Oscars 2010

[MulletProof]

I'm mostly indifferent to all these nominees, I only wish The Lovely Bones had received more nominations, if only for photography.. I thought it was a beautifully-made film.

I do feel genuinely excited about the Best Documentary nominees, I don't know how on earth they could pick one over the other as they're all covering great subjects but anyway, I hope it comes down to either Burma VJ and Which Way Home, which are the ones that need more public attention at the moment..

 

[MissMagAddict]

Only Colin Firth's nomination for A Single Man. What a shame. IMO A Single Man is one of the most beautiful & thought provoking movies to come out of Hollywood in a long time. Just replace Sandra Bullock with Julianne Moore & I'd be happy!

 

[newprincesita]

I ´ve seen Julie & Julia and as much as I like Meryl Streep, I think she was awful in that role. All the time she seemed fake to me, all i could hear is the screech of her voice pulling me off the plot. I don´t know if the real character spoke like that, it really made me feel I was seeing somebody being mocked.

Penelope Cruz is overrated. Period.

 

[carmen_kass]

I saw Precious and I just couldn't believe Mo'Nique was the same actress that was in 'The Parkers' she was seriously amazing, I would love nothing more than Mo'Nique and Gaubrey to win both the awards they're nominated for.

 

[Leeroi]

I ´ve seen Julie & Julia and as much as I like Meryl Streep, I think she was awful in that role. All the time she seemed fake to me, all i could hear is the screech of her voice pulling me off the plot. I don´t know if the real character spoke like that, it really made me feel I was seeing somebody being mocked.

Penelope Cruz is overrated. Period.

Julia Child really talked like that. Julia Child had a very weird speaking voice that often broke off. She also had awkward ways of moving. She was terribly tall and had bad posture. There's a reason why food critics themselves loved Meryl Streep's performance.



The acting by the actresses in Nine was very subpar to their true talents. Nine had the best actresses they could get for the roles but each one failed to deliver. The most memorable part of the movie was Fergie's small performance, but you can't get nominated for a few minutes on screen.

 

[TianSoFine]

I'm really disappointed at how Abbie Cornish and Melanie Laurent were ignored, but I'm not surprised. And as much I absolutely hated Avatar, it has a better chance of winning the big ones than the other films...

 

[diorelle]

I fail to see how The Blind Side is up for an Oscar. I'm surprised Sandra is winning anything for that role. I don't get it, the movie was decent in a Lifetime-y, watch it with your church youth group kind of way, but not Oscar worthy. V_V

I've said it before but I think Penelope should have been nominated for Broken Embraces, that was her best performance yet.

 

[chicandcool]

Moon was also snubbed. I hear Sam Rockwell's performance was really good.

 

[Karen0193]

i seriously dont get the point of nominating the same people year after year... its ridiculous.

I agree 100% I think that Meryl Streep can play a cow and she'll still be nominated, even if all she said in the film was muuu I love Penelope, and I'm so happy that she is nominated, but I was very surprised that she was actually, I thought they were gonna nominate Marion. I watched Avatar and I get that its a great movie,with incredible effects, but I'm still not convinced that its should win Best Picture, even if I know it will.

 

[eternitygoddess]

I fail to see how The Blind Side is up for an Oscar. I'm surprised Sandra is winning anything for that role. I don't get it, the movie was decent in a Lifetime-y, watch it with your church youth group kind of way, but not Oscar worthy. V_V

Yeah. I thought it was a very Liftetime network original movie. Sandra Bullock will probably get the Oscar, which is disappointing because she's not a brilliant actress. Ugh. It's like a repeat of Erin Brokovitch (sp?).

The awards season is all about networking.

 

[chicandcool]

I also feel like 500 Days of Summer deserved a nom for Best Screenplay.

 

[adorefaith]

I agree diorelle, if anything Penelope should have been nominated for Broken Embraces.. she is much, much better in Spanish...and always wonderful with almodovar.

i'm mostly disappointed with these nominations. so unoriginal and hyped...

I'm glad for Carey Mulligan's best actress nom and also An Education as best picture.. it really deserves it, imo. Also glad to see Jeremy Renner nominated for best actor in The Hurt Locker, and Vera Farmiga for best supporting actress... she was the only good thing about Up In The Air imo.

i'm disappointed that Up in the Air received so many noms....i don't get it...AT ALL..

i will also lose it if Avatar wins best picture...

 

[Label Basher]

One persons thoughts (A lot of these articles will pop up and are usually quite interesting) -

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=+1]Snubs & Surprises From The 2010 Oscar Nominations[/SIZE][/FONT]



Alright, the 2010 Oscar nominations are in and obviously "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" are going to go toe to toe at the ceremony with 9 nods a piece, and it's made juicier by the fact that the two directors, James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow were once married. Be sure to expect a lot of Battle of the Sexes/Exes/Lovers crap from the lesser media (TV, bloggers who will engage in such nonsense, etc.).

There weren't myriad surprises this year, a lot of it was set in stone a long time ago, but it wouldn't be the Oscars if there weren't some curveballs thrown our way.

What was a pretty strong sign that the Oscars weren't going too populist (then again, let's see if "Avatar" cleans up or not), a film like JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" which did score a PGA nomination (Producers Guild award which is the Best Picture equivalent), but failed to get one for Best film (though fellow nominee, and sci-fi actioner "District 9" did). Instead, "The Blind Side" scored a dramatic, unexpected Best Pic nod. Arguably, it's just as populist (over $230 million in ticket sales and counting), but there's something about a drama -- even a sentimental hallmark one -- over a fun piece of popcorn cinema that we're ok with (and honestly we were worried after the PGAs that it was going to be the Popcorn Oscars).​

Another last minute Best Picture nod — no one was truly sure if it would make the final pack — was the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man."



So the snubs for Best Picture were definitely Clint Eastwood's tepid Mandela/Rugby drama, "Invictus" (good, it didn't deserve it) and the aforementioned Gene Rodenberry reboot. But "Invictus" did earn itself two acting awards, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon for Best Actor and Best Supporting, so it wasn't all a wash for Eastwood's picture.Acting wise, the biggest snub might be seen as Diane Kruger missing out on a Best Supporting nod for her turn in "Inglourious Basterds." Then again her SAG nomination came as a surprise to most too, so maybe it wasn't such a left field move (and she didn't get a Golden Globe nomination either). Instead, Maggie Gyllenhaal grabbed her spot for her turn in "Crazy Heart." Another major shocker was the absence of Julianne Moore for her excellent performance in "A Single Man." She had received a Globe nomination and has been nominated for Oscar four times before and never won, but she did not receive her fifth nomination and was totally shut out.

Initially we began to think Penelope Cruz grabbing a Supporting nomination was a surprise, but she had earned a SAG nomination. It's just that her campaign has been rather quiet because she really has no shot at winning (and truthfully we would have preferred Marion Cotillard from "Nine" over Cruz, but she was the second best thing about that rather mediocre musical).

Musically, every indie-rock publication will cry foul that Karen O & The Kids were snubbed in the Best Original Song category, but a) these complaints crop up every time a popular indie artist doesn't get what they feel is just due, and b) we're not surprised to see it ended up empty handed.

The real snub of the music categories was Marvin Hamlisch's wacky, goofball score for "The Informant!" which was nominated for a Golden Globe and was expected to earn a Best Score nod by most folks in the musical composition field. However, in a nice trade-off for once, Alexandre Desplat's wonderful "Fantastic Mr. Fox" score — which made our top 3 in our Best Score of 2009 picks — took an unexpected nom. Another big snub, but music to our ears: Leona Lewis' "I See You" from "Avatar" was not nominated for Best Original Song. Thank Christ for small miracles.



In the screenplay category there was one major snub. It was pretty much a given that the screenplay for "(500) Days Of Summer" would earn itself a nomination, but instead Oren Moverman's "The Messenger" took the nod which was a very pleasant turn of events for that undersung film. Another screenplay surprise was Armando Iannucci's political satire, “In the Loop.” It did not score an original WGA nomination, but did grab an Oscar nod (but it didn't achieve a WGA nom because as you'll remember it was ineligible; as many important script and writers were including Tarantino/'Basterds') . You'll recall that James Cameron actually earned a WGA nod for "Avatar," but thankfully, his facile "Thundercats" world was kept outside here. Another writing snub? The Coen Brothers did achieve a WGA nod for "A Serious Man," but failed to receive a nod here ("The Messenger" and "In The Loop" bumping them out of the slot). Likewise, Jon Lucas & Scott Moore's screenplay for "The Hangover" lucked out with an WGA nod, but came up empty for the Oscars.

Finally, as we expected, Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" was all but overlooked only scoring one acting nomination for Stanley Tucci's creepy turn as the pervy pedophile (Jonathan, you owe me like $10,000 dollars). Some might also see Saoirse Ronan, not scoring a nom a snub, but frankly we weren't surprised and the filmmakers should be happy with whatever they got for that truly fumbled film.

We would say the (mostly) overall exclusion of Jane Campion's "Bright Star" (one nomination for Costume and that's it) is a huge snub, but we'd be preaching to a very small choir. That film, while very Oscar worthy in multiple categories, unfortunately didn't stand a chance this year. It's very unfortunate as Abbie Cornish should have received a Best Actress nom. Oh well, it will happen for her in the future, one day...

theplaylist.blogspot.com

 

[Label Basher]

MSN always has a good write up about the Oscar noms. Here is this years -

They Wuz Robbed!
We present out annual look at those whom Oscar forgot or simply ignored.

By Sean Axmaker
Special to MSN Movies

Is it just me, or is the awards season getting longer, busier and utterly exhausting? The flurry of critics groups and professional organizations and self-appointed awards groups beating a path to the Oscar door ends up wearing out the awards season before the Academy Award nominations are even announced. Every new press release proclaims a new prediction ("Avatar" is Best Picture? Really?) or a showdown ("The Hurt Locker," baby!). The bets are made, the critical positions are staked out and the fans line up: Are you Team Cameron or Team Bigelow? Are there any surprises left for the early morning ceremony, especially when they expand the Best Picture category to 10 films? Is there enough energy left to whip ourselves up into a froth of indignation? Do we even care?

Well, yeah, we do. Somehow the Oscars still matter. We celebrate the worthy nominees and kibitz, complain and gripe about everyone the Academy missed. And, once again, even with the love spread out to 10 Best Picture nominees, there is no shortage of deserving artists who didn't make Oscar's cut, and we're not shy about sharing our opinions on where they went wrong. So once again we offer our annual report card on Oscar's slights and oversights. Call it: They shoulda been a contender.

Best Actor
Is there an actor who doesn't belong here? Perhaps not, but for all the goodwill and gentle authority of Morgan Freeman's Nelson Mandela in "Invictus," his inclusion feels more like a goodwill gesture when compared with the discomfortingly unkempt angles and inarticulate anguish that Joaquin Phoenix embodies in "Two Lovers," which arrived early in 2009 and was all but forgotten by the end of the year. I suppose Phoenix has no one to blame but himself, after his promotional antics upstaged the film and Ben Stiller turned him into a punch line at last year's Oscar ceremony, but that doesn't change the power of his performance.

The crazed energy of Nicolas Cage in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" was as confounding as it was compelling, but his possessed performance would have made a nice counterpoint in this category. Matt Damon was so deft as the deluded, self-aggrandizing would-be hero and compulsive liar in "The Informant!" that he apparently made it look too easy, and Michael Stuhlbarg's hilarious deer-in-the-headlights desperation in "A Serious Man" proves once again that comedy just doesn't get much respect in this category.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock jumped to the top of the favorites list for the honey-dipped spunk of her Southern-fried matron in the heart-tugging underdog hit "The Blind Side." It's a real audience pleaser of a performance, which is surely why Bullock is in and Tilda Swinton (an Oscar veteran for "Michael Clayton" in 2008) isn't, even though she delivers the most fearless performance of the year as the train wreck of a self-pitying alcoholic and criminally irresponsible kidnapper in the all but unseen "Julia." Haven't heard of it? That's the problem: No one else has either, apparently even those in the Academy.
Yolande Moreau won Best Actress from the National Society of Film Critics and the L.A. Film Critics for her sweet and sour portrayal of the impressionist naïf Séraphine Louis in "Séraphine," but then that's French and we prefer our nominees in English. Which would also explain Melanie Laurent's absence for her steely turn as a French resistance lioness in Quentin Tarantino's polyglot "Inglourious Basterds." And while Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" scored a nomination for Stanley Tucci's performance (the film's only nom), the radiant Saoirse Ronan carries the film as the adolescent coming to terms in the afterlife.

Best Supporting Actor
This category has always left an embarrassment of riches out of the running; with only five slots, could it be any different? Matt Damon conquers a tricky accent in "Invictus" but his inclusion seems like an apology for leaving him out of Best Actor for his deviously comic performance in "The Informant!" Stanley Tucci landed his first, long overdue nomination for playing a creepy serial killer in "The Lovely Bones" when his less showy, quietly tender turn as career diplomat and adoring husband Paul Child in "Julie & Julia" is the more impressive creation.

Meanwhile, Christian McKay's astounding incarnation of Orson Welles in "Me & Orson Welles" is overlooked. More than just an impression, he brings alive this magnificent monster of the theater: part genius, part tyrant, part seductive charmer, all magnetic, volatile, vibrant personality. Other worthy nominees that could easily have sneaked in to the fifth slot: Paul Schneider's arrogant, jealous would-be poet eclipsed by the "Bright Star" that is John Keats, Anthony Mackie as the exasperated sergeant in "The Hurt Locker," Peter Capaldi's hilariously overcharged political fixer in "In the Loop" and, of course, the indomitable Alec Baldwin for "It's Complicated."

Best Supporting Actress
The Academy nominees match the Screen Actors Guild in every category down the line until now. Diane Kruger's delicious performance in "Inglourious Basterds" as a German movie star and double agent who plays her role with larger-than-life gusto is a glaring omission. I can't fault the Academy for promoting Maggie Gyllenhaal's single mother and star-struck fan in "Crazy Heart," but they knocked out the wrong nominee. I adore Penelope Cruz, but she sneaks in simply by standing out with a spicy turn in the otherwise blandly busy "Nine."

There's simply not enough room to hold all the worthy performances of this category: Samantha Morton as the shaken war widow in "The Messenger," Melanie Lynskey as the sweetly sad mother mourning another miscarriage in "Away We Go," Patricia Clarkson as the Bible-belt mom who discovers her inner bohemian in Woody Allen's "Whatever Works." Julianne Moore received a Golden Globe nomination for her mannered turn in "A Single Man," but I say Oscar did right in passing her up.

Best Director
The Academy followed the DGA nominees right down the line and is likely to follow through and make Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to take home the Best Director trophy. With stakes like that, the snubs feel like old news, but still. James Cameron's nomination is for the scope of his technical achievement and the immensity of his accomplishment, not for any subtlety or depth of expression. For those qualities, look to the richness that Joel and Ethan Coen bring to "A Serious Man," the funniest film ever made about anxiety, mystery and the human condition in a world where you can't ever really know anything (which is no excuse for not knowing the material for the final).

But back to Cameron: For all his technical mastery, I'm more impressed with the scruffy energy and satirical savagery that Neill Blomkamp brought to "District 9." He offered characters that you can actually care about and made his points without self-satisfied posturing.

Best Picture
Hey, Academy, was this just for me? After harping for years at all those worthy films you left out of the category, you went and expanded the category to 10 nominees. OK, yes, I know it wasn't to throw a wider net to overlooked films, but, just the opposite, to bring in some more popular films that people outside the industry discussion may have actually bought a ticket for. And so the year's surprise hit tearjerker "The Blind Side" and Pixar's animated juggernaut "Up" line up with the much discussed but less seen "The Hurt Locker," "A Serious Man" and "Up in the Air." And don't get me started on "Avatar." Otherwise, the category feels nothing short of inevitable: a few hits, a few indies and a lot of love spread around for this Valentine's Day announcement.

Is anything missing here? I mean besides all those foreign movies left out of their own category due to politics and strange rules? Sure, it would be great to see "Police, Adjective" or "Summer Hours" here, but even at 10 slots that's unrealistic at best. While big titles like "Invictus" and "Star Trek" got passed up, I'd like to champion James Gray's "Two Lovers," which has become the forgotten film of 2009, and "Where the Wild Things Are," Spike Jonze's reimagining of Maurice Sendak's picture book as a fantasia of childhood anxiety. Otherwise it's hard to get righteously indignant in a category that has gone so far out of its way to be so damnably inclusive.

Best Animated Feature
It wasn't just Best Picture that expanded in 2010: For only the second time since its inception in 2001, there are five nominees for Best Animated Feature, representing a wide range of styles and sensibilities. And still, somehow, they left out Hayao Miyazaki's delightful little hand-drawn fable "Ponyo," a small, sweet movie lost in the snappy modernity of the American nominees.

The only other glaring omission seems obvious: Why isn't "Avatar" considered an animated feature? Yes, there are human actors in some scenes, but their screen time is limited compared with the CGI creations. Maybe we need a new category for motion capture. That would at least give Robert Zemeckis a shot at a nomination.

More snubs

Best Original Screenplay: I suppose we should just be thankful that the Academy broke ranks with the Writers Guild and the Golden Globes and did not nominate "Avatar" in this category (I'm still trying to figure out what exactly in this script was original). While there isn't a title here that doesn't deserve the attention, I'm sorry that the playful "(500) Days of Summer" got left out.

Best Adapted Screenplay: It's a pleasant surprise to see the "In the Loop," a colorful satire featuring the most creatively foul, invective-laced tirades that ever earned an R-rating, land a slot here, but my love goes out to Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach's smart, snappy and very, very funny adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

Best Cinematography: It just doesn't seem right to have a year in which Roger Deakins doesn't get nominated. "A Serious Man" may not be as showy as the five nominated films, but it is more visually precise, more evocative, more perfect than Mauro Fiore's technically-challenging work on "Avatar" or Bruno Delbonnel's dark fantasy world of "Harry Potter."

Best Foreign Language Film: I confess that the politics of this category make any criticisms difficult; the nominees come from the home country and the language requirements knock out all sorts of deserving films. But, still, it's hard to justify the absence of "Police, Adjective" for any reason.

 

[chicandcool]

I love Oscar articles like these. I'm such a nerd.
Keep them coming LB.

---
I honestly don't think Star Trek deserved an Oscar nom, even if it scared a PGA nom.
It was entertaining and enjoyable at best, but saying it was snubbed of a Best Picture nod is too much. WTH

 

[helmut.newton]

The Academy Awards are an absolute farce. Each year, they include some questionable additions, and we are obliged to understand them, but this year I have to say, they have really gone insane. This is literally the worst year in terms of nominations.

That list of nominees for Best Picture is embarassing. Avatar? Terrible. Worst film I have ever seen in my life. Lots of CGI and nothing much else. District 9? Seriously? Up? Are they joking? The only film worthy of winning is An Education.

I cannot believe Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are not nominated for Best Actress this year. A Single Man and Julia were two of the most sincere and stimulating films of 2009. As much as I love Carey Mulligan, theres no chance she'll win, so why even add her? Also Sandra Bullock? Come on! She makes one decent film and suddenly we are all meant to forget Ms Congeniality and The Propsal? The woman is a comedian for chrissakes, and not even an interesting one at that!

 

[nijuyanah]

I'm all praying for Waltz - Austria ftw No, seriously, I think there's hardly anyone else who really deserves this as much as he does!

 

[dajrekshn]

I love Oscar articles like these. I'm such a nerd.
Keep them coming LB.

---
I honestly don't think Star Trek deserved an Oscar nom, even if it scared a PGA nom.
It was entertaining and enjoyable at best, but saying it was snubbed of a Best Picture nod is too much. WTH

i'll pick Star Trek over Avatar anytime. but Blind side over Star Trek if there has to be one nominated. BS.

i'm glad someone's finally mentioning Paul Schneider's performance in Bright Star. it blew me away, really and this doesn't happen to me all that often. though Waltz was amazing too (on positive side, this way i don't have to pick for who to cheer in supporting actor category ).

too bad 500 days of summer didn't get at least one nom, maybe for screenplay?

LB - keep up with the articles.

 

[Empress Merel]

The Young Victoria and Emily Blunt got snubbed. That movie and her performance at least deserved a nomination.

 

[Scott]

label basher,thanks for that article. thinking about that karen o. for the best score statement...although it isn't one's traditional film-score i do think it was a little unfair it wasn't even in consideration. i mean it is a whole soundtrack not just a bunch of pop songs. it kind of reminds me of when björk and mark bell were nominated for best original song but was completely snubbed for the win for i've seen it all. in fact the entire snub of where the wild things are kind of reminds of how dancer in the dark was left out of all the major categories. it even got overlooked for best original song for all is love which is a real shame.