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Reactions to the Nominations
Article by
Todd Plucknett – Posted 2/1/09
The day has finally come, and I am really excited
about this year. These nominations were full of surprises. Some of them
were welcomed, and some of them were semi-tragedies (Sally Hawkins,
Bruce Springsteen snubs).
Overall, I am quite pleased with what went down on nominations Thursday,
much more than was last year when they totally overlooked my favorite
film of the year,
Into the Wild.
Anyway, here is how my predictions matched up for the major categories,
and my general thoughts on the other categories.
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Predicted: 5 for 5
Reactions: Ok, I do not know how I saw the whole
The Reader thing coming, but
that is what I wrote down. It is the most likable Best Picture lineup in
quite some time. Four of the nominees are right around or in my top 10,
which is a very uncommon occurrence for me. It is terrible that
WALL-E was not nominated
here, especially after all the Best Picture awards it has won so far and
the fact that it was, you know, the best movie of the year and all. It
is official; an animated film will never again be nominated for Best
Picture.
The Dark Knight had
only an outside chance, even though it was recognized by most of the
guilds. Overall, I like this category a lot.
Slumdog has this wrapped up,
right? I am not 100% convinced yet. Looking back on it, only three
movies have won Best Picture without an acting nomination since 1960 (Return
of the King,
Braveheart,
and
The Last Emperor). All
three of those were epics. Can
Slumdog still do it? It is an extremely safe bet. It is set up a lot
like
The Last Emperor was
back in 1987. However, watch out for
Benjamin Button, by far
leading in nominations and being one of the most emotional and beautiful
films of the year, a much more Oscar-style pick.
Preliminary predicted winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk
Predicted: 4 for 5
Reactions: Four of these directors have been
rightfully locked in for months now, but I should have seen the Stephen
Daldry nomination coming. It is his third feature, and the Academy
nominated him for his other two films. It is just a tragedy that the
mastermind behind the second-highest grossing movie of all time
Christopher Nolan failed to pick up the last director spot. Everything
pointed to his getting nominated, but for whatever reason, they left him
off. This category has belonged to Danny Boyle for a while now. If
anyone has a chance to upset, it is Van Sant, who should have won an
Oscar by now. They may want to make up for not awarding him in the past.
Preliminary predicted winner: Danny Boyle
Best Actor
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Predicted: 4 for 5
Reactions: I thought Clint Eastwood would make it
in here, but I guess I was mistaken. The Academy loves him, but maybe
they just decided to spread the wealth. He would have deserved it, much
more than his nomination for
Million Dollar Baby. Anyway, it is great to see Richard Jenkins take
it all the way to the ceremony. They didn’t snub Pitt, which is a
pleasant surprise. This category is crazy and unpredictable, and with
Rourke and Penn battling it out, I think the veteran Frank Langella is
going to come in and steal the Oscar. He definitely deserves it, as do
the other two. It is really up in the air.
Preliminary predicted winner: Frank Langella
Best Actress
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Predicted: 3 for 5
Reactions: Wow, this was definitely a mess. Kate
Winslet seemed to have a lock on her nomination for
Revolutionary Road, but she
was nominated only for her performance in
The Reader. Her double
nomination was a sure thing right? We had no indication, other than the
BAFTAs, that she was going lead for
The Reader. I love this,
however. She is finally going to win her long-deserved Oscar this year,
for a film that she will deserve it for. I am stoked that they didn’t
snub Angelina Jolie this time. It was truly one of the best performances
of the year. Melissa Leo was a nice surprise for her phenomenal
performance in a fantastic little film. But why does the Academy have to
break my heart and leave off Sally Hawkins?! That was one of the most
lovable and most difficult to play characters in years, and she
absolutely knocked it out of the park. That is unforgivable. Shame on
you, Academy!
Preliminary predicted winner: Kate Winslet
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Predicted: 4 for 5
Reactions: Four of these actors were locks, and the
fifth spot was up in the air. I had Ralph Fiennes, because I sensed the
enthusiasm for The Reader
(which pisses me off even more about my Best Director blunder), and he
had three excellent performances this year. Michael Shannon had a couple
outstanding and scene-stealing scenes in
Revolutionary Road,
definitely deserving a nomination, but he only had the Chicago Film
Critics nomination. How did he sneak in there? This year’s Tommy Lee
Jones, I guess. He totally deserves it, especially because he had such a
great year, including giving a performance that is even better in the
underrated Shotgun Stories. I
love this nomination. They might as well just set aside a spot here
every year for Mr. Hoffman. What an incredible few years he has had.
This category is over, though. Heath Ledger won a long time ago.
Preliminary predicted winner: Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Predicted: 3 for 5
Reactions: I really like how this turned out. I had
Amy Adams in my predictions all year, and she did not disappoint me,
giving the best performance in that astonishing ensemble cast. Viola
Davis, though having an incredibly small part, deserves that nomination.
I really can’t complain there. Penelope Cruz was locked in, even though
I think she was quite overrated in
Vicky. It’s good to see
Taraji P. Henson make it. She has given a few outstanding performances
recently (Talk to Me and
Hustle & Flow), and her
nomination here is wonderful for her. I love that Marisa Tomei made it.
I love everything she does. The ones I missed here were Tomei and
Henson. I had Freda Pinto and Kate Winslet taking those spots. I can’t
blame myself for the Winslet thing, but the Pinto one is a different
story. I knew Dev Patel wasn’t going to make it, and for the reason
stated in the Best Picture reaction, I thought Pinto had to get in, just
so the actors would have some recognition in the Best Picture
frontrunner. I guess I was wrong. I like this a lot more than if that
had happened, though. My December 10th predictions had 4 for
5. I am sorry that I started to doubt Henson.
Preliminary predicted winner: Penelope Cruz
Best Original Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon & Pete Docter - WALL-E
Predicted: 3 for 5
Reactions: Wow, this is really cool. I am like that
the overrated Vicky Christina
Barcelona script didn’t make it. I had
Burn After Reading in my
final predictions, only because of its WGA and BAFTA love. It is so good
to see that Happy-Go-Lucky
got something. I can’t believe how it got treated by the major awards
circuits. This category could have been really boring and predictable,
having the normal Mike Leigh, Woody Allen, Charlie Kaufman or the Coens,
the Pixar guys, and a Best Picture nominee. Instead, they have three
first-time screenwriters nominated. That is incredibly cool. I hope one
of them takes it. Milk has to
be the frontrunner here, with maybe
WALL-E being the spoiler. I
loved how this turned out.
Preliminary predicted winner: Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare - The Reader
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth & Robin Swicord - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley – Doubt
Predicted: 5 for 5
Reactions: I never doubted my first instinct with
this category. These five nominees have been locked in since September.
It includes four Best Picture nominees and arguably the most riveting
and complex screenplay of the year. Two play adaptations? Wow, that is
something the Academy normally doesn’t go for. Anyways, congratulations
Simon Beaufoy, on your deserved Oscar win.
Preliminary predicted winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
Reactions: Wait, no
Waltz with Bashir? Really? I
don’t know about that. That just completely sealed the deal for
WALL-E. Good to see some
Kung Fu Panda love.
Preliminary predicted winner: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir
Reactions: I love that
The Class is getting
mentions, unlike the masterpiece foreign language film that won Cannes
last year,
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and
2 Days. No
Let the Right One
In? That is interesting.
Waltz with Bashir has this one wrapped up.
Preliminary predicted winner: Waltz with Bashir
Best Art Direction
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road
Reactions: Good to see some
Changeling enthusiasm. This
is Benjamin Button’s though,
one of the best art directing achievements in years.
Preliminary predicted winner: The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button
Best Cinematography
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Reactions: I really dig this category. I would have
thought
Australia would make
its mark here. Guess not.
Preliminary predicted winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Costume Design
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Reactions:
Milk? Nice. This category is normally dominated by period pieces. I
think it has to be
The Duchess.
Preliminary predicted winner: The Duchess
Best Film Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Reactions: This is a good category. I would like to
think that something like
The
Dark Knight or
Frost/Nixon
has a shot here, but they don’t. Chalk another one up in
Slumdog’s column.
Preliminary predicted winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Reactions: I like this, but
Hellboy is a bit of a
stretch. I would have liked to see
The Reader or
Synecdoche, New York here,
but a Guillermo Del Toro movie is a safe bet, especially with all those
insane creatures that he creates. This is
Benjamin Button’s award,
though. It’s the best makeup work in years.
Preliminary predicted winner: The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button
Best Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Reactions: Nice,
Defiance got its deserved
nomination. I guess I was wrong about that. The
Changeling snub is
unfortunate. A.R. Rahman’s infectious score is hard to ignore, though.
Preliminary predicted winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song
'Down to Earth' (Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman) - WALL-E
'Jai Ho' (A.R. Rahman) - Slumdog Millionaire
'O Saya' (A.R. Rahman) - Slumdog Millionaire
Reactions: How did
The Wrestler not get
nominated here? I can’t believe that. It is easily the coolest song of
the bunch. No
Gran Torino
either? Did Clint really go 0 for 7? I hope the
Slumdog songs split votes. I
don’t get this category sometimes.
Preliminary predicted winner:
WALL-E
Best Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
Reactions: What? How did
Slumdog even use sound
editing? This is getting ridiculous. I love the
Wanted mention.
Preliminary predicted winner: WALL-E
Best Sound Mixing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
Reactions: Wow,
Wanted is in some great
company here. That spot should have been
Defiance’s though.
Preliminary predicted winner: WALL-E
Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Reactions: These were the expected and correct three. Anything else
would have been ludicrous.
Preliminary predicted winner: Iron Man
Best Documentary Feature Film
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Reactions:
Man on Wire cannot lose at this point. Maybe Werner Herzog can steal
its thunder. This category is always messed up.
Preliminary predicted winner: Man on Wire
Top 5 in Total
Nominations
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 13 nominations
Slumdog Millionaire: 10 nominations
The Dark Knight: 8 nominations
Milk: 8 nominations
WALL-E: 6 nominations
I love that
WALL-E ended up with 6, though it could have had 8 or 9 if it would
have gotten the major category love.
Benjamin Button is in some
incredibly good company with 13 nominations. It is only the 11th
film to accumulate that many, and 7 of the other 10 won Best Picture.
Hopefully they won’t give it the
Gangs of New York treatment and send it home empty-handed. They just
started throwing nominations everywhere at
Slumdog to get it close.
The Dark Knight deserved
every one of those 8 nominations, and probably even more. I love
Milk’s 8 nods. I cannot wait
to see how all this shakes out. Overall, I am really happy with this.
Poor Sally Hawkins and Bruce Springsteen, though. They should have won
in their respective categories, and to not even get invited is
unforgivable. Anyway, the ceremony is on February 22. Depending on how
things go between now and then, my predictions may change. I am fairly
confident in my picks at this point, though.
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