Team Experience Oscar Reactions: Mourning "Passing", relieved for Stewart, and celebrating "The Worst Person..."
Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 6:39PM For each big awards events we like to quickly check in with the team and see how they're feelin. So herewith short blurbs from Team Experience about the Oscar nominations this morning. Which nomination was most thrilling and shocking? What omissions are they mourning for the next 24 hours? Find out after the jump and do chime in yourself on these four questions please. Join the conversation...
1. WHAT SINGLE NOMINATION MOST THRILLED YOU?
I'm cheating by putting Dunst and Plemons together. Neither ever felt truly locked, especially the latter, but make a truly wonderful pair. I hope that household is celebrating their first-ever nominations. - Glenn Dunks
Jesse Plemons for Power of the Dog. I really didn't think he'd be acknowledged for his incredible work. - Deborah Lipp
I was overjoyed by Stewart's success. I though her Oscar hopes were dead and buried but, alas, I was wrong. I love being wrong. - Cláudio Alves
Penelope Cruz. A not-flashy, fully-fleshed-out, moving performance that was on the bubble. .- Eric Blume
I never had actual faith that Penelope Cruz could actually get an Oscar nomination, but I am more than happy to be proven wrong. Almodovar has the best rapport with familiar actors and Cruz delivered in a big way once again. - Ben Miller
If we're limited to above the line: Cruz, given the tumult in that category. Obviously, the trio from Jane Campion put me in my happiest place, but I kind of knew to expect them. - Nick Davis
Penélope making it after I had her in my predix since September. Flee going 3/3 but most of all Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom. I mean who doesn't want a film called Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom to win an Oscar??? It can be the Hard Out There For a Pimp of the International Feature category. - Baby Clyde
I'm so happy Joachim Trier is an Oscar nominee. The closing chapter of an amazing trilogy and one of the best films of the year. - Eurocheese
Kristen Stewart, who gave one of my very favorite performances of the year in or out of the awards race. And it was even more thrilling because I'd written off her chances. Tim Brayton
Kristen Stewart (Spencer). Terrific actress finally getting her first Oscar nom after hitting several roadblocks and people doubting her. LOVE - Juan Carlos Ojano
Spielberg. His passion project and the most satisfying surprise of the year, the fact that West Side Story surpassed expectations and found new wings to soar on is testament to his love for the material. SO happy - - Patrick Ball
Drive My Car for Best Picture: I had a feeling it was getting in, but SO happy to see that enough voters felt the passion I sensed (and shared). -Lynn Lee
I KNEW JESSIE BUCKLEY WAS GONNA MAKE IT!!! I KNEW IT!!! BIIIIIIIITCH!!!!! - Nick Taylor
2. WHAT DID YOU FIND MOST SURPRISING?
The Worst Person in the World for Best Original Screenplay. It's insightful, gently humorous, wise, interestingly structured, and above all, Norwegian, so it never even crossed my mind that it had a chance. - Tim Brayton
The Worst Person in the World. I knew a lot of fans wanted this film to do really well, but I'm surprised that it got this one over something like Being the Ricardos. Or even A Hero. - Juan Carlos Ojano
A broad surprise but I’m so happy The Power of the Dog is the nomination leader. Jane Campion’s gonna fucking win Best Director! - Nick Taylor
I'm shocked Villeneuve didn't get in. I don't know how you can reward that movie as much as they did and not include him. Hopefully that means a win for Part II. Funnily enough, his nomination is reminiscent of Amy's for Arrival. Baffling how a person so integral to the success of the movie be left out. - Josh Bierman
Jesse Plemons & Jessie Buckley I'm Thinking of Ending Things Snub Redemption!!! Really didn't think I'd see either of their names but both? A true treat. - Jason Adams
Dench over Balfe?! - Mark Brinkerhoff
Judi Dench, and god love the woman, but it was not a pleasant surprise. And I doubt that she even wanted it and will be surprised if she attends, given the hardships.- Nick Davis
Jessie Buckley. I had chalked up her BAFTA inclusion to another Wild Rose instance, and she managed to translate that to Oscar enthusiasm. She really was terrific in the film. -- Abe Friedtanzer
Gaga missing after hitting every precursor. Sorkin missing as the film over performs with the acting branch. Villeneuve missing at the expense of Hamaguchi who I knew would make it but I assumed over PTA or Branagh. The overall batshittery of the Supporting categories. - Baby Clyde
Jessie Buckley for Supporting Actress - I didn't think she had a chance against the bigger or starrier competitors she was up against (if there was a surprise, I was betting on Cate Blanchett). I also thought she might split some votes with Dakota Johnson. -Lynn Lee
The editing nod for tick, tick...BOOM! Where the hell did that come from? - Cláudio Alves
Denis Villeneuve missing. Did not see that happening and after Hamaguchi happily got in, it took me a second to realise the Dune helmer was the one left out. And the film still hit EVERYWHERE else it was expected to including Best Picture! - Timothy Lyons
As if often the case with these things, it's who got left out rather than who made it in. In that regard, it's gotta be both Gaga and Leto missing for HOUSE OF GUCCI, and Villeneuve missing out for directing DUNE—especially given how receptive they've been to spectacle. On the flip side, that screenplay nomination for THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is an immediate all-time great choice by the writing branch. However, the biggest surprise is NIGHTMARE ALLEY for Best Picture. I know Del Toro is well-liked, but that's a pretty wild turn of events considering its fate in recent months. Maybe it played well on cold winter nights on screener, who am I to know. - Glenn Dunks
Gucci underperforming, and I'm thrilled. I was fully expecting its nominations to ruin my morning. - Eurocheese
3. WHAT MISSING FILM OR PERFORMANCE WILL YOU BE MOURNING THIS WEEK AND HOW WILL YOU DO SO?
Gonna go streak naked down Broadway for Simon Rex -- Jason Adams
The three big sadnesses are: Mike Faist, which I will mourn by showing the twinks in my life a little extra kindness. Ruth Negga, which I will mourn by even more glamorous and depressed than usual. And The French Dispatch, which I will mourn by continuing to write for this site, and also going to an art gallery. - Nick Taylor
Mass deserved better all season. I will comfort myself by knowing the Spirit Awards will do the right thing and give it the Ensemble love it deserves. - Eurocheese
In the Heights. I will buy something ice cold at the bodega in solidarity. Deborah Lipp
While being on a my usual train, I'll cry for Compartment N6 missing the nomination- Elisa Giudici
Nicolas Cage in Pig. I will mourn it by not showering for three days and allowing a disgruntled stranger to beat me up. Just kidding: I will actually mourn it by enjoying a delicious dinner cooked with love and a glass of good wine. --Lynn Lee
A Hero, by doing a good deed solely because it will make me look impressive. Tim Brayton
I will never understand why Mass never got any sort of awards traction, but I still have those four mesmerizing performances seared into my memory. - Ben Miller
Caitriona Balfe. I'll be pointing my finger at Judi Dench. She's gotten in before for extremely minimal performances, and now it happened at the expense of someone far more deserving. I don't understand why the grandparent generation got the only love for Belfast when the parents (and the kids) stood out so much more. - - Abe Friedtanzer
[THE MOST COMMON ANSWER WAS RUTH NEGGA IN PASSING... BUT PLEASE SKIP THIS PART IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE. SO MANY SPOILERS]
I will not be defenestrating myself in honor of Queen Ruth Negga, but I will sit and look beguiling in and out of shadow for at *least* an hour - Patrick Ball
Mourning Passing’s complete, egregious shutout by savoring a black-and-white cookie. -- Mark Brinkerhoff
Ruth Negga. I thought if she got nominated, she could Marcia Gay Harden her way to a win, and it's such a beautiful, interesting piece of acting. .- Eric Blume
Ruth Negga's. Don't invite me to any penthouse parties, Acting Branch, because I will be pushing some people out the windows, and that shit won't be ambiguous. - Nick Davis
No love for Ruth Negga, Tessa Thompson or Passing. Is there someone responsible I can push or “have fall” out a window over this? Maybe I’ll settle for weeping quietly while wearing a fashionable hat. - Timothy Lyons
Of those that felt as if they had a genuine chance, Ruth Negga for Passing is so sad. Especially so when you consider they didn't even nominate Balfe and then instead still gave Belfast a nomination in the form of Judi Dench. We can sit and ponder all day how they nominate Denzel for Macbeth and yet don't notice Kathryn Hunter, but I think we all have our suspicions on that. I'll mourn the latter by twisting myself into a pretzel (actually, i'll just EAT a whole bag of pretzels. Okay, bread. I'll eat bread. Just bread.) - Glenn Dunks
Negga, obviously. I shall mourn her loss by embodying her characterisation, making myself into a mysterious cypher, both a figure of desire and madness, aspiration and disgust, a self-destructive enigma. Basically, a normal Tuesday, though I don't look as good as Negga does. - Cláudio Alves
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4. WHAT'S THE SINGLE HIGHEST QUALITY CATEGORY THIS YEAR? NOT ONE DUD!
Adapted Screenplay could have gone a lot of ways, but when Dune is the worst of the bunch, I think you have done something correct. -- Ben Miller
International Feature Film...but it was easy, there were just deserving candidates! Elisa Giudici
Quite a few 4/5's. Take out CODA, for example, and Adapted Screenplay is amazing. So let's do that, let's take out CODA! -Nick Davis
Animated Feature is usually made up with fillers but even the worst this year could easily win in others. - Baby Clyde
Best Actress. Five incredible performances, one of the all-time best Best Actress slates we've ever had, EVER. And better yet...any of the five could win! A real race! .- Eric Blume
Honestly, Lead Actress. Definitely not my top five but each actor is doing inspired and challenging work and a category that includes Cruz and Stewart when it seemed just as likely that they were both going to miss is worthy. - - Timothy Lyons
Honestly, Actress! Even without Gaga it feels like 5 interesting performances with actresses all with a real awards season narrative and no where NEAR a clear winner. Happy for them all. - Patrick Ball
I'm so impressed with Actress overall. Four of my five favorites this year made it in, and I can pretend Renate is there by proxy thanks to Worst Person's Screenplay nomination. - Eurocheese
Actress. Come on. When we were fearing that it will be an all-biopic performance, we got three of those (all in various wavelengths) and two original creations (and one of them even not in English). Wow. - Juan Carlos Ojano
Best Actress is stupendous, even though I rather loathe two of the nominated movies. Every performance delivers a distinctly different approach, acting strategies as varied as they are inspired. Plus, the quintet represents some of the finest thespians working today, so that's nice. Though, could we get Kidman nominated for one of her adventurous auteur pictures next time? - Cláudio Alves
The cinematography line up is a pretty impressive line up. I'd be happy to see any of them win, but surprised if it's not TPOTD. - Josh Bierman
Cinematography - and desperately hoping the DP of In Fabric takes it home! - Jason Adams
Costume design - although I'm sad that Spencer didn't make it. -Lynn Lee
Best Production Design. Each of those films was a distinct visual experience built that felt like its own world. - - Abe Friedtanzer
Production Design. Bangers all 'round, right there. I was particularly so pleased to see the branch nominated The Tragedy of Macbeth when it's aesthetic choices could have so easily turned them off. It will never happen, but a production design/cinematography double win would fill me with immense joy on Oscar night. - Glenn Dunks
Reader Comments (21)
While I'm shocked that Denis Villeneuve didn't get a Best Director nod while I'm not totally surprised that Annette got a single nomination as Sparks is once again snubbed. I am however happy for both Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst getting those Oscar nods!
I am also happy that Jared Leto didn't get nominated as it makes his Razzie nomination even sweeter as I now have something to root for even more. I want him and Ben Platt to win those Razzies while I'm very un-decisive on what awful movie Bruce Willis should win for. I'm just stoked he's going to win one! YAY BRUCE!!!!!!
Best Actress is a delight. I have never once been in a position where I could love any possible winner. I'm not even sure I have a favourite (but likely, the heavenly Ms. Cruz).
I am so thankful Gaga and Gucci were kicked to the curb. I haven't hated a movie quite so much in at least a decade.
Single most thrilling nomination: Penélope Cruz (plus the his-and-hers of it all).
The most surprising thing: That I was 100% right about Best Actress (no pop stars; three C words; the Kidman; and Stewart, who was no surprise to me).
I will be mourning all things Passing by re-watching the film and featurettes with Ruth Negga and Rebecca Hall. And casting spells for Negga's SAG chances.
The highest-quality category: BEST ACTRESS.
Most thrilling: Coming 2 America in makeup and hairstyling
Most surprising: Jacqueline Durran for the costumes in Cyrano and not Spencer
Mourning: No Bradley Cooper for Licorice Pizza by getting a fancy haircut and offering unsolicited advice
Highest quality category: Best Original Song
What nomination most thrilled you: Judi Dench- she was the best part of that movie and grounded it in reality.
What did you find most surprising: The resurgence of Worst Person in the World
I will mourn In the Heights by wondering why I allow my patience and faith to be tested every year.
Best Quality category: Below the line I'd say makeup/hairstyling. All are great nominees and I would be happy with any of them winning.
1. Nightmare Alley for Costume and Flee nominated in all three specialty categories
2. I almost said Worst Person for Original Screenplay, but I knew one of the International Features was getting nominated. But the real answer is "Down To Joy." I thought Van Morrison had shot himself in the foot with his comments.
3. Ruth Negga so I will have to have Alexander Skarsgard slap me around a bit.
4. Cinematography
Single nom most thrilled: Honestly? Andrew Garfield. That man had a damn year and he is just STUPENDOUS here. While his spot was never really insecure, I was starting to worry a little bit esp. the lack of love for musical roles and with the film not making BP, it's not crazy!
Most surprising: Definitely the nods for Plemons and Buckley and the "snubs" for Sorkin and Kushner. Esp. those writers are NOT nobodies so I was definitely shocked.
Mourning film/performance: In the Heights anywhere and Ruth Negga. And Tick Tick Boom for Best Picture. I will mourn the by re-watching excerpts for their films. I especially have been meaning to re-watch Tick tick boom.
Highest quality category: I'm basic, but I kinda love every single film in Best Animated Feature? My "least favorite" of the lot is Encanto and I'm STILL rooting for LMM to EGOT for his song.
1. WHAT SINGLE NOMINATION MOST THRILLED YOU?
WHEN WE WERE BULLIES, Jay Rosenblatt, Documentary Short Subject. I saw one of Jay's shorts, “Short of Breath” at the Sundance Film Festival in, like, 1991, and thought it was amazing. I then wound up going to SFSU for my Masters and he was on the faculty there in the Film Department. Really nice, sweet guy. I ended up seeing all his films after that and they're all amazing. He’s really a great filmmaker, kind of in the early Todd Haynes ("Superstar," POISON, SAFE) tradition of radical ambiguity. He’s done films that straddle documentary and experimental cinema on topics like fascism and toxic masculinity and they're very haunting. I’m glad to see him finally making it into the big time after a lifetime of scrapping together a living by applying for grants, teaching at film schools to pay the bills, and occasionally winning an award at a festival here and there. The Plemmons/Dunst happy couple nominations is also pretty heartwarming.
2. WHAT DID YOU FIND MOST SURPRISING?
NIGHTMARE for Best Picture. When I first saw it, I was kind of “meh”. It didn’t really seem necessary considering how good the 40s version is, but it’s grown on me, and the idea of a film noir with that level of craft and talent behind it really is something, so I was rooting for it. Also, Guillermo del Toro is just such a sweetheart. I was hoping it would at least get art direction, cinematography and costumes, but it got all three AND Best Picture, which was a nice surprise. Maybe more people will see it. And I think people who see it and don't know the story from the earlier film or the novel will be riveted.
3. WHAT MISSING FILM OR PERFORMANCE WILL YOU BE MOURNING THIS WEEK AND HOW WILL YOU DO SO?
I would really have liked THE LOST DAUGHTER to make it into the Best Picture race. Or Mike Faist for Supporting Actor. JK Simmons doesn’t need another nod so soon after his win, and William Frawley was the kind of role he could have done in his sleep. Faist’s career could have used the boost and he was terrific, plus he had to sing and dance, not just act.
4. WHAT'S THE SINGLE HIGHEST QUALITY CATEGORY THIS YEAR?
Can’t really argue with the five Cinematography choices, though it would have been nice to get THE FRENCH DISPATCH in there, but I don’t know what I would have taken out of the final five to make room, so I’ll live with that.
Thrilled: tick tick BOOM in Editing and Penelope Cruz for her best performance since Volver.
Surprised: every time that an international movie popped up. So Mothers in score, Worst Person and Drive my car in screenplay, etc.
Mourning: Passing. Okay Negga, was snubbed, but it wasn't the only nomination that Passing deserved. Picture, director, screenplay, actress, score, cinematography, costumes. And I hate to see Nightmare Alley in Best Picture. Such a boring, pretentious, messy and nonsense movie. But Bradley Cooper deserved a best actor nomination honestly
Highest quality: International film <3
there's oh, so many people in Spain PISSED by Cruz and Bardem being nominated, that I am in ecstasy... they are extremely hated
Most thrilling: Spielberg. He had the guts to put his reputation on a line by remaking a classic, and he improved it. I know I'm in the minority, but I'm rooting for him to win - the achievement there is so big, and I think we'll remember his West Side Story for decades to come.
Most suprising: Dench. Before I saw the movie, I posted here that I thought she'd get nominated, but the role/performance were such nothings that I discarded that thought once I'd actually watched Belfast. Did the people who nominated her see the film?
Missing film/performance: Mike Faist and anything In the Heights. I also mourn the fact that France didn't submit Petite Maman (and I love Titane). It deserved Oscar consideration, and unlike Almodovar, Celine Sciamma is someone who could still use that boost to draw attention to her film.
Highest quality category: Probably International Feature, though I still have to see the Yak movie. The other four nominees are great.
Single nom most thrilled: Penelope Cruz! And for such a wisely understated performance too.
Most surprising: Jessie Buckley and her bad accent making it into Best Supporting Actress. She's not even the best supporting performance in her own film, let alone contenders like Ruth Negga who gave genuine, all-timer performances.
Mourning film/performance: Passing not making it in ANYWHERE.
Highest quality category: Best Actress. All such interesting (and different) performances!
1. Jessie Buckley. I didn't like the film, but she is good to very good to excellent in everything. Also, it's kind of a satisfying middle finger to A L-W for that Nancy debacle. "Yeah, okay, look at me now."
2. The Kidman/Bardem nominations. I guess it was easy for the academy to turn on their televisions and say, oh, Nicole and Javier are people we know and they are portraying people we know, so...
3, Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd for MASS; also screenplay for Fran Kranz. Tess Thompson and Ruth Negga for PASSING; also Rebecca Hall for directing.
4. Production Design for sure. Everyone is saying Best Actress, and yes, all are fine actresses so the talent is off the charts, but I wouldn't watch any of those films again.
"Mourning Passing’s complete, egregious shutout by savoring a black-and-white cookie. -- Mark Brinkerhoff"
Mark wins.
1. Flee. Considering it could have been overlooked in all three categories, I'm glad it was recognized, even if it may not win in any of the categories.
2. Giving House of Gucci the cold shoulder.
3. Simon Rex and Ruth Negga. While I love Denzel, I feel like he's become the male Meryl Streep, while the Bardem nomination is a head scratcher given the talent that wasn't nominated. Similar reaction to Judi Dench -- the fact that Balfe was out, and instead of giving it to Negga it went to Dench. However, the rest of the supporting actress category is stellar.
4. International Feature. Frankly, you could have nominated 10 films for International Feature that would be far better than half of the Best Picture nominees. (Seriously -- I'm Your Man, Compartment No. 6, A Hero, Great Freedom and Prayers for the Stolen would have made a great lineup. And you still have Playground and Plaza Catedral left over.)
1. Jessie Buckley. Just dynamite.
2. By far, Villeneuve missing. Dune will easily wind up with 5 or 6 wins on Oscar night and that's who you snub? Crazy.
3. Ben Affleck in the Last Duel!
4. I know this is basic and agree with many comments so far (Cinematography, Actress, International...) but Best Picture is loaded! I know we've all overthought this lineup for too long but taking a step back we have the 5 most critically lauded films of the year including:
1) A return to form from one of our greatest living filmmakers - PotD
2) A reinvention of a beloved classic from one of our greatest living filmmakers - WSS
3) An sci-fi epic from one of the most consistently great filmmakers working today - Dune
4) A personal passion project from one of our greatest living filmmakers - LP
5) An international critical sensation - DMC
plus
6) Well-loved passion project from a previous Oscar nominee - Belfast
7) Crowd-pleasing star turn with one of the 21st century's biggest stars - KR
8) Crowd-pleasing underdog Sundance hit - CODA
9) Technical masterpiece from previous Oscar winner - NA
10) Mega streaming hit satire filled with big stars - DLU
I put that list up against any lineup, even with the handicap of needing 10 films. Would it be the exact 10 I picked? Definitely not. But I put that lineup against any year since the category was expanded. I think only 2010 is in the same neighborhood.
Thrilling: Penelope Cruz. One of the best performances of the year, and one of her best. Her refusal to give into histrionics while also expertly playing the layers of melodrama was incredible. An actress at the height of her powers, without ever feeling the need to be showy.
Surprising: Denis missing was pretty shocking. I thought he was the only one who could beat Jane.
Missing: Ruth Negga, the performance of the year. I really was hoping she would win Daniel Kaluuya style.
Highest Quality Category: Best Actress. All of these performances were supremely entertaining and well acted, elevating their films.
@Peter-you enlightened why some of these best pictures nominees don't stimulate my curiosity. On the other hand I'm grateful that West Side Story and other of these movies wasn't released last year beacuase for me in the Nomadland edition we had the best best picture lineup since 2008 (No country for old men and the others).
I'm honestly shocked at all the comments that make sense only if one believes the same voters who nominated DUNE for 9 categories deliberately "snubbed" Villeneuve in the Best Director category. The cinematographers couldn't vote for the directors and the directors didn't vote for the cinematographers. We all know this.
(Villeneuve wasn't one of the top 5 directing achievements of the year, for me, so I can't complain about his snub... the ones I've seen of the nominees, Branagh, Campion and Spielberg, were more deserving, so I can't say Villeneuve was snubbed, till I see Drive my Car and Licorice Pizza... but Almodóvar, Lowery or Lin-Manuel Miranda were more deserving. I would also put Adam McKay over Villeneuve, even if their films can barely be compared in anything.
Easily Best Actress. I didn't even notice Gaga's snub, which means my gay card is taken away forever. But it's such a great list. There's a dud most of the other categories. But Best Actress, you can take to the bank.