Gotham Award Nominees: Short Term Sad
Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 11:30AM The Gotham Awards, which are kind of the East Coast sibling of the Spirit Awards, have been announced. Unfortunately it wasn't great news for my beloved Short Term 12 (sigh). And though I don't feel as proprietary about Frances Ha, it's complete snub is just bizarre (SO I HAD TO TALK TO GRETA GERWIG ABOUT IT).
Breathe Kaitlyn, breathe. Being in a great movie is its own reward.
The nominating committee preferred mostly films by already established lauded filmmakers like The Coen Bros, Steve McQueen, and Richard Linklater. Short Term 12, the year's most heartfelt indie miracle, managed only one nomination for Best Actress (Brie Larson, interviewed here), which is a new category for the Gothams who have previously only awarded "Breakthrough" acting. Perhaps the Spirit Awards will come through for Short Term 12 if they can tear themselves away from barely independent studio-funded Oscar bait?
THE GOTHAM NOMINEES
Best Feature
Their Best Feature rarely has much correlation with Oscars... and that's a good thing since indie film awards ought to be thinking independently. [MORE...]
Still, this is but step one on 12 Years a Slave's march towards Oscar. Strangely it might not be good for the historical drama to win a lot of these early prizes since Oscar voters occassionally (though not always) bristle at feeling its their duty to be the final coronation for a sweeping film. The only film I've missed here is Saints which I've heard continual mixed things about. Though I loved Primer I found Shane Carruth's long awaited follow up Upstream Color nearly unwatchable in its opacity and pretense.
Best Documentary
All of these documentaries are eligible for Oscar's correlative category. You can see the long list of 151 titles that qualify on the documentary chart page.
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
This is where I'm most upset not to see Short Term 12. I haven't seen most of these pictures (oopsie) but none have the near unanimous acclaim of Hawaiian filmmaker Destin Cretton's second feature (and his first with any kind of profile thus a perfect fit for "breakthrough"). And for as much as Coogler manages potent moments in Fruitvale (which I liked for the most part), it's uneven at best. He's not the natural born filmmaker that Cretton appears to be.
Best Actor
If Nebraska qualified for the Gothams -- their criteria are somewhat murky but I'm betting it did -- this is a minor blow for Bruce Dern, who I was surprised to find myself preferring to Robert Redford in the Career Honors thread of the upcoming Best Actor race. I guess this nomination means the filmmaking community has forgiven Isaiah Washington for the gay slurs which derailed his career several years ago.
Best Actress
Amy Seimetz in "Upstream Color"
Fun set of nominees, yes? I mean if you pretend the WTF snubs of Greta Gerwig and Julie Delpy didn't just happen.
Though Upstream Color is BY FAR my least favorite of these films, Seimetz is very talented and I'm glad she's getting regular offers or at least popping up in key indies so frequently (she's also really good in the gay drama Pit Stop). Thrilled to see Scarlett Johansson surprise here since she's just so funny and sexy in Don Jon while also remembering to create a whole dimensional character. But I'm rooting for Brie Larson because lord knows Cate Blanchett doesn't need all 34 of the season's Best Actress prizes that she's bound to win. I expect her season-long sweep starts here. Sweeps are so boring... even when the performance is that magnificent.
Breakthrough Actor
This is where I announce that I'm sorry I missed Concussion which I've heard good things about because I think Weigert can be a wonder. I have no idea who is going to win this but Nyong'o better be on her way to an Oscar nomination.
Euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers
This is a $25,000 grant for emerging filmmakers. The Nominees are...
Which of these nominees are you cheering for and which would you gladly replace with a snubee? I will eventually have to forgive them for dissing Short Term 12 and Frances Ha because if you want diversity of opinion in awards season you have to except the sacrifices of consensus darlings here and there. I just hope that the Spirit Awards course correct.
THE AUDIENCE AWARD
This nominee field has yet to be announced but you can vote on your favorites here including Short Term 12 though bizarrely NOT Frances Ha. What's going on here?
Reader Comments (22)
Where is Julie Delpy?!! Easily could've fit instead of Amy Seimetz . . .
I am really happy for Brie Larson, although I mourn 'Short Term 12's lack of other nominations. I would have also liked to see 'Enough Said' get some recognition.
Weird that they changed their Ensemble award for individual Actor and Actress categories. Any speculation on why that was? (more press perhaps?)
I actually think this will be one of the most positive things we'll see for Brie Larson this whole awards season, Nathaniel.
No Frances Ha anywhere! Unbelievable.
No Awards can please everyone, but I am particularily pleased at the love bestowed on Upstream Color. Well-desrved.
Though disappointed that Julie Delpy missed the cut. Johanson's pick might be thrilling but doesn't merit over Delpy's.
I know that most of the cyberworld is bagging on Fruitvale Station, but I'd love for Jordan and Coogler to win here. They carried that film and made it the impressive feat that it was.
Where is Greta?!?!?!!? Also, I am still of the belief Woodley was in a supporting role but so was ScarJo so I guess they opened up the category to just quality of performance. But still, sorry, Greta is still at top position of actresses this year for me.
I am mixed on Upstream Color but I thought Amy Seimetz was fantastic. When the movie was just on her, I thought it featured some of the most cerebral sci-fi that I have seen in a while- and then the focus shifted to Shane Carruth and it was no longer interesting.
Dane DeHaan was my breakthrough after Chronicle and frankly, Chronicle is a much better movie and showcase for him than Kill Your Darlings, but I guess real-life killer over Male Carrie seems more high-brow.
Guess I have to check out The Crash Reel and First Cousin Once Removed. Only seen The Act of Killing and only heard about the other two.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints (and Upstream Color for that matter) made me appreciate To the Wonder, which is to say even minor Malick is better than something just Malickian.
Also need to check out Sun Don't Shine. My indie film-connected friends really seemed to like it but I thought that was just because everybody seems to like Seimetz and Kate Lyn Sheil who have worked with everybody.
This whole list feels a little Sundance-y. 3 movies premiered at Sundance as did Blue Caprice, Concussion, The Spectacular Now, Kill Your Darlings, Fruitvale Station, and Afternoon Delight.
Though Im rooting for Cate Blanchett and she will sweep this award season, I agree with Nathaniel that: let someone else shine at the Gotham Awards thank you very much
Replace Scarlett with Julie Delphy and the best actress list looks gooooood
I am just going to be SO ANGRY for the next several months, aren't I?
Signed, Greta Fan #1
Hate it when they nominate the movie but not the performances that make the movie: where the hell is Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy?
It's a shame you weren't as keen on Upstream Color. I was floored when I stumbled upon it on Netflix earlier this year. I wasn't a fan of Primer, but this film was enthralling in thoroughly unconventional ways. The opacity was part of the joy of it; in the absence of clear narrative you're forced to examine these characters and piece together the mechanics of the phenomena they're linked into.
I don't think a Gotham nod means anything about Washington's career. Blue Caprice got ho-hum reviews, was a box office flop (even of indie proportions) and what other noteworthy films have you seen Washington in lately?
@JA--Yup that's where I'm at...
JA & TB- I'll join in this club. If she somehow does not get a Spirit nod, I'll riot.
The snubs are unfortunate, but I still think its nice to have such a big field of deserving performances to choose from.
As for ScarJo's nom......she was on Broadway this season and no doubt worked the cocktail circuit. Double points towards getting a nom.
I love Robin Weigert, but breakthrough? She has a body of work, perhaps not in film, but its a pretty long career and an Emmy nom to boot.
No Stories We Tell was my thought.
LOL WUT @ Hawke, Delpy and Gerwig missing out here, of all places. If those three, all at the very top of being the best performances of the year already, aren't properly recognized at the Indies or Globes (and maybe longshot Oscar nominees), people will seriously be missing OUT.
I mean, I know Sandra is gonna take up a spot in Best Actress...
I've heard some self-serious and laughable things about Upstream Color so I'll be even more surprised to see it show up elsewhere this season. Watch the Indie Spirits go batpoo insane for it now.
CMG beat me to it. It's not our fault that awards tend to ignore the existence of horror/sci-fi films. Dane DeHaan's breakout role was Chronicle. Period.
cool for amy seimetz! (know her from "the killing" season 3, but I like discovering good actors from small tv roles get do more on film)
They were clearly crushing of Amy this year as opposed to Greta (see also her breakthrough director nomination).
That best picture category though... oy.
Oh, but yes, so glad for CONCUSSION.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found Upstream Color absolutely unwatchable. It seems like everyone loves it, or at least is afraid to say they don't love it.
Wait, was Enough Said eligible? I was kinda excited to see Julia Louis-Dreyus maybe get some recognition.