Fences-A movie that got the Oscar nom.. through allocation of quotas

yet you want to complain about Washington and Davis getting in? F_ck that noise. They were both incredible. If you want to take about quota nominations then have a look at Mahershala Ali's nom, which was the real head scratcher.

You seem to think that great acting is all about talking passionately nonstop. However, the mantra of great filmmaking and acting is "show, don't tell". The characters in Fences constantly tell the audience what they're thinking and feeling. No subtlety whatsoever. I enjoyed the movie but the nonstop dialogue was f-cking relentless. After 20 minutes, I wanted to punch Denzel (who I love) in the face and tell him to STFU for 2 seconds. I know the movie was based on a play but it didn't have to be filmed like one. Many great plays have had revisions to their scripts when adapted from stage to screen, and in turn, they became great movies. Not the case with Fences.

Ali's performance (as short as it was) had a lot of depth, especially in his quieter moments. The greatest acting is expressed through body language, not dialogue. Ali said so much about his character with his face and eyes than his mouth ever could. I was moved watching his performance in the theater. However, I wasn't moved by the chatterbox "acting" in Fences.

the only thing worth a damn in the whole runtime was ATJ's performance. How the flying feck Shannon got nominated for that is a joke

Michael Shannon was extraordinary in Nocturnal Animals. Rewatch the scene where he tells Jake Gyllenhaal he has cancer in the diner:

@ 75:45-79:30
http://vidto.me/31b03y46zujr.html

And watch the expression on his face from 79:10 to 79:20. Look how f-cking intense he is at that moment-- like he's about to explode but then he regains his composure. When I saw that moment in the theater, I knew he'd get an Oscar nomination, just for that scene alone. And it's totally deserved. Again, it's "showing, not telling". Powerful acting right there.

ATJ's performance was not impressive in of itself. It was impressive mostly because of the fact that it was Aaron playing the character. I mean, who expected him to pull off a role like that? However, outside the Kick-Ass movies, he's pretty uncharismatic and doesn't have much screen presence. The fact that no one expected it from him was probably the reason he got nominated and won the Golden Globe. And he got the BAFTA nomination because well... he's a Brit. They always nominate their own. However, his performance wasn't great. His character in Nocturnal Animals had little depth and was more of a caricature. He was convincing as a psychotic killer but he wasn't a particularly charming psycho or at least, a somewhat sympathetic one-- like Anthony Hopkins was in The Silence of the Lambs. That's usually what the Academy looks for in a performance: depth or a character with at least a shred of humanity. That's why ATJ's performance wasn't nominated. Michael Shannon's performance OTOH had those qualities which is why he got the votes.

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