The Hollywood Reporter’s Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot series is here! And I’m enjoying it, even though some of these voters are absolutely infuriating. Yesterday, we discussed Ballot #1, from a woman in the acting branch of the Academy, who had many weird opinions about how Arrival sucked and Mahershala Ali shouldn’t get an Oscar (RAGE!). This is Ballot #2, from a “member of the 389-member public relations branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.” You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Disqualifying Best Picture nominees: “I didn’t dislike any of the nine. That being said, Fences, more or less, feels like a play — it already won the Tony, and I don’t feel it deserves an Oscar. Lion is a little too predictable in its storytelling — you knew where it was going from the beginning. Hacksaw is out because its storytelling is just a little too traditional. I really liked Hidden Figures and I’m glad it’s been so successful, but it’s fundamentally a conventional studio movie and just not as deep as the others.”
Finally, someone who doesn’t think La La Land was the greatest thing ever: “I liked La La Land a great deal, but it felt a little light for me — I feel like a curmudgeon saying that, but it’s true, it just was not a home run. I love Hell or High Water, but I found that I loved three other movies more. Whereas Hell or High Water is great entertainment, Manchester [by the Sea] actually gets to the emotional core of who we are — it’s just weightier, and I prefer that.
The voter went for Moonlight for Best Picture: “But, as far as my vote, it wasn’t close for me: I just loved Moonlight. The construction and humanity of it was just outstanding — [co-writer/director] Barry Jenkins is really a poet. A story about someone who is just desperately seeking love — I mean, who could not be touched by it? I thought it was amazing.
Best Director: “I knocked off [Hacksaw Ridge’s] Gibson and [Manchester by the Sea’s Kenneth] Lonergan right off the bat. I liked both of their movies, but I don’t see them as directorial achievements. I was actually pretty surprised that Gibson even got a nomination. He’s a talented director, but he wasn’t worthy of a nomination for this movie, and I say that totally apart from my personal feelings about him, which aren’t supposed to factor in here — although he certainly harbors some prejudices that I don’t like and I wouldn’t want to have him over for dinner or to marry my daughter. [La La Land’s Damien] Chazelle and [Arrival’s Denis] Villneueve did fine jobs, but [Moonlight’s Barry] Jenkins is the only real option here.
A vote for Casey Affleck for Best Actor: “Ryan Gosling is very charming and likable, but I don’t think he gave an Oscar-level performance — he gets an A for effort, but not an AA [Academy Award] because the Oscars aren’t for effort, they’re for achievement. The other four are all wonderful. Viggo [Mortensen, of Captain Fantastic], Denzel [Washington, of Fences] and [Andrew] Garfield [of Hacksaw Ridge] gave great performances, but Casey had the hardest acting challenge and was a cut above the rest. It’s really hard to play a guy who you’re not supposed to like and make him someone who you like because you see there’s more to the man.
The Best Actress: “Let’s be real: [Florence Foster Jenkins’ Meryl] Streep was excellent, but other people — starting with Annette Bening, for 20th Century Women — were equally or more deserving this year. I think the Golden Globes speech helped her a great deal. I love French films, but [Elle’s] Isabelle Huppert was just doing what she often does, playing a sophisticated Frenchwoman with a secret. I love [La La Land’s] Emma Stone — she’s charming and adorable — but, as much as I hate to say it, her singing and dancing wasn’t that terrific. She’s not Cyd Charisse or Debbie Reynolds, you know? It was a very hard choice for me between [Loving’s] Ruth Negga and [Jackie’s] Natalie Portman. Both were extraordinary. Negga had to give a complete, nuanced performance without having much to actually do, since all the courtroom drama was off the screen, and she was luminous. Portman had to do the opposite — to believably recreate someone we all know in situations we all remember, but not look like she was forcing it. I guess I just was even more impressed with Portman.
Yay, a vote for Mahershala Ali! “I like Michael Shannon — he’s done really outstanding work — but I actually found him to be the weak link in Nocturnal Animals, which I liked more than most and hoped to see get more attention. Lucas Hedges was really good [in Manchester by the Sea], but not Oscar-worthy. It was really close between [Moonlight’s Mahershala] Ali, Bridges and Patel, because all three are worthy. Patel was very good as a likable character, but I will wait ’til he does something better before voting for him. Bridges was amazing, but in the way that he always is, kind of like Meryl Streep. But Ali was doing something we hadn’t really seen and in a very convincing way that made you miss him when he was gone.
A vote for Viola Davis: “Octavia Spencer [of Hidden Figures] was fine, but it was a predictable and unspectacular performance. [Moonlight’s] Naomie Harris was fine. [Lion’s] Nicole Kidman was really great in a non-glamorous role. And even though Michelle Williams was only in Manchester for a few minutes, I thought she did an amazing job. But I gave it to [Fences’] Viola Davis because she gave a full-throated performance that really laid it all out there — she’s always willing to strip herself naked to reveal a character, and never more so than with this movie.
I’m feeling pretty simpatico with this Oscar voter. I agree that Barry Jenkins is a poet and that Moonlight was the best film this year. I agree that La La Land was enjoyable but it wasn’t deep and Emma Stone doesn’t really deserve an Oscar for being cute. I agree that Michael Shannon is the bomb but he doesn’t deserve an Oscar for Nocturnal Animals. The only thing I disagree with is Casey Affleck for Best Actor – CB and I were talking about this the other day, but there’s really only a five-minute segment of the film where I was like “okay, Casey is doing Oscar caliber work here.” The rest of the time, he’s just dead inside. He does well at playing an empty shell, but still… why are people so crazy about his performance, honestly?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Years from now folks are gonna look back at this year’s Oscars and wonder what the heck everyone was thinking giving La La Land all these nominations and praise. Like the movie is okay but it’s not this great masterpiece that folks keep on insisiting it is. Emma and Ryan are both good actors especially Ryan but this whole film and their performances are incredibly overrated.
My aunt saw La La Land and said pretty much the same thing – it was a good movie, not this masterpiece that everyone kept saying it was. She enjoyed it, but that’s about as far as it went.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if it won some awards, just because of how much Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood / showbusinness.
i also enjoyed la la land, it was cute and fluffy. it’s undeserving of the massive praise though, especially in year with films like moonlight and lion.
I feel like LALALand is this year’s Shakespeare in Love. Commercial success, but what?!…
Goop also won her Oscar for a fine, but not great, performance in Shakespeare in Love. I feel like you have to turn out this mind-blowing, never-to-be-seen-again caliber of work to even get nominated for (much less win) an acting Oscar when you’re a person of color, whereas white women often get to be likeable and pretty – and white men simply familiar – to win.
Edited: als and others talk about Goop below.
I think it got made/released at the right time – a lot of people are desperately looking for escapism these days.
I loved La La Land. It was a fun movie to watch but I don’t understand the Oscar hype around it. I love Emma Stone but she definitely did not give the best performance of the year. That, in my opinion, goes to Amy Adams but she is not even nominated.
My vote would have been for Amy Adams for both Arrival and Nocturnal Animals. The fact that she gave two Oscar-worthy performances of totally different characters really impressed me.
I think you are wrong about one thing.
No one is going to think about La La Land in a few years. It will be completely forgotten.
I love Ruth Negga but I think Portman might win it – she’s the Academy golden girl plus she’s pregnant again and the voters do love a pregnant nominee. ITA about Affleck, he’s over rated and I really don’t like him as a person.
off topic but Natalie’s upper lip is WAY too inflated, looks dumb
Was Shakespeare in Love heavier than La La Land?
I am only asking because there is this big fuss over how light La La Land is. They gave the Oscar to Gwyneth for Shakespeare in Love that did not seem all that heavy.
and everyone back then complained it wasn’t that good, and that gwyneth’s dad bought her the oscar that should have gone to cate blanchett. i clearly remember it because i was a kid, and had a massive crush on paltrow back then (i was like 10, but yeah bad taste) and i was so offended by people saying that lol
It was probably more Harvey Weinstein that bought her that oscar; never got Paltrow appeal even back then , Blanchett not havong this oscar is one of the bigggest oscar fail ever; laughable; i feel emma stone would be more worthy than paltrow was back then.
Blanchett in Elizabeth was transcendent. The film is good but her performance was amazeballs. She made that film one for the ages and she is unforgettable in that role. That said, it was her first big film and the Academy just didn’t know her then.
These comments are just making me want to have a Cate movie marathon instead of watching the stupid Oscars.
No, it wasn’t. Which is fine. Shakespeare in Love was an extremely well done bit of light fluff, just like La La Land. For some reason people just like to think that’s somehow easier to produce and less worthy of acknowledgement than something dramatic and dark.
Gwyneth didn’t deserve that Oscar, but she got it and that’s why people think it’s equally a popularity contest and talent, but sometimes popularity wins over actual merit.
For me, the quality of the Shakespeare in Love script elevated it over La La Land. Any script that Tom Stoppard has a hand in is guaranteed to be of a particular standard. It didn’t have anything as cringeworthy as Ryan Gosling’s white saviour of jazz, you know? I do agree on Gwyneth’s performance though, that was nothing more than serviceable. She can do an approximation of an accent, big deal, Brits do the reverse all the time.
Re: white saviour of jazz… what was that anyway? I don’t think a student in a creative writing class would get away with that without at least a discussion/note from a prof pointing out how problematic it is. Why are big time films so far behind in this regard?
And does Gosling just play the same character in most films? Misunderstoof smartass with a heart of gold? I mean, I am here for him physically (lol) but I don’t get the appeal of his characters.
Ryan certainly did not play that role in either Blue Valentine or Half Nelson, both of which I would recommend.
I’m still bitter that Shakespeare in Love beat Saving Private Ryan for best picture. No way no how is that movie better than SPR, and it’s held up over time.
I mostly agree. Portman was not good at all. The movie was awful. Same with Casey.
I like LLL but for Damien to say it was “super difficult” to get made is laughable in a year with Moonlight on the table. Have a seat sir.
What? So I am the only one who really enjoyed Michael Shannon’s performance? Generally Nocturnal Animals should have gotten far more recognition (imho)
Nope, I thought he was great too. And I thought NA was incredible, I’m really surprised it didn’t get more nominations!. Jake G. and Tom Ford should have gotten nominations for best actor/director.
I just watched it – it’s beautifully shot and the performances are very impressive, but the visuals were a little bit too literal for my taste. I think “A single man” was a better movie.
I thought he was spectacular. I had mixed feelings about the movie, but Shannon was amazing.
LOVED Nocturnal Animals. LOVED IT. It’s #3 on my list for the year.
i agree with most of what he says, i don’t get how moonlight isn’t getting the same accolades as la la land. it was just wonderful, and so so touching. and mahershala ali should get all the votes, he played his character in a way that really stuck with you, and his role was so small. he’s SO good and i want to see him on lead roles. dev patel was wonderful in lion, but ali was something else.
i haven’t watched manchester by the sea so i can’t judge affleck’s performance, but i’m always gonna be put off by him on a human level.
I agree with the commenter above that Portman was not good. She really seemed like she was ~acting~ and her accent was truly awful. It was a really strange movie, and some of the cinematography seemed incredibly low budget.
Her accent was on point tho. I saw a side by side comparision with the actual Jackie and Natalie did great.
Her accent was strange because jackies accent at the time seems strange to us nowadays. But if you watch her White House tour you will see that Natalie did an excellent job with it.
I thought the accent matched the white house tour just fine, but deviated in the other scenes when she didn’t have the video to go by.
It is kind of amazing that Jackie really talked like that. My god, why? This is completely irrational but it grates on my nerves to the point that I could never watch the movie. Where does that “accent” even come from? i know she was extremely priveledged, even before marrying JFK, but I still don’t get how money could insulate a person to the point that they talk that way. I mean, you still hear other people talk for gods sake, on tv, radio, the grocery store, etc?!?! JFK had a Boston accent, which I get, but a rich, **shole accent? Dear god.
When you watch old US films from the ’40s, ’50s, etc, the actors have really precise diction and veer towards the Brit accent.
I think it’s a shame that ‘good movie’ has come to mean ‘deep and dramatic’ movie. So many of the greatest films are fluff. Brilliant, glorious, delightful fluff. The Oscars used to hold those sorts of films in high regard alongside successful dramas, and I think it’s a shame that changed (admittedly decades ago).
La La Land is light. It’s meant to be light. It wouldn’t somehow be a better movie if you added in some horrible, tragic or depressing story arc or took out all the fantasy touches.
Anyway, I agree with this voter on Moonlight, and with her assessment of Fences and Hidden Figures. Denzel might as well have just released the filmed play instead of shooting it again. In fact I kind of wish he’d just done that, because the Broadway version was the exact same thing but with more energy. And Hidden Figures is a very enjoyable, important film with some great acting, but there’s nothing special about the actual film making, which is all very paint by numbers.
I can’t comment on who I think should win because I’ve only seen La La Land and Jackie. But in general, I agree with your sentiment that “good movie” or “great performance” has come to mean “people need to be destroyed when they walk out of the theater”. Why? It is damn hard to make a truly wonderful, uplifting, entertaining movie that lets people have a good time. I’m not saying La La Land qualifies but this refusal to view, for example, most comedies as award worthy seems ludicrous. It’s not hard to make me cry or feel for a character with a terrible life or tragedy. It’s an achievement to make people laugh. And possibly be clever doing it.
People are going to yell at me but one of the better movies I saw recently that qualifies as “bad” for many because it does contain a fair amount of crazy/dumb was Bad Moms. I laughed and enjoyed it because underneath the sometimes stupid and cheap jokes was something else. A pretty sharp observation of many women’s daily reality. Not award worthy, mind you. But surprisingly refreshing.
You may yell at me now.
Well said. And I loved “Bad Moms.” I have no desire to see depressing movies. I’m depressed enough reading the news. I like seeing dramas but if they’re depressing beyond belief, forget it. I don’t need to come out of a movie theater feeling depressed nor do I need to be taught a life lesson.
Haven’t seen Bad Moms (laid up with a broken kneecap) so may have to give it a look see. I need some laughs right now.
I agree about the backlash against La La Land. I found it enormously entertaining and loved the “fantasy” of it and the throwback feeling to musicals from the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s. Singing in the Rain, American in Paris, Fred Astaire movies have an important place in our cinema history. I loved Moonlight, but it’s beautifully made poetic sadness and yearning doesn’t mean that I can’t love La La Land just as much. They are both wonderful cinematic achievements. God knows with the terrible events brought on by Trump, I need escapism.
Co-signing on all this. Hollywood and awards in general routinely undervalue performances and performers who operate on the lighter end of the spectrum, or acknowledge them only when the lightness is somehow linked to ISSUES. Like Jennifer Lawrence winning for a romcom feat. Depression and Mental Health Issues.
The real test is, will you remember it in five years? La La Land may fail that test but so have plenty of other Oscar winners this last decade.
That’s what bugs me. HF is one of those movies to me, like forest Gump, that will be remember in 5 years and longer.
I happen to think Forrest Gump is hackneyed and trite and the truly groundbreaking nominee that year was Pulp Fiction.
but the Academy both then and now has a very ‘don’t scare the horses’ mentality. They can’t take anything interesting beyond a v narrow limit.
I have not seen La La Land yet. But I want to see it!
I thought the Artist was a bit light but really well done. They won that year, correct?!
Eh…was Portman inpressive because we have lower standards for her and didn’t expect much?
Agree with all of his picks with the exception of best actress/actor (I’d go with Denzel and Isabelle instead). I also liked that he gave a shout out to Annette Benning. What happened to her Oscar buzz?? It’s actually a bit baffling, given how strong the lead actress candidates were this year, that this is the line up we ended up with (but of course, the Academy is always so pressed to nominate Meryl). Personally, I think the nominees should have been Amy Adams, Annette Benning, Ruth Negga, Natalie Portman, and Isabelle Huppert (I haven’t yet seen Hidden Figures so I can’t comment on Taraji’s performance).
Isabelle may really win Best Actress…I haven’t seen many Academy voters in these articles say they are voting for Emma. The choices have been all over the place.
First of all, I love Amy Adams. I have to get that out of the way before I say: Arrival was terrible. One: the whole Bill and Ted, ‘go back and call us in the future, dude!’ plot thing is something I cannot get by. Fifth Element ripoff: we will need your help in some thousands of years, so that’s why we’re here. Two: what on earth was that writing?? “You know, meeting aliens was cool and all, but the best part of this was…. meeting YOU.” “Whose phone is that!? It’s calling China!” “It’s YOUR phone, Sir!” CALL CHINA. And of course it’s the Chinese ramping up the violence, right? That’s not something the US government actually does instead. I would really like Amy to go for something a little less obvious, because her talent isn’t really showcased in these things at all.
Yeah that outcome where country collaborate for the greater good is utopistic to say the least. They totally lost me there.
Yeah, Arrival had issues. It’s an absolutely stunning film to look at, but the actual story is really weak (I feel like enjoyment of it might relate to how early you see the ‘twist’ coming?), and I’m incredibly sick of the ridiculous trope that China and Russia are more militaristic and aggressive than the US.
Oh, I loved Arrival and thought it worked beautifully – a complex story with unexpected layers – it illustrated the encounter with advanced intelligence so perfectly.
I can’t believe what I’ve just read.
To me Natalie Portman is the most overrated actress of this generation. Her face always looks constipated and inexpressive in general.
Literally anybody is a better actress.
Agreed. I hate admitting it because I have a real bias against her but I have never, ever, EVER understood the Natalie Portman hype. I liked her in Beautiful Girls but since then I’ve found her insufferable and annoying.
I was disappointed by Jackie and left the theater feeling confused by the many positive reviews. She never disappeared into character for me. It was always Natalie Portman up there. . . pretending. It felt strange and gratuitous to me. Why tell this story? Why now?
Aside: I sometimes think established actresses should know better than to play iconic women. Nicole Kidman as Grace, Naomi Watts as Diana: It so rarely works. Is it vanity that makes them try?
Many people seem to feel that Natalie is overrated as an actress and I agree. I think, because she is graceful & composed, because she has an aura of intelligence and sophistication about her, people, frankly, project onto her and see in her performances a talent that is not there.
La La Land was a cute, enjoyable movie (and I’m a lover of musicals) but it definitely didn’t deserve the same number of nominations as All About Eve. Hopefully Moonlight wins because it deserves it, I thought about that movie for weeks after watching it. I’m glad someone FINALLY acknowledged that Annette Bening was terrific in 20th century women and deserved a nomination over Meryl. I also wish Viggo could upset his category, but a girl can dream.
I don’t agree with either of this voter’s lead acting choices. Portman looks exquisite, but that attempt at Jackie’s accent is a joke and this is Oscar bait to its core – a biopic of a beloved public figure with an accent? Please! That shit is “impressive” by default.
Same with Casey Affleck – the Oscar voter who said he was mostly one-note, was right. And so was the person on the anonymous Oscar voter panel who noted that this was basically rewarding him for bad behaviour and not facing up to the consequences of his actions.
Have you watched jackies White House tour recently? Natalie has copied it exactly. It is a strange accent, but it was jackies public accent at the time.
This. She got Jackie’s accent and extremely odd speech patterns dead on. It does sound horribly forced and unnatural, but so did Jackie.
The combination of an extreme Mid-Atlantic accent with hints of Long Island peeking through, plus the put on whispery baby voice…Jackie had a very strange accent even among her peers in class and upbringing.
As we should have learned from Meryl Streep’s undeserved nominations. … an accent does not make for an award-worthy performance. And she came across as very much ‘acting’.
This person at least seems a bit more reasoned in their decisions, the previous person came across as bitter and snide.
As long as Viola wins, I don’t really care about much else.
The choices seem particularly difficult this year. I have not seen every movie but I have yet to see THE movie or THE performance that took my breath away like in some years. Some were very, very close- Moonlight, Viggo, Ali, Affleck, Shannon, Viola (yes to her performance, not to movie though.) I would have to just not vote in Best Actress- I would have chosen Bening. But what do I know? Brokeback Mountain would be in the top ten best pictures I’ve ever seen and it didn’t even win it’s year.
Jackie was a travesty of a movie and Natalie Portman was horrible in it.
+100
Co-signed. Natalie portman giving a white house tour just like Jackie does not an oscar make.
Cate Blanchett should have received the Oscar instead of Goop. That’s something I read from time to time on this site. That year it should have gone to Fernanda Montenegro who gave a beautiful performance in Central Station. Her role was of a woman hardened by life, not easily sympathetic, no swirling camera work (Elizabeth), no soaring musical score, no words from Shakespeare and Stoppard and no cheap sentiment. The poetry in the film came from within her performance. If you can find it, please watch it.
That is an amazing film. I cry whenever I watch it.
Going against the tide here… Casey was phenomenal… you might despise/dislike him with his personal life issues (that shouldn’t be forgotten). But he was really great, so great that after I saw the movie at NYFF last year, I told my friends he was going to get nominated and possibly win.
Yeah, I agree. Plus he’s owed for Jesse James and The Killer Inside Me. I don’t like the man, found him creepy long before the harassment suit, but he is a great actor.
If the Oscars were to institute some kind of morality clause to stop giant assholes getting nominated/winning, I’d be cool with that since it’s not like they actually select based purely on merit anyway. But until they actually do something like that, I’d rather see the actual best performances win rather than just handing the award to someone more likeable.
Portman was utterly boring. Negga should win. Will she? No idea. But Portman ? MEH.
None of the lead actress nominees stand out. It’s a shame viola Davis isn’t nominated here because she would be a home run. I hope category fraud doesn’t hurt her chances at supporting. Fences the movie was okay (the criticism of it being just a filmed play stands) but viola gave it all she got.
I agree. Leading actress category is very weak. Good performances sure, but Oscar worthy? I think Negga has the potential, just not quite in that movie. Annette Bening should have been nominated. Viola could have won leading.
I think Manchester by the sea should win everything it can. I don’t even like him but Casey affleck was great, playing an ordinary underachiever who has a terrible tragic bit of bad luck. I was yelling at the screen because I hated him but yet you had to root for him because kids were at stake. Michelle williams was incredible. I can’t say I’ve ever seen someone make such an impression in four short scenes. And Ken lonergan is a national treasure. He should def win for writing and I think also for directly. There was not a wasted second on the film.