Thoughts about the Academy Award nominations

Since the Academy Award nominations come out today, here is my $.02 cents on them:

BEST PICTURE: I’m surprised that The Reader made the cut, as I didn’t expect that to happen.  I have no problems with the other nominees, but I hope that Slumdog Millionaire will win.  That is hands down my favorite and I think the momentum is with it.

BEST ACTRESS:  I was thrilled out of my mind that Melissa Leo was nominated!!!! Frozen River was one of my most favorite films of 2008 and she was simply outstanding in it.  I was disappointed that Sally Hawkins was left out for Happy Go Lucky, but at least she won the Golden Globe.  I was also sorry to see Kristen Scott Thomas not included for I’ve Loved You So Long, but then again there are always people who get left off the list each year.  All in all, I hope Kate Winslet wins.  She is really great in The Reader and since this is her 6th nomination, she is long overdue.

BEST ACTOR: This is a really tough race.  I was so happy that Richard Jenkins got a nod for The Visitor!!!!  I always tend to root for the underdog and films like The Visitor don’t tend to have the marketing muscle and huge budgets of something like Benjamin Button.  I really hope that his nomination means that more people will see this film.  I think that ultimately the race will boil down to a match between Sean Penn in Milk and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: This is also a great roster of performances.  I was glad that Marisa Tomei was nominated.  People still joke about her winning the award a long time ago for My Cousin Vinny, but with performances in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler she has more than proven herself worthy.  Ultimately, I think that Penélope Cruz will take the prize.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: I was super happy that Michael Shannon got a nomination.  He is riveting in Revolutionary Road and his nomination is very well deserved.  I was also glad to see Josh Brolin included as well.  He has been doing a fantastic string of films and is really one of the best actors working right now.  I think Heath Ledger is really a lock for this award though.

BEST DIRECTOR: I really hope that Danny Boyle takes this. 

With regards to the other categories, I really have to catch up on all of the foreign films, shorts and documentaries before I can issue any sensible predictions.

I enjoy the Academy Awards, but I always have mixed feelings about them.  Giving awards for art always feels very strange to me since it is so subjective.  There are always so many talented and deserving people who don’t win and often times lesser talents who do.  There is also a great deal of hype, marketing/campaign money and glad handling that goes into the whole thing.  I saw Meryl Streep in an interview a while back talking about how she hated the “campaign” aspect of the Oscar race.  She said that it wasn’t like this in the 70s and 80s and now she feels as though she is running for office or something.  Then again Mary Pickford had Academy members to tea at Pickfair and Hearst launched an unsuccessful campaign to win an Oscar for Marion Davies in 1935 for Peg of My Heart.  The political aspect is nothing new, it just feels a lot more intense and magnified now than it used to.

Regardless, I will be watching the awards on February 22nd and will have a good time watching it all unfold.

First Comment:

1. I wonder if Heath would have won if he was alive today..

   Posted by Mouse Pointer on 01/28 at 05:52 AM