Straight White Super Bowl 2016: The Oscar Nominees for Best Cinematography and Best Director

The Oscars are almost upon us, with all their unpredictability. You don’t need an oracle to tell you what will happen. You don’t even need a film critic. You need someone who sees into the very souls of the Academy voters. You need a Straight White Man.

We’re almost there, guys! Tomorrow night, we’ll find out over the course of four hours bloated with self-congratulation and overwrought pageantry just how wrong every word in every post in this series has been. But tonight, we soldier on. I’ve already talked quite a bit about most of the nominated films in this category, and I hate to repeat myself, so I’ll be deliberately keeping this relatively short. Here are your nominees for Best Cinematography and Best Director.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol – There’s not as much motion in Carol as in most of these other nominees, but the shots are well-composed without exception. As good as Carol is for the full two hours, for me so much of it comes back to that last scene. Everything about it has to be perfect and is, including the excruciating slow zoom on Carol’s face as Therese approaches her. Great, great stuff.

The Hateful Eight – Something I’ve read about, which I sort of saw but would never have pinpointed as a matter of cinematography instead of just clever staging, is Tarantino’s insistence on shooting the whole movie on 70mm film in order to get the widest possible view. On a fairly small set like the movie’s roadhouse, it means cinematographer Robert Richardson is shooting most of the room—and often most of the cast—anytime he’s not taking a closeup. It’s a cool effect and one of the things I genuinely liked about a movie I didn’t care much for overall.

Mad Max: Fury Road – All the vast and detailed world-building that George Miller did for Mad Max wouldn’t mean much if you couldn’t see any of it. Miller’s director of photography, John Seale, always seems to know just how to show it all off. A friend has described the result of what happens when “lunatic Australian senior citizens” finally get their hands on cutting-edge cameras. Everything in frame is in constant motion for almost the entire movie, and the camera never loses focus or shakes or seems to be trying to hide anything.

The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki can win his third cinematography Oscar in a row this year, and it’s hard to see how anyone can stop him. Lubezki brings the trademark long takes that have distinguished him since, what, at least Children of Men, but The Revenant is just as impressive in the wider, more static shots, showing off the vast wilderness and Hugh Glass’s almost insignificant place in it. The lighting is beautiful and, at Iñárritu’s insistence, 100% natural.

Sicario – Will someone please give Roger Deakins his Oscar already? A thirteenth nomination without one trophy yet to show for it, including the year he was up against himself with No Country for Old Men and The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Sicario‘s photography is terrific all the way through, and I noticed two or three shots that I thought were subtly brilliant.

Will Win: The Revenant.

Should Win: Probably still The Revenant, but I’m rooting so hard for Sicario here.

Upset Special: Mad Max: Fury Road.

BEST DIRECTOR

Adam McKay, The Big Short – To my untrained eye, it seems a lot of Adam McKay’s genius is in what he gets out of his actors. I’ve talked already quite a bit about his love of improvisation, and here he’s used it to bring conversations about mortgages, bonds, and CDOs vibrantly and chaotically to life.

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller spent 25 years making the absolute perfect action movie. It would be criminal not to give him this award, not even because of the effort he put in, but because the finished product is so incredible and so unlike anything else.

Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant – But Miller will have stiff competition from Iñárritu, who went to frankly stupid lengths to get his own movie made. I said in my first Oscar posts that I’m not inclined to give him extra credit for making his own job more difficult, and I’m still not. But even if you ignore the ongoing myth-making about the challenge of filming this movie, his work really is extraordinary.

Lenny Abrahamson, Room – I’d never seen an Abrahamson movie before Room, though I do remember seeing some promotion for his last movie, Frank. I was most impressed by his evident sense of timing; the movie has a lot of abrupt cuts, especially early on, but they all feel exactly right somehow.

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight – I’ve said once or twice now, I think, that Spotlight‘s pacing is one of the best things it has going for it; it’s spellbinding from start to finish. McCarthy’s the guy who ultimately deserves the credit for that.

Will Win/Should Win: George Miller.

Not Really An Upset Special: Alejandro González Iñárritu, as disappointed as I’d be.

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makeitsnowondem
make it snow is an alot of beer. He is also a Broncos fan living in Denver.
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ThePirateSloth

Engineer Otto Man has indeed been rescued and is currently sciencing the shit out of stuff aboard my ship.

In other news, JJFozz did not blow anyone up with his grenade launcher. Except the aliens. He blew them up good.

King Hippo

Temporarily back to a two horse race now, Foxy Footy and Spurs. I would have to say Spurs are a 70/30 favourite.

litre_cola

I read that as Mad Max Furry Road which would have been a great movie.

King Hippo

Me too. ALWAYS.

theeWeeBabySeamus

I prefer a nice landing strip.

King Hippo

Not that I would know who Maleena Morgan is…but I hear tell she wears that well.

theeWeeBabySeamus

I have no idea who you’re referring to.
No, really.
STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!!!!!

King Hippo

REALLY annoyed that I have to flip between these two very entertaining fixtures.

Loved that cheeky bit of commentary “no yellow for simulation for Louis Van Gaal”

Spanky Datass

Went to the Reconsider Lounge again last night. Saw a tribute band composed of paleontologists called Panteradactyl.*
http://41.media.tumblr.com/9d2409a1a8507ef58c397ae9e3b50844/tumblr_o39jguVJ7v1syvjuco1_500.jpg

*This joke is stolen.

King Hippo

Since this is still open, both Spurs AND Arsenal are bottling it. Foxy Footy rejoices.

Horatio Cornblower

My beloved* Arsenal was robbed by a blatant and uncalled handball on the fucking goal line. Should have had a penalty kick to tie and the kid who grabbed the ball should be out of the game.

But since this hurts Stan Kroenke more than me I am OK with it.

*by “beloved” I mean I picked Arsenal at sort of random at the beginning of this season when Hippo started this EPL thing and I needed a team. I have no idea who’s on the team.

Spanky Datass

SWANSEA WOOOO!!!!
/has bad feeling concerning second half

King Hippo

you was right

Unsurprised

I’m watching Experimenter, the movie about Stanley Milgram’s experiment at Yale. I love how the response by so many people is to reject his conclusion because of the preexisting consensus that people can’t be capable of this behavior. So it had to be that they were forced to do it, and not because people are slaves to authority.

Unsurprised

Should I watch the 30 For 30 on the ’85 Bears on Netflix?

WCS

comment image

Krusty’s fallen on hard times…

Unsurprised

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Horatio Cornblower

Quite possibly my favorite Simpsons gif ever.

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Unsurprised

I’d like to add that Cristiano Ronaldo was a goddamn idiot.

http://113.imagebam.com/download/Ed0J-3KA9ReKz-CSCVdbxA/46812/468118777/IrinaShayk.jpg

WCS

theeWeeBabySeamus

My long “nap” has me all off schedule. Gotta go make breakfast at…(checks clock)…3:21am. Sheeesh.
See ya’s in a bit.

theeWeeBabySeamus
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Unsurprised

I managed to screw up my schedule too. I ended up going to bed at 10:30 this morning. I’ll force myself to bed in a bit, but I feel your pain.

WCS

For Seamus, earlier:

…and it’s logical follow-up:

theeWeeBabySeamus

Yay logic!!!!

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
WCS

Yeah, go see The Clarks, though it’s unlikely they’ll play the last two I posted.

theeWeeBabySeamus

Yep…gonna have to try to make it work I think.

theeWeeBabySeamus

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WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Unsurprised

It’s annoying that image doesn’t match up with the scene from the quote.

theeWeeBabySeamus

Agreed.

WCS

theeWeeBabySeamus

Yeah…a Baltimore boy.

WCS

theeWeeBabySeamus

They’re in Raleigh next weekend. Was considering going. Now considering it even more.

WCS

Yes. You owe it to yourself to see them. I’ll send you a song list to prep if you want.

theeWeeBabySeamus

Rick Grimes’ new personal theme?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBBB0VUJHSo

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
WCS

theeWeeBabySeamus

I think what I like most about Heather Graham is that she’s equally believable as classy Hollywood starlet, and back alley skank. That’s not easy….
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/08/article-2321027-19AB136A000005DC-248_634x763.jpg

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief dir. by Alfred Hitchcock; 1955.

http://49.media.tumblr.com/80984c940d7df2b0f68c45c3f83bd0c6/tumblr_n7zkisHTD41tyslwao1_250.gif

WCS

Just watched Zero Dark Thirty for the first time, and, yeah, I concur.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
theeWeeBabySeamus

Me too. Crash is #1.
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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Was the 2004 one a remake? It took a………. TURN from the 1994 version.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

*1996

theeWeeBabySeamus

NSFW even more than most of Zappa….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-79uI_u9Src

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

I’ve seen him three times and he has some of the best musicians. Where I got turned on to Adrian Belew, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, etc.

theeWeeBabySeamus

Agreed. When I first “discovered” him I thought wow this dude’s funny. More I listened, more I thought….This dude is a musical visionary. And funny.

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

Cuntler HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATES him, violently, irrationally.

Sill Bimmons

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theeWeeBabySeamus

Moose has called the ball, for better or worse…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGqITiXK42M

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
theeWeeBabySeamus

Messed up.

WCS

Whomever did that deserves to be shot “close to the heart” and bleed for a while.

WCS

Looks like it’s just the three of us tonight, gentlemen.

theeWeeBabySeamus

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh

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Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
theeWeeBabySeamus

I always loved Zappa.

WCS

Moose -The End Is Well Nigh
theeWeeBabySeamus

Off topic (as if there was one), but I really like Heather Graham.
That is all.
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theeWeeBabySeamus

Her: Oh, you have a lovely home.
Him: Thanks. Let me show you my pussy chair.