Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

...

There's also Hope & Glory which JoJo Rabbit probably has the most in common with.

Also Skippy, The Champ, David Copperfield, Captains Courageous, Boys Town, The Yearling, To Kill a Mockingbird, E.T. and Hugo.

And I can't help myself:

Boyhood

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Sabin wrote:

Sonic Youth wrote
But no one's mentioned the main reason why I think this movie is going nowhere with the Oscars, and it's simply this: the protagonist is a 10 year old boy, and it's about his "coming of age". How many Oscar nominated films fit that profile? I can only think of "Extremely Loud", and we all know that barely counts because it barely made it.

A very good point. The closest thing I can think of is 30% of Moonlight.

We did have Room, Boyhood, Life of Pi and The Tree of Life in the last decade.

Sonic Youth wrote
But no one's mentioned the main reason why I think this movie is going nowhere with the Oscars, and it's simply this: the protagonist is a 10 year old boy, and it's about his "coming of age". How many Oscar nominated films fit that profile? I can only think of "Extremely Loud", and we all know that barely counts because it barely made it.

A very good point. The closest thing I can think of is 30% of Moonlight.

I'm only going by the trailer, mind you, but this does not look like an Oscar-winning film. At all. I know everyone loves to mock AMPAS for their middle-brow predilections, but even they have a limit. This looks too middle-brow even for the Academy. I mean, what is supposed to be edgy about this?? Because it's an irreverent look at the Third Reich? Satirizing Nazi Germany is nothing new - we've been doing it for 80 years now; I'd say it's a pretty safe subject for mockery in 2019 - and it's the same whimsical-goofy style movies have been utilizing for years now. No, not years. Decades! At least as long as South Park has been on the air. It looks utterly saccharine as well. I've been reading comparisons between Jojo and Wes Anderson's films, but the movie that sprung to my mind was "Goodbye, Lenin", a German film from over 15 years ago, and I bet Jojo couldn't withstand the comparisons. But no one's mentioned the main reason why I think this movie is going nowhere with the Oscars, and it's simply this: the protagonist is a 10 year old boy, and it's about his "coming of age". How many Oscar nominated films fit that profile? I can only think of "Extremely Loud", and we all know that barely counts because it barely made it.

Mister Tee wrote
Around midnight, post-screening tweets started appearing that were near-rapturous, and the Awards Watch children were declaring the best picture race over. Then, this morning, legit reviews were filed, with significantly different takes.

This might be the biggest fall of any buzzed-about contender so far this year. The Goldfinch was trailing negative word all the way; this one was thought to have major potential. It's going to take some kind of audience comeback for this to make any impact.

(REWRITTEN)
I think it might get that audience comeback.

Although, I'll say up front that it currently has a 55% on RT on the basis of 11 reviews. It's certain to rise from there but it might not crack 75% which is a bad sign. Green Book survived similar reviews but if its main competition wasn't a three hour black and white Mexican Netflix film, I'm not sure it would.

Jojo Rabbit might not end up winning Best Picture but I think it remains a strong enough contender because it might not need critical validation. It seems to be more of an audience film and those involved know it. With its whimsical touches (soundtrack, slow-motion, etc), it seems to be courting a younger audience but as a WWII comedy it also reaches out to older audiences as well. Couple that with a hot young auteur making his passion project (Taika Watiki, who truly is worshipped among younger audiences) and the studio that knows how to make this better than anything else (Fox Searchlight) and it looks like a big ol' hit.

But there are two more reasons why I think it can weather this storm:

- It preaches to the choir when folks need the music.
This is clearly a movie (an "anti-hate" parable) that flatters and does not challenge the audience. But it does so in a time when audiences are so triggered and sad on a daily basis that they might not mind something desperately unchallenging. This is the same bloc that honored Green Book last year, but it can claim to be an anti-Trump vote.

- It's an underdog.
Disney brass is apparently quite uneasy about this film. Thus, Jojo Rabbit is now a controversial film. Perhaps even a dangerous film. Championing Jojo Rabbit allows voters (who are themselves likely fearful of an all-blockbuster future) to stand up to Disney and make a statement for art vs. commerce. Or at least the appearance of it.

I think it can survive the reviews.

Around midnight, post-screening tweets started appearing that were near-rapturous, and the Awards Watch children were declaring the best picture race over. Then, this morning, legit reviews were filed, with significantly different takes.

This might be the biggest fall of any buzzed-about contender so far this year. The Goldfinch was trailing negative word all the way; this one was thought to have major potential. It's going to take some kind of audience comeback for this to make any impact.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/revie ... ew-1238171

https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/j ... 203328083/