Just finished All Quiet on the Western Front, so I've seen 6/10. Actually, one of these I stopped 30 min after the beginning, disgusted of the low quality.

Everything but Everywhere All At Once…

Re: Oscar's Best Picture 2023
 

Only seen 4 so far. Top Gun is surprising, but not disappointing. Banshees and EEAAO are currently in a battle for my favorite of 2022. Avatar, what the hell... I mean I enjoyed it okay, but come on.

I've seen six of the ten nominees but I wouldn't vote any of those six for Best Picture. I think this award could go a several different ways and don't have a clue who the winner will be.

This year, there will be another film about Elvis (unless it gets pushed back), mostly told from Priscilla’s point of view, titled Priscilla and directed by Sofia Coppola. Jacob Elordi is cast as Elvis.

So we could see another film about Elvis nominated for BP for this year.

I did see Triangle of Sadness last week, so I've now seen 7 of the ten nominees. Don't know how Triangle got a Best Picture nomination, I found the film a total snooze fest.

I've been watching Elordi on Euphoria for the last month or so and I think he could make a really good Elvis.

Managed to get a few 2022 watches in over the weekend I watched All Quiet on the Western Front, The Fablemans, and Aftersun (not nominated in this category, but is in others).

I liked Aftersun and All Quiet on the Western Front quite a bit. I really enjoyed the first 40 minutes of The Fablemans, as the young fellow started discovering his love of cinema and began experimenting with fairly forward-thinking filming techniques etc. Alas, the film then took a nosedive into some uninteresting parental marital problems interspersed with some tired Daniel LaRusso style bullying scenes. I did have a nice chuckle at David Lynch popping up as curmudgeonly John Ford, and the final shot was a fun cinematic wink, but overall, not a great film.

Anyway, the ticks a couple more of the watch list, and honestly, several of these Best Pic noms aren't sparking much interest when I watch the trailers - I may get to them before the chat, but maybe not.

Muricans love Top Gun.

Re: Oscar's Best Picture 2023
 

So far my favourite has been All Quiet on the Western Front with Banshees and Everything Everywhere close behind. It's a strong year for movies

Re: Oscar's Best Picture 2023
 

Sad that, the best movie of the year, imo, didnt even get a nod.



The Northman, so ill go with the Banshees of Inisherin

Women Talking (Polley)

There is a certain patience curve that it takes to really divulge into this film. The context is minimal, and you're just thrown right in at the climax. At an early point, I was dreading going to the theater for this.. I love dialogue-based movies I thought. 12 Angry Men is one of my all-time favorites. I enjoyed Dinner with Andre even. Why can't I get into this?? Early, I felt like the two children asking: when will this end? Perhaps Women Talking Too Much would be a better title.

Then I looked over to my fiance & she was clearly impacted by what was being laid out. Did I really lack the empathy as a man, to get invested in the horrors going on in this tribal community??

In reality, I just needed more & the lead roles delivered. Eventually, these tropes of amish-like cult members started feeling extremely human and close. With a little more "in your face" exposure (the young Trans child & the panic attack) it becomes impossible to not feel. After all, it's an extremely brutal reality that so many people are born into. Would I end up differently than the men, if this was my upbringing? The film asks many serious questions and never tries to stand on a moral high ground. Perhaps some flaws between Ona & August would be in order, but on the outside group the imperfections, cult-influence, and pain are well demonstrated.

It's an important one to watch, especially given that the rapes are based off what happened in the Mantioba colony, Bolivia. The latter discussions are pure imagination, as is the reality in many of these settings. Ones that aren't so desolate or far from home.

All Quiet on The Western Front (Berger)
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If you didn't read this book in your middle school curriculum, I'm sorry to say but your history teacher failed you. All Quiet was one of my favorite novels growing up, as it was my fathers. Its been some time since I read it, but I'm very tempted to revisit now.

The adaptation takes some liberties, as you're to expect. Some work in its favor & some maybe take away.

What's done well:
1. Showing the element of shock the young German boys felt when entering France, the death of their ignorance
2. The added political scenes- showing the primary benevolence of those back home & even the generals not in the front line. With less than 10 minutes of screen time, the "fat pig" general is as good of a villain as you can find
3. The visual brutality of war while still holding a very human lense to the situation. This is something European cinema tends to do better than American

What's Missing:
In the book you grow very attached to the fleet and the different characters hopelessly fighting in it. The film never created such an emotional attachment, and at the end they feel as two-dimensional and numerical as any other soldier killed in the field. With the exception of the Stanislaus down-fall.

Overall it's a great war film- which shows the true horrors at a level I haven't witnessed since Come and See . It's incredibly well-made and designed, & a worthy nominee for best picture.

Just watched Elvis, which puts me at 5/10 seen. It was good, not great.

Re: Oscar's Best Picture 2023
 

Seen EEAAO, Tar, Top Gun. Avatar I could careless about seeing. The original is fine but forgettable to me. Have no clue why Cameron is wanting to revisit that world. Maybe he is getting a fat check from environmentalist lobbyists to push save the earth agenda I dunnno. Triangle and Women talking I have not a clue about. Banshees I am sketch about. I know it's the same team that did In Burges I saw when I was like 20 and dumb. I remember being frustrated by it I'd have to watch again but I'm not in a rush to see either again really. Not really a war movie guy but I might give All Quiet a chance. And Fablemans I don't know what it's about but it's Spielberg so it's probably worth a glance.

Out of the 3 I have seen Top Gun was fun, I liked it better than the first. If I was born a decade earlier instead of 87 I might have a better affinity for the original but just was never my cup of tea. However I think they really nailed the sequel for what it is. But it has no shot of winning it's just on the nomination list to show they support big popcorn flicks.

EEAAO is my favorite movie this short decade so far. It's entertaining as hell. It would be all over cable in syndication if it came out in the 90s. I just watched Tar. It might be a close 2nd. It is a worth wild film with a worth wild topic it is addressing. Really beautifully shot film with an all time turn by Blanchett.

I will not be watching the Oscars because I like my life...however when I look at the results as of now I will be hoping EEAAO and Tar win everything. I maybe give All Quiet and Fablemans a chance before the ceremony and possibly Banshees but I wouldn't hold my breathe on any off them before the Oscars.

My bet is on Fablemans winning for a thanks for everything Oscar for Spielberg. Then EEAAO winning a lot of the acting awards for the diversity in their cast...at least this time I'd feel it's deserved based on merit. Be happy with Yeoh winning but Blanchett should run away with it.

I think Elvis could win this. It's likable and inoffensive (Tom Hanks' accent aside) and could well be one of those films that wins by being everyone's second place.

I've usually seen one or two films nominated for Best Picture by the time the Awards are given out, but this year I decided I wanted to try and see them all - it's led to the point where I've seen 9/10 so far (everything but Women Talking.) It's kind of made me go Oscar crazy, and try to see everything that's being nominated. I can get a little obsessive like that. I really like most of this year's nominees - 5 of them especially :

Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, Tár and All Quiet on the Western Front are great, great movies. Normally there'd only be one like this amongst the nominees, and it's hard for me to choose the best amongst them.

The Fabelmans and Top Gun: Maverick were really good, and I appreciate them. I think The Fabelmans is just the type of film that usually wins Best Picture, and has a great chance of winning.

Avatar: The Way of Water was okay. No chance in hell of winning, and I don't know why it's here.

I have a hard time watching Baz Luhrmann films - all show and spectacle and not much underneath. I didn't like Elvis all that much.

I'd be genuinely surprised if Elvis won (and personally I'm praying it doesn't) but like you say, with the preferential voting card anything is possible, and many Academy members might find find it the least disagreeable and most fun film of the lot.

My bet is the same as yours. It just seems like a "Best Picture" kind of film The Fabelmans. I loved Everything Everywhere All at Once as well, and I think it's one of the favourites to win according to outside opinions - I'll be happy if it wins.

I thought it was mediocre, not good. But that's me and Baz Luhrmann.

I thought it was a really great film, and I've seen it twice already. Wouldn't it be funny if two different versions of All Quiet on the Western Front ended up winning Best Picture in 1930 and 2023 - I don't think it'll win though it has a chance at Best International Film.

I'm continually perplexed as to your dislike of Triangle of Sadness, but obviously it was a type of film that's really not your thing. I left the cinema feeling like I'd seen one of the films of the decade and in a fist-pumping celebratory mood. I think the reason Triangle of Sadness got nominated (it has no chance of winning) was to placate nerdy Ruben Östlund anti-establishment types like me - and it worked! I'm placated!

Re: Oscar's Best Picture 2023
 

I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once the other night putting me at 6/10 so far. I certainly left the film with more positives than negatives, however I was pretty drawn out by the finale. It feels like the writers lost focus, and were changing the ending as they went. The first hour is incredibly entertaining. Yeoh and Quan were incredible in their roles, and were just amazing scene over scene. They felt to amateur and raw to be acted scene over scene. I'm actually surprised they've been in Hollywood so long... Hsu (Jane) left much to be desired on the other hand.

The film doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should we. For me the charm comes in the little easter egg moments. The two that shine for me is the rock scene & Ellen interrupting Jane as she was heading to her car. Just to tell her that she's gotten fat.. so off-beat yet so accurate of the first-generation immigrant love language.

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So far I've seen Top Gun: Maverick, The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once,Triangle of Sadness, and The Fabelmans, and The Banshees of Inisherin is my clear favourite by a big margin. I'll try and watch the other five in time for the Oscars Mofo Oscar Chat.

I watched Banshees this past weekend and really liked it. Hope it pulls an upset. I'll try to watch EEAAO this weekend