different browser or device and see if that works. The NYT only allows 5 free articles per month, but that’s easily worked around by trying any of the above.

Another simple work-around is after the paywall loads just save the page to your computer and you get the article in full sans paywall overlay.

Brian C wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:10 pm Just try turning on private browsing or a different browser or device and see if that works. The NYT only allows 5 free articles per month, but that’s easily worked around by trying any of the above.

Another simple work-around is after the paywall loads just save the page to your computer and you get the NYT article in full sans paywall overlay.

swo17 wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:40 am The more I think about it, the more I like BlacKkKlansman and...none of these other films

Hard agree. I liked A Star Is Born and Cold War and have more affection than admiration for the spirit of Roma, but to me BlacKkKlansman should run away with Best Picture and Best Director and the fact that it's such a longshot for that to happen is a shame. It's not only the perfect film for this era, but it's probably (I haven't seen them all yet) the best one nominated in those categories.

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 4:33 pm

swo17 wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:40 am The more I think about it, the more I like BlacKkKlansman and...none of these other films

Hard agree. I liked A Star Is Born and Cold War and have more affection than admiration for the spirit of Roma, but to me BlacKkKlansman should run away with Best Picture and Best Director and the fact that it's such a longshot for that to happen is a shame. It's not only the perfect film for this era, but it's probably (I haven't seen them all yet) the best one nominated in those categories.

Hard disagree with both of you! I like BlacKkKlansman a lot (on my list it’s in a cluster of very good films in the #8-15 range for the year), but this is one of the rare years where the two best films (Roma and The Favourite) are also nominated for Best Picture. I wouldn’t be upset if Lee’s film won, but it’s one of three worthy candidates*.

* I still need to see A Star is Born, Green Book, and Bohemian Rhapsody, but there’s a reason for that.

The only thing I am hoping for this year is that Spike Lee wins best director. Everything else, let the chips fall.

Roma and The Favourite are fine but I have a hard time getting too worked up about them (and I really like both directors)

I'm just impressed that you went out to the movie theater to see The Favourite.

It's an annual tradition my brother and I have started doing with every Lanthimos feature

In Japan they call Lanthimos "Annual Gift Man," and he lives on the moon

Ribs wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:06 pm As a thread in the lists project subforum can attest, the Directors branch has a long and storied history of getting one random cool pick that doesn’t get into other major categories, like Lynch for Mulholland Drive and Almodovar for Talk to Her

Also Amazon has been pushing it like a madman.

swo17 wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 5:16 pm Roma and The Favourite are fine but I have a hard time getting too worked up about them (and I really like both directors)

Sums up how I also feel about Lee's film (haven't seen Lanthimos yet)

Fair enough!

I'm rather surprised at the many people who named 2018 a great year for cinema, as this is the year where most films I merely "liked", with only Burning and Cold War at the moment being great films for me (and am guessing Beale would join).
Especially compared to last year's crazy amount of terrific films. First time in a while that I don't love any BP nominee (I usually get a spectrum of Love > Hate on these BP nominees)

It's probably the strongest year of films for me since 2007, and even that year was a little top heavy, looking back, compared to how many films I would describe as great this year (and I still haven't seen Burning, one of the two you mentioned). So, you know, it's all a matter of taste.

According to Variety, only the nominated songs from Black Panther and A Star is Born will be performed during the ceremony

Man they really do hate Diane Warren at this point

You'd think without a host they'd have time to spare for the full roster of songs. They could just do them in a big medley that gets a bunch of stars onstage in one 8-10 minute sequence; I think if the producers of the show believe that the priority in keeping the showtime down for what is colloquially known as the 'Gay Super Bowl' is cutting musical numbers, they probably shouldn't be the producers of the show.

Does anyone even remember the Black Panther song? Why not have fun with Tim Blake Nelson?

knives wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:14 pmWhy not have fun with Tim Blake Nelson?

"Who?" - the people buying the advertisers' chips and soda

dda1996a wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:54 pm I'm rather surprised at the many people who named 2018 a great year for cinema, as this is the year where most films I merely "liked", with only Burning and Cold War at the moment being great films for me (and am guessing Beale would join).
Especially compared to last year's crazy amount of terrific films. First time in a while that I don't love any BP nominee (I usually get a spectrum of Love > Hate on these BP nominees)

I mean, I got to say, this was a fantastic year for me. I currently have 3 films from this year in my Top 100 of all time, which is just kind of obscene: Burning, The Other Side of the Wind, and First Reformed.

After that there's just a very nice depth of interesting movies that I really liked a lot: Private Life, Leave No Trace, The Rider, Annihilation, Zama, Apostle, You Were Never Really Here, The World is Yours, Upgrade, Happy as Lazzaro, Roma, and I could go on...

And I still haven't seen Cold War, Beale Street, Eighth Grade, Long Day's Journey Into Night, or An Elephant Sitting Still!

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:40 pm

knives wrote: Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:14 pmWhy not have fun with Tim Blake Nelson?

"Who?" - the people buying the advertisers' chips and soda

Well duh, but the song does have a lot of fun stage potential and bluesgrass seems like a way to get new people to watch.