They’re finally out there! The Oscar nominations were announced at 5:30 Pacific time this morning, and they were full of surprises. I watched a live stream of the announcement, which was made by Academy president Tom Sherak and last year’s Best Supporting Actress winner Mo’Nique, and I was so thrown off guard by a few of the nominees that I lost focus during the subsequent categories. Let’s look at a few of the surprises and snubs. For a full list of the nominees, check out the Academy’s website.
First of all, Best Actor. Javier Bardem for Biutiful? While I haven’t seen the film and certainly believe that Bardem gives a great performance, this really came out of left field. The only other major award for which Bardem has been nominated this year is a BAFTA. No Golden Globe nomination, no SAG nomination. Many will likely complain that the spot should be filled by Blue Valentine‘s Ryan Gosling, whose costar Michelle Williams received a nod for Best Actress. Many would also argue that veteran actor Robert Duvall deserved a nomination for Get Low. While Bardem may have created a big upset in the nominations, there’s no chance he’ll beat the splendid Colin Firth for The King’s Speech. Oh, and don’t forget that Best Actor nominee James Franco (127 Hours) will also be hosting the show with Anne Hathaway. Should make things interesting…
Now, onto the Supporting Actor/Actress nominations. If you ask me, Andrew Garfield was snubbed for his heartfelt and sympathetic performance in The Social Network. Instead, the Academy nominated Christian Bale (lock for the win), Geoffrey Rush, Jeremy Renner, John Hawkes, and Mark Ruffalo. As much as I admire Mark Ruffalo’s talent, his performance in The Kids Are All Right was not Oscar-worthy to me. He was upstaged by both Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. If Ruffalo’s Oscar-worthy, where’s Moore’s nod in the Best Supporting Actress category? Speaking of this category, where’s Mila Kunis for Black Swan? Fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld garnered a nomination for her first feature film role in True Grit. Some have argued that her role should have been considered for Best Actress instead. And Jacki Weaver has a nomination for Animal Kingdom, a small Australian film.
How about Christopher Nolan’s snub for directing Inception? While the film might not be the front runner for Best Picture, surely Nolan’s stunning direction deserved a nod. Will he be the new Martin Scorsese, waiting decades for an Oscar?
Best Picture is pretty predictable. Winter’s Bone and 127 Hours could be considered the only two (minor) surprises. I don’t think anybody can beat out The Social Network. The King’s Speech, the most nominated film, could surprise everyone with a win, but it’s not likely, in my opinion.
Other surprises include Waiting for Superman‘s snub in the Documentary category, the entire Make-Up category, and How to Train Your Dragon in the Best Original Score category.
I was definitely wrong in a number of my predictions, but I was right on the money about Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Animated Feature. You gotta give me some credit!
Don’t forget to watch the 83rd annual Academy Awards February 27 on ABC!
Pop and Ceremony 