Links: Secret Talents, Visual Effects, Best Girlfriends
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 11:30PM Salon Why Rooney Mara can't win for Carol. Interesting piece on what really matters in Supporting Actress (Hint: Best Actor)
MCN David Poland looks at the writers branch and how the new Academy rules might affect them
Gurus of Gold interesting to see where the volatility is in the new charts: Best Picture and Best Director contain all the (seeming) drama
Towleroad Jonathan Groff interviewed by Kevin Sessums talks sex scenes in the Looking movie, filming wrapped, and his Sutton Foster obsession
AV Club The Flash will officially crossover with Supergirl despite different networks
Variety on the new warp speed market for television shows
The Film Stage first clips and new images from Jeff Nichols's Midnight Special. I'm not watching them because I want to be surprised
Variety Jessica Chastain still looking for her Oscar movie, in talks for Woman Walks Ahead, about a 19th century woman who advised Sioux chieftain Sitting Bull
The Hairpin a listical "best friends of rom com heroines" from Judy Greer through Joan Cusack and back to Carrie Fisher
Pajiba praises Helen Mirren's beer commercial
Today's Watch
Secret Talents of leading ladies and more links after the jump
Helen Mirren's is kind of impressive but I think Michelle Pfeiffer could take her. More ladies here...
VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY
The Visual Effects Society just named all their winners. I've included the list of feature film winners below but the television winners were Game of Thrones for the episodes "Hardhome" and "Dance of Dragons" and "City of Volanis" with The Vikings managing the only non-Thrones win for "To the Gates". Here's the sweeper in the Commercials portion of their prizes, an orangutan for SSE:Pier.
The feature film winners were heavy on The Revenant, The Good Dinosaur and Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Effects in a Photoreal Feature The Force Awakens
Effects in an Animated Feature The Good Dinosaur
Animated Performance Photoreal Feature The Revenant; The Bear
Animated Performance Animated Feature Inside Out; Joy
Effects Simulations Photoreal Feature Mad Max: Fury Road; Toxic Storm
Effects Simulations Animated Feature The Good Dinosaur
Effects in a Student Project Citipati
Effects in a Real-Time Project The Order: 1886
Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project The Force Awakens; Falcon Chase / Graveyard
Effects in a Special Venue Project Fast and Furious: Supercharged
Created Environment Photoreal Feature The Force Awakens; Falcon Chase / Graveyard
Created Environment Animated Feature The Good Dinosaur; The Farm
Models in a Photoreal or Animated Project The Force Awakens; BB-8
Compositing in a Photoreal Feature The Revenant; Bear Attack
Supporting Effects in a Photoreal Feature The Revenant
Reader Comments (23)
David Poland at MCN looks at just the Writers Branch of the Academy and tries to break down how many could be losing their vote. He has come up with a rough figure of 54 ( 51 male + 3 women - out of an approx 429 members)
His big argument is that since these writers are responsible for some good films they shouldn't lose their vote. The fact that they have been inactive is immaterial.
My argument is very succinct. This Writers Branch had a chance to diversify it's membership for decades. We can see that in the last 11 years instead of changing things they admitted:
126 new members since 2004 - 98 Male 78% 28 Female 22%
So if this MALE Club doesn't like the fact that approx 54 members out of approx 429 (12%) might lose their voting privileges - They only have THEMSELVES to Blame..
Why didn't they correct this years ago? They had plenty of time.
David Poland doesn't like this rule change. I applaud him for analyzing the data - but the data isn't showing that it affects a very high percentage. With all of the loopholes, this change affects all of 54 people in the Writers Branch. What a lot of angst for 54 people.
I would love it if David Poland or any journalist/blogger could interview a person in one of these branches and get them to really be honest and explain DECADES of inaction.
The Salon Article is everything
Love Groff
Tick tock, Chastain... tic, tock
"Animated Performance Photoreal Feature The Revenant; The Bear"
"The Bear"?? Her name's Judy. Show some respect, Hollywood!
Also, I love Rachel Weisz's secret talent bit. So charming and funny. Give her all the movies!
Mirren's better with a whip than a beer bottle, charisma-wise.
I don't really agree with that Salon article. For example Goldberg won not for supporting Swayze, but Swayze and Moore. Top billing or not, Jamie Foxx is a secondary character in divafest Dreamgirls. And Cruz shares a lot of scenes with Johansson. Binoche was the lead of her own movie, that still had another female lead, KST. Judi Dench was supporting Fiennes and Paltrow (that movie was about Viola, actually). And some other performances were really co-leads, like Weisz and Vikander.
Vikander is winning not because she's the lead in a showy performance and Mara is subtle and understated. If let's say 40% of the supporting winners do support a female lead or are the actual leads of their movies these stats are not realiable.
Exclude category fraud and count again, I suggest.
I did a double take because I thought that Carrie Fisher picture was from DROP DEAD FRED. Now *that* is a thankless friend role.
At the start of the season, I could never imagine that both Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander would win an Oscar this year. I still can't.
Even Chastain hasn't won hers yet, hope it will come soon.
@LadyEdith Poland's count is out. AMPAS has said that active doesn't have to be a credit, just work "in the film industry", and it doesn't have to be work in your branch either. There are people on his list that won't lose voting privileges so it's definitely not 12%.
I'm sorry. But that Salon article is just off the charts bullshit, and as bad as any of the 'ACADEMY IS RACIST' hysteria.
'The academy doesn’t like movies that challenge the patriarchy'
I'm just going to put it out here now... that Jessica Chastain/Sitting Bull movie will get a Supporting Actor nomination for a middle-aged Native American "discovery" (or Graham Greene from 'Dances With Wolves') a la Kan Watanabe in 'The Last Samurai'.
Okay really, that Jennifer Lawrence mime thing was SURPRISINGLY good. Can we please get her in a (GOOD, FUNNY) comedy, soon?
Regarding the Rooney Mara/Supporting Actress article - I think this is a problem reflected in Best Actress winners as well. As I have made my way through the list of winners over the years - I've been struck by how many films containing Best Actress performances have just as much, or even more screen time with men. This obviously never happens with Best Actor performances and women. But it's surprising how many films there are with Leading Actress wins/nominations where the women is not the main character - even wins that are considered unimpeachable. I'm thinking of: Walk the Line, Million Dollar Baby, The Queen, Fargo, Sophie's Choice, As Good As it Gets, Annie Hall, Monster's Ball, Silver Linings Playbook, Misery, Network, Driving Miss Daisy and I think we can add Room to the list by the end of the month.
I'm not saying more screen time equals a better performance or that these winners or films should be devalued. It's just something I have noticed because of the contrast in four best actress wins this decade which have primarily been told from the women's perspective - Black Swan, Still Alice, Blue Jasmine and the Iron Lady.
Maybe I'm just hypersensitive because I've just watched all the best picture nominees this week and if I see another white guy droning on, I might scream.
-Best Picture and Best Director are the most dramatic categories this year. I think three nominees in both categories could conceivably take it. The Revenant should not be underestimated.
- Mirren, Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence are so gorgeous, funny and talented - but we knew this.
- With the Supporting Actress article - I feel like there have been winners where the Supporting Actress has interacted with a woman/ more than one women. For example, Chicago, Girl Interrupted, Hannah and Her Sisters, the Piano, Dreamgirls, Vicky Christina Barcelona. The general problem is that so much film output revolves around men.
- I'm not feeling Chastain's new movie. Love her but do we need another story about an ethnic group told from the perspective of a white person. And I think The Zookeeper's Wife will be her next Oscar movie.
@msd - My point still stands - whether it's 54 people or less (as you suggest) - it's a lot of angst and outrage for so few. But they are white, and male...
That Hairpin article on rom com besties places asterisks next to male BFFs... but leaves off Rupert Everett.
Sigh.
I think I lost brain cells reading that Salon article. Since when is "yeah, they're not really the male lead, but... THEY'RE ON THE POSTER!" a good argument?
@Evan:
The asterisks are not for male besties:
*Best friend is actually sister.
**Best friend is actually sister-in-law.
***Heroine is actually a guy.
No need to asterisk Everett.
@Jodie - the article brings up those very movies you list as exceptions to the rule. I'm not supporting the article, just pointing it out. The article says it's happened (the Supporting Actress winner supporting a female screen partner) about 6 times since 1990.
@Lisa
Hollywood is a patriarchal white supremacy.
@Peggy Sue
You leave my Chastain alone.
OT - but I can't resist sharing this with fellow fans of "Brooklyn"
"Brooklyn" is in development to become a BBC TV series revolving around the
Julie Walter's character - Mrs. Keogh. Seems we weren't the only ones wanting more of those boarding house scenes. The producers are hopeful that Julie Walters will sign on.
Here's the link to Empire:
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/brooklyn/brooklyn-tv-spin-development/
Dave Poland's screenwriter branch lists a bunch of movies by writers who look like they could have their voting privileges (and that's what it is, a privilege, not a right) taken away. One of them is JAWS. JAWS, you say? One of the greatest movies ever? Okay, but that guy's last produced credit was 1983's JAWS 3-D. The writer of WALL STREET hadn't written a cinema-released movie since WALL STREET when W. came out in 2008.
It would definitely be annoying if Jane Anderson hate her voting taken off of her since she's clearly still working significantly just on TV.
So for the Academy to have diversity, all the old people can basically fuck off, because they haven't worked in the industry for some years. Nice.
ROBMILES-Well if you looked at those ridiculous entitlement letters from some of the older members of the Academy then thank god and good riddance. "I'm not racist, I watched Creed " is the new "I have a Black friend" um they ARE part of the problem.