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January 13, 2020 at 4:15 pm #1203282565
Forget Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. The voters obviously didn’t connect with The Farewell, and as much as I adored the film, these things happen.
What’s more telling is when they absolutely LOVE a film, and still somehow find a way to overlook its entire cast. It’s happened every single time a film with a predominantly Asian cast manages to break through at the Oscars. Without exception.
The Last Emperor: 9 nominations, 9 wins (BP + BD wins); no actors nominated
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: 10 nominations, 4 wins (BP + BP noms); no actors nominated
Memoirs of a Geisha: 6 nominations, 3 wins; no actors nominated
Slumdog Millionaire: 10 nominations, 8 wins (BP + BD wins); no actors nominated
Parasite: 6 nominations (BP + BD noms); no actors nominatedFor better or for worse, the Academy has given us a very small sample to analyze, with a grand total of five films making a serious wave in the 92 years of its history. Statistical significance aside, the pattern is undeniable.
Imagine an American-produced English-language biopic about a European monarch, so acclaimed that it goes 9 for 9 at the Oscars, somehow fails to get its central performer nominated.
Or a universally beloved feminist film featuring two of the most iconic female warriors of all time, breaking box office records left and right and securing 10 Oscar nominations all at once, without any of the performers recognized.
For whatever reason, conventional award season wisdom always collapses around Asian actors.
Asian actors are where the “blame Hollywood, not the Academy” argument falls apart. Even when easy opportunities come kicking and screaming, the door never opens for them, and no one even bats an eye.
ReplyJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:16 pm #1203282590They could have nominated the Farewell actresses and/or Parasite actors and actresses. They might not like the Farewell much but they certainly like Parasite so Parasite actors/actresses could have been given a chance.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:20 pm #1203282598This post was found to be inappropriate by the moderators and has been removed.January 13, 2020 at 4:24 pm #1203282604Add Michelle Yeoh being snubbed for Crazy Rich Asians to the list.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:32 pm #1203282623I don’t think Memoirs of a Geisha or Slumdog Millionaire were deserving of acting nominations. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon certainly had great performances but Zhang Ziyi’s supporting bid was blatant category fraud. (She and Michelle Yeoh were nominated at BAFTA for supporting and lead, respectively.) Considering them both in the lead category, I’m not sure either of them would’ve made my top five for that year. Being a wuxia film, Crouching Tiger may have suffered from genre bias within the actors branch as much as racial bias. Parasite, of course, deserved at least one acting nomination if not more.
Haven’t seen The Last Emperor so I can’t comment on that.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:32 pm #1203282625Parasite & crouching tiger makes sense because they’re foreign made and voters would rather invest in domestic actors/actresses rather than foreign ones that most likely will not focus in having a career in America. It’s how the world works, it’s building personal connections. You would rather reward someone who will most likely contribute and benefit you (in this case Hollywood) than someone who would generally focus in their homeland. It’s a natural human trait.
George McKay was shut out of best actor since the beginning and he came from a highly lauded film although he gave a phenomenal performance.
For Awkwafina I never understood why she was so highly praise critically. She gave a good performance but it still felt like it was Awkwafina being Awkwafina but being a little bit sad. I never saw her transform into a new character. I was like, don’t cry Awkwafina, it’s okay throughout the movie lol Adam Sandler on the other-hand went far and beyond transformed himself. I didn’t care for his character because he was so unsympathetic but it was different than what we are mostly used to.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:35 pm #1203282634Zhao loosing a spot to Kathy Bates was downright insulting.
it is sad. She definitely deserves to be in. Awkwafina for best female lead, I’m not sure. But she or Lupita should had been in rather than Cynthia
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:36 pm #1203282661It’s rather sickening. No one can deny there’s a pattern. This year was the best time to break the mold, and they went safe.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:37 pm #1203282665Add Michelle Yeoh being snubbed for Crazy Rich Asians to the list.
that performance although great is definitely not Oscar-worthy.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:40 pm #1203282673You guys can analyze each individual case to death but at the end of the day, it’s the pattern that tells the story.
Besides, it’s not like we’ve ever had a shortage of white nominees that are less than deserving, so why does that suddenly matter when it comes to minorities?
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:41 pm #1203282675that performance although great is definitely not Oscar-worthy.
I could say the same about 95% of the performances nominated for Oscars this year.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:42 pm #1203282680For Latino actors too!
ReplyCopy URLFYC: Grammys 2022
AOTY: evermore
ROTY, SOTY, Pop Solo: willow
Pop Album: evermore
Pop Duo: evermore w Bon Iver
Rap Song/ Melodic Rap: closure
Dance Recording: long story short
Remix Recording: Love Story (elvira)
Country Solo/Country Song: cowboy like me
Country Duo: You All Over Me w Marren Morris
American Roots Perf/Song: ivy
Gospel Per: epiphany (live)
Rock Perf/Song: ‘tis the damn season
Music Video: willow
Music Film: folklore studio sessionsJanuary 13, 2020 at 4:43 pm #1203282682I thought Letters from Iwo Jima would be an exception because I was pretty sure Ken Watanabe was nominated for that, but turns out he was nominated for the Tom Cruise-led The Last Samurai. 🙃 4 noms: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Editing (won), 0 acting nominee.
ReplyCopy URLJanuary 13, 2020 at 5:00 pm #1203282714<p style=”text-align: left;”>
I could say the same about 95% of the performances nominated for Oscars this year.
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ReplyCopy URL
touche lolJanuary 13, 2020 at 5:43 pm #1203282796Yeah, this is becoming a problem especially now. There’s already not a ton of Asian-centered stories or stories starring Asian leads (now that we have people from Crazy Rich Asians, Dev Patel, and others, that could slowly change), but The Farewell being completely shut out and Parasite slightly underperforming is disgraceful.
What we can do is push for more amazing stories starring Asian people and more filmmaking opportunities for talented Asian directors and writers.
ReplyCopy URLMovie-lover overall.
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