Oscar Nominations -- How Many of the Movies Have you Seen?

[TLSnell1981]

Avatar
Elvis
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Turning Red

 

[luvnwdwgal]

None

 

[HopperFan]

Honestly, Maverick probably shouldn't be nominated. I saw it (well, kind ahalf-watched it) at a friends house, and it's...well, it's kinda dumb. I mean, I get it as a crowd-pleaser, a Star Wars type of movie (surprisingly too much like STar Wars actually), and it's fine on that level. If I could stand seeing Tom Cruise on screen for even a second I'd probably even like it. I think the cinematography is really it's only truly outstanding trait though.

Avatar is more complicated. It's a deeper movie with more to say, but also it just pushes cinema to it's technical limits. It is groundbreaking in that regard and deserves recognition for that. Best Picture might also be a stretch though. I would almost think it would have made more sense ot have nominated Cameron for Best Director as what he did is nothing short of phenomonal, but at the end of the day it's still a big, loud, blockbuster movie - not that that's a bad thing, but it's not really a "Best Picture" thing. This is probably why it won't win either.

My issue with both is they are not original, they are basically the same movie with changes, continuations of a previous movie. No exceptional acting was needed in either. Just because a film makes big bucks doesn't make it a Best Picture quality film.

I agree Cameron made a top notch cartoon but the story is not original, not even the first one was original. I disagree that there is anything deep to it. So predictable. If something is going to be Best Picture quality it needs to move the audience, have some real depth with layers, and meaning, quality acting or singing. These award ceremonies seem to have become popularity contests more than quality recognitions. Perhaps the slow return of film to theaters (I know as I try to go at least weekly) has limited the choices.

And the whole qualifying process really does diminish the offerings at the theater and hence perhaps some of the quality as it has to translate to the big screen.

The fact that The Whale was not nominated, a movie with so many stories within, that left our audience in complete silence, feeling it with every nerve ... yet a cartoon and airplane stunt movie made it in is a joke. There are categories for them but not Best Picture.

 

[Carol_]

I saw Maverick and Puss in Boots. I watched Turning Red for as long as I could but when just going to bed felt like a better option than watching the end, I went to bed. It was going nowhere fast. Reading the list of nominees has convinced me not to read even the list in the future. They can’t even keep that PG.

 

[antmaril]

Top Gun - Maverick.

 

[mamamary]

None. I do plan on watching Elvis at some point.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

None. I am not much of a movie person.

 

[lynxstch]

None, and I've only heard of Avatar, Maverick, Elvis, and Fableman's. I just looked up The Banshees of Inisherin and it sounds interesting, going to see about ordering it.

 

[lynxstch]

Never watched the Oscars, aren't they on in the middle of the night?

No, they are usually on around 8 pm until 11 or so.

 

[Mysterian]

Have only seen Everything Everywhere All at Once.

I want to see The Fabelmans. Spielberg directing David Lynch as John Ford? Wild.

I hear Banshees is great. I've seen the director's previous film, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri. See it, it's another great movie with an interesting mix of humor and drama.

I'm guessing Avatar's biggest strength for an Oscar nom is the visual effects. Part of Avatar 2's $2 Billion budget goes to promotion, including lobbying with the usual "For Your Consideration" Oscar nom promotions. I heard A2 already reached $2 Billion in sales, so no stress for Cameron's folks about breaking even.

 

[DisneyClassicFan]

None, but I would like to see Everything Everywhere All At Once.

 

[Wiltony]

I watch a lot of movies. I haven't seen all of these, but I've seen most. Here is the list, and my quick takes:

Best picture​

• "All Quiet on the Western Front" - haven't seen, heard it was good though! On my list to see...eventually.
• "Avatar: The Way of Water" - Visually, this was the best movie I've ever seen. Not a "best picture" movie though due to the middling plot and the lack of world-building innovation compared to the first Avatar.
• "The Banshees of Inisherin" - "sequel" to In Bruges, which I've seen. Heard it was good, on my list to watch.
• "Elvis" - Was okay, but too long, got bored. Baz Luhrmann's "wacky" style didn't work as well here as it did in Moulin Rouge. This movie does not belong on this list, in my opinion.
• "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - Absolutely amazing movie. Innovative, fun, had heart, great acting. This deserves to win and was my favorite movie of the year!
• "The Fabelmans" - Good movie, introspective and engaging, but these "love letter to Hollywood" -type movies always seem like oscar-bait and just don't speak to me as much as it seems they're hoping to.
• "Tár" - Heard it was awesome and that Cate Blanchett is also a shoe-in for Best Actress, even though I hope it goes to Michelle Yeoh, who I think deserves it. On my list to see ASAP.
• "Top Gun: Maverick" - Rarely does a sequel hold up to a classic, but they did a great job on this one. It deserves success and recommendations. Not quite a "best picture" though. Still, glad it got nominated, as "popcorn action movies" usually get passed over for BP noms in favor of more artsy pictures.
• "Triangle of Sadness" - Heard it was great, had a reservation to go see and got cancelled -- need to remedy that and go see it! Haven't heard it being as awesome as others on this list, however.
• "Women Talking" - the only movie on this list I haven't even heard of. I might get around to watching it.

Other Non-Best Picture Nominations That I've Seen​

• "The Whale" - I'm enthralled at the "Brenaissance" happening right now. Fraser did a great job in The Whale. He deserves the "Best Actor" on this one and I'll be really happy for him if he wins it.
• "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" - Cute movie, bizarre premise, but a fun distraction with a lot of heart.
• "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" - Great movie to watch with the kids. Cute and funny. It seems like others liked it even more than I did, but I don't have any qualms with that.
• "Turning Red" - Didn't care of this one at all. Too "wacky" and the message was way off base. Misfire.
• "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" - Good movie, lots of twists, intrigue, and comedy. Recommended.
• "Babylon" - This one was okay, but went on too long and seriously went off the rails in the third act. Glad I watched it, and recommend it for fans of the genre, actors, director, etc., but I probably won't watch it again. Another "love letter to hollywood" movie, like La La Land, and Fablemans. Seriously Hollywood, get over yourselves! Haha!
• "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - Good addition to the MCU, but not top-notch, as we've come to expect from Marvel. I had some problems with this one, especially compared to its amazing predecessor.
• "The Batman" - Too dark, too long, too moody. Showing my age on this one, but this felt like it was made for Gen Z, which it probably was, and I guess that's okay as it seems to have done really well with that demographic.

 

[tvguy]

None.

 

[Skippy918]

I’ve seen:
Top Gun - it was decent. Lots of action. Some of those flight scenes were cool
avatar- saw it 3D imax. great visuals and cinematograph. Plot seemed redundant.
every everywhere.. - saw it and thought it was really bizarre.

 

[_19disnA]

Haven't seen any since not been a theatre in a few years. However, some of the reviews talking about Tom Cruise not getting nominated don't surprise me. Always have found him a one-dimensional actor who seems to play the 'wise guy' role no matter what movie he has been in. Admittedly, all of these nominations are subjective and what appeals to some won't appeal to others.

 

[bcla]

Honestly, Maverick probably shouldn't be nominated. I saw it (well, kind ahalf-watched it) at a friends house, and it's...well, it's kinda dumb. I mean, I get it as a crowd-pleaser, a Star Wars type of movie (surprisingly too much like STar Wars actually), and it's fine on that level. If I could stand seeing Tom Cruise on screen for even a second I'd probably even like it. I think the cinematography is really it's only truly outstanding trait though.

Avatar is more complicated. It's a deeper movie with more to say, but also it just pushes cinema to it's technical limits. It is groundbreaking in that regard and deserves recognition for that. Best Picture might also be a stretch though. I would almost think it would have made more sense ot have nominated Cameron for Best Director as what he did is nothing short of phenomonal, but at the end of the day it's still a big, loud, blockbuster movie - not that that's a bad thing, but it's not really a "Best Picture" thing. This is probably why it won't win either.

There are now 10 Best Picture nominations each year, so that does sometimes lead to the nomination board just throwing in whatever they can find to meet that number.

I will say that Top Gun: Maverick is technically the best movie about aviation I've ever seen. Most of its predecessors just blue-screened actors in a set, while they actually filmed actors in a real cockpit. However, I have seen some talk about it from former military pilots. Some say it's pretty accurate how it feels, but I remember one saying that if you have to grunt all the time because it's so tough, you probably don't belong there. However, Tom Cruise was really good in it and there was talk that he might get an acting nomination for it.

 

[mrodgers]

Without looking at the list I was going to say none.

But I scrolled and saw Top Gun in posts. I forgot about it, so that's one. I'm going to say one...

And after scrolling the list, Top Gun is the only one I've seen. I've only heard of 2 others, one I noticed early in the list but not later and actually couldn't remember what it was after scrolling towards the bottom. Avatar, as it was mentioned way down at the bottom again. Only know it was done from reading a thread title here on the DIS. The other is Black Panther, only known to me because a coworker asks me if I've seen every superhero movie that comes out when he knows I can't stand superhero movies.

 

[holden]

We watched "Everything Everywhere..." because DD20 loved it. Halfway through, I wasn't sure. By then end I thought it was amazing. I actually want to watch it again because now that I know where it was going I think I'd like it even more.

I have always loved Michelle Yeoh, ever since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." She's just great. And of course Jamie Lee Curtis - I've grown up with her. From "Halloween" to "Trading Places" to "A Fish Called Wanda"...she's always fun to watch.

This movie was different - funny, touching, thoughtful...everything a "Best Picture" should be.

 

[AnnaS]

Maverick
The Banshees of Inisherin

I started to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once - 30 minutes later and still could not get into it/understood it........what am I missing - should I watch again?

 

[holden]

Maverick
The Banshees of Inisherin

I started to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once - 30 minutes later and still could not get into it/understood it........what am I missing - should I watch again?

I would say stick with it. I was bawling my eyes out at the end.