This morning, Netflix debuted key scenes and a trailer for George C. Wolfe’s highly anticipated Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Davis is nearly unrecognizable in the part, which requires physical transformation to look like a woman Davis does not, in any way, resemble.
Davis was asked about this in the Q&A with she and George C. Wolfe and her answer was that she resisted the challenge at first because she didn’t see herself as the character. But Davis being Davis, one of the best actors in Hollywood, did take on the challenge and has really gone there with this part.
Very “Fences” vibes. Look like a filmed stage play. Nominations look safe bets for both, and Boseman will probably win. Viola looks good too. Don’t know if good enough for a win, because we still have to other afro american actresses who could emerge – Hudson and Andra Day. And we still have McDormand, who could not be ruled out. My bet for Best Actress for now is Amy Adams. Ron Howard’s flm gave me very “Terms of Endearment” vibes, and Adams is overdue. It is very foolish to think that angry people at twitter backlashing the film, would stop Adams and Close from winning. But back to Viola and her film, in a very weak year like this, I can even see a BP nomination.
Viola and Chadwick look like contenders. But not really sold on the movie if that makes sense. Gives me the ‘this sure looks like a stage play movie’ like Fences (which I thought was just ok). Has a Judy feel to me. Likely a BP nom with the actors as well as a few others but not a threat to win. All this based on a trailer of course.
Many calling Davis for the win very well might be right. I just in no way shape or form would ever discount the love that Frances has with voters. Add the true story aspect of the movie and role she’s in with how this country is right now…I still think she’s just as much as a frontrunner as Davis. Should be interesting!
This looks quite alright. Not expecting anything fantastic, but should be competently made enough to land Oscar noms across the board, and probably catapult Davis to frontrunner status. Maybe Boseman as well, we’ll have to see. Does anyone know whether Davis is doing her own singing, and whether it’s live on set or pre-recorded?
Also, not sure how BLM will affect this year’s Best Picture race but I think it is an underestimated possibility that a Black-led film winning (and probably a Black ensemble film winning) would become a political/cultural inevitability and thus this film could very well become a huge threat.
So far I have been a bit reserved about this performance, but after seeing the trailer, I think Viola Davis is the first close-to-certain winner of this season. It seems like a very meaty role, a great performance (as usual), and a very respected actress…Sounds like a winner to me. And as we know, she will campaign for the win, and I am sure she will make sure Chadwick’s name will remain in the conversation, so she can carry him to the win as well. Honestly, I’d rather see a real powerhouse actress like Viola Davis win her second (and first in lead) Oscar before Jennifer Hudson ( a hit-or-miss actress in my book) wins her second….
I am on Viola bandwagon all the way to the end…but the fact that Amy Adams will go home empty-handed again (with or without a nom) breaks my heart. She deserves to win her Oscar soon
I never saw the play, but from what I understand is that the role of Ma Rainey doesn’t make her entrance until halfway into the play, damn near the end. There’s a lot of dialog and talking about Ma Rainey, but it isn’t until halfway through or 3/4 through that she makes an entrance. I just wonder if they rewrote the part so that Ma Rainey is in the first frames vs. the last frames.
This is a good point. I saw the original on Broadway and recently re-read the play, and Ma enters relatively late in the action. She’s a powerhouse, to be sure, extraordinarily commanding, but in fact Levee has more lines than Ma, and enters the action fairly early. I think it’s possible — I’m not predicting this — that it may not make sense to nominate Boseman in Supporting. Levee is a stunning, indeed pivotal, role in terms of the play’s theme of how black music is changing all around Ma, which she may be reluctant to accept.
But if in the screenplay Ma’s figure looms throughout the action, since she’s talked about a lot, and the script also foreshortens Levee’s speeches, then nominating Boseman in Supporting could make sense. Could. Levee is a dynamic, flashy character and he changes dramatically. But the trailer suggests that the staging of Ma’s production numbers and her appearances outside the recording studio — which the action of the play confines itself to — may make Davis “feel” more like a Lead, and Boseman “feel” more like Supporting.
It will depend on how the script — which, as you suggest, may also bring Ma on earlier than the play did — treats the two roles. In any case, in the trailer both of them look fantastic. I can’t foresee anything other than both of them being Oscar-nominated.
Yep, Sammy was definitely onto something here. As ridiculous as it is to make such a claim this incredibly early on (three more months from the eligibility period), I think Viola Davis is winning in Lead Actress and Chadwick Boseman is winning in Supporting Actor.
I think Supporting Actor will be smooth sailing for Boseman and Lead Actress cleared for Davis the second the most overdue contender’s film received very divisive early reviews. I still think Pfeiffer has a shot at a nomination but I expect it to be more of an Albert Nobbs and less of a Still Alice situation.
P.S. Still not sure about the film overall (picture, director, script ?) but, as expected, the two acting contenders continue to look great.
Holy shit, Chadwick seems terrific in this and Viola looks as much as a force as I’d expect her to be in pretty much anything. Seems like they’re gonna slay the entire awards season and probably deservedly so as well. Still pissed about Chadwick not getting a Best Actor nomination for Get On Up and Viola missing the cut for her phenomenal turn as Veronica in Widows.
As happy as I am that he will most likely become an Oscar nominee / winner at last, I find it infuriating that the Academy – nor any major award organisation – could bother to nominate him for any one of his four iconic star vehicles (The 42, Get On Up, Marshall, Black Panther) while he was still alive. It is great that he will be honoured in death but it would have been infinitely greater if these voters could have found it in themselves to honour him while he was still alive.
I mean ffs the year he delivered his tour de force in Get On Up, Bradley Cooper received a nomination for American fucking Sniper and Eddie Redmayne won. I’m not in the camp who hates The Theory of Everything or that central performance, but next to Boseman that year, it almost felt like amateur hour to me. There, rage rant over.
Exactly. He was among the best (if not the best) that year, literally gave me chills as James Brown and he was always an extremely compelling actor to watch in everything so even if he scores what looks like a much deserved posthumous recognition by the Academy, it definitely doesn’t change the fact that he deserved to be recognized while still being alive. Get On Up btw remains my favorite film from a director as wildly uneven as Tate Taylor. That picture was underrated af and Viola killed it with just two scenes or something as Brown’s mother.
Looks promising but I got some sense of the visuals reverting to very basic choices in every conversation scene in the trailer, which might mean unevenness or very traditional visual language with just individual striking images. Still, even that would probably be better than most prestige dramas these days.
Very “Fences” vibes. Look like a filmed stage play. Nominations look safe bets for both, and Boseman will probably win. Viola looks good too. Don’t know if good enough for a win, because we still have to other afro american actresses who could emerge – Hudson and Andra Day. And we still have McDormand, who could not be ruled out. My bet for Best Actress for now is Amy Adams. Ron Howard’s flm gave me very “Terms of Endearment” vibes, and Adams is overdue. It is very foolish to think that angry people at twitter backlashing the film, would stop Adams and Close from winning. But back to Viola and her film, in a very weak year like this, I can even see a BP nomination.
Viola and Chadwick look like contenders. But not really sold on the movie if that makes sense. Gives me the ‘this sure looks like a stage play movie’ like Fences (which I thought was just ok). Has a Judy feel to me. Likely a BP nom with the actors as well as a few others but not a threat to win. All this based on a trailer of course.
Many calling Davis for the win very well might be right. I just in no way shape or form would ever discount the love that Frances has with voters. Add the true story aspect of the movie and role she’s in with how this country is right now…I still think she’s just as much as a frontrunner as Davis. Should be interesting!
This looks quite alright. Not expecting anything fantastic, but should be competently made enough to land Oscar noms across the board, and probably catapult Davis to frontrunner status. Maybe Boseman as well, we’ll have to see. Does anyone know whether Davis is doing her own singing, and whether it’s live on set or pre-recorded?
Also, not sure how BLM will affect this year’s Best Picture race but I think it is an underestimated possibility that a Black-led film winning (and probably a Black ensemble film winning) would become a political/cultural inevitability and thus this film could very well become a huge threat.
So far I have been a bit reserved about this performance, but after seeing the trailer, I think Viola Davis is the first close-to-certain winner of this season. It seems like a very meaty role, a great performance (as usual), and a very respected actress…Sounds like a winner to me. And as we know, she will campaign for the win, and I am sure she will make sure Chadwick’s name will remain in the conversation, so she can carry him to the win as well. Honestly, I’d rather see a real powerhouse actress like Viola Davis win her second (and first in lead) Oscar before Jennifer Hudson ( a hit-or-miss actress in my book) wins her second….
I am on Viola bandwagon all the way to the end…but the fact that Amy Adams will go home empty-handed again (with or without a nom) breaks my heart. She deserves to win her Oscar soon
100% agree with this!
I never saw the play, but from what I understand is that the role of Ma Rainey doesn’t make her entrance until halfway into the play, damn near the end. There’s a lot of dialog and talking about Ma Rainey, but it isn’t until halfway through or 3/4 through that she makes an entrance. I just wonder if they rewrote the part so that Ma Rainey is in the first frames vs. the last frames.
This is a good point. I saw the original on Broadway and recently re-read the play, and Ma enters relatively late in the action. She’s a powerhouse, to be sure, extraordinarily commanding, but in fact Levee has more lines than Ma, and enters the action fairly early. I think it’s possible — I’m not predicting this — that it may not make sense to nominate Boseman in Supporting. Levee is a stunning, indeed pivotal, role in terms of the play’s theme of how black music is changing all around Ma, which she may be reluctant to accept.
But if in the screenplay Ma’s figure looms throughout the action, since she’s talked about a lot, and the script also foreshortens Levee’s speeches, then nominating Boseman in Supporting could make sense. Could. Levee is a dynamic, flashy character and he changes dramatically. But the trailer suggests that the staging of Ma’s production numbers and her appearances outside the recording studio — which the action of the play confines itself to — may make Davis “feel” more like a Lead, and Boseman “feel” more like Supporting.
It will depend on how the script — which, as you suggest, may also bring Ma on earlier than the play did — treats the two roles. In any case, in the trailer both of them look fantastic. I can’t foresee anything other than both of them being Oscar-nominated.
Yep, Sammy was definitely onto something here. As ridiculous as it is to make such a claim this incredibly early on (three more months from the eligibility period), I think Viola Davis is winning in Lead Actress and Chadwick Boseman is winning in Supporting Actor.
I think Supporting Actor will be smooth sailing for Boseman and Lead Actress cleared for Davis the second the most overdue contender’s film received very divisive early reviews. I still think Pfeiffer has a shot at a nomination but I expect it to be more of an Albert Nobbs and less of a Still Alice situation.
P.S. Still not sure about the film overall (picture, director, script ?) but, as expected, the two acting contenders continue to look great.
Looks excellent. I think it’s Chadwick’s Oscar.
Holy shit, Chadwick seems terrific in this and Viola looks as much as a force as I’d expect her to be in pretty much anything. Seems like they’re gonna slay the entire awards season and probably deservedly so as well. Still pissed about Chadwick not getting a Best Actor nomination for Get On Up and Viola missing the cut for her phenomenal turn as Veronica in Widows.
As happy as I am that he will most likely become an Oscar nominee / winner at last, I find it infuriating that the Academy – nor any major award organisation – could bother to nominate him for any one of his four iconic star vehicles (The 42, Get On Up, Marshall, Black Panther) while he was still alive. It is great that he will be honoured in death but it would have been infinitely greater if these voters could have found it in themselves to honour him while he was still alive.
I mean ffs the year he delivered his tour de force in Get On Up, Bradley Cooper received a nomination for American fucking Sniper and Eddie Redmayne won. I’m not in the camp who hates The Theory of Everything or that central performance, but next to Boseman that year, it almost felt like amateur hour to me. There, rage rant over.
Exactly. He was among the best (if not the best) that year, literally gave me chills as James Brown and he was always an extremely compelling actor to watch in everything so even if he scores what looks like a much deserved posthumous recognition by the Academy, it definitely doesn’t change the fact that he deserved to be recognized while still being alive. Get On Up btw remains my favorite film from a director as wildly uneven as Tate Taylor. That picture was underrated af and Viola killed it with just two scenes or something as Brown’s mother.
Looks promising but I got some sense of the visuals reverting to very basic choices in every conversation scene in the trailer, which might mean unevenness or very traditional visual language with just individual striking images. Still, even that would probably be better than most prestige dramas these days.