Official 2009 Oscar Discussion (1 Viewer)

[zackscott5]

Couple of Surprises for me:
I Can't believe that Revolutionary Road only got one nomination even after Kate Winslets sweep at the Globes (With the Reader winning Supporting Actress and now she is getting Nominated for the same role as Lead Actress. Am I the first to say WTF? I'm COnfused.

Also I'm am in agreement with the Baffling of only three noms for the best song Category with two noms going for Slumdog and No nods going for Bruce, Clint or even an oscar favorite (which means total bore in music terms) John Williams. I gotta hand it to them...maybe they are turning a new leaf with nominating the energetic (albeit sort of reminiscent of the closing bell at wall street) Music from Slumdog.

ANyway...just my two cents and now to the Auto Mechanic!

 

[Michael Reuben]

I'm kind of the reverse. I thought, "WTF?" when the Globes put her Reader performance in the supporting category. It's clearly a lead performance.

 

[Holadem]

I wish TDK had gotten a BP nod as well, just to quiet down its fans (and Ledger's) which are becoming really really tireseome. Good grief.

Seriously, a Director nod was deserved I think. But not BP IMO.

Pleasantly surprised to see Jenkins from the Visitor as well. I've heard zip about the movie early summer, didn't know anyone still cared beside Michael.

The Class (not seen it yet, but HUGE buzz in France) finally shows up on the Foreign Flicks noms (it was missing from the GG)

--
H

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I think Nolan deserved a nod more than the film. But who cares.

It is very likely going to be Slumdog's year (and that will include Boyle), and that is fine by me.

Thrilled to see RDJ get that nod. It's a masterful performance that only someone very special could pull off.

Also thrilled to see In Bruges get the nom it MOST deserved, though I would have liked an acting nod or two as well.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I'd read that there was an Oscar campaign being mounted in conjunction with the release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray, but I'll bet it was a quiet one. I'm sure it didn't hurt that Jenkins has had a long and steady career in which he's worked with many Academy members. By all accounts, he's respected and well-liked, but since this was his first ever lead role, it must have seemed like they were discovering a new talent.

The other nominations I'm happy to see are Melissa Leo, who was haunting in Frozen River, and Marisa Tomei, who, for me, was the true standout in The Wrestler.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I don't think I've been this mad at the Academy since SPR/SIL fiasco.

Surprises:
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor.
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder.
No The Dark Knight for Best Picture/Director/Adapted Screenplay.

 

[Jose Martinez]

The biggest surprise for me this year is that the directing and picture categories actually match.

Not surprised about TDK though.

Biggest disappointment for me the lack of recognition for Gran Torino.

Oh well, can't win them all.

 

[Steve Christou]

I'm happy to see Slumdog Millionaire get so many nominations, the only other Best Picture nominee I've seen so far was Benjamin Button, which I didn't like. In Bruges and Iron Man were my favourites last year and I'm glad they haven't been forgotten. And I'm happy to see Mickey Rourke get his nom, best actor of the year.

The Dark Knight got the one nomination it deserved IMO Best Supporting actor, though it would have made my day to see it get a Best Picture nom in place of dreary Benjamin Button.

 

[Brent M]

Doesn't surprise me either. This is why I will NEVER agree with "The Academy" as a movie like The Reader is nominated for Best Picture over The Dark Knight and its' director gets a nom as well. Ugh. :frowning:

 

[Jose Martinez]

What I'd like to know is how many people who think TDK deserved a Best Picture nomination actually watched more than 10 films last year?

 

[Brandon Conway]

In reality, both The Dark Knight and WALL*E deserved Best Picture/Director nominations. They are still the best two films I've seen this year, and the only other film that reaches their level is gonna sweep the Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire.

The Reader is a fine film, but not a remarkable achievement or anything, especially in directing. But should we be surprised? The Academy loves a Holocaust film, and they have a negative bias towards comic action blockbusters and animated films.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'd imagine because it was considered to be based on prior work from Batman Begins, carrying over the main themes and such.

Why isn't Slumdog Millionaire considered a foreign film? Wasn't it a UK production? Or does "foreign" mean only foreign language films?

Oh well, I won't have seen hardly any of the nominated films by the time the awards arrive, so I guess I can turn in early on 2/22.

 

[Brandon Conway]

The category is Foreign Language Film. A majority of the film has to be in a non-English language, and each country can only submit one film for eligibility.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

What I like:
Supporting Actor nod for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tropic Thunder performance. It's not the type of performance the Oscars usually appreciate, and 2008 was definitely Downey's year. Well deserved.
Supporting Actor nod for Heath Ledger's The Dark Knight performance. He deserves to win. Period.
Original Screenplay nod for Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter's Wall-E script. Perhaps the best picture of the year, trapped in the Animated Feature ghetto. Glad to see it get a little mainstream recognition here.
Original Screenplay nod for Martin McDonagh's In Bruges script. Best written movie of the year.
Cinematography nod for Wally Pfister's The Dark Knight photography. Best looking live-action film of the year.
Visual Effects nod for Iron Man. At time, it featured the best CG I've ever seen.

What I don't like:
Nothing for Gran Torino, which is the first movie with relevance to today's American life (as opposed to Hollywood's conception of today's American life) in a long time.
The Dark Knight shut out of Best Picture and especially Best Director. It's the second highest grossing film of all time. It's rated 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The fact that it was limited to the technical categories with one exception is inexcusable, and shows the contempt Hollywood has for the superhero genre.
Only one nod for In Bruges. One of the best put-together films of the year, and forgetting Colin Farrell's turn as Ray is unforgivable. A solid argument could be made for Brendan Gleeson getting a supporting nod, as well.
No Best Actress nod for Dakota Fanning in Secret Life of Bees, and more unforgivably no Supporting Actress nod for Sophie Okonedo for same. Fanning carried the film with a performance that was better than it was, and Okonedo embodied the character in a way that no one else could.

 

[Jeff_Standley]

Pretty good list, but I am surprised no Dark Knight Best Picture nod. Maybe that was wishful thinking from me.

Love that Robert Downey Jr got nominated, I called that one months ago.

Also Michael Shannon was great in Revolutionary Road, glad to see him recognized.

Wish Nolan would have gotten something for his work though.

 

[Elizabeth S]

My unfavorite nom is Angelina "HE'S NOT MY SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jolie for "The Changeling", one of Clint's weaker films. I also see nothing special about Josh Brolin's performance in "Milk", another film I find highly overrated. No surprise, but I feel bad for Michael Sheen being overlooked as he was equally as good as Langella.

Very happy to see noms for Mickey Rourke and Melissa Leo. And the more I think about "The Reader", the more I like it and find it stays with me.

I feel almost an obligation to see "Benjamin Button" as I've seen virtually all the major noms, but the film doesn't interest me in the least.

 

[Brent M]

Nailed it.

 

[Edwin-S]

I find that Best Animated Feature category to be a joke. There isn't even a contest there. They might as well have declared WALL-E the winner, since it has no actual competition. I would have rather seen WALL-E nominated for BP with zero chance of winning than see it win an award that is absolutely meaningless. KFP and BOLT were both entertaining films but it is laughable to think that they come anywhere near to WALL-E in achievement.

 

[Steve Christou]

I agree, they should have put Wall-E up against Waltz With Bashir, a stylish and disturbing Israeli movie which has a 94% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and has already won a dozen awards. It managed a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination instead.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR // Official Movie Site

 

[David Deeb]

Agreed. And I think to a certain extent shows a lot of other contempt Hollywood has with their audience outside their own introverted world. Many best picture nominees from the past 10 years just seem "strange" to me now.

IE: Thin Red Line, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, Finding Neverland, Good Night and Good Luck, Atonement, The Hours, etc. Some good films, but 10 years later, does the passion for those films still exist? Maybe it does, and if so, then I'm wrong, but I don't see it.

If HTF is still around in 10 years, I guarantee that the enthusiasts then will still be enjoying and discussing The Dark Knight.