erik lundegaard

Tuesday January 24, 2012

And the Nominees Are...

I'm not a fan of the snubbed meme but “Young Adult” was snubbed, man, massively snubbed. It was the best picture of 2011 that didn't get ... what ... anything? Not even Charlize Theron? Not even Charlize Theron. No Diablo Cody, no Jason Reitman. Nothing. Please see it anyway. It was just one of the best movies of the year.

And if you'd asked me which was more likely: that “War Horse” wouldn't get nominated best picture or “The Adventures of Tin Tin” wouldn't get nominated best animated feature, I would have bet $1,000 on the former.

“The Artist” has 10 noms. Does that lead? No, “Hugo” with 11. “The Descendants” has five noms. It feels like it's “The Artist”'s to lose right now. 

Other surprises? Pleasantly, both Terrence Malick (for best director) and “The Tree of Life” (for best picture) were nominated. Albert Brooks was not. No Leo DiCaprio or Michael Shannon, either. No...

Here, let's take it category by category:

BEST PICTURE

What percentage of the vote did you need again to make this list? And by how much did “War Horse” and “Extremely Loud” squeak over? And by how much did “Young Adult” not? “War Horse,” Jesus. It's a horrible lie of a film. But its main character was brave ... was brave ... was brave ...

BEST DIRECTOR

  • Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
  • Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
  • Terence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
  • Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
  • Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

No Bennett Miller. A bit of a surprise. No David Fincher, who got the DGA nod. Malick instead. Good for the Academy. All the nominated directors' films were nominated best film, but it still feels like a two-film race: “The Artist” vs. “The Descendants.”

BEST ACTOR

  • Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”
  • George Clooney, “The Descendants”
  • Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
  • Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
  • Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Demian! Bro. Now we have to all see that movie when it arrives. Oh, it came and went? Last July? Apologies. Lo siento. Put it in your queue, Netflixers. Quickly, quickly. No Leo nod for “J. Edgar,” no Fassbender for “Shame,” no Michael Shannon for “Take Shelter.” Somewhere, Vinny cries. 

BEST ACTRESS

  • Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
  • Viola Davis, “The Help”
  • Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
  • Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
  • Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Did I happen to mention yet that my choice for best actress of the year, the whole fucking year, Charlize Theron in “Young Adult,” not even nom'ed? She should've gained 40 pounds for the role. Admittedly, thankfully, it's a stacked category this year, but two of the frontrunners, Streep and Williams, didn't do much for me. Plus I'm tired of these statuettes going to biopic (rhymes with myopic) portrayals. Well, clears the field for me. Makes rooting interests easier. Go Viola!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
  • Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
  • Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
  • Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
  • Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

I guess the narrative will be that Max von Sydow, a surprise, nudged out Albert Brooks, a perceived front-runner. But in a certain sense I still don't know what Jonah Hill is doing on this list. Or Kenny B for that matter. Or, hell, Nolte. When did that push begin? Can we see Oscar ad budgets for each film?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
  • Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
  • Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
  • Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
  • Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Where's Shailene Woodley? Where's Evan Rachel Wood? I'd take off Bejo (much as I enjoy seeing her on the red carpet) or McCarthy (much as I enjoy a comedic role being honored; but let's face it, she won it for the heart-to-heart at the end).

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
  • J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call”
  • Asghar Farhari, “A Separation”
  • Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
  • Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”

Farhari is a pleasant surprise here. I like the “Margin Call” shoutout. Deserved. Diablo, you wuz robbed.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
  • John Logan, “Hugo”
  • Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
  • Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
  • Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, “Moneyball”

I still would've given it to “Captain America” over “Ides of March.” I'm serious. You try to adapt a 70-year-old comic book, see how far you get.

Enough for now. Thoughts?

Seriously, Academy?

Posted at 06:47 AM on Tuesday January 24, 2012 in category Movies - The Oscars  
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