Sorry folks, the lovable Uggy the Dog from The Artist was not nominated for an Academy Award. That's not to say that a few other dogs weren't nominated.
The immediate after-taste of the annual Academy Award nominations is always bittersweet, where we get critics complaining about their favorite film and performances being snubbed (really Academy, no love for 50/50?) and average movie-goers griping about the nominations of movies they've never seen or heard of. Surely, the Academy Awards are not perfect, but they are still the highest form of praise one can earn in the movie industry. Just like the BCS in college football, the Academy Awards simply cannot honor every single deserving achievement of the year, making those that are nominated all the more special. But there are always going to be films/performances/directors/writers on the so-called "bubble," and undoubtedly these snubs tend to drive people mad, or lead to personal Oscar boycotts.
Yes, this annual discussion is simply why I love the movies.
Speaking of loving movies, 2011 was the year of the cinematic love-letter. Hugo, which led all films with 11 nominations, was really a celebration of film and film preservation, and about unlocking that magic found within us like only movies can. Then there was The Artist, which gained 10 nominations and is the early front-runner, a silent film about a silent film star that encompasses everything we love about movies and the spirit of filmmaking. Even this year's acting nominations are "old-school" and vintage Oscar, with Meryl Streep (a record 17th nomination), Glenn Close (her 6th nomination), and an actress (the wonderful Octavia Spencer) being nominated for her performance as a black maid, a fact in which Octavia recently joked about, saying that it made her a shoe-in for Oscar love.
2011 wasn't a great year at the movies, but there was a lot to like in regards to this year's batch of nominees. Here is the full list of nominees if you need a reference.
Now let's take a look category by category of some of the most notable surprises and snubs:
Best Picture. Nobody knew what to expect with this year's rule changes, which could have seen as many as 10 nominated films. Instead of 10, there were 9, many of which were expectedly safe choices. The Artist, Hugo, The Descendants, The Help, and Moneyball would probably have been the 5 films selected in a previous year. A pleasant fringe surprise was Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, his highest-grossing film of his career and a film adored by critics. The Tree of Life was not necessarily a surprise nom, even as it created a strong critical divide, but I for one was hoping the Academy would look past this metaphorically mind-numbing, pretentious piece of crap. The real surprises came in the form of War Horse and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, two movies that I liked but have been getting bashed by most critics. As for snubs? Many felt betrayed by the absence of Drive, but for me, 50/50 was my favorite film of the year, and was cruelly shut-out this year in all categories. Then there was the snub of Bridesmaids, continuing the long-standing tradition of showing no love to comedic films in this category.
Actor in a Lead Role. For all that the Academy may have missed, all has been forgiven with the nomination of Demian Bichir for A Better Life. His was a performance in a film not widely seen, but it should be the one worth rooting for. Other than Bichir, this category saw another monumental surprise with Gary Oldman nominated for his very first Oscar (what??) for the snore-inducing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. These two surprise nominations bumped Michael Fassbender (Shame) off of the list as well as Ryan Gosling, who has now come up empty after a stellar year (Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Ides of March, and Drive...OK, at least the first two). Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) was also snubbed. And here's my last gripe of the year concerning Mel Gibson (The Beaver) who was criminally overlooked in a role that simply nobody else in Hollywood could have pulled off.
Actress in a Lead Role. It was an amazing year for female lead performances, and I was happy to see all five nominations (Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Michelle Williams, Glenn Close, and Rooney Mara). Rooney Mara presumably edged past the likes of Charlize Theron, Felicity Jones, and Elizabeth Olsen to nab the 5th spot. Sadly, this list didn't include Tilda Swinton, who very-much-so deserved a nomination for her role in We Need To Talk About Kevin, probably because only about 10 people have seen the film. I was strongly hoping for a total underdog nomination for Adepero Oduye who dazzled in Pariah, but it was not to be.
Supporting Actor. For the men, a few big surprises. First, Jonah Hill (Moneyball), a role that has earned a lot of attention but was not considered a lock. Second, the Academy absolutely hit the ball out of the park with the inclusion of Nick Nolte (Warrior), who hasn't received much attention for this incredibly gritty role. But for every pleasant surprise, there must be an unpleasant one. Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close) nabbed an unexpected nomination, probably as more of a career pat-on-the-back than an actual performance acknowledgement. Give the guy a Lifetime Achievement award, but it's blasphemy to clog up the nomination list with Max von Sydow, leading to the snub of Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) as well as Albert Brooks (Drive). Kenneth Branagh and front-runner Christopher Plummer were rightly chosen.
Supporting Actress. The entire cast of The Help could have interchangeably worked their way into this category, but the Academy got it right by including the best two: Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and Berenice Bejo (The Artist) were also shoe-ins. But what in the name of smelly sinks is Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) doing in this category? Don't get me wrong, she was a scene-stealer and a break-through in 2011, but putting her in this category and leaving out deserved winner (in my humble opinion) Anjelica Huston (50/50) is just wrong. Her inclusion also meant that Shelaine Woodley (The Descendants) was left out of the mix, in a performance many thought was a lock in this category.
Here are some of my thoughts related to some of the other notable developments coming out of today's Oscar nominations:
- Adapted/Original Screenplay. Again, sad to see 50/50 excluded especially in this category, but really no big surprise nominees. It is interesting to note that George Clooney is up for his second writing award with The Ides of March, following up his credit on the 2006 film, Good Night and Good Luck.
- Director. Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Alexander Payne, Terrence Malick. With a list sounding like Hollywood's Best, does that make it all the sweeter if Michel Hazanavicius were to win for The Artist? This is Scorsese and Allen's 7th directing nomination each, and Payne and Malick's 2nd a piece.
- Musical Categories. There is justice in the world after all, now that "Man or Muppet" has been nominated from The Muppets. Here's hoping that the song's scribe, Flight of the Conchord's Bret McKenzie performs it at the Oscars telecast.
- Animated Films. Cars 2 rightly deserves the sad distinction of becoming the very first Pixar film not nominated in this category since the category began. Thankfully, The Adventures of Tintin was also left off of this list, a surprise for sure, but the Academy got this one right. A poor year overall for the animated film led to the inclusion of two films not many of us have heard of: A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita.
- Documentary Feature. Some surprises here as well, such as the snub of We Were Here. Undefeated though, is my early pick to reign supreme, although I still need to get into a theatre to see Pina before it's gone. And I'm still sad that Thunder Soul wasn't even on the Academy short list.
- Visual Effects. I'm predicting my first win of the year to go to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. There was a much-deserved push for motion-capture actor Andy Serkis to get an acting nomination, but it didn't happen. Look for the Academy to make amends by honoring his work in this category.
There's my take. Be sure to subscribe to this column (above) for more insight into the Academy Awards as we get closer to them, and don't miss my annual "Oscar Week," where I will analyze all the categories and make predictions in the week leading up to the Oscars. As the theme of "nostalgia" continues for 2011, this year's host is Billy Crystal...can't wait to see his opening musical number.
The 84th Academy Awards will be held on February 26th. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @tomsantilli, and at tomsantilli.com, for more upcoming news on this year's nominees, as well as all of the latest movie news and reviews.
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