I've seen none of these
― Dana Jel Pey (DJP), Friday, 26 March 2021 20:03 (three years ago) link
Toss up between Promising Young Woman and Nomadland of the ones I've seen (haven't watched The Faterh, Mank, Minari or Sound of Metal).
― Darin, Friday, 26 March 2021 20:06 (three years ago) link
Still have two more to knock off, but as of right now, Sound of Metal has my vote.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Friday, 26 March 2021 20:12 (three years ago) link
None I've seen are great, but
Judas > Mank >>>> Chicago 7 > PYW
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Friday, 26 March 2021 20:15 (three years ago) link
Write-in vote for First Cow or Da 5 Bloods.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Friday, 26 March 2021 22:08 (three years ago) link
Which is to say, I haven't seen any of these either, but haven't been particularly motivated to watch Mankor The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix, nor do I see myself being all that ready to prioritize Nomadland when it hits Disney+ here in Canada next month.
Am mostly interested in seeing Minari, and maybe The Sound of Metal. But this year's Oscars look pretty dull overall.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Friday, 26 March 2021 22:12 (three years ago) link
Minari > Sound of Metal > Nomadland > Judas > Mank > Promising > Trial
less extremes of great and terrible than most years imo
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Saturday, 27 March 2021 01:56 (three years ago) link
Nomadland is pretty good, Promising Young Woman isn't
― or something, Saturday, 27 March 2021 03:05 (three years ago) link
Very this. I liked Minari and Sound of Metal and disliked Mank and Nomadland but none of them enough to go on much over.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 27 March 2021 03:17 (three years ago) link
I'm perfectly happy with Nomadland winning.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 27 March 2021 03:26 (three years ago) link
Promising Young Woman is another Juno, a forgettable movie that I can't believe is getting so many awards/noms. I liked Sound of Metal quite a bit, Trial was entertaining
― Vinnie, Saturday, 27 March 2021 06:43 (three years ago) link
i watched sound of metal the other day. beforehand, after watching the preview, i predicted that i would cry 4 times. halfway through, i changed my prediction to "one long cry". then i stopped crying. i give it 6 tears out of 4 jerkbags
― Zach_TBD (Karl Malone), Saturday, 27 March 2021 06:51 (three years ago) link
the part at the end of it, though, where the old bandmate references her "gypsy years" with him, though. goddamn
sound of metal was the best movies ive seen in a long time
― i was too much listening to your accent (Spottie), Monday, 29 March 2021 18:25 (three years ago) link
Think I'm about to miss Nomadland by a matter of days for the second time--was scheduled to open just before the pandemic, now it's scheduled for April, and I don't think theatres will still be open.
― clemenza, Monday, 29 March 2021 18:28 (three years ago) link
My favorite Oscar-nominated item in any category, so far, is the animated short Opera, which I watched twice consecutively and could've watched another half dozen times to catch all the little things I missed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYNDqMD5aa/
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Monday, 29 March 2021 18:39 (three years ago) link
Judas and the Black Messiah ain't great, but it's probably the best in this lineup, after Sound of Metal.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Friday, 16 April 2021 20:29 (three years ago) link
Of the nominees I've only seen Minari and Nomadland, neither of which excite me.
Everything I've heard about Mank suggests it falls into the category of white men celebrating the past achievements of other white men (compare Genius (2016)). Will anyone here defend this genre I find so indefensible?
― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Saturday, 17 April 2021 02:02 (three years ago) link
It's the worst movie in the lineup.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 17 April 2021 02:08 (three years ago) link
Nah. Nomadland at least has decent shots and well-observed performances.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 17 April 2021 02:11 (three years ago) link
Mank sucked so it will win
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 17 April 2021 03:44 (three years ago) link
♥
― Infanta Terrible (j.lu), Saturday, 17 April 2021 04:27 (three years ago) link
We watched Nomadland last night and Promising Young Woman last week. Both a bit underwhelming imo. Nomadland really hedges its politics, it can never decide if it’s an indictment of the system, a celebration of ingenuity on the open road, or a family melodrama. Promising Young Woman is so over-plotted. But good lead performances in both.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 18 April 2021 12:27 (three years ago) link
The best parts of Nomadland are all the non-actors who are basically playing themselves.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 18 April 2021 12:31 (three years ago) link
I really struggled to finish Promising Young Woman, so bad on so many levels, easily one of the worst movies I saw all year. Nomadland is a perfectly unexciting but fine by-the-numbers movie that looks like a masterpiece compared to most of the rest of this lot.
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Sunday, 18 April 2021 20:43 (three years ago) link
Abysmal.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 18 April 2021 20:43 (three years ago) link
winning might count as losing this year tbh
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Sunday, 18 April 2021 20:51 (three years ago) link
Watched Nomadland this weekend. I guess it's not the kind of movie that overwhelms you but I still keep thinking about it two days later which I guess is a sign of a good movie. It also made me nostalgic for road trips.
it can never decide if it’s an indictment of the system, a celebration of ingenuity on the open road, or a family melodrama
I kind of enjoyed that it's not a movie that necessarily tries to make a point (political or otherwise). The main theme seems to mostly be about trying to make the most out of what they've got.
Agreed.
― silverfish, Monday, 19 April 2021 13:49 (three years ago) link
Thought Sound of Metal was pretty good (went into it knowing absolutely nothing other than it wasn't actually about heavy metal). Liked the ending a lot; at times, though, seemed somewhat conventional. I fully expect Rudimentary Peni to quickly shoot up the Billboard album chart if it wins best picture.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:17 (three years ago) link
The only one I've seen is Promising Young Woman, a spectacularly awful movie on every level, and does its subject a serious disservice
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:22 (three years ago) link
Sound of Metal was conventional, but I have found it quite a bit of it sticking with me, somewhat unexpectedly. I will be pissed when Sacha Baron Cohen wins Best Supporting Actor over Paul Raci.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:30 (three years ago) link
Raci was quite good, especially in the big scene where he learns of Rueben's plans. As I said to someone last night, I thought you could completely understand his reasoning while simultaneously hating his reaction.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:42 (three years ago) link
I could explain that better but don't want to say too much.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:43 (three years ago) link
Promising Young Woman, a spectacularly awful movie on every level
more and more people are saying this!
― intern at pepe le pew research (Simon H.), Tuesday, 20 April 2021 19:51 (three years ago) link
Thank God
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 20 April 2021 21:15 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:01 (three years ago) link
xp I wouldn't go as far as that, but it came across like one of those "edgy" post-Pulp Fiction dark comedies like Very Bad Things or 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag. It felt like she wrote it in the late 90s and only now managed to get it made. Uninspired. The way Carey Mulligan and Bo Burnham interacted exemplified this, trying way too hard to be clever
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:09 (three years ago) link
"I will be pissed when Sacha Baron Cohen wins Best Supporting Actor over Paul Raci." Neither of them is going to win
― Dan S, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:14 (three years ago) link
Daniel Kaluuya is a lock
voted for Nomadland, thought it was beautiful
― Dan S, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:23 (three years ago) link
So Menari is good? My mother-in-law recommended it, which is usually not an endorsement.
― change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:44 (three years ago) link
It's cute, and Youn Yuh-jung deserves her award, but way too facile.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:51 (three years ago) link
It is somewhat facile, but I dunno if I would call it cute.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 01:05 (three years ago) link
It does have some third act problems but overall I’ll take it. I did like that it was never clear whether one particular supporting character was to be feared or trusted.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 01:08 (three years ago) link
and it has Steven Yeun
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 01:09 (three years ago) link
everything I've heard about Minari makes it sound like the least worst one of these, maybe The Father as well
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 05:02 (three years ago) link
The Father struck me as labored and in places cruel. Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams humanize it.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 09:34 (three years ago) link
Of the ones I've seen: Trial of The Chicago 7 (I'm a complete sucker for a courtroom drama) nudges fractionally ahead of Sound Of Metal (gripped throughout, but I thought it got weaker towards the end). Promising Young Woman is some distance behind (entertaining but over-rated and ultimately a bit trashy), while Mank was so unbearable that we switched off after about 30 minutes (Hollywood just loves a film about Hollywood).
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 21 April 2021 11:14 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Thursday, 22 April 2021 00:01 (three years ago) link
hmm no
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 April 2021 00:07 (three years ago) link
Do you not like rock
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 22 April 2021 00:35 (three years ago) link
I've seen all of these but Mank, Chicago 7, The Father and Promising Young Woman. I'll likely never see the first three, but Sound of Metal is the best of the other three that I have seen (Minari, Nomadland, Judas).
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 April 2021 01:01 (three years ago) link
Mank was as someone said like the 4th episode of a 6-episode miniseries, starting and ending in the middle. I thought it was charming and the cinematography was great. I liked it a lot.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 was a made-for-tv movie with punchy Aaron Sorkin dialogue, not at all great but very enjoyable.
Viola Davis was only in 35 minutes or so of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom but she was fantastic and completely owned that film.
I really liked Riz Ahmed and Sound of Metal, it was good but I don't think of it as the best of these. Looking forward to Exit West
― Dan S, Thursday, 22 April 2021 01:59 (three years ago) link
One thing I'm sure of is that I would rather have seen I'm Thinking of Ending Things up instead of the other two Netflix films. It still lingers in my mind; the other two define the kind of thing I forget an hour later.
― clemenza, Thursday, 22 April 2021 02:09 (three years ago) link
I thought Exit West was a good book, curious how it will translate. Like "Underground Railroad" (which is a new miniseries?), it's got magic realism elements that I fear will work better on the page. Unrealized, as it were.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 April 2021 12:30 (three years ago) link
It's actually an odd slate of Oscar noms, a bunch of movies with diverse and interesting subjects that are undoubtedly worth watching but nothing that necessarily sticks out, let alone as "must see." Like a bunch of palate cleansers.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 April 2021 12:34 (three years ago) link
Can't believe First Cow wasn't nominated.And the best thing I saw all year was Small Axe. Wish it had been eligible.
― TO BE A JAZZ SINGER YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCAT (Jazzbo), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:19 (three years ago) link
As I think I've already said three or four times in various forms and maybe even on this thread, in no way does a Sound of Metal "feel" like a best picture, but in this lineup it pretty much is.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:20 (three years ago) link
One thing I'm sure of is that I would rather have seen I'm Thinking of Ending Things up instead of the other two Netflix films. It still lingers in my mind; the other two define the kind of thing I forget an hour later.THIS.
― TO BE A JAZZ SINGER YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SCAT (Jazzbo), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:21 (three years ago) link
have only seen judas, nomadland, and promising young woman, none of which inspired me enough to vote in this poll.
nomadland and judas were certainly several cuts above promising young woman, which was a mess.
― voodoo chili, Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:36 (three years ago) link
Marisa Tomei deserved a nom for The King of Staten Island.
― too cool for zen talk (Eazy), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:37 (three years ago) link
i liked sound of metal for the same reasons i liked nomadland upthread - just a reasonably well-made adult drama that gave viewers credit for being slightly smarter than a 12y/o, unlike most of the others. picked it narrowly over nomadland bc while you didnt have to be a genius to figure out what plot beats were coming, it still felt slightly less familiar than nomadlands "white movie star grieves in beautiful places" thing. plus it had a cameo from the band surfbort.
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:47 (three years ago) link
all of the other movies would have benefitted from more surfbort imo
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:49 (three years ago) link
the "best picture" category should be replaced with "most surfbort"
― voodoo chili, Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:58 (three years ago) link
*by, not with, prepositions are hard
― voodoo chili, Thursday, 22 April 2021 14:59 (three years ago) link
and your game is soft
;)
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 22 April 2021 15:13 (three years ago) link
I get the feeling Nomadland is gathering steam because many of the people watching it think of it as political when imo one of its biggest flaws is that it's *not* political.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 23 April 2021 12:53 (three years ago) link
It seems to be bending over backwards not to be political but it’s also empty enough that anyone can fill it with whatever level of political subtext they prefer be present.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Friday, 23 April 2021 14:22 (three years ago) link
It is a pleasant and sometimes affecting drama about grief. Nothing more, nothing less.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Friday, 23 April 2021 17:03 (three years ago) link
I've posted a couple of these monthly Zoomcasts I do with two friends; we talked about Sound of Metal the other night (also Town Bloody Hall, but it's a different clip).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Q_Q2U85SU
― clemenza, Saturday, 24 April 2021 01:14 (three years ago) link
trying to watch all of these in the last week
Sound of Metal - engaging but dumb. a thinly disguised rehab movie.Nomadland - pretty but there's nothing thereMank - i dug the bad audio but otherwise it's very "why am i watching this". gave up halfway through.The Trial of the Chicago 7 - the most aaron sorkin ever
― wasdnuos (abanana), Saturday, 24 April 2021 02:56 (three years ago) link
Greil Marcus on Nomadland: "At least there aren’t any Leonard Cohen songs."
It's a good putdown, but--and I'm not a huge Cohen fan myself--McCabe & Mrs. Miller minus those Cohen songs just wouldn't be the same film or nearly as good.
― clemenza, Saturday, 24 April 2021 15:28 (three years ago) link
I like to think that Nomadland being the frontrunner is just overdue recognition for The Rider
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Saturday, 24 April 2021 16:00 (three years ago) link
Watching Nomadland now and damn if this doesn’t match up a LOT with the conditions depicted in Phil A Neel’s _Hinterland: America’s New Landscape of Class and Conflict_, tho deliberately shedding any political-economic talk
― Glower, Disruption & Pies (kingfish), Sunday, 25 April 2021 03:28 (three years ago) link
The Rider is the superior film, but Nomadland is great and obviously political. It's just not a treatise, it's a story about people. "But isn't it cowardly to show Amazon and not make a specific point about its awfulness?". Amazon/ billionaires making bank out of low wage jobs and the people who desperately need them are awful, but I think this film does right in observing life as a daily routine, not story beats or spectacular horror, I think it's more powerful because more believable to see these bad places just be a part of the characters' everyday life. Bob in the film: "If society was throwing us away and sending us as the work horse out to the pasture, we work horses have to gather together and take care of each other. And that's what this is all about. The way I see it is that the Titanic is sinking." There's camaraderie and joy in finding together just as there is despair at the system throwing people in the water to care for one another, and acknowledgement of the betrayal.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 25 April 2021 12:13 (three years ago) link
Mank is like Ready Player One for the TCM set. A tedious, self-congratulatory, and pointless film.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Sunday, 25 April 2021 17:21 (three years ago) link
ugh, promising young woman. what a void of a film
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 3 May 2021 20:56 (three years ago) link
If only! It's a Death Star exploding.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 3 May 2021 21:39 (three years ago) link
my sister loved Promising Young Women, kind of scared to check it out now
― A viking of frowns, (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 3 May 2021 21:57 (three years ago) link
i'm so proud of the fake rape revenge film for not depicting the rape directly and yet managing to include a scene of traumatic violence against a woman anyway
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 3 May 2021 22:16 (three years ago) link
even then i feel like i would enjoy it 20 percent more had someone taken the reins of the music supervision
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 3 May 2021 22:17 (three years ago) link
the music was terrible
― Dan S, Monday, 3 May 2021 22:24 (three years ago) link
the last twenty minutes are just so rotten
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 3 May 2021 22:25 (three years ago) link
what does this movie bring to the table that jennifer's body didn't a thousand times better
furious at this fucking movie
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 3 May 2021 22:26 (three years ago) link
Sound of Metal - engaging but dumb. a thinly disguised rehab movie.
I don't know if thinly disguised as much as just misleadingly marketed!
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 3 May 2021 23:04 (three years ago) link
well I was expecting a live film of an Iron Maiden concert so I was particularly disappointed
― A viking of frowns, (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 3 May 2021 23:09 (three years ago) link
I thought it was going to be a tour diary of a noise rock duo, so same.
Actually I thought it was pretty good, but because Ahmed and Raci were so good. A good case of the right actors elevating the material.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 3 May 2021 23:11 (three years ago) link
sound of metal is an incredible film
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Friday, 8 July 2022 18:21 (two years ago) link
Otm
― Spottie, Friday, 8 July 2022 19:12 (two years ago) link
the only one of these that i'm interested in rewatching
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Friday, 8 July 2022 19:30 (two years ago) link