Oscar Nominations Announced

[Speed Tracer]

My thoughts:

OMG THE DARK KNIGHT GOT SNUBBED HOW DARE THEY I'M BOYCOTTING THE ACADEMY BARLAAHRLAKJSDRHALKSEL I'M SO ENRAGED I CAN'T EVEN FORM WORDS PROPERLY

I do not feel this way in the slightest. People need to get over it.

Now, onto the nominations! Some things please me, some things sadden me, and all things excite me. No matter what, I will be tuning in on February 22nd for the ceremony. Can't wait.

Once again, I know nothing of the short films, except that Pixar's "Presto" was nominated for Best Animated Short! Easily their best since "Geri's Game". I'm really hoping it wins, even if I haven't seen the other ones nominated. That rabbit is darned adorable, so says I.

Best Sound
Best Sound Editing

"WALL·E". Hands-down. If anything else wins, I'm really going to be sad.

Best Art Direction
Best Visual Effects
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" for all of these, and nothing else. I do really love that movie, but as far as I'm concerned its greatest achievement is technical. A small part of me wants "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" to win Best Makeup, actually, because seriously. Elves.

Best Cinematography
Best Editing

"Slumdog Millionaire". Cinematography is tricky, because while there certainly were movies that were much prettier, it's important to remember that that's not all the camera is for. The best cinematography makes you feel like you're a part of the movie, while still capturing beautiful images without making them distracting. No movie I saw last year did that better.

Best Score

I'm conflicted here, because I love so very much the scores for both "WALL·E" and "Slumdog Millionaire". Since I want "Slumdog Millionaire" to win Best Song (see next category), I'll go with "WALL·E". The music that plays whenever holding hands is mentioned, or when WALL·E and EVE go on their first "date" (which of course she's comatose for), or when WALL·E touches the rings of Saturn... it's all enough to give me heart bubbles forever and ever. It's a magical score.

Best Song

Well, if Bruce Springsteen were nominated here for his beautiful song "The Wrestler" for the film of the same name, there would be no contest, yet... for some reason, he isn't. My immediate reaction was one of many expletives, though I realize that this is the first time in years I've actually liked all the songs nominated. Though there are only three this year... weren't there five last year? Three of which were from "Enchanted", I will note, as well as two other nominees. This year there's just two from "Slumdog Millionaire" and one from "WALL·E". I'll never understand Academy politics. So, yeah, both Peter Gabriel and M.I.A. are nominated for Oscars. Pretty cool, I'd say. Both "Down to Earth" and "O... Saya" are good songs, but "Jai Ho" is phenomenal. I think the first thing a lot of folks think of when they think of "Slumdog Millionaire" is the great dance number at the end, and I can't wait to see it re-created on stage.

Best Documentary

Werner Herzog can win as many Oscars as he wants and I'll be happy as can be, but not this year. As much as I loved his "Encounters at the End of the World", "Man on Wire" is the sort of documentary that only comes around every once in a while, the kind that's more engaging than narrative that year. It's the best documentary I've seen since "Hoop Dreams", and easily ranks with that, the "Up" series, and the films of the Maysles brothers as cornerstones of the genre. If it doesn't win, I'll be completely speechless the rest of the night.

Best Foreign Film

I'm ignorant and have only seen "Waltz with Bashir", but it's a great movie and I'll be happy if it wins, but "Let the Right One" really should be on this list. I blame Sweden for not realizing when one of the best movies of the year and the best vampire movie of the year is made there, and for neglecting to submit it for consideration.

Best Animated Film

"WALL·E". If you say otherwise we're not friends.

Best Original Screenplay

Yay "In Bruges"! Yay "WALL·E"! I really, really cannot choose between those two. I love that Martin McDonagh is nominated for another Oscar. I think "WALL·E" is a much better-crafted script - it's hard to write two main characters whose vocabularies are limited to just a few words - but "In Bruges" had the best dialogue of the year. I love being conflicted with these things.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Two plays, "Frost/Nixon" and "Doubt", are nominated here, and it's probably going to end up being one of them, which I'm totally cool with, but I much prefer Simon Beaufoy's script for "Slumdog Millionaire". It's hard to tell a non-linear story. It can be done very well ("Pulp Fiction") or very poorly ("Crash"). This is one of the former. Insert some kind of "D. It is written" joke.

Best Supporting Actor

We all know who this is going to. Whether you liked the movie as a whole or not, it's hard to deny that Ledger really did give the performance of the year. Honestly, though, I'd be fine with him not winning. It's a well-known fact that he hated winning awards, and I think it would be the greatest tribute of all to keep him off of this list where he would prefer to be. It's an immortal performance, the kind nobody will ever forget whether it wins a single award or not.

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis' six minutes in "Doubt" were some of the most powerful I saw all year. I like all the other nominees, but Davis made that movie what it was for me and no other actress could have done that. I love Tomei's nomination, proving once again that her win for "My Cousin Vinny" was not a fluke. Actually, I'd be thrilled if Tomei won this again. The "90s sucked" scene in "The Wrestler", the most relevant scene in the movie, works as well as it does because of her.

Best Actor

This category is on fire this year. I'll make it clear now that Mickey Rourke is absolutely my pick, but his competition is so good I would be okay with any of the others winning. Brad Pitt gave an incredibly restrained performance... I'd be thrilled with him winning based on the first hour alone. Frank Langella has deserved an Oscar for years, of course. "Milk" is easily Sean Penn's best work to date and I think it's what he'll be best remembered for. And, finally, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that Richard Jenkins is on here. That performance is the most human I saw all year.

Best Actress

Without Sally Hawkins, I don't care. Like everyone else, I want Kate Winslet to win someday, but not for "The Reader". If you're gonna nominate her, why not "Revolutionary Road", which, much as it depresses me, had some of the finest acting of the year? Even though there were better performances, out of this group my vote is Melissa Leo, who really was quite excellent in "Frozen River". And if Angelina Jolie wins, I will record myself screaming "I WANT MY SON BACK!" as shrilly as possible and send a tape to every member of the Academy every day for the next year.

Best Director

Danny Boyle. Danny Boyle. A thousand thousand times Danny Boyle.

Best Picture

"Slumdog Millionaire". "Slumdog Millionaire". A thousand thousand times "Slumdog Millionaire".

 

[animal0606]

It disgust me how the Dark Knight was snubbed for best picture & best director just because its a comic book movie that is pathetic look beyond that fact & the movie had a great moral story great acting ..it was near perfection best movie by far last year in my opinion the Academy Award's what do they know next thing you know Shaq will get an Oscar nod for a remake of the Karate Kid that is set in the hood due out next year check your local listing's for it *shudders*

 

[Ilikemuppets]

It disgust me how the Dark Knight was snubbed for best picture & best director just because its a comic book movie that is pathetic look beyond that fact & the movie had a great moral story great acting ..it was near perfection best movie by far last year in my opinion the Academy Award's what do they know next thing you know Shaq will get an Oscar nod for a remake of the Karate Kid that is set in the hood due out next year check your local listing's for it *shudders*

While I actually might want to see that, It definitely does not deserve and Oscar.

 

[Winslow Leach]

next thing you know Shaq will get an Oscar nod for a remake of the Karate Kid that is set in the hood due out next year check your local listing's for it *shudders*

Actually, there is a planned Karate Kid remake in the works, to be produced by Will Smith, and star his son Jaden. Jackie Chan is supposed to play Mr. Miyagi.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Actually, there is a planned Karate Kid remake in the works, to be produced by Will Smith, and star his son Jaden. Jackie Chan is supposed to play Mr. Miyagi.

Yes, I heard about that one. *shrugs*

 

[Drtooth]

I have to say, I'm totally not surprised Batman didn't get a nomination beyond best supporting actor. I mean we have the usual suspects...

The political films- Milk and Frost/Nixon

The overrated director vanity project- Benjamin Button (a bunch of critics actually saw through this film for the muddled Forrest Gump knockoff it really is, but not many)

And the occasional actual indie film- Slumdog Millionaire.

Have no clue what The Reader is.


There was, at one point, talk that they'd even nominate Iron Man, but then the "art" films came in and the film board breathed a sigh of relief. I mean, when was the last time a pure fantasy film actually got nominated? The Third Lord of the Rings film a few years ago. Even then, it's been years since fantasy really got a nod.

I really want to see Slumdog and The Wrestler get the awards... out of all those films listed, those are the top 2 listed I really want to see. Frost/Nixon and Milk are probably fine films, but I want to see politics shut out for a change. We've shut the doors on a very volatile political era (especially after this last election... I still have Joe the Plumber haunting my nightmares), and I think we need fantasy right now to pull us out of these hard times. Plus, Mickey Rourke really needs this. he's been through crap until The Wrestler came along and rescued his carer.

And Wall*E hands down should freaking win. And Fred Willard really should've gotten something for his role as the President and CEO of Earth/Buy N Large.

 

[Baby Gonzo]

I knew it was between a longshot and impossible for Wall-E to be nominated for Best Picture, but I'm still disappointed that it wasn't. It wasn't a major blow or anything upsetting, but I do feel it deserved a nomination. It wasn't perfect and certainly wasn't without flaws, but it was an amazing movie that I dare say has potential to change the mind of those who say animation is mostly a "kid's medium". Don't get me wrong, I love movies that are aimed at children, but animation can be enjoyed by all. I don't think it takes being awarded an Oscar or any other fancy award for that to ring true, but I do feel that people could potentially take the medium more seriously. I am pleased to know Wall-E was nominated for so much.


Sorry if this post sounds off... I'm a bit sick with the flu at the moment.

 

[Drtooth]

I knew it was between a longshot and impossible for Wall-E to be nominated for Best Picture, but I'm still disappointed that it wasn't. It wasn't a major blow or anything upsetting, but I do feel it deserved a nomination. It wasn't perfect and certainly wasn't without flaws, but it was an amazing movie that I dare say has potential to change the mind of those who say animation is mostly a "kid's medium". Don't get me wrong, I love movies that are aimed at children, but animation can be enjoyed by all. I don't think it takes being awarded an Oscar or any other fancy award for that to ring true, but I do feel that people could potentially take the medium more seriously. I am pleased to know Wall-E was nominated for so much.

Tell me about it. I'm glad that they gave best animated feature a category all its own, but it really feels like a back handed compliment... you know like saying, "That's a lovely dress you're wearing. I'm glad you found it in your size." It;s just as bad as someone calling animation it's own specific genre... animation is NEVER a genre. It's a medium. And seeing how Persepholis was nominated last year(but lost to Ratatoullie, which is bitter sweet, I must say, since both those films were great), I think higher ups know that the animated film medium isn't just for children... hey, Barney's live action.

Of course, I will say, dispite the fact that Wall*E is vastly superior in every way, Dreamworks really did an amazing job with Kung Fu Panda. It didn't turn out to be the pop culture spewing, fart joke cracking, flailing Shrek clone fest that they usually bring to the table. Sure, it still had celebrity VA's... but it also had heart that wasn't in Bee Movie, Shrek the Third, or (especially) Shark Tale. It was like they tried to make an honest to goodness kung fu adventure. I hope when the sequel comes around, they keep that in mind.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

And Fred Willard really should've gotten something for his role as the President and CEO of Earth/Buy N Large.

Fred Willard should get an award for being Fred Willard. That guy is great on screen character actor.

 

[animal0606]

MARLEY & ME! MARLEY & ME!.... EAT OSCAR! .....