A funny thing is happening in the Oscar race. A film that most people haven’t seen, that hasn’t been reviewed by critics – major or otherwise – is being touted as this year’s Best Picture winner. At first it seemed business as usual. Then the film premiered in Australia with a strict embargo of December 1. The film is currently being screened with that embargo in place. I Many of us will see on November 30. But the weird thing is, everyone is acting like it’s a go, like it doesn’t really even matter if the film is seen or not. She’s really that big of a star, that beloved by fans and the industry that it will get into the Best Director and Best Picture race anyway.
If Universal pulls this off it will be unlike anything I’ve ever seen in 16 years. We’ve had actors in the director race many times – big ones, like George Clooney and Ben Affleck. But their movies were seen first and the accepted or rejected by the awards voters. In fact, Clooney’s Ides of March seemed like it was going to get very close to the Best Picture race but did not. Ditto for Affleck’s The Town. I’ve never seen a movie star lead the hype as the film’s director. They always do it when actors are involved. This film is being rolled out as though Angelina Jolie were the star. And maybe, in the end, that will prove true.
The surprising thing about movie stars and Best Director is that they really can be like a supernova descending. Ben Affleck’s star power during Argo was a major force for the film’s success. If you’ve ever stood in a room with an actor-turned-director you can feel their charisma from all the way across the room and it’s nearly impossible to resist it. Affleck’s charm offensive was notorious. No one was safe from it. Everyone fell immediately in love with him upon sight – men, women, forget it. But Affleck had a movie a lot of people thought was really good. They saw the movie and then they celebrated him. With this, they’re celebrating Angelina long before they even see the movie – and I’m wondering if anyone cares.
Jolie is as big a star as Affleck and already has one major blockbuster behind her this year with Maleficent, to name just a tip of the Jolie iceberg. She was also given an Oscar last year for her humanitarian efforts. She even flew off to make another movie with husband Brad Pitt while Unbroken was still in post – all the while raising six kids.
You have to wonder if, indeed, it doesn’t matter if Unbroken is good or not. The story is already so big perhaps it will devour the need for the film to be good. After all, they vote for whom they like anyway, right? This past week I’ve been told by Oscar pundits from experts to amateurs that Unbroken will win, including Entertainment Weekly and Oscar blogging veteran, Dave Karger.
I find myself conflicted over this. On the one hand, I’ve long championed women filmmakers and if Jolie and Ava DuVernay (whose film has been seen and highly praised already, which put her in the race – no star power needed) manage to get in the same year that would be a record breaking year for women and something to celebrate. Worse case scenario the movie is bad and she gets in on her star power. That’s still a woman in the race and lord knows they’ve nominated enough men who didn’t deserve to get included either.
On the other hand, if she does get in and she doesn’t deserve it that could be more devastating for women in the long run because people will say all you have to do is be pretty and popular and you can get nominated for Best Director with a sub par film. We already have one woman in the race whose movie is being praised with standing ovations at press screenings, which hardly ever happens. And yet, all I hear from my Oscar pundit pals is all about Angelina Jolie. I’m perplexed, Oscar watchers.
Then again, maybe the movie really is that good and her star power and popularity only enhances her position in the race, one she would get anyway even if she weren’t Angelina Jolie. Maybe it’s really that good – as good as Selma, as good as Gone Girl and Boyhood and Birdman. That would be the most awesome thing to happen to the Oscars since Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won on the same night.
Though stars can’t lose if they have a reasonably good movie, they are often looked upon negatively in the years to come, especially if they beat a much better film. Robert Redford beating Martin Scorsese, Kevin Costner beating Martin Scorsese. Clint Eastwood beating Martin Scorsese.
What I sense with Unbroken and Angelina Jolie is a tsunami of good cheer and encouragement towards her. I do not know if those accolades are well deserved or not. Yet. I will find out on November 30. Either way, I’m fascinated by the way Universal is controlling the conversation with that embargo, while also taking full advantage of who Angelina Jolie is in American culture. That’s some really hot shit publicity at work, folks.
May the best woman win!
![2025 Oscars: Can a Late-Breaker Still Win Best Picture? [POLL]](https://www.awardsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gladiator-350x250.jpg)
^ 1985 maybe; judging by the earlier ‘comment’! For every douchey dumb cluck, there is a movie lover and would be cinephile who loves what you guys have always done, are currently doing and will do into the future. Happy New Year, Ryan. 🙂
^
is it 2015 yet?
Fuok you Sasha Stone and Fuck you Faggot Ryan, both of you are cowerdly
I want to kiss your feet and suck your toes, Sasha Stone. I would kill myself without Awards Daily! Happy New Year!!!
A lot of Jolie fans are in denial that its pretty obvious she is running the most desperate Oscar campaign of the year. Say what you want, but she really has her eye on that Best Director Oscat. Its a slap on the face to real directors who haven’t even been nominated, and she will probably pay off critics to give Unbroken great reviews. its wont be the first that that a non-director has done this.
Also, what reviews of Unbroken are there? None! There is an embargo for god sakes, That shows it can’t be that great.
correction: strategy
Hi Sasha
As an after thought to UNBROKEN again, what will you say if the movie after 30. November turns out to be brilliant and heartbreaking with fantastic sceenes and with a lot of amazing wonderful pictures ??
Again, in my opionion UNIVERSAL STUDIOS and Angelina Jolie want to keep the film fresh and nothing else is in their mind. Dear Sasha you are continually saying what is wrong with this picture and that you have never seen such a screening embargo for 16 years in your business. But Sasha you should very well know it, it’s pure stragedy of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. Everything is exactly on schedule for them and that for 15 Categories for the very next coming major AWARD SEASON as you can see on the list and the link below. But you are right, all of us want the same, only the BEST FILM OF 2014 should win it!
UNBROKEN – UNIVERSAL PICTURES
WE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT THIS FILM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR 15 CATEGORIES AND INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE FOLLOWING SCREENINGS
http://www.universalpicturesawards.com/main/screenings
LOS ANGELES
Tuesday-12/2 Beverly Hills 7:00 pm-
Thursday-12/4 Los Angeles 7:30 pm-
Saturday-12/6 Beverly Hills 11:00 am-
Saturday-12/6 Los Angeles 3:00 pm-
Monday-12/8 Universal City 7:00 pm-
Friday-12/12 Beverly Hills 7:00 pm-
Friday-12/12 Universal City 7:00 pm-
Saturday-12/13 Los Angeles 9:00 pm-
Tuesday-12/16 Beverly Hills 6:30 pm-
Wednesday-12/17 Los Angeles 7:30 pm-
Friday-12/19 Universal City 7:00 pm
Monday-12/22 Beverly Hills 6:30 pm-
Monday-12/22 Universal City 7:00 pm-
Tuesday-12/23 Los Angeles 7:30 pm-
Friday-12/26 Beverly Hills 7:00 pm-
Monday-12/29 Universal City 7:00 pm-
Monday-12/29 Los Angeles 7:30 pm-
Saturday-1/3 Beverly Hills 11:00 am-
Sunday-1/4 Los Angeles 3:00 pm-
Wednesday-1/7 Los Angeles 6:30 pm-
Wednesday-1/7 Beverly Hills 7:00 pm-
Thursday-1/8 Universal City 7:00 pm-
SAN FRANCISCO
Saturday-12/6 San Francisco 1:00 pm-
Sunday-12/14 San Francisco 2:00 pm
Sunday-12/14 San Francisco 7:00 pm-
Tuesday-12/16 San Francisco 7:00 pm-
Sunday-12/28 San Francisco 7:00 pm-
Tuesday-1/6 San Francisco 7:00 pm-
NEW YORK
Tuesday-12/2 New York 6:00 pm-
Friday-12/5 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Tuesday-12/9 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Thursday-12/11 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Tuesday-12/16 New York 6:00 pm-UniversalFriday-12/19
New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Tuesday-12/23 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Monday-12/29 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Friday-1/2 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
Wednesday-1/7 New York 6:00 pm-Universal
LONDON
Friday-12/5 London 7:00 pm-
Monday-12/8 London 7:00 pm-
Wednesday-12/10 London 7:00 pm-
Monday-12/15 London 7:00 pm-
Monday-12/22 London 7:00 pm-
Tuesday-1/6 London 7:00 pm-
I CAN’T BELIEVE, you’re probably right, but the journalist does say “judging from the scenes” which means they haven’t seen the whole film yet. “Some” would argue they’re hiding it out of shame, while I believe they’re simply working on it, trying to make everything as perfect as could be, like Scorsese did last year with WoWS.
So we must keep calm and be brave in the face of adversity, until we finally get to see the film in its entirety, and then and only then, we will hopefully have the pleasure to declare it a true masterpiece of epic proportions!
La vita è bella!
^^^Nobody is denying critics haven’t seen Unbroken! Seriously! We know, we know, we know! We are saying that there is an embargo on the reviews until early December. That means they cannot publish the reviews. Maybe they can outside of America but as far as I know we can’t see anything for a few more weeks. This is not a typical gossip site. Nobody is ignoring critics.
If a lot of you pretend to ignore the fact that movie critics all around the world have already seen the movie, as I try to demonstrate with my link, isn’t that tipical of a gossip site?
@RYAN ADAMS
My first message here was the 44° message of the discussion…so you, in all onesty, are saying that nobody here used a language tipical of a gossip site?
Steven, I agree.. Plan B is making exceptional films
About the embargo thing I don’t think it is because is a bad film.. I mean, we are ONE MONTH away there are tons of films with december premiere dates that don’t have early reviews.. I think there’s too much anxiety because there is no oscar frontrunner (I personally like to think because all movies are equally good) and people don’t have anything to write/cheer/complain about
And I believed that in this article you were speaking about director Angelina, sorry…
This article is about Angelina Jolie. This site is not.
I’m saying: You come here waving the Jolie flag and that’s fine, but we have a community here whose interests go far beyond your narrow focus. I’m saying: Maybe stop trying to scold and browbeat everybody into seeing things your way and you’ll feel less frustrated when you find out different people have different opinions.
Nobody’s calling you a jerk for your admiration for Angelina Jolie. Nobody is calling you stupid for liking In the Land of Blood and Honey. Some people like that movie. Some people can’t stand it. Wrap your head around that and see if you still feel that everyone who disagrees with you is nothing but a gossip-monger.
Because THAT’s how you decided to introduce yourself: The very first sentence you ever wrote here, you said this looked like a gossip site to you. I don’t know how pretty that sounds in Italian but in English it comes across as something a jerk would say.
And I believed that in this article you were speaking about director Angelina, sorry…
I believed “Jerks” was a sort of insult in your slang, sorry…
“which I thought was a blog for people who love movies and have good taste for good cinema, something as stupid and superficial as some messages left above…”
try talking about something besides your Angelina fetish and you might find some conversations here where you don’t have to call smart people stupid if they dare to have opinions different from yours.
Naomi,
Every year it’s the same drama, there are a couple films I’m looking forward to, and it has to be those very films that become the butt of negative speculation. Most films in the Oscar race generate some sort of anticipation long before they’re seen, but the few I’m anticipating are always the ones raising suspicions. Feeling cursed 🙁
Really, I can’t believe I’m reading, in a site like this, which I thought was a blog for people who love movies and have good taste for good cinema, something as stupid and superficial as some messages left above…
@ Christopher, Studios Companies like Universal or Warner Brothers only does embargo in huge films like franchises or mega-blockbusters. . Or a reason an embargo is done is because the movie is not that good. 2 mains reasons for that. I think there is a fear of the movie not being liked by people so that’s why she is doing this. And even though Universal is supporting Unbroken, I would not call it a huge film so I don’t know what she is hiding from and why she dodged all the film festivals, yet created a false hype for Unbroken being a mutli-Oscar winning Picture at the same time. I don’t buy that only the media is responsible for this hype but she and her team have a hand in it too.
Steven,
It was not that important. All I can say now is I sure hope this empty and negative speculation about Unbroken’s peculiar release plan is nothing but a clever way to downplay inflated expectations, so it can still make a splash.
Or else, if it is, as I suggested earlier, a snide strategy to hurt its awards cred, then I would be sorely disappointed…
I will not go with the program. I will not go gentle into that good night.
Christophe, maybe give me the bullet points until it pops back up?
On another note this is the time of year when we see some outsiders coming in and being jerks. The Oscar season get so heated this time of year…but…wait another month in December. Oh baby…there will be blood.
Yeah far too much inevitability talk about a movie nobody has seen. I wish I wasn’t, but I am bored of Unbroken already. It is true though, Angelina the movie star, and a cover of Variety means it is not going away. It better be good, because the way it is going that might not really matter. Happy Oscar Watching everyone! 😀
Hey! Where has my response to Steven Kane gone? It was a perfectly fine and reasoned comment into which I had put much thought. Is that why it became so threathening to “some”? I understand “some” might not like having their bs uncovered, but it’s the essence of democracy and constructive debate to allow the express….[CENSORED]
it is a kind of reverse bias i think – because she is a star a celeb etc etc – globe trotting un humanitarian etc that naturally she cannot possibly get and make a film on its own merits?
Um. No. I’m trying to be nice about this because the publicists are nice people and I admire Angelina’s efforts greatly. I have always been her biggest champion. BUT if you guys are going to continue to act like jerks and accuse me of things I don’t deserve I have no choice but to say: you don’t hold back reviews on a movie for that long if you have the goods. We’re talking about a film people are predicting to WIN BEST PICTURE, not just a good movie people will love. Will it be a good movie people will love? Well look at y’all. You don’t even care if the movie is good or not. You are so swept up in your fandom she could literally spit on a plate and you’d call it a masterpiece. Before even seeing it! So give me a break, okay? Don’t make me have to continually say what is wrong with this picture. I have been doing this for 16 years and the publicists on this movie are the most legendary and famous of all Oscar publicists. They KNOW what they have an how people will react. They are not going to hold back a movie like this unless there’s a reason. I’m seeing it on November 30 – I hope it’s as great as you all have declared it to be before even seeing it. But please – the fandom thing is getting really tired. We’re in the business of finding Best Picture winners. May the MOST DESERVED film win, whether it was directed by a famous beautiful movie star or not.
it is a kind of reverse bias i think – because she is a star a celeb etc etc – globe trotting un humanitarian etc that naturally she cannot possibly get and make a film on its own merits? is it her fault that she didnt struggle for years to produce her films etc – was she meant to work for it like ava who directed selma. the only time she and brad appear in public is when they are promoting their movies – and doing the necessary press which every other actor or actress also does and has done. so double standards perhaps i really dont know. instead of being proud that possibility 2 women directors could be considered for an oscar nom it is once again aj who is ‘ slammed’ for something that it not her ‘fault’ in the first place. She has been doing her job just as much as everyone else – if the press decide to praise unbroken that is not her fault. and of course everyone wants to win – pretending that they dont is not hw.
“And if that movie was that good, it would have premiered at film festivals and there would be no embargo until Dec. 2.”
But Naomi, it doesn’t need to premiere at film festivals, because Universal knows people will watch it anyway, good or bad. Let’s keep film festivals for up and coming indie directors, shall we? I would be mad at Angelina for taking such a precious spot away from talented but little known filmmakers. And thay way she has the freedom to work on her film and make adjustments until the very last minute, like all the greats do.
ps: I’m no Angelina fanboy. I have absolutely 0 interest in watching ITLOBAH, but I’m psyched about Unbroken because of the subject matter.
“Ditegli sempre di sì!” (Always Tell Them Yes!) is the title of a wonderful comedy, written by one of the best italian playwrights…
it is unfortunate that her movie has already been prejudged not on the basis of the movie itself but rather the fact that she is the director.
we dont really know what the critics will say except the usual spiel to be honest – if anyone gives unbroken a favourable review I will be very surprised
– and here i thought that critics should wait and see till a movie is actually shown to them first.
Angelina fans are getting their knickers in a knot lo. Funny, did the brangelina fans from Justjared and Celebitchy make their way here to come and defend their idols honor? Her charity work has nothing to do with how she is ad a director, where did that all come from?. Sasha is just calling out the BS buzz over Unbroken, a film hardly anyone has seen or reviewed. And if that movie was that good, it would have premiered at film festivals and there would be no embargo until Dec. 2.
And Funny, I recall some of these fans calling Gone Girl ( 88% on RT) and Intestersteller(74% RT) flops? No, a movie like ITLOBAH with a 55% RT is a flop. A movie that got mostly negative reviews and heavily criticized, and did extremely poorly financial wise is a flop. Say what you want, believe what you want, but AJ desperately wants that Best Director Oscar. More then actual directors. I have never seen her do so many unnecessary magazines covers, interviews, talk so much other then when she wants an Oscar.
^^^^What most of us have seen is the trailer. That is meant to be judged but only a small amount. Sadly I don’t think much of Unbroken based on what I saw but I am still looking forward to seeing it. What is going on here at AD is we are determining the movie’s chances with the Oscars, hence the name “Awards Daily”. Nobody said the movie hadn’t been seen. Maybe not seen by the public or the critical community AT LARGE.
“A funny thing is happening in the Oscar race. A film that most people haven’t seen, that hasn’t been reviewed by critics – major or otherwise – is being touted as this year’s Best Picture winner”: “this is the first phrase of the article!!”
Right. It is. Sasha DID NOT say, “Nobody has seen it”. What she said was, “A film that MOST people HAVEN’T seen.” You typed it yourself. MOST PEOPLE HAVEN’T SEEN IT. Critics have not reviewed it. There is an embargo until early December. Therefore it hasn’t technically been reviewed.
@Steven Kane
“Critics are meant to judge a film as WHAT THEY SEE ON SCREEN.”
Right! And because a lot of international critics have already seen the film, you can’t say, as it was written here, exactly the contrary!
“A funny thing is happening in the Oscar race. A film that most people haven’t seen, that hasn’t been reviewed by critics – major or otherwise – is being touted as this year’s Best Picture winner”: this is the first phrase of the article!!
“…and the really diabolical thing is how Sasha is threatening to murder any critic who doesn’t give Selma a perfect score of 100”
Well…that’s still on the table. I kid 😉 But I agree with you. Everybody, or the small handful of people visiting this site for what seems like the first time, need to go back and read the article. Sasha is saying there is a chance Jolie could get nominated for best director and maybe her looks would factor in. That’s her criticism against the academy. I don’t agree with it, I don’t think looks have anything to do with a director getting nominated. If Jolie doesn’t get nominated it’ll probably be because there were 5 other directors more worthy of the nomination. But good Lord, people need to chill the hell out. I don’t always agree with Sasha and I let my opinions be known, but I don’t make mountains out of molehills.
“People who whine about that movie being not well researched and far fetched are full of conceit and envy.”
I don’t know who the hell is envious of not having made In the Land of Blood and Honey. Fuck it, I don’t know anybody who has “whined” about the movie. I could barely name a few that even saw the film. What we do know is that it wasn’t particularly loved here in the states. Maybe it was in Italy, that’s grand. Wonderful. Some of our classics aren’t well-loved internationally and that’s okay. Love the movie for yourself. Yes Jolie has been a humanitarian and “has access to data”. But there’s a difference between “having access to data” and writing a good screenplay. There’s a difference between knowing the history and being able to make a good movie. I doubt anybody is saying, “Jolie’s movie was bad therefore she doesn’t know the history.”
“…in contrast to those critics who experience life only through the films they see.”
And with that you made your own argument complete. Critics are meant to judge a film as WHAT THEY SEE ON SCREEN. They’re not given a pamphlet on the Bosnian War that says, “Read while you’re watching the movie so you’ll know this is all true.” Critics are reviewers. They are food critics for the cinema. If a food critic walks into a German restaurant and gets a plate with bratwurst, sauerkraut and marzipan but it wasn’t cooked right the critic would probably say, “Well they have the traditional ingredients for a German dish but it’s a shame it wasn’t well cooked.” Maybe that was the case with many critics who were less than enthused with In the Land of Blood and Honey. Nobody is saying Jolie should give back her humanitarian award.
Jolie is known for saving 1/3, spending 1/3 and donating 1/3 of her salary
Has been a UNHCR amb since early 2000, member of CFR since 2007, UNHCR special envoy since 2012
Built The 1st ever millenium village in Asia by demining a huge piece of land, now a wildlife conservation and sanctuary for thousands of victims of khmer rouge, with the Cambodian king/pres/pm making her an honorary citizen.
Built numerous schools, hospitals, villages in the mid east, africa and asia
She shed light to the most vulnerable population, went to field missions risking her own life paying for her own expenses, living like every other field worker (she once went to a refugee camp, a week later that same camp was bombed by rebels)
Established numerous agencies/institutions, supporting numerous advocacies (MJP, ZMF, KIND, DWB, UNICEF etc)
Heard by leaders of states, foreign ministers, monarchs
Single handedly increased awareness for prevention of breast and ovarian CA, with numerous medical journals providing evidence of her influence
Recently, directed a film which inspired for the creation of the first ever protocol to end rape in places of conflict
Now tell me that Jolie receiving JHA is absurd
Sorry, Ryan, I didn’y know about that problem with international link…I hope you can read this articole, written the 30 of July and published in one of the most important italian newspaper…The journalist, who WAS at the Los Angeles movie screening for the press, writes: “E a giudicare dalle scene che abbiamo visto sarà un serio concorrente a Golden Globe e Oscar”, in English “And judging from the scenes we have seen, the movie will be a serious concurrent at Golden Globe and Oscar”.
http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/cinema/2014/07/30/news/angelina_jolie_unbroken-92765982/
Jolie’s ITLOBAH is a great movie, with great direction. People who whine about that movie being not well researched and far fetched are full of conceit and envy. Jolie has been a part of the UN for more than a decade, with access to data, connection to people in the know and actual field experience; in contrast to those critics who experience life only through the films they see. If it’s a question of reliability, then Jolie wins hands down, heck even the journalists who witnessed the bosnian war proclaim of the film’s adherence to accuracy. As of the moment, ITLOBAH will never be judged based on its merits but rather, on the pretentious critics’ perception of the director as a woman, as a movie star.
Oh well, RT rating is a better gauge than the Berlin Film Festival
[link removed because it’s not available for viewing outside italy and we don’t normally leave live links to unseen untrusted clips] If you know of a similar clip on youtube or vimeo, please link to that instead, ok? – Ryan
[link removed because it’s not available for viewing outside italy and we don’t normally leave live links to unseen untrusted clips] If you know of a similar clip on youtube or vimeo, please link to that instead, ok? – Ryan
Why do you say that nobody have seen this movie, but only a trailer? Why this FALSE report? In July journalists from all over the world have seen 30 minutes of this movie and THAN they start talking about it as a potential Oscar winner.
People are vicious these days. I miss the old days of quaint little Afrika.
Also remember that Affleck had two EXCELLENT pictures under his belt before Argo, and he was still snubbed in the BD category.
seriously, you guys, please take a step back and look at the crazy noises some of you are making:
“Wait Till You See the Movie Before You Tell Us What You Think, Sasha Stone!”
“Sure, Sasha Stone Sees a Movie and Says She Likes it. How Can We Believe Her!?”
“Brad Pitt did produce Selma. Now think of the crapstorm that will break out if his wife’s film gets the BD nomination based on the potential belief that her celebrity status put her there while DuVernay gets snubbed. How will a Selma BP campaign try to argue for the top prize while dancing around why their director wasn’t nominated in a way that won’t offend Pitt/Jolie. Will be a huge distraction for both films.”
Those reverse wormholes you call “crapstorms” only occur down here in the pits with the likes of us. The sound doesn’t carry to the upper levels where all the real maneuvering is going on.
Say AJ and AD both get in, or one does/one doesn’t; maybe neither one make it – it’s very possible. It’s all happened before in every combination for every reason imaginable and will continue to happen. Everybody up there will, like always, remain gracious and controlled, no distractions, no arguing. They’ll get together on Oscar night and applaud the winner, then Brad will make more films. Anjie will make more films and so will Ava, because that’s what the best professionals do.
Meanwhile, down here in the crapstorm, we fret and plot and slobber like Gollum over where the “precious” will end up and why, which is an odd worry for just an observer. So let’s just hold our excitement and see what they present us with as nominees because these other scenarios are exhausting.
I know, right?!!! and the really diabolical thing is how Sasha is threatening to murder any critic who doesn’t give Selma a perfect score of 100 so all the major critics on Metacritic have already made a bargain with Sasha to go along with her evil scheme.**
I’m getting a new Corvette from Sasha just for typing this comment.
TRUE. thank you for explaining why everybody stayed seated at the end of Unbroken. It all makes sense now.
**(Selma has a score of 98 on Metacritic in case you’re wondering why two critics got their legs broken in freak “accidents” last week.)
Sometime ago, Sasha already said that she would prefer Ava over Angelina even if their movies are both good…all that stupid “history making” nonsense…and surprise surprise..She LOVED Selma so now it will be all about Ava being better than Angelina…There will be articles for that…all that history making importance of Ava getting nomination and/or win….and if she fails to get nomination it will be all about racism/sexism….I have been around long enough to know all those tricks…sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly…Angelina surrounded by men??? What about Ava? Does she work exclusively with women??? .I have a feeling that she will not even like Unbroken…there is something called Confirmatory Reasoning..and she has proven here many times that she is a good example of that!
and some people read too much into standing ovation..audiences in some cultures dont get up as easily as American audience…go to see any Broadway show, even mediocre ones, there is almost always standing ovation at the end.!..So I wouldnt read too much into standing ovation thing!
you are shitting on Jolie and proclaiming she will be nominated because she is beautiful and not the quality of the movie…
FALSE. It’s strange that you can write in English without being able to read it.
But just to be sure you don’t get misread this comment too, FALSE means what you’re saying is a lie.
Sasha if you are getting pissed off, how do you think we the public that look at you oscar professionals feel. The truth is that the echo chamber that you and your ilk has created have made you oscar bloggers as much of a caricature as the the political talking heads.
My gripe with you is that you are shitting on Jolie and proclaiming she will be nominated because she is beautiful and not the quality of the movie when you have not seen the movie. If you had seen the movie and came up with your synopsis, I will not have a problem with you. I did not say anything about her getting rewarded for her humanitarian work, a way to confuse issues. My point is that she had the guts to go after a project that has been hard to do for fifty years, she got it done. She went out and got no name actors because she wanted be true to the story, if the story took fifty years to get done, surely you can wait for 2 weeks to see it and then shit on it if it doesn’t deliver.
If the movie is not good, I will say so. The examples you gave about standing ovation after a movie is irrelevant, some movies leave you speechless and you just sit there to let it wash over you, that was the experience I had with 12 years a slave.
The sad thing is that there is a good chance that two women could be nominated but what do you do, start discrediting one just in case, as if there should only always be room for one woman. As an African American woman, I would love nothing better than to see Selma and Ava nominated but that doesn’t mean I should over look the difficult shoot Jolie undertook, a movie the Coen brothers said they were happy they were not directing.
Talking about Jolie being surrounded by famous men, you conveniently forget that Selma is a plan B project, isn’t that owned by Brad Pitt? Is paramount not a big studio? Are they not the studio behind Selma? Sasha do better. I had so much respect for you but right now you are talking out of both sides of your mouth and it is not a good look.
Gosh, you really zinged me. I know how the nominations work chief. Was mostly commenting on the academy voter’s habit of groupthink and herd behavior. Someone tell Ryan what groupthink is.
Jolie’s honorary award was absurd.
I agree that the Affleck comparison is useful insofar as it tells us that Jolie is anything but a lock for a Direction nomination because the Academy’s directing branch has the final say.
Of course, the fact that Jolie got that utterly absurd lifetime Oscar last year while her husband’s film was up for BP should have been a tip off big time that 12 Years’ win was etched in stone the minute the honorary awards were announced.
Somebody please explain to Pete about how the honorary Oscars are chosen by a dozen people on the Board of Governors, and Best Picture is chosen by secret ballots filled out by 6000 individuals who have their own brains and hardly any of those 6000 voters are wearing electric-shock collars that zap them back into line if they wander off and vote for whomever the fuck they want to to vote for in the privacy of their own mansions.
I’m afraid if I try to explain it, I’ll sound impatient and all eye-rolly.
while you’re at it, tell Pete that the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is not a lifetime Oscar prize. Tell him to look up Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award on wiki and educate himself. or hey, just ask him point blank if he knows the meaning of the word “humanitarian.”
Leo,
It is debatable that team Unbroken really had “fresh” in their minds when they maneuvered an Oscar campaign reel disguised as a human interest story during the freaking Winter Olympics. That was 10 months ago, yet they’ve skipped all festivals and screened out of the country with an embargo?
Brad Pitt did produce Selma. Now think of the crapstorm that will break out if his wife’s film gets the BD nomination based on the potential belief that her celebrity status put her there while DuVernay gets snubbed. How will a Selma BP campaign try to argue for the top prize while dancing around why their director wasn’t nominated in a way that won’t offend Pitt/Jolie. Will be a huge distraction for both films.
Of course, the fact that Jolie got that utterly absurd lifetime Oscar last year while her husband’s film was up for BP should have been a tip off big time that 12 Years’ win was etched in stone the minute the honorary awards were announced.
Let’s see if the movie is any good, first. Second, let’s not let the fact that it is a biopic cloud our judgment.
Alem, I’m sure there’s a good chance he’ll win a 2nd Oscar. Plan B has been associated with some great movies. The Departed, Moneyball, Tree of Life, 12 Years a Slave, Assassination of Jesse James, The Normal Heart and now Selma. Granted all of them, except Selma, either had Pitt acting or he was slated to act in them. So that also tells me that not only has his acting choices in the last decade been amazing but the projects he chooses to take on behind the camera have been just as good.