Oscar Nomination Reactions

Like I do every February, I was up early this morning to hear the announcement of the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards. I’m a big dork when it comes to these things and love keeping track of all the best movies of the year and try to predict who will be nominated. The more important predictions will come later this month when I make my picks on who will actual win the coveted Oscar, but until then check out below to see how I fared this year and what I thought about the nominations.

BEST PICTURE
THE HURT LOCKER
AVATAR
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
UP IN THE AIR
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
AN EDUCATION
INVICTUS THE BLIND SIDE
A SERIOUS MAN
UP
DISTRICT 9

RESULTS: 9 for 10
PERSONAL TAKE: Let’s ignore the fact (not really since I’m bringing it up) that my favorite film of 2009 (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE) was shut out of every single category making its Oscar nomination total equal to zero (TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has one). Anyway, back to my predictions. I think I did pretty well picking 9 of the 10. I guess the Academy thought they had enough apartheid representation with DISTRICT 9 and left INVICTUS out. I’m unpleasantly surprised to see THE BLIND SIDE get the nomination since I still think it’s one of the most overrated movies of the year. This isn’t the People Choice Awards, you know! That pick is exactly why I didn’t like the idea of a 10-nominee Best Picture race this year. The public was able to dictate this nomination. I could name at least 60 better movies that came out this year that should be in THE BLIND SIDE’s spot. As of right now, this is still a three-picture race between THE HURT LOCKER, AVATAR, and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

BEST DIRECTOR
KATHRYN BIGELOW, The Hurt Locker
JAMES CAMERON, Avatar
JASON REITMAN, Up in the Air
QUENTIN TARANTINO, Inglourious Basterds
LEE DANIELS, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

RESULTS: 5 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: No surprises here. I was a little worried for LEE DANIELS but he managed to get in although I don’t necessarily think his direction is what made PRECIOUS so powerful. As of right now, this is still a two-director race between KATHRYN BIGELOW and JAMES CAMERON.

BEST ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES, Crazy Heart
GEORGE CLOONEY, Up in the Air
COLIN FIRTH, A Single Man
MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus
JEREMY RENNER, The Hurt Locker

RESULTS: 5 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: No real surprises here although JEREMY RENNER was on the cusp and could have (should have?) been replaced by VIGGO MORTENSEN for The Road. Either way, this is a strong group of contenders. They are all very deserving of the nomination.

BEST ACTRESS
MERYL STREEP, Julie & Juila
SANDRA BULLOCK, The Blind Side
CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education
GABBY SIDIBE, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
EMILY BLUNT, The Young Victoria HELEN MIRREN, The Last Station

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: No real surprises here although HELEN MIRREN was on the cusp and could have been replaced by EMILY BLUNT in The Young Victoria. I am still dumbfounded to see SANDRA BULLOCK on the list. It’s a two-actress race right now between her and MERYL STREEP although I think CAREY MULLIGAN gives the best performance of everyone.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPH WALTZ, Inglourious Basterds
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, The Last Station
STANLEY TUCCI, The Lovely Bones
WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger
ALFRED MOLINA, An Education MATT DAMON, Invictus

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Really? MATT DAMON over ALFRED MOLINA or PETER SARSGAARD in AN EDUCATION? Sigh. No real surprises here other than it could have either gone DAMON or MOLINA. I still liked STANLEY TUCCI better in Julie & Julia than I did in The Lovely Bones. WOODY HARRELSON is very deserving of this nomination.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MO’NIQUE, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
ANNA KENDRICK, Up in the Air
VERA FARMIGA, Up in the Air
PENELOPE CRUZ, Nine
MARION COTILLARD, Nine MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, Crazy Heart

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: The MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL pick was probably the biggest surprise when they announced the nominees on Feb. 2 probably because everyone was only focused on Jeff Bridges’ performance in the movie. I like GYLLENHAAL in Crazy Heart although I actually would have liked to see SAMANTHA MORTON get the nod for The Messenger. Most people thought JULIANNE MOORE would get the fifth spot for A Single Man. A lot of people were counting out PENELOPE CRUZ, but I’m glad I stuck by her.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
A SERIOUS MAN
UP
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER THE MESSENGER

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: It’s hard to be angry that (500) DAYS OF SUMMER was overlooked only because THE MESSENGER was such a well-written piece of work, too. All these nominees are deserving.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
UP IN THE AIR
AN EDUCATION
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
INVICTUS IN THE LOOP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE DISTRICT 9

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: IN THE LOOP was very sharp, witty and well-written although many people didn’t see it. DISTRICT 9 was also a very unique movie especially in the sci-fi genre. Other than WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, I would have liked to have seen FANTASTIC MR. FOX grab a nomination here instead of IN THE LOOP or DISTRICT 9. Still, they’re all solid picks.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
UP
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
CORALINE
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS THE SECRET OF KELLS

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: THE SECRET OF KELLS was a surprise pick only because not too many people have heard of this movie. It’s the only one of the five nominees that didn’t have a wide release in theaters. I haven’t seen it either, so I can’t say too much about it until I do. Other than that, all the other nominees were basically locks. I would have liked to see MARY & MAX miraculously find a spot in that group especially since not too many people saw that either and it looks like the Academy was open to considering smaller animated films.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE
THE WHITE RIBBON
A PROPHET
AJAMI
WINTER IN WARTIME EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS
SAMSON AND DELILAH THE MILK OF SORROW

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: From the short list, I’ve only seen THE WHITE RIBBON, A PROPHET, and SAMSON AND DELILAH. The rest were basically just guesses since most of these films have not hit the market yet. Either way, this award is going to THE WHITE RIBBON (one of my Top 10 films of 2009). A PROPHET is also very deserving. I can see why the Academy overlooked SAMSON AND DELILAH.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
THE COVE
FOOD, INC.
THE BEACHES OFAGNES BURMA VJ
UNDER OUR SKIN THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA
MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN WHICH WAY HOME

RESULTS: 2 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: From the short list, I’ve only seen THE COVE and FOOD, INC. Everything else was just a guess based on buzz so I can’t comment on the quality. I would have actually liked to have seen Chris Rock get a nod for GOOD HAIR. I thought that was a really hilarious and educational documentary. Michael Moore haters should be glad to see he didn’t get a nomination for CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY.

ART DIRECTION
NINE
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE AVATAR
A SINGLE MAN IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
BRIGHT STAR THE YOUNG VICTORIA
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS SHERLOCK HOLMES

RESULTS: 1 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Eww. I really stunk it up in this category. Someone really needs to go back and study the finer points of Art Direction.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NINE HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE THE WHITE RIBBON
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
AVATAR

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Why I didn’t pick THE WHITE RIBBON as a nominee is beyond me. I guess I’m still experiencing WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE denial. HARRY POTTER is quite a surprise since none of the other HARRY POTTER movies got Cinematography nods before.

COSTUME DESIGN
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
PUBLIC ENEMIES COCO BEFORE CHANEL
BRIGHT STAR
NINE
THE YOUNG VICTORIA

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: COCO BEFORE CHANEL is very deserving. DOCTOR PARNASSUS? Not quite sure where that nomination came from. I would have rather seen PUBLIC ENEMIES, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, or SHERLOCK HOLMES get that nomination.

EDITING
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
UP IN THE AIR PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Hmm. Can’t say I agree with the UP IN THE AIR blow off.

MAKE UP
STAR TREK
DISTRICT 9 THE YOUNG VICTORIA
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS IL DIVO

RESULTS: 1 for 3
PERSONAL TAKE: Where did IL DIVO come from? The two guys that did the make up for IL DIVO (an Italian movie I have never seen) were nominated last for doing a great job with make up on APOCALYPTO. But, still, that was a random nomination. I guess I have to seek out the movie to see if it was worthy or not.

VISUAL EFFECTS
AVATAR
STAR TREK
DISTRICT 9

RESULTS: 3 for 3
PERSONAL TAKE: No surprises. AVATAR’s basically a sure thing anway.

ORIGINAL SCORE
AVATAR
UP
SHERLOCK HOLMES
A SINGLE MAN THE HURT LOCKER
THE INFORMANT! FANTASTIC MR. FOX

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: You’re not going to hear any complaining from me about the FANTASTIC MR. FOX nomination. Totally deserving! THE HURT LOCKER pick is kind of odd.

ORIGINAL SONG
“WEARY KIND,” Crazy Heart
“Down in New Orleans,” The Princess and the Frog
“CINEMA ITALIANO,” Nine “TAKE IT ALL,” Nine
“I Will See You,” Avatar “ALMOST THERE,” The Princess and the Frog
“(I Want to) Come Home,” Everybody’s Fine “LOIN DE PANAME,” Paris 36

RESULTS: 2 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Ooo, la la. PARIS 36 is a big surprise. No one saw that one coming. I picked the wrong song for the right movie with NINE. Two songs for THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, really? Doesn’t matter much since this is CRAZY HEART’s to win by a landslide. I hope if the producers of the Oscars decide to have all the nominated songs performed on stage we will see Jeff Bridges sing it himself although watching T-Bone Burnett do it might be cool as well.

SOUND EDITING
AVATAR
UP
STAR TREK
DISTRICT 9 INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
THE HURT LOCKER

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Nice picks. No complaints.

SOUND MIXING
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK
DISTRICT 9 TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
NINE INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Giving TRANSFORMERS an Oscar nomination in stupidity would have been better, but I guess clanking metal does sound good when mixed well.

ANIMATED SHORT
PARTLY CLOUDY LOGORAMA
THE CAT PIANO GRANNY O’GRIMM’S SLEEPING BEAUTY
THE KINEMATOGRAPHY FRENCH ROAST
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH
THE LADY AND THE REAPER

RESULTS: 2 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Wow, Pixar’s PARTLY CLOUDY was left off the list?? What happened there? That’s a big surprise. From the short list, I’ve only seen PARTLY CLOUDY, THE CAT PIANO (which I loved), and FRENCH ROAST (which was just okay in my opinion). The rest were just guesses. Still can’t get over that PARTLY CLOUDY snub.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT
MUSIC BY PRUDENCE
CHINA’S UNNATURAL DISASTER: THE TEARS OF SICHUAN PROVINCE
WOMEN REBELS THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVENOR BOOTH GARDNER
TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT: A PORTRAIT OF MAURICE SENDAK RABBIT A LA BERLIN

RESULTS: 3 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Wow, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE can’t even get any love in the Documentary Short category. I haven’t seen any of these movies, so all these predictions were basically far-fetched guesses based on buzz.

LIVE-ACTION SHORT
MIRACLE FISH
THE DOOR
KAVI
INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA
HOTEL THE NEW TENANTS

RESULTS: 4 for 5
PERSONAL TAKE: Pretty good judging from the fact that I guessed on all of these based on buzz and which short films I thought had the most interesting synopsis.

OVERALL RESULTS: 83 for 121 (69%)