I was hoping for at least a few surprises with this year’s Oscar nominations, but I never expected this. There are shockers and snubs in every major category – some good and some not so good:
– I’m very happy that “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” got a Best Picture nom. Most thought it didn’t have a chance, but the timing of it’s wide Jan. release and current buzz pushed it passed other candidates such as “The Ides of March”.
– Mixed emotions with the Best Animated category. Glad the Academy stuck to it’s policy on Motion Capture, which kept “The Adventures of Tintin” out. And happy for DreamWorks, which hit the Daily Double with “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Puss in Boots”. But no “Cars 2”? No “Arthur Christmas” (one of the best reviewed films of the year). “Rango” is probably the favorite, but with little seen nominees “A Cat in Paris” and Chico and Rita” making the cut anything could happen.
– Shocked that Steven Spielberg didn’t get a Best Director nomination, especially with the “Tintin” decision. Yet, “War Horse” makes it into the Best Picture group. ?
– Disappointed that “Buck” was denied a Best Documentary nomination.
– As for the acting categories, every one had a surprise that meant a snub or two:
– Best Actor: Demain Bichir “in”, Michael Fassbender, Leonardo DiCaprio “out”
– Best Actress: Rooney Mara “in”, Tilda Swinton “out”
– Supporting Actor: Max von Sydow “in”, Albert Brooks “out”
– Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy “in”, Shailene Woodley “out”
I’m happy for von Sydow, and disappointed for Woodley. But the king of the “outs” this year is Ryan Gosling, who didn’t get nominated for either of his major roles, while many thought he might get “in” for both.
– Stunned that there are only two nominees in the Best Song category. The problem appears to be that there were simply too many in the pool (39) and the vote was so spread-out. At least “The Muppets” got a little love with “Man or Muppet”, but that’s probably the 4th best song in the movie.
– Finally, the fact that “Hugo” leads all films with 11 nominations discouraging, since it’s not a great film. Early prediction: “The Artist” (2nd with 10 nominations) will win more statues than “Hugo” come Oscar night.