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Oscars: 13 Deserving Contenders From 2017 So Far

L

lightskintwin

Banned
Note that this is a month old, but I still thought it be fun to post it and discuss.

http://variety.com/2017/film/in-contention/oscars-halfway-mark-deserving-contenders-1202473420/

As we rapidly approach 2017's midway point, there are already a number of films that deserve to be remembered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when Oscar ballots go out at the end of the year. Academy voters notoriously have short memories, though it's hardly their fault alone; studios are so obsessed with back-loading the year with prestige product that in the rush, earlier gems are often forgotten.

So we're here to help. Perhaps members will take a moment to bear these contenders in mind before the awards season glut finally hits.

NOTE: This list spotlights films theatrically released to the paying public. There have been festival standouts that won't hit theaters until the coming months, and a number would bear mentioning. Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are all fantastic in Noah Baumbach's ”The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)," for example. And David Lowery's vision for ”A Ghost Story" makes for one of the greatest motion pictures of the year. But we'll stick to what will hit theaters as of June 30 for this piece's purposes.
Click to expand...

Best Picture: ”The Big Sick"
Don't dismiss it just because it's the funniest movie of the year so far, it's also the most heartfelt and intelligent. Willing to mix big issues with big laughs, the tone is held together perfectly by director Michael Showalter, the outstanding cast and an excellent script. (JR)
– Other Standouts: ”Baby Driver"; Get Out"; ”Logan"; ”Okja"

Best Director: Bong Joon Ho (”Okja")
Netflix's Cannes entry is a whole lot of movie, and a whole lot of vision. Director Bong Joon Ho dazzles with his deft kinetic touch while also pulling an impressive performance out of young lead Seo-Hyun Ahn to anchor the zany satire. But as ever, Bong proves a master of balancing tonal shifts, ultimately crafting a moving piece of work. (KT)
– Other Standouts: Sofia Coppola (”The Beguiled"); Michael Showalter (”The Big Sick"); Jordan Peele (”Get Out"); Trey Edward Shults (”It Comes At Night")

Best Actor: Sam Elliott (”The Hero")
The role of an aging star who never realized his greatness fits Elliott like a glove. It's also a reminder of how underutilized he has been on the big screen. (JR)
– Other Standouts: Richard Gere (”Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer"); Daniel Kaluuya (”Get Out"); James McAvoy (”Split"); Kumail Nanjiani (”The Big Sick")

Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (”Maudie")
Hawkins is always excellent and reliable, but she outdoes herself portraying Canadian painter Maud Lewis. Crippled by arthritis, married to a rough fisherman (a great Ethan Hawke), Hawkins allows Maud's joy to shine through. (JR)
– Other Standouts: Jessica Chastain (”The Zookeeper's Wife"); Anne Hathaway (”Colossal"); Salma Hayek (”Beatriz at Dinner"); Rachel Weisz (”My Cousin Rachel")

Best Supporting Actor: Patrick Stewart (”Logan")
Let's be honest; take away the superhero element and this would be an Oscar slam-dunk. Stewart's portrayal of Charles Xavier in waning health with a broken mind will break your heart. (JR)
– Other Standouts: Sharlto Copley (”Free Fire"); Ethan Hawke (”Maudie"); LilRel Howery (”Get Out"); Ray Romano (”The Big Sick")

Best Supporting Actress: Betty Gabriel (”Get Out")
Jordan Peele's impressive directorial debut deserves a shout-out in virtually every category, but hopefully no one snoozes on Betty Gabriel's unsettling work as a housekeeper trapped in ”the sunken place." She etches that inner turmoil across her face with such aplomb you simply cannot look away. (KT)
– Other Standouts: Laura Dern (”Wilson"); Holly Hunter (”The Big Sick"); Dafne Keen (”Logan"); Terry Pheto (”A United Kingdom")

Best Screenplay: ”Shimmer Lake"
Technically ineligible for Oscars as it didn't receive a theatrical run, that doesn't stop this twisty thriller from earning our consideration. What sounds like a gimmick — a crime drama told backwards — proves absolutely essential to telling a fascinating story. (JR)
– Other Standouts: ”The Big Sick"; ”Get Out"; ”I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore"; Split"

Best Cinematography: ”Kong: Skull Island"
Jordan Vogt-Roberts' simian sequel was a bit of a tonal omelette, but one element that gave it an unexpected level of iconography was Larry Fong's striking photography. Sunburnt vistas and heat-rippled frames sometimes call back to ”Apocalypse Now," but more often they give the film its own intriguing visual identity. (KT)
– Other Standouts: ”Alien: Covenant"; ”The Beguiled"; ”The Lost City of Z"; ”Song to Song"

Best Costume Design: ”Wonder Woman"
Speaking of iconography, one of the eye-popping elements of Patty Jenkins' landmark superhero entry is the iconic image actress Gal Gadot strikes as the eponymous Amazon. But beyond Diana Prince's well-known threads, there's a whole array of dazzling outfits on the screen, from the battle gear of Themyscira to 1920s fashion and World War I attire. (KT)
– Other Standouts: ”Beauty and the Beast"; ”The Beguiled"; ”The Great Wall"; ”King Arthur: Legend of the Sword"

Best Film Editing: ”LA92"
Lest we forget, National Geographic's Emmy-contending L.A riots documentary is also eligible for Oscar consideration this year. Last year ”O.J.: Made in America" garnered some attention for its handling of tons of material, and hopefully reminded voters that documentary editing ought to be recognized. Reams of footage were assembled from countless sources to drive this particular version of the story, which was also covered elegantly by director John Ridley in ”Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992." (KT)
– Other Standouts: ”Baby Driver"; ”Get Out"; ”Logan"; ”Okja"

Best Production Design: ”Beauty and the Beast"
It's a tall order to match the stunning animation of the original film, but the ”Beauty and the Beast" team pulled it off. Every ornate touch, from the Beast's castle to the world of Belle's village, was a visual feast. (JR)
– Other Standouts: ”The Great Wall"; ”Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2"; ”King Arthur: Legend of the Sword"; ”Wonder Woman"

Best Sound Editing: ”Baby Driver"
Being something of a musical-slash-actioner, Edgar Wright's latest owes everything to its soundtrack. But more than that, the precision with which sound is layered and cut to enhance the various tracks scattered throughout gives the film an innervating sense of propulsion. When there's no sound, you're desperate for it to scream back. (KT)
– Other Standouts: ”Free Fire"; ”John Wick: Chapter Two"; ”Okja"; ”Transformers: The Last Knight"

Best Visual Effects: ”Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
It's a pity we can't throw ”War for the Planet of the Apes" (July 14) in here, but more on that in due time. Marvel's latest installment of the ”Guardians" franchise doubles down on rendered environments. When you have a character who at times serves as the actual location (I guess you have to see the film to understand), the sky is the limit on VFX. (KT)
– Other Standouts: ”Beauty and the Beast"; ”Ghost in the Shell"; The Great Wall"; ”Okja"
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Some of those choices seem fairly out there. Patrick Stewart for Best Supporting Actor in Logan? I liked the movie but come on, that's a stretch if I've seen one and Kong Skull Island for Cinematography? With Dunkirk out there? Or a ton of other movies. Nah.

Oh and I'm fairly sure Bong Joon Ho will not get a director nom because people in the Academy still have a stick up their ass about movies premiering on Netflix.

Edit: And yes I realize it only goes up to June 30th and some of the choices are still pretty laughable.
 
S

Sgt. Kabukiman

Banned
Nice to see some Okja love. I hope Bong Joon Ho will get more recognition in the west eventually. I don't see the academy really falling for this film though. Too weird. And there's the Netflix factor.

It'd be great if Patrick Stewart could get some awards but I don't know about an Oscar. I'm just not hearing that much talk about that movie now that it's been out for a bit, I wonder if it'll still be in the conversation by next year. But he absolutely deserves it.

I have not heard of The Big Sick. A quick google indicates that it doesn't have a release date in my country. That's a shame.
 
Glass Rebel

Glass Rebel

Member
Of the movies I have seen this year, I would only put Get Out and Dunkirk up for best pic. Haven't seen Big Sick or Baby Driver yet tho. Logan... naw. Was maybe my third favourite CBM this year.
 
A

Alienfan

Member
Get out was a crowd pleasing horror film, I liked it, but it has about as much chance as being nominated as Conjuring did. That being zero chance. Most of the films that will end up being nominated haven't been released yet
 
L

lightskintwin

Banned
Alienfan said:
Get out was a crowd pleasing horror film, I liked it, but it has about as much chance as being nominated as Conjuring did. That being zero chance. Most of the films that will end up being nominated haven't been released yet
Click to expand...

You're wrong.

Like Variety pointed out:
Universal already has the most talked-about contender of the year so far on its hands: Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.” Some are quick to dismiss the film as a genre entry undeserving of this kind of boost, but even if it’s only screenplay love at the end of the day, you can’t just wave off the highest-grossing debut film based on an original concept.
Click to expand...

It has a good chance at the very least of getting a best original screenplay nomination.
 
T

toastyToast

Member
Alienfan said:
Get out was a crowd pleasing horror film, I liked it, but it has about as much chance as being nominated as Conjuring did. That being zero chance. Most of the films that will end up being nominated haven't been released yet
Click to expand...

Get Out has a crazy amount of subtext to it. It'd be disingenuous to compare it to something like the Conjuring. Remove the few horror trappings that eventually show themselves towards the end, most of the interactions in the film are hardly based in fiction.
 
B

Begbie

Member
This list is way too early, Oscar season usually kicks off with TIFF and wraps up by Christmas. I presume Okja won't be eligible for anything due to the way Netflix distributes their films by not having a theatrical run initially(?)
 
L

lightskintwin

Banned
Begbie said:
This list is way too early, Oscar season usually kicks off with TIFF and wraps up by Christmas. I presume Okja won't be eligible for anything due to the way Netflix distributes their films by not having a theatrical run initially(?)
Click to expand...

Okja is elgible, it had it's qualifying theatrical run.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
lightskintwin said:
Okja is elgible, it had it's qualifying theatrical run.
Click to expand...

Yeah but I doubt the Academy is going to even care. It could be the greatest thing since 2001 but the Netflix connection will surely piss off their old school sensibilities.
 
L

LakeEarth

Member
Keep hearing good things about The Big Sick, but the trailer was just so bad. I keep reading "funniest movie of the year" but the trailer left me stone-faced. If it is that good, whoever made that trailer should be fired.
 
L

lightskintwin

Banned
HStallion said:
Yeah but I doubt the Academy is going to even care. It could be the greatest thing since 2001 but the Netflix connection will surely piss off their old school sensibilities.
Click to expand...

We shall see, because Neflix bought Dee Rees 'Mudbound' at the Sundance Festival and will be doing it's Awards Season run starting with TIFF in September.

No different than what Netlix did with Okja at the Cannes Film Festival.

Netflix plans on learning from it's past, and doing a big Oscar push this year.
 
K

Keym

Member
Not enough movies that reference the film industry's history and/or panders to the academy in other ways. Those will probably come at the end of the year.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
lightskintwin said:
We shall see, because Neflix bought Dee Rees 'Mudbound' at the Sundance Festival and will be doing it's Awards Season run starting with TIFF in September.

No different than what Netlix did with Okja at the Cannes Film Festival.

Netflix plans on learning from it's past, and doing a big Oscar push this year.
Click to expand...

We'll see but there are a lot of old or really ignorant voters at the Academy still even with the fresh blood they've been trying to pump into it. I just don't see them getting over the Netflix part of the equation even if the movie is quality and it has marketing behind it.
 
L

lightskintwin

Banned
HStallion said:
We'll see but there are a lot of old or really ignorant voters at the Academy still even with the fresh blood they've been trying to pump into it. I just don't see them getting over the Netflix part of the equation even if the movie is quality and it has marketing behind it.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, you're right for the most part. However this isn't the first year when it was such a contentious issue with Beasts of No Nation and Netflix being a novice to the Awards Season campaign. It's been a few years since and I don't think it's as political an issue as it was before plus they've added a lot of younger and more diverse members since. However like you stated, it still might not be enough to sway the Academy as a whole but we shall see.
 
B

black070

Member
LakeEarth said:
Keep hearing good things about The Big Sick, but the trailer was just so bad. I keep reading "funniest movie of the year" but the trailer left me stone-faced. If it is that good, whoever made that trailer should be fired.
Click to expand...

Give it a shot, I'll concede it takes 10-20 minutes for the jokes to really start landing, but the movie as a whole is both heartfelt and hilarious in equal measure with great performances all around.
 
H

higgsboson1997

Member
Completely agree about Patrick Stewart in Logan. Just saw the movie yesterday and it was outstanding.

The scene where he mentioned that no one should have to live like this in the beginning really tore me up.
 
J

J_Viper

Member
This reads more like a GAF post of someone's personal favorites of the year than an Oscar prediction list

I liked Kong a lot too but c'mon
 
Certinty

Certinty

Member
The acting in Logan was ridiculous. Not even by Jackman and Stewart but Holbrook and Keen too. Really hope Jackman and Stewart get nominated.
 
H

hodayathink

Member
Of the movies on there, Get Out probably gets a Screenplay nod, Stewart will get a Supporting Actor nod if Fox decides to push him for it, Sam Elliot probably gets a Best Actor nod and has a legit chance to win as of right now.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
This article sums up everything that's wrong with Big Sick. The only Muslims Hollywood likes are the "secular" ones (spoilers)
Early on, the film sets up an obvious narrative conflict. On one side, we have Emily, played by a blonde Zoe Kazan, and her parents, Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano). Nanjiani meets Gordon at a comedy club, on what is ostensibly a one-night stand that turns into something more. Her parents, who show up when Emily gets sick, are flawed but well-meaning; their shortcomings are eclipsed only by the obvious love and affection they have for their daughter.

On the other side, we have Nanjiani, son of Pakistani Muslim immigrants, Azmat and Sharmeen, played by Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff. The two characters embody every stereotype conceivable about brown Muslim parents: overbearing, disappointed in their American offspring, eager to get their hapless son married to the nearest single brown young woman. Nanjiani’s parents appear almost exclusively in scenes where they invite young women to family dinners in the hopes he might fall in love with them. These young women appear, too, with no backstory or very little dialogue, clinging hopelessly to an antiquated tradition. How silly these women are — not like Nanjiani, who is enlightened enough to pursue a white woman. In one critical scene in the film, as he’s arguing with Emily about the viability of their relationship, he yells, “I’m battling a 1,400-year-old culture!”
Click to expand...
As for Nanjiani,
"Everyone knows what a secular Jew looks like. Everyone knows what a lapsed Catholic looks like. That’s all over pop culture. But there are very few Muslim characters who aren’t terrorists, who aren’t even going to a mosque, who are just people with complicated backstories who do normal things. Obviously, terrorism is an important subject to tackle. But we also need Muslim characters who, like, go to Six Flags and eat ice cream.”
Click to expand...
Right, as if religious Muslims dont eat ice cream and go to Six Flags? Fuck outta here. Besides, why is he calling himself a Muslim now that his movie is out when time and again he professed being an atheist?
https://www.good.is/articles/the-big-sick-culture-clash-muslims-romance
 
M

Mass_Pincup

Banned
RustyNails said:
This article sums up everything that's wrong with Big Sick. The only Muslims Hollywood likes are the "secular" ones (spoilers)

As for Nanjiani,

Right, as if religious Muslims dont eat ice cream and go to Six Flags? Fuck outta here. Besides, why is he calling himself a Muslim now that his movie is out when time and again he professed being an atheist?
https://www.good.is/articles/the-big-sick-culture-clash-muslims-romance
Click to expand...

I mean he doesn't say that in this quote though, just calling for more non terrorist representation from what I read.
 
L

lightskintwin

Banned
RustyNails said:
This article sums up everything that's wrong with Big Sick. The only Muslims Hollywood likes are the "secular" ones (spoilers)

As for Nanjiani,

Right, as if religious Muslims dont eat ice cream and go to Six Flags? Fuck outta here. Besides, why is he calling himself a Muslim now that his movie is out when time and again he professed being an atheist?
https://www.good.is/articles/the-big-sick-culture-clash-muslims-romance
Click to expand...

Denzel was robbed for Best Actor for Malcolm X.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
RustyNails said:
This article sums up everything that's wrong with Big Sick. The only Muslims Hollywood likes are the "secular" ones (spoilers)

As for Nanjiani,

Right, as if religious Muslims dont eat ice cream and go to Six Flags? Fuck outta here. Besides, why is he calling himself a Muslim now that his movie is out when time and again he professed being an atheist?
https://www.good.is/articles/the-big-sick-culture-clash-muslims-romance
Click to expand...

I'm not getting the impression that Nanjiani is calling himself a Muslim now, so much as he's addressing the long-standing issue of how narrowly Hollywood views their roles in films across the board. And his atheism is a fairly major point that gets brought up in the story itself that helps to jumpstart the final act.
 
T

TheExhaustedWalrus

Member
Big Sick, Dunkirk, Get Out, Logan and Baby Driver are the movies of the year so far for me. I predict they'll probably all get nominated for Best Picture cause awards-season movies are light this year.

Oh, and the Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
 
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