Producers Guild Awards say 'You can't sit with us!' to the blockbusters
Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 11:52AM
NATHANIEL R in Being the Ricardos, Best Picture, Dune, Oscars (21), PGA, precursor awards

by Nathaniel R

The Producers Guild of America has spoken and even though in past years they've shown a fondness for superheros and blockbusters nominating films like Star Trek, Wonder Woman, and Deadpool, this year they've dashed the Oscar dreams of the 8th Spider-Man movie and the 25th official James Bond movie and selected only Dune to represent big franchise filmmaking. The "surprise" nomination, though it really shouldn't be considered a surprise given that they even nominated Molly's Game, was Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos. Their nominees are as follows...

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF A THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE

This is a big get for Being the Ricardos which we've been predicting for the 10th spot in Best Picture for some time (though it's felt very vulnerable). Things could still change though. The PGA lineup never transfers fully intact. Here is how it's differed since 2009 when the PGA moved to 10 nominees. In that same time frame Oscar had anywhere between 8-10 nominees so sometimes everything that was nominated for Oscar did in fact get a PGA nomination but the lists have never been an exact duplicate. 

Generally speaking --- very broadly "generally" -- Oscar will choose something that's closer to a smaller production and critical darling when they replace something from the PGA which leans (again very generally speaking) towards bigger spectacles and more mainstream choices.

2020: (PGA only): Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and One Night in Miami
          Oscar replaced with: The Father

2019: (PGA only): Knives Out
           Oscar replaced with: All other nominations matched

Difference of opinion: PGA chose 1917 for its top prize and Oscar went with Parasite.

2018: (PGA only) Crazy Rich Asians and A Quiet Place
          Oscar replaced with: All other nominations matched

2017: (PGA only) The Big Sick, I Tonya, Molly's Game, and Wonder Woman
          Oscar replaced with: Darkest Hour and Phantom Thread

2016: (PGA only) Deadpool
          Oscar replaced with: All other nominations matched.

 Difference of opinion: PGA chose La La Land for its top prize and Oscar went with Moonlight


2015: (PGA only) Ex Machina, Sicario and Straight Outta Compton
          Oscar replaced with: Room 

Difference of opinion: PGA chose The Big Short for its top prize and Oscar went with Spotlight

2014: (PGA only) Foxcatcher, Gone Girl and Nightcrawler
          Oscar replaced with: Selma

2013: (PGA only) Blue Jasmine and Saving Mr Banks
          Oscar replaced with: Philomena

Difference of opinion: NOT REALLY given Oscar outcomes but there was a tie and the PGA chose both Gravity (which won the most Oscars) for its top prize AND 12 Years a Slave which won Best Picture at the Oscars.

2012: (PGA only) Moonrise Kingdom and Skyfall
          Oscar replaced with: Amour

2011: (PGA only) Bridesmaids, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Ides of March
          Oscar replaced with: The Tree of Life and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

2010: (PGA only) The Town
          Oscar replaced with: Winter's Bone

2009: (PGA only) Invictus and Star Trek
          Oscar replaced with: The Blind Side and A Serious Man

 

You have to go back to the early 90s to find a time when the PGA and Oscar were carbon copies of each other. The most recent such year was 1994 when Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, and Shawshank Redemption competed at both ceremonies. 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF AN ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE

Guilds are notoriously American-mainstream centric when it comes to animation so it always feels like the foreign films won't get Oscar nods in this category until they do. Flee and Belle are still possible in the Oscar lineup.

 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF EPISODIC TELEVISION DRAMA

 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF EPISODIC TELEVISION COMEDY 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF LIMITED ANTHOLOGY TELEVISION SERIES 

 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF TELEVISED MOTION PICTURES

 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF NON-FICTION TELEVISION 

 

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, VARIETY, SKETCH, STANDUP, TALK TELEVISION

Producers Guild voters must be upset about "cancel culture" if they're sticking up for Dave Chappelle in the culture wars of 2021 when he kept verbally attacking trans people.  

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF GAME & COMPETITION TELEVISION

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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