SAG Noms: Surprises, Snubs, Sexism, Stunts

The nominations were announced live here (by Eva Longoria and Ansel Elgort) and on TBS & TNT. My wrong predictions were back here.

Though I have many pet peeves about the way the actors guild decides and divvies up its honor, here's one that's wildly underdiscussed online and I don't think it's at all insignificant or petty. Each year they refuse to alphabetize correctly, always listing Male Actor categories BEFORE Female Actor categories. That might make sense at the Oscars since "Actor" does comes before "Actress" in the alphabet if not in our hearts, but "Female" does not  come AFTER "Male" when you alphabetize and yet SAG always lists the men first. Highly sexist if you ask me though they are obviously super self-righteous about not calling women "Actresses". Go figure. 

If you don't think this is sexist consider this subliminal perhaps subconscious related value judgement: Drama is always listed before Comedy in their press releases though that's also not alphabetically justified. 

So The Film Experience always course-corrects for SAG by listing female actors first. Of course we do that with the Oscars too which is alphabetically incorrect since we use "Actress" but in our case it isn't a subliminal but a purposeful value judgement. Duh! Women are better than men. 

NOMINATIONS & COMMENTARY (ALL CATEGORIES) ARE AFTER THE JUMP

MOVIES

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Grand Budapest Hotel
• Imitation Game
• Theory of Everything

In my predictions I suggested that SELMA could win some "sight unseen" votes but I didn't know how right I was. Turns out sight unseen is a real problem. Notice the lack of Christmas films here. NOTHING that hasn't opened yet made it to the top category. Which is a plus in a way even if it's sad for those films. Studios need to get their movies out there earlier so that they're actually part of the film year, you know?

ANGER-MAKING SNUB: given the popularity of the film and that everyone has seen it by now and that the cast is fucking great, why isn't Gone Girl here?

BIZARRENESS: Theory of Everything? I actually like that movie but "ensemble"? No. Just no. Unless by ensemble you mean "Charlie Cox is so cute and he was good in it" but that's not what this award is really for. Even if you like the movie this is an absolute waste of a golden opportunity to reward a big generous gifted cast from dozens of other movies. I mean Pride, Love is Strange, Selma, the list could go on and on.

ABOUT THE SELMA SNUB: The internet was quick to deem it racism but to be fair to SAG they are historically quite an inclusive awards body. Certainly moreso than the Globes or Oscar. The problem is not Selma itself but it's late screenings. You can see that problem happening with a bunch of other white films that broke late, too. 

LOTS MORE ON THIS CATEGORY OVER AT THE "ENSEMBLE SNUBBINGS" TWIN-POST

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Jennifer Aniston, Cake
• Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
• Julianne Moore, Still Alice
• Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
• Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Two qualifiers made the lineup: Jennifer Aniston and Julianne Moore but both started widely screening in September (unlike many of the snubs) but still... major prizes for qualifiers is not good for the health of moviegoing.

SURPRISE: my cat Monty is looking like a better Oscar pundit than you thought, right? He smelled Jennifer Aniston coming.

ANGER-MAKING SNUB: none really. It's SAG and a lot of the long-shot campaigns just haven't made any waves.

What does it mean for Oscar? It's certainly not a bad sign for Aniston but she's still going to have to break Oscar's Amy Adams addiction and intermittent Swank lust and the critically surging Marion Cotillard to make it. Do you think she will? 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
• Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
• Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
• Michael Keaton, Birdman
• Eddie Redmayne, Theory of Everything

This MIGHT be our Oscar lineup. But surely David Oyelowo (Selma) can build and knock someone out. As long as it's not Gyllenhaal or Keaton that he bumps out, I'm perfectly okay with this. 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Naomi Watts finds this nomination just as surprising as you do!

• Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
• Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
• Emma Stone, Birdman
• Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
• Naomi Watts, St. Vincent

Anger Making Snub: None really but it would've been nice to pair up Russo with Gyllenhaal given his nomination.

Weirdest nomination of whole day in any category: NAOMI WATTS AS PREGNANT RUSSIAN HOOKER IN MOVIE EVERYONE STOPPED TALKING ABOUT MONTHS AGO. (I wonder how close Bill Murray came in Actor and the movie in Ensemble? I'm guessing very very close.)

What does it mean for Oscar? Tough to say. Meryl Streep is literally the ONLY nominee from a Christmas time release that didnt' screen super early to make it. Selma & A Most Violent Year and American Sniper and Unbroken were all essentially punished for screening late. BUT... Meryl Streep probably got votes sight unseen because she's Meryl Streep. Unfair? Sure. But actors worship her.  While it's no longer true that this is the SAG category with the least Oscar correlation it used to be true. I wouldn't count out either Laura Dern or Jessica Chastain yet. We could still see a shakeup. 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 

• Robert Duvall, The Judge
• Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
• Edward Norton, Birdman
• Mark Ruffalom, Foxcatcher
• J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Can anyone knock Duvall out of that slot for Oscar? There are a lot of contenders for supporting but nobody seems to be campaigning hard. It's like there was this wide open window a month ago when it seemed like ANYONE with the right campaign could have the fifth slot and then nobody raised their hand and said "pick me". Strange that. 

TELEVISION
Each year I wonder if SAG might switch up their rules to provide more parity with motion pictures -- they're weirdly stingy with television unlike their fellow awards shows like The Golden Globes and the Emmys -- forcing insane competition by comining supporting actors and lead into all their categories.  

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Big Bang Theory
• Brooklyn '99
• Modern Family
• Orange is the New Black
• Veep

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Boardwalk Empire
• Downton Abbey
• Game of Thrones
• Homeland
• House of Cards

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
• Julie Bowen, Modern Famnily
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
• Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Wow, the cult of "crazy eyes" is big if she managed to make it in this lead PLUS supporting category. Plus her inclusion has the added indirect bonus of shaming the Emmys for pretending she was a "guest" on her show. BLARGH. Category Fraud gets worse and worse all the time. 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Burrell, Modern Family
• Louis CK, Louis
• William H Macey, Shameless
• Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
• Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

I feel so oppressed by Modern Family and Big Bang Theory every year when awards shows happen. ENOUGH ALREADY. Is everyone everywhere at each organization voting on autopilot?

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Claire Danes, Homeland
• Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Being Acclaimed on a Terrible Series Because You're just Such a Damn Great Actress and Everyone Needs to Bow Down. Stupid Oscars. You had you're chance!
• Julianna Marguiles, Good Wife
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
• Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
• Robin Wright, Homeland

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Steve Buscemi
• Peter Dinklage
• Woody Harrelson
• Matthew McConaughey
• Kevin Spacey

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

• Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic
• Gyllenhaal, Honourable Woman
• McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
• Roberts, The Normal Heart
• Tyson, Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

• Brody, Houdini
• Cumberbatch, Sherlock
• Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
• Ruffalo, Normal Heart
• Thornton, I forget already. oopsie

STUNTS
An undersung and recent addition to the Screen Actors Guilds annual list of honors are prizes for stunt ensembles. This is a very good way to honor a profession rarely honored, and action films at the same time. Last year these prizes went to the stuntmen and women playing all those doomed people (soldiers, royals, and pawns, in high death count machines: Lone Survivor and Game of Thrones. Here's what's nominated this year

STUNTS ! They Feel Good.

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

• FURY
• GET ON UP
• THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
• UNBROKEN
• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Get On Up seems like an odd choice.  Chadwick Boseman did his own splits. I know cuz I asked him. These same like reasonable nominees. I don't know why I keep forgetting that Fury existed this year and that SAG may well like it. 

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES  

• 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY
• BOARDWALK EMPIRE
• GAME OF THRONES
• HOMELAND
• SONS OF ANARCHY
• THE WALKING DEAD

Only show that got the boot from last year is Breaking Bad but maybe concerning eligibility dates it wasn't. 

Please do share your squeals of satisfaction and sorrow in the comments. Stay tuned for our annual Ensemble focused bitching about who got left out even when they got nominated!

Comments

[Mark The First]

I knew it was predicted but it's still jarring to see a Wed Anderson movie up anything other than a screenplay award. Damn, and with the one that I didn't especially like either.

LOL @ the Naomi Watts and Robert Duvall nods. SAG routinely has shitty and random one-offs like these that make me take them way less seriously each year.

Ugh the tv side. Tatiana Maslany is always gonna be welcomed to any and every thing until she wins that damn Emmy.

And Orange Is The New Black and Game of Thrones have such beautiful, sprawling and diverse banner casts but can someone else beyond the anointed Emmy winners show up please? Honestly, I'm sure no one would've cared if the OITNB ladies took up ALL five spots in Comedy Actress. Either way, I'm rooting for them both to take each side of that tv ensemble award.

[Mareko]

The only thing that would make Naomi Watts' St. Vincent nod funnier is if SAG had had the gonzo sense of humor to nominate her for Diana last year.

[Rich]

This awards season is starting to irritate me. It feels more about who has the money and the best publicist and campaign. So many worthy performances from smaller films completely shut out this year

[brookesboy]

I wish they had gone with Nathaniel's pick--Boseman. Carrell is gone.

[jonas]

sexism?? this article is very pathetic

----- Women are better than men -----
this is sexism and is not funny