Team Experience reactions #2: Final questions from today's nominations
Monday, January 13, 2020 at 9:00PM 
We've polled Team Experience one last time today to answer the following three questions to complete our Oscar Nomination Day reactions (apart from the podcast which is going up soon). We hope you'll chime in too.
- Which nomination are you happiest about?
- Which is the strongest category and which is the weakest?
- Nominees always release totally generic statemetns about being "truly honored". But which nominee would you most like to have been a fly on the wall to watch their totally authentic reactions/conversations this morning.
Ready? You'll hear their answers after the jump...
WHICH NOMINATION MADE YOU HAPPIEST?
ABE FRIED-TANZER: : I Lost My Body for Best Animated Feature. While many were predicting it, the inclusion of a French-language moody piece about a severed hand was far was guaranteed, and this boost might mean that many more people get to experience this weird, wonderful film.
CHRIS FEIL:: Antonio Banderas. Though I felt more confident in this nomination's likelihood than some, the reward remains undiminished. A performance so attuned to the spirit and legacy of the filmmaker he's playing, that it's hard not to also see this as a nomination for Pedro as well (though, he of course deserved love in the screenplay and directing categories).
ERIC BLUME: I'm probably joining a chorus on this, but Antonio Banderas making Best Actor was the day's single biggest thrill. His performance is breathtaking: a layered, deeply felt, carefully calibrated charting of a man unexpectedly re-finding desire. Almodovar was robbed by Todd Philips, but it's exciting to have Pain and Glory represented by such a big nomination.
PAOLO: All the nominations for Marriage Story, especially for its screenplay. I can already remember the acoustics of the room as these characters bounce off each other.
CLAUDIO ALVES: No nomination made me happier than Petra Costa's The Edge of Democracy in Best Documentary. Not only is it an urgent doc, but it's also a beautiful, often painful, meditation on how the personal is political and vice-versa.
CAMILA HENRIQUES: The Edge of Democracy! After Invisible Life got shunned in International Feature and Fernando Meirelles's campaign didn't take off for The Two Popes, Brazil's hopes rested in Petra Costa's shoulder, and, in this political climate we're unfortunately experiencing in my country, to have a documentary about the shenanigans that led to the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff nominated for an Oscar... And just a few weeks after Brazil's current president said "it's been a while" since the country made a "good movie". Ha!
TRAVIS CRAGG: It's a draw between (now being able to say) "Oscar nominee Florence Pugh" and "Oscar nominee Rian Johnson."
SPENCER COILE: Florence Pugh sneaking in. Her delivery of, “I’m making a mold of my foot for Laurie to remind him I have nice feet” was worth the nomination alone!
MARK BRINKERHOFF: That South Korea *finally* has broken through Oscars’ (east) Asian resistance, with not only a nom for Best International Feature, but half a dozen thanks to Bong Joon-Ho and company.
JASON ADAMS: The gorgeous blacks and grays and blacks of The Lighthouse, which at least got in for Cinematography thank goodness. I'll try to pretend Midsommar road in on its A24 coattails.
MICHAEL FRANK: A nomination that put a huge smile on my face yet left me absolutely shocked, The Lighthouse crept its way into the Best Achievement in Cinematography with a nomination for Jarin Blaschke. Robert Eggers’ pseudo-horror film focusing on two lighthouse keepers, played with a wild fervor by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, constantly you a sense of eerie dread. The square aspect ratio along with the black and white filming makes you feel like you’re in a different era of society, a different era of film. The cinematography strikes like a bolt of lightning, with sheer beautiful craziness. Blaschke’s work gives fans of independent (and weird) cinema a reason to shout, cheer, and go absolutely insane.
LYNN LEE: Parasite's Best Picture nom because the fact that it seems like such a "duh" is remarkable in itself; no way would this have happened to a South Korean film had it not become such a zeitgeisty phenom!
WHICH IS THE STRONGEST CATEGORY AND WHICH IS THE WEAKEST?
NICK DAVIS: If anyone answers anything other than Documentary Feature for the best category, I will be all ears for a solid explanation, though we'll see if I can be convinced.The four I've seen are all in my Top 10 or 12 releases of the year, and I only hear glowing reports about The Edge of Democracy. Also, women can direct and stuff! The worst category is Original Song. Again, I'll be shocked if I'm not one of many who thinks so. Specifying why is too depressing.
MARK: Worst: The Costume Design category, which reflects the obviousness and utter obliviousness of that branch toward newer, scrappier, more diverse and innovative talent. Best: Meanwhile, the Documentary Feature category continues to shows comparatively good taste.
EUROCHEESE: Single best - I may not love everything in Best Picture, but I'm glad they did nine and that it really does represent the year well. Single worst - So many are mixed bags, but Actress does feel like the worst possible lineup. If I could take the three (of the eight most consensus players) that missed over all five that made it, I'd do it.
SPENCER: Best: Original Screenplay was SO close to being the strongest. Sub out the lazy video game instruction manual that is 1917 and put in the lovely, melancholic, brimming with life screenplay for The Farewell and that’s an all-time great lineup; Worst: Greta Gerwig, Lulu Wang, Céline Sciamma, Lorene Scafaria, Marielle Heller, Mati Diop, Olivia Wilde, Joanna Hogg, Alma Har’el, Claire Denis... that’s just scratching the surface for how dynamic the Best Director lineup could’ve been.
BEN: I love the Original Screenplay category. I frequently moan about the lack of original stories in the world and the fact that we got Knives Out, Parasite and Once Upon a Time..., that's pretty great. I would have liked to sub The Farewell in for 1917, but beggars can't be choosers.
CLAUDIO: The best is surely Best Production Design with Best Supporting Actor as a fraud-filled runner-up. The inclusion of Parasite is divine, but all the other nominees are deserving too. It's also the only category where I'd accept some Jojo Rabbit love, so there's that.
As for worst, Best Original Song is a dispiriting thing. If for no other reason, the fact I'll now have to watch Breakthrough is enough to make it the absolute vilest line-up.
CAMILA: Even if Joaquin Phoenix's work in Joker isn't a career best IMO, the best actor category was the best of the bunch this year. Yes, De Niro could have easily gotten DiCaprio's spot (I have Bob as my winner, actually), but any group that has Banderas, Pryce (Evita reunion!) and Driver nominated is ahead of the curve. As for the weakest, best original song wasn't as interesting as it was just last year. Do we really need another Diane Warren nomination? Mary Steenburgen and Beyoncé were right there!
JASON: It feels like every category is ruined by one nom... usually from Joker or The Two Popes. I guess Production Design is the best? I would've nominated some other things but all of the ones that were nominated are good, especially Parasite.
ERIC: The sound mixing category has five nominees that provided rich moviegoing experiences due to the technical artfulness of the sound teams. The collective choices, both broad and subtle, made by the teams who worked on these five pictures, were astonishingly smart and added so much to the films. Bravo, Academy.
MICHAEL: The five nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role all give strong performances, with special recognition given to Antonio Banderas for a killer dramatic turn in Pain and Glory. Jonathan Pryce being nominated for The Two Popes surprised many, but his subtle religious performance still received plentiful global acclaim. The frontrunners, Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver, give once-in-a-lifetime performances (Driver would be higher on my ballot). Rounding out the five is Leonardo DiCaprio, who give his most likeable performance in many years.
The weakest category actually just mirrors the strongest: Best Actress. Scarlett, Renee, and Saoirse deserved the nominations, but Cynthia and Charlize are both giving fine performances in below-average films. Awkwafina, Lupita Nyong’o, and Elisabeth Moss brought their A-game yet were shut out. Lupita specifically played two characters in one film, almost complete opposites, both to perfection. Justice for Lupita!
WHICH NOMINEE DID YOU MOST WANT TO SPY ON THEIR PRIVATE REACTION?
CHRIS: What are you talking about? Brad and I were having champagne in bed.
CLAUDIO: I'd love to see if Antonio Banderas' did a reenactment of that famous GIF upon hearing his about nomination. I certainly did something similar in my living room when he was announced.
BEN: I would love to see the Gerwig-Baumbach combo for their raucous celebrations of lightly nodding and a gentle peck on the cheek to congratulate each other
GINNY O'KEEFE:: I would die to see Florence Pugh’s reaction. Her insta post was hilarious and she was just lying naked in bed when she saw it on her phone. So what happened next? Did she call Greta? Did Ari Aster call to congratulate her? Did Zach Braff make her pancakes after?!
PAOLO: Taika Waititi. He would have worn a Hawaiian shirt that hit him properly, perfectly pomaded his hair, and after hearing his nominations he would have accidentally knocked off furniture just like he did in Toronto a few months ago. Great guy.
MARK: Considering that Honeyland wasn’t a sure thing in either category it was (historically) nominated, directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov must be on cloud nine, which I’d love to witness.
MICHAEL: I would’ve loved to see Margot Robbie on this Oscar nomination morning. The absolute joy she has shown throughout this awards season makes me overjoyed with her success. Robbie got a nomination for Bombshell, and Tarantino’s film got a near clean sweep of nominations with 10. I’m sure she is having a ball right now, and by god she deserves it.
Your turn readers, finish OSCAR NOMINATION DAY (aka CHRISTMAS) off by telling us what your short film would have been like and which nominee you most wanted to peek in on.
Reader Comments (35)
I was happy for Antonio Banderas and for "Ford vs Ferrari"
For me, Scarlett's double-nomination made me the happiest as she had been overdue for several nods for years. I would've love for her to go nuts, drink Scar-Jo Weisers and yell out "BRING ME MORE BEERS!!!" After all, she's Scar-Jo 3:16!!!!!
The AD ASTRA nom for Sound Mixing made my day. It was the only nomination of the morning that seemed to come out of nowhere, despite being a richly deserved one. While most critics seem to praise the film as a visual feat, I'd argue the sound is its strongest element.
I'm happiest for Hair Love. That project has been a long time coming, having been funded through a Kickstarter, and it means so much to so many people.
Parasite for Best Art Direction (was always getting in for Editing), tho I did think its production design would make it.
Ad Astra cuz that's easy, along with the effects that somehow weren't eligible.
Antonio Banderas. Saoirse Ronan. Florence Pugh.
Happiest: Banderas.
Strongest category: International.
Weakest: Supporting Actor.
Fly-on-the-wall: Elton & Bernie.
So what happened to "Rocketman"? Was it too daring? To gay?
I concur with the HONEYLAND directors. What a wild morning for them both.
1. All things about Parasite. Movies do not only come from USA!
The snub that made me happy is Frozen 2 LMAO
2. Best supporting actor is unusually very competitive and strong.
While best actress is so boring.
3. Scarlett finally getting her time at the Oscars. She need to win in leading to excite me about that category.
Jaragon -- i've ben wondering that myself. I'm sadly thinking "too May release" they were even harsher than usual about movies releasd before the end of the year.
Happiest: cinematography for The Lighthouse... just glad it got a nomination at all. Also happy overall for the noms for Once Upon a Time and Little Women. Glad Hanks is back too.
Peek in on: Dern and Pitt
Todd Philllips, Banderas, Pugh, "Lighthouse" cinematography.
Really, overseas critics and cinephiles had a complitely take on Phillip's work than in home. Obviously.
I studied film 5 years and I was Programmer of Film Festival for 12 years. I saw a wide range of work, sometimes up to 300 a year between feature, shorts, animation.
JOKER is also a feat in derecting. Whether you like it or not.
Highbrow and Godard-discipled CAHIERS DU CINEMA elected it as one of the 10 best of the year. As well as many respected critics here.
FOR SURE, they though about directing as integral part of film.
I find it utimately baffling arguing Phillips for this.
I think Gerwig sould have got in. But for Mendes.
Another not so bad idea. There's actor and actress categories. Why not female directing? Are they required different skills than actors regardless of genre? I don't think so! So why it's natural for actors and no directors?
And best first feature next year!
Even though it was obvious it was going to happen, I was thrilled to see Parasite break the Oscar hex for South Korea. The closest they'd come was Burning getting shortlisted last year for international film. Such great films that are equally as good (or better!) than Parasite went unrecognized, like Oldboy, Spring Summer Fall Winter & Spring, Oasis, Mother, Poetry, Secret Sunshine, Memories of Murder, 3-Iron, The Isle, etc.
Good news - you CAN see the Honeyland filmmakers react!
(The word "react" in my comment is a link to the filmmakers' reaction video on Facebook. It's not showing up for me as a visible hyperlink, even though it is one, so I wanted to make sure folks knew that.)
Happiest : Hanks, the 1917 love, Ronan. Saddest: lack of nods for The Farewell and Jennifer Lopez.
@Whunk I love all the Korean movies you've cited especially Mother, Poetry and Memories of Mother. Like you. I'm over the moon that finally a South Korean movie has been recognised in this big way.
sorry memories of murder (not mother) LOL!
Happiest about Leonardo DiCaprio. Glad he got invited back.
I imagine Margot Robbie gleefully reinacting her scene in the movie theater. Smiling brightly and just absorbing the joy.
Best Animated Feature was the best. Let's think about the mass of remake and sequels at the Globes
Happiest: Little Women bounce back!! Gerwig muz b somewhr hovering at no. 6 in director race, judging fr the luv for it 😁
Happy: Banderas, Scarjo double dip, Saoirse, Flo, Hanks. Knives Out.
Sad: The Farewell, Honey Boy, Lulu n Awkwafina. Taron n Rocketman's snubs in Makeup n Costumes. Lupita, Alfre n Portrait o a Lady on Fire.
Saddest: JLo n Song. This is probably the closest they will ever come to an Oscar nod...
Supporting actress is an embarrassing category, Pugh aside.
Hair Love!
Now that I've had a day to reflect on these miquetoast nominations, there are a couple that stand out:
Of course, Antonio Banderas. So glad to see him included in the mix, I just wish he had an actual shot at winning.
Rian Johnson for the 2nd best original screenplay of the year. (the 1st is the most egregious snub of the year)
Florence Pugh - a revelation. Please let your Black Widow role be a one-and-done for franchises. You could be the greatest actress of your generation.
Happiest: Everything LITTLE WOMEN! Especially the Best Picture nom. I loved the movie and hope that Saoirse can surprise with a Best Actress win. Also: Gerwig should have been nominated instead of Phillips.
Strongest category: Best Actor. Everyone did a great job. Although I wish others were there, I have no problem with this. It was a competitive year! My ranking: 1. Driver. 2. Banderas. 3. Leo. 4. Joaquin. 5. Pryce. All excellent! (Even thought I HATED Joker and only LIKED The Two Popes).
Weakest category: Best Original Song. This is a pitiful category. Not their fault though, the choices this year was pretty bland. Followed by supporting actress. So uninspired! J. Lo smoked all those gals!
Fly on the wall: I’d like to see Taron’s reaction. I didn’t like Rocketman, but I was rooting for him because he is so likeable and wanted it so bad! Poor Eggsy!
All of the love for Little Women. The nomination for Hanks. The cinematography nod for The Lighthouse. The production design and editing nods for Parasite.
Supporting Actor is an unusually strong category this year, even if I wish Dafoe or Song Kang Ho replaced Hopkins.
Some of the music taste is quite disgusting.
Alfre Woodard for Clemency should have been nominated instead of Cynthia Erivo. Harriet was a paint by numbers bore, and Erivo's performance predictable and unexciting.
I would otherwise be happiest for Scarlett since he deserves he nominated after such a long career that could have gotten her noms. But two nominations is a bit excessive and the negativity around her in general won’t be helped by it. So probably happiest for Banderas even if I have not seen this film, I am trusting people he is good here.
Of those that were vulnerable, Antonio Banderas and JOKER for costumes
"Scar-Jo 3:16" double noms does not make this 'fetch' level atrocity right. Consider this the worlds cease and desist, you are showing Academy member level taste right now and 2020 is bleak enough without this horrendous failing of moral character.Did Nathaniel turn off moderation or did this affront slip through the net? Give us a dozen alleged imitators instead.
Happiest: Banderas... in a fair world, this would be his FOURTH Oscar nomination for a Pedro Almodovar film...
Supporting for Law of Desire
Lead for Tie me up, Tie me down
Lead for The Skin I live in (winner)
Lead for Pain and Glory
Less happy... Marriage Story, Original Screenplay. I knew it was unavoidable but so misogynisitc, bitter revenge on his ex... the characterization of all female characters was shameful to my taste... only Hagerty's looked like an actually positive portrait (only for later be diminished by Baumbach's alter ego in his rant scene).
And Antonio Banderas - a white European Spaniard is now a "person of color" ; )
@Nick Davis
Where I could watch the reactions of the directors of honeyland?