2022/2023 Festivals/Awards Thread

[Buscemi2]

That's more an indictment on the American film industry than anything. There are so few daring movies nowadays, being mostly pointless sequels, soulless remakes, or things that only appeal to rich white conservative males, that it makes sense something that might be considered remotely unique would win.

At least it wasn't The Fabelmans. Wow, Universal really wanted that one to happen so badly.

But I have to admit I am impressed that Navalny won Best Documentary Feature. I was convinced few voters bothered with the film as it was exclusive to HBO Max unless you saw it during its brief two-day theatrical release. And All Quiet on the Western Front deserved all its wins, though it should have gotten more.

As for the ones I don't get, Curtis was awfully forgettable in her performance and her win is clear career Oscar territory. And The Elephant Whisperers was among one of the weaker Documentary Short nominees. I knew An Irish Goodbye would get Live-Action Short but it was easily the worst of the nominated shorts (even Indiewire, who likes everything, agreed).

[Chienfantome]

It's hard not to applaud the success of such a film as EEAAO, as it clearly isn't your typical Hollywood film, and there is something to cheer in its Victory, even if I found it overstuffed and overlong.

I'll still regret the best American films of the year were overlooked, as often. The Fabelmans, Babylon and Top Gun were the best for me.

[numbersix]

Have to agree with Boosh. I hated The Fabelmans. Indulgent, overlong, terribly performed and written. Chien, my friend, not only are you the first person I know to like Babylon, you're also the first person to not despise it!!!

I am glad for Everything Everywhere winning. It had ambition and heart, and yes it was overlong and would have benefitted from 15 minutes less, but I'll take its imagination that over most of the other nominees. I think Tar, Banshees, and Triangle of Sadness were the only films I preferred personally. All Quiet was powerful but I've seen it all before.

Jamie Lee Curtis didn't deserve her win, I'd say, but at least Angela Bassett didn't get it for a non-performance in a MCU film. She has done better. Fraser in The Whale was OTT and it was a comeback Oscar. Aronofsky loves them

[Chienfantome]

Chien, my friend, not only are you the first person I know to like Babylon, you're also the first person to not despise it!!!

It's probably something to do with French DNA. We all loved it here. 1.5 million entries, great WOM and reviews.
Same for The Fabelmans. I think it's the besst reviewed film of the last few years in France, and I have yet to meet a fellow Frenchy who didn't love either of those films.
Tar was solid and interesting, but I found Banshees and Triangle of sadness overrated. All Quiet was very good but as you said, we've seen it before.

[transformers2]

Chien, my friend, not only are you the first person I know to like Babylon, you're also the first person to not despise it!!!

Make that 2. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I saw it a few days after Christmas and I'm really eager to watch it again to see if its magic can hold up on repeat viewings.

Chien, my friend, not only are you the first person I know to like Babylon, you're also the first person to not despise it!!!

It's probably something to do with French DNA. We all loved it here. 1.5 million entries, great WOM and reviews.
Same for The Fabelmans. I think it's the besst reviewed film of the last few years in France, and I have yet to meet a fellow Frenchy who didn't love either of those films.
Tar was solid and interesting, but I found Banshees and Triangle of sadness overrated. All Quiet was very good but as you said, we've seen it before.

While the French have solidified themselves as the world's biggest Babylon fans, it did develop somewhat of a cult following here in the States during its short theatrical run. It seems to have delighted just as many people as it is pissed off, which was kind of inevitable given how manic and brazen it is.

[Screen203]

Have to agree with Boosh. I hated The Fabelmans. Indulgent, overlong, terribly performed and written. Chien, my friend, not only are you the first person I know to like Babylon, you're also the first person to not despise it!!!

I am glad for Everything Everywhere winning. It had ambition and heart, and yes it was overlong and would have benefitted from 15 minutes less, but I'll take its imagination that over most of the other nominees. I think Tar, Banshees, and Triangle of Sadness were the only films I preferred personally. All Quiet was powerful but I've seen it all before.

Jamie Lee Curtis didn't deserve her win, I'd say, but at least Angela Bassett didn't get it for a non-performance in a MCU film. She has done better. Fraser in The Whale was OTT and it was a comeback Oscar. Aronofsky loves them

I liked The Fabelmans a lot, but I have to agree it was a bit overlong. My personal favorite of the nominees was The Banshees Of Inisherin (I haven't been a huge fan of McDonagh's past work, so I was very surprised how much I liked it), but Everything Everywhere All At Once wasn't too far behind - I definitely think it was a solid choice for Best Picture.

One category I don't really agree with the Academy on were the Shorts - there were better choices in both the Live-Action and Animated categories (though I didn't hate The Boy, The Mole... - it was certainly better than The Flying Sailor, which I found incredibly pretentious).

[Buscemi2]

My Year of Dicks might be the worst Animated Short Film nominee in recent memory. Terrible rotoscope animation, a premise with very limited appeal, obnoxious characters, and a general uncomfortable tone, I fail to see why the Academy liked it or why FX picked up the short for their Hulu arrangement. It makes that Genius Loci short from a few years back look like Hair Love.

And with Live-Action Short Film, it almost always goes to one that it's in English or has an English dub available. Many voters won't watch anything with subtitles